Дисциплина: Лингвострановедение

Тема: Монархия как одна из форм государственного правления. Британская Королевская семья

Обучающиеся: студенты 4-го курса

Цели урока:

Образовательные:

• введение нового лингвострановедческого материала;
• активизация эквивалентной и безэквивалентной лексики, отражающей реалии страны изучаемого языка;
• осуществление межпредметных связей иностранного языка, истории и географии;

Развивающие:

• развитие умений аудирования и неподготовленной монологической речи;
• развитие творческих способностей студентов;
• развитие умений анализировать и синтезировать преподаваемый материал;

Воспитательные:

• воспитание чувства уважения к традициям, обычаям, культуре страны изучаемого языка и к культурным ценностям своей страны;
• формирование навыков межкультурной коммуникации как одного из важнейших качеств толерантной личности;
• развитие межличностных отношений при выполнении групповых форм работы.

Оборудование: компьютер, проектор, экран, карта мира, раздаточный материал.

Материал:

• учебники по лингвострановедению:
  1. Paul Harvey, Rhodri Jones “Britain Explored” Longman Group UK Limited 2002
  2. Christopher Garwood “Aspects of Britain and the USA”;
• http://www.ukonline.gov.uk;
• CD учебный курс “English in Action. The Royal family”;
• презентация “The Royal Family”, используемая как мультимедийное приложение к уроку.

The Royal Family

Objectives:

• to develop listening abilities and comprehension;
• to provide opportunities for students to express their views;
• to stimulate discussion;
• to develop intercultural awareness;
• to heighten awareness of global issues.

Materials:

The cards with a list of adjectives (for discussion), a pencil (pen) for each student, a task sheet for each group and the cards with the names of the members of the Royal Family (to show order of succession to the throne), a task sheet for each student (for home task).

In class

1. Introduction.

— At our previous lessons we spoke about the system of government of the United Kingdom, namely, about its three branches: the Parliament which consists of two Houses, the House of Commons, the most powerful House, and the House of Lords, whose main function is making laws. The second branch is presented by the Government which consists of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, whose main function is to rule, administer

1. Home assignment.

• Read aloud the words beginning each line with the word of the most general meaning. Then you may continue the list including new words concerning the subject.

1. Cabinet, minister, government, Prime Minister, to execute laws, power, civil servant (Home Secretary, Lord Chancellor, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Treasury, Home Office, Foreign Office, home affairs);
2. MP (member of Parliament), House of Commons, House of Lords, Speaker, Parliament (Westminster Palace, to preside, session, to elect, galleries for visitors, to make laws, Bills and Acts, to rule);
3. royal, Queen, throne, Crown, genealogy, king, monarchy, sovereign, succession, Royal Assent, to reign (traditions, royal family, prince, princess, Duke, Earl, wealth, engagements: visits, trips abroad, openings).

III. Main part.

1) Pre-viewing.

 About the Royal family

— “Her Most Excellent Majesty by the Grace of God, Head of the united Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of other Realms and Territories Head, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”.

— Whose title is it?

— You are right. The Queen is the official Head of the State, and for many people a symbol of the unity of nation. The Queen has a central role in state affairs, not only through her ceremonial duties such as opening the meetings of Parliament, giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals. She has real functions: she meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet papers. She is expected to be above politics, and any advice she may offer the Prime Minister is kept secret.

So, the Queen is:

Head of the Church of England

Commander-in-chief of the armed forces

Head of the Commonwealth

— Can you explain what the Commonwealth is? The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent countries and most of them are former British colonies. These countries are entirely responsible for their own policies, but they have chosen to consult and cooperate in certain areas, such as strengthening democracy, promoting human rights and working for the social and economic development of poorer countries. They all recognize the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth. Today Britain has only 14 dependent territories which rely on Britain for their defence. All these territories are tiny and their population is less than 200,000 people.

