Learning to acquire information using the English
language is a must if we want our students to be using the
language in educative situations.
Here are some activities.
Start off with a famous American city, New York
for example. See on the map of the United States, where New
York City is located.
Take a street map of the city where museums,
monuments, parks etc. are marked.
Let the students formulate questions.
Where is the Metropolitan Museum located?
Is the Empire State Building near the famous
department store, Macy's?
Name two famous parks in the center of the city.
Name two rivers in the New York area.
Name the five boroughs of New York City.
They can also research some of the famous
neighbour-hoods in the city.
Example: Chinatown, SoHo, Little Italy, Tribeca etc. What are
they famous for?
Once all their research is done they can make up
an itinerary for tourists who are visiting the city.
Day 1, Visit the Empire State building on
34th Street and then go shopping at Macy's department store. In
the evening see a Broadway show.
Day 2, Visit the Museum of Natural History,
then walk through Central Park to find the Metropolitan Museum
of Art on 89th Street. Don't forget to see the Guggenheim Museum
too. It's an architectural work of art!
Now they are ready to take a look at the world
map.
They can choose a continent.
Example: North America
What countries make up North America?
What are the capitals of these countries?
Where can you find the cities of New Orleans, Dallas, Las
Vegas, Montreal?
What languages are spoken officially in Canada?
I'm sure students are interested in seeing the
world and this can be a good introduction for them. They will
see that knowing how to speak English can greatly simplify their
travelling experiences.
A Nice Thought
"Travel and change of place impart new
vigor to the mind".
Seneca