Teachers notes   
UNIT 5   
“Travelling around” 
(email/www design) 
   

number of sessions: 7   
   

CONTENT
AIMS
 		    
Skills reading and writing
Vocabulary vocabulary related to travelling.  
computer vocabulary
Grammar --- 
 
INSTRUMENTAL AIMS
  • To become familiar with a web editor.
  • To use search engines to find the information about Catalonia  and Spain.
  • To use CD-roms to find information.
PROCEDURE
  • Try to compose a simple web site with the information collected during  this unit.
  • Learn vocabulary related to travelling.
  • Visit web sites with information about countries and cities. 
  • Use Cd-roms and search engines to find information to create a travel brochure or guide.
  • Write an article about Spain or Catalonia for the guide and create a web site together with all the students.
  • Write a letter to your key pal with the contents of the travelling guide article.
  • Write a letter to your teacher telling him/her about the course experience.
   

STUDENT'S TASKS:    
   
    

 Task 1  

Students open UNIT 5 and read the aims of the unit. They begin with task 1. Make them read the aims of each task, so that they become aware of what they have to do. They do task 1 and read the British Tourist Authority guide about Great Britain. I like this site because of the way the information is organized. It can help students to plan and elaborate their guide. They must focus on "London" and write the different sections this guide is divided into in the little box. 

Ss visit the front page of one or two city guides. You should make them surf to visit those sites. If you  have problems to get connected you may provide Ss with extra time to do it ( I am sorry, but I cannot provide so many pages).  
 
ANSWERS 

Essential sights, sightseeing tours, Museums and  galleries, Shopping, Parks and villages, Theatre and nightlife, Eating and drinking.... 
 
TIMING: 1 session   


 Task 2   
 
Help Ss organize their work (the travelling guide about Catalonia or Spain). Elicit from them different ideas and write them on the blackboard. Then, make them choose the ones they prefer to work with. Make them work in pairs and prepare two or three paragraphs about their topic using their word processor. Possible topics are: sightseeing, culture, history, entertainment, etc. 

Once they have decided on the topic they are going to work with, tell them the sources they can use to find the information: CD-roms, web sites, etc. Remind Ss they can also visit Unit 3 were they visited a site about  Barcelona. Organize the time so that all or most students can use Internet. Tell them to copy and paste the relevant information and save it in a new file using their word processor. Then, they have to summarize the information and organize it for the final product: a pair of paragraphs. A revised version of this final product will be pasted to a WWW editor (The easiest I found is Composer -Netscape 4.0). 

When students have finished with their document make them share files (copy the other files). 

TIMING: 3 sessions   


 Task 3  

Go through the instructions of task 3 together with your students to make sure they follow all the steps. Let Ss add personal information in a new section if they want to (only if they have finished with their part). (see further ideas).  

NOTE: If you see the creation of the web site too complicated do not worry. Forget about it and do only the word processor task. Make the students share their files, anyway, and ask them to organize the information as they like. If you prefer, I can help you with the creation of this web site, as long as you send me your students' files. 

If you like the idea of creating a web site you can also offer them the information about Catalonia, so that they save time looking for and organizing the information, and go directly to the creative task of designing the web site. 

TIMING: 2 sessions 


  Task 4   

Make students write their final letter to their partners. There is no guide to do it this time. Ask them to write what they want, give their ordinary mail address, say good bye to them, etc. Make sure they attach their Catalonia guide document (either text or html) to their message. Show them how to do it. If you think you can publish it, then go ahead!!  

Make the students write the final message to me. There are no questions to be answered this time, but they must write an argumentative paragraph about the indicated topic. Tell them this must be done seriously (it can be an important part of your final evaluation). 

TIMING: 1 session. 


 

Further ideas 
 

  • In order to personalize the web site students could add personal information, perhaps the information used in the first units. If  you have this possibility include as well photographs of the group or of individuals. Then,  the web site would contain the following sections:
    1. personal information about the student.
    2. a photograph of the student or the whole  group.
    3. “mini-touristic guide” about Catalonia. 
  • Before sharing the files, ask Ss to explain what they have done to the others.
 
             
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