For a thousand years the UK has been united under one sovereign. This continuity was broken only after the Civil War when England became a Republic for 16 years under Oliver Cromwell. Monarchy dates back in Britain to the Saxon king Egbert. No monarch  may be of Roman Catholic faith, nor marry someone of that faith.

2) Here is a list of genealogy of British kings:

Saxon king Egbert

1154 – 1399  The Plantagenets

1154 – 1189  Henry II

1272 – 1307  Edward I

1399 – 1485  The Houses of York and Lancaster

1485 – 1603  The Tudors

1485 – 1509  Henry VII

1509 – 1547  Henry VIII

1553 – 1558  Mary I

1558 – 1603  Elizabeth I (Golden Age)

1603 – 1649  The Stuarts

1603 – 1625  James I

1625 – 1649  Charles I

1649 – 1660  Oliver Cromwell (The Republic)

1660 – 1714  The Stuarts

1669 – 1702  William and Mary II

1714 – 1901  The Hanoverians

1714 – 1830  George I,II,III,IV (Georgian period)

1837 – 1901  Victoria (Victorian period)

1901 – 1910  The House of Saxe-Coburg Edward VII (Edwardian period)

1910    The House of Windsor

• Now let me introduce the members of the British royal family. They are …..

3) Viewing.

Introductory video

• Today you have an opportunity to watch video and listen to the recording about the British royal family. At the same time you may train your listening comprehension.

The Royal Family

The Royal family is a focal part of British life, whose members attract worldwide interest with their lifestyles under constant scrutiny from the media. Their position remains one of great fascinations and is based on a history of more than 1500 years.

Queen Elizabeth is Head of State in many countries besides Britain, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Despite this list, her powers are strictly limited as a figurehead in each democratic state.

She married Prince Philip in 1947. He is called the Duke of Edinburgh and was the son of a Greek prince, although his family was originally from Denmark. Philip supports Queen in her duties and at the same time, travels extensively to encourage world conservation projects. Until recently he was President of the Worldwide Fund for Nature. He remains active and fit as he approaches his 80’s.

Prince Charles who is called the Prince of Wales, is the Queen’s eldest son and is set to succeed to the throne one day. He was in the navy before taking on a life of public duties. He is known to have strong opinions on architecture, the environment and against the genetic modification of food. His fairytale marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales, did not work, and following its end, she was killed in a tragic car crash.

Diana was recognized as one of the most beautiful women in the world and millions mourned her death. In her life, she had devoted her time to charities, specifically those involved with children and AIDS. Charles and Diana had two sons, Princes William and Harry. William is set to succeed to the throne as king after his father.

Princess Anne is the Queen’s only daughter and is called the Princess Royal. She is seen as one of the most hardworking Royals. Once voted Britain’s Sportswoman of the Year for competing as a horsewoman in the Olympics, she has since thrown herself into public duties, particularly in support of Save the Children.

Sarah, Duchess of Work, was married to the Queen’s second son, Prince Andrew. Fergie, as she is known, remains a public figure and still supports children’s charities. She has presented her own TV show and wrote a series of books for children.

The Queen’s youngest son is Prince Edward, who she created Earl of Wessex when he married Sophie Rhys Jones. He is a TV producer with his own company making history documentaries.

In many ways, this is a family like any other, but it is one that fate has placed in an extraordinary position.

1. Revising the material.

1) Post-viewing activities.

• Here you will be required to work through the tasks in increasing levels of difficulty and discover how much of the recording you really understand.

Statements

• Statements 1

Decide if these statements are true or false.

1. The position of the Royal Family is based on a history of more than 1500 years.

True / False

1. The Queen is Head of state in many countries besides Britain, including Australia, India and New Zealand.

True / False

1. Prince Philip is called the Duke of York.

True / False

1. He is the son of an Italian prince.

True / False

1. Until recently Prince Philip was President of the Worldwide fund for Nature.

True / False 

• Statements 2

1. Prince Charles is the Queen’s second son.

True / False

1. He is set to succeed to the throne.

True / False

1. Prince Charles is known to have strong opinions on modern technology.

True / False

1. Princess Diana was killed in a car crash.

True / False

1. In her life, she devoted her time to business.

True / False

1. Charles and Diana had two sons.

True / False

• Statements 3

1. Princess Anne is the Queen’s only daughter.

True / False

1. She was voted Britain’s Sportswoman of the Year.

True / False

1. Sarah, Duchess of York, was married to Prince Andrew.

True / False

1. She wrote a series of detective novels.

True / False

1. Prince Edward is a television producer with his own company.

True / False

Exercises

• Here you are to fill in the blanks choosing the correct words and selecting from possibilities.
• Selection

1. British life wouldn’t be ________ without the Royal Family.
2. A) boring
3. B) the same
4. C) so awful
5. D) socialist
6. Queen Elizabeth II has _________ power in Canada.
7. A) enormous
8. B) no
9. C) unbelievable
10. D) very little
11. Prince Philip is ________ known as the Duke of Edinburgh.
12. A) otherwise
13. B) never
14. C) unhappily
15. D) derogatorily
16. Prince Charles is set to ______ to the throne of England one day.
17. A) exceed
18. B) go
19. C) succeed
20. D) accede
21. Prince Charles has strong opinion on ________ .
22. A) genetic food, environment, architecture
23. B) modification of food, environment, architecture
24. C) buildings, food, countryside
25. D) genetic modification of food, environment, architecture
26. Diana ______ her time to charities.
27. A) doted
28. B) revolted
29. C) voted
30. D) devoted
31. The Queen’s ________ daughter is Princess Anne.
32. A) second
33. B) only
34. C) last
35. D) short
36. Prince Edward _______ historical documents for television.
37. A) makes
38. B) invents
39. C) invests
40. D) resists

2) Tests on the British royal family

— Now we’ll do some exercises on titles matching. You should match the members of the royal family on the left with their titles on the right.

Titles match 1

Queen Elizabeth II                                 The Countess Of Wessex

Queen Elizabeth                                     The Duchess of York

Princess Diana                                        The Princess Royal

Sarah Ferguson                                       The Princess of Wales

Princess Anne                                         The Queen

Sophie Rhys-Jones                                 The Queen Mother

— Match each member of the royal family on the left with a suitable description on the right.

Titles match 2

Prince Philip                                          Charles’s younger son

Prince Charles                                        The Prince of Wales

Prince Andrew                                       Charles’s older son

Prince Edward                                        The Earl of Wessex

Prince William                                       The Duke of York

Prince Henry                                          The Duke of Edinburgh

3) Post-listening discussion.

Introduction

— Which of these adjectives on the cards do you associate with the British monarch? You may add any adjectives not included in the list (the teacher distributes cards with the given adjectives).

greedy                       dignified                              busy

modest                        popular                              intelligent

vulgar                         hard-working                     lonely

wealthy                       prosperous                         responsible

lazy                             communicative                  generous

Listening

— Listen to the text and after listening answer the following questions:

1. Does the speaker approve:
2. a) of the British monarchy?
3. b) of monarchies in general?
4. How does he compare monarchs and presidents?
5. Which monarchies does he praise? Why?
6. Does he feel sorry for the British Royal Family?
7. How does he compare monarchs and “soap operas”?
8. Which of the adjectives on the cards you were given to does he associate with the British monarchy? Is your own list different?

Monarchy

Well, I suppose I do approve of the monarchy, of the idea of a monarchy. I used to disapprove of royal families in general. I think now I accept the idea of a royal family, because they can function and operate outside politics. What I mean by that is that they are not going to be touched by political scandal, in the way that a president, for example, might be, President of the United States, for example.

But although I approve of the idea of a monarchy, I don’t approve of the monarchy we have in Britain at the moment. I’m against them personally, if you like. I think the problem we have with our monarchy is that they are greedy, I would say. They are lazy. They display their wealth in a very vulgar way. They keep their wealth and their treasures well away from the public. They don’t contribute to the public good.

I think I would be in favour of a monarchy of the sort you find in other countries in Northern Europe: in Scandinavia, in Holland, for example, perhaps in Belgium. Because these royal families set a good example. They are modest. They work hard. You know, you hear, in England you hear all the time, “Oh, don’t you feel sorry for the Royal Family. They work so hard”. I simply don’t believe this. I would love to swop my job for their job any day. I don’t think they work hard.

The other thing that I don’t like about our Royal Family is the fact that they now seem to behave in, you know, like actors in a soap opera. That they have become vulgar. They have become popular and at the same time, they have become vulgar. They are not dignified. And I do think that a monarchy, although it should be modest, it should be dignified. And it should set a good example.

— British monarchy is not the only monarchy in the world. It is one of six constitutional monarchies in the European community. You can find monarchy in other countries in Europe: in Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium, Spain.

— Working in pairs, discuss the points:

1. The speaker would “swop my job for their job any day”.
2. a) Would you exchange your life with a member of the British royal family?
3. b) Why would you exchange?
4. c) If so, which member would you exchange with?
5. Which members of the Royal family are best known in our country?
6. Which of them would you like to see as your guests and which sights of Kazan would you show him/her first?
7. What do you see as the advantages and disadvantages of having a monarchy? (the students work at the blackboard explaining what they see as the advantages and disadvantages of having a monarchy)

Advantages                  /                Disadvantages

4) About the Queen. Order of succession.

Curiosity facts on the Royal Family

• I want to introduce you some curious facts about the Queen.

1. Queen’s birthday. Do you know that the Queen celebrates her birthday twice a year? She was born on 21 April 1926. She celebrates her birthday privately with her family on this date. As sovereign her official birthday is marked with a military parade called “The Queen birthday Parade” (popularly known as “Trooping Colour”). It is held publicly in June in London in a ceremony which dates back to the 18^th
2. The Queen’s address. Would you like to write a letter to Her Majesty and give her a piece of advice on ruling the country? You have a chance to put down her address. It is:

Buckingham Palace

London SW 1

United Kingdom

1. Types of Queen. There are three types of Queen in Britain but only one of them is sovereign. They are:

• Queen regnant – a woman who actually reigns; a woman in the line of succession who succeeds as sovereign in her own right.
• Queen consort – the wife of a king; a woman who marries a man who is in the line of succession and later becomes king. A queen consort is entitled to be called Queen for the rest of her life even after her husband’s death.
• Queen dowager – the widow of a king.

Order of succession (group work)

• In British monarchy the Crown is passed to the sovereign’s eldest son, though in future it will pass to the eldest child, whether son or daughter. Working in groups you are to restore passage to the throne by the members of the British Royal Family according to the tradition mentioned earlier.
  • Prince Charles
  • Prince William
  • Prince Henry
  • Prince Andrew
  • Princess Beatrice
  • Princess Eugenie
  • Prince Edward
  • Prince Anne
  • Peter Phillips
  • Zara Phillips

1. Conclusion. Home assignment.

— You see, members of the Royal Family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad. Their various responsibilities reflect tradition, their own personal interests and Britain’s former imperial status. On the one hand, the Queen is certainly one of the richest woman in the world, while on the other hand, her power is limited by the fact that so many of her expenses are paid for by government money. This point causes many discussions and arguments on a monarchy in the British society. Many people, especially the young, think that the Royals should get “proper jobs” and earn money for their living.

• Have you ever heard the song performed by Alla Pugacheva many years ago? There are the following lines:

Kings can do everything,

They reign and rule the world.

But marrying those whom they love

Is not in their power.

• These words are 100 % true. The members of the Royal Family must follow the traditions and rules which have been set through centuries. They are public people, even their private life is public. In fact, they are ordinary people but fate put them in extraordinary position.
• Your home assignment is to fill in the column of the task sheet with your parents’ answers and note your own thoughts and interesting comments on a monarchy and a republic as forms of government.

Monarchy and Republic

Your parents’ opinion

Your own thoughts