Title: Rules for teenagers

Lesson plan elaborated by: Katarzyna Maciejak

Topic:

Rules of behaviour in the past and now.

Target group

6th‑grade students of an elementary school.

Core curriculum

I. Literary and cultural education.

1. Reading literary compositions. Student:

12) specifies the theme and concept of the composition;

14) names the impressions aroused by a given text;

17) demonstrates his own understanding of the literary text and can justify it;

18) uses his own experiences and elements of cultural knowledge to interpret texts;

19) expresses his own opinion on characters and events;

2. Reception of the cultural texts. Student:

1) identifies the statement as an informational, journalistic or advertising text;

3) specifies the topic and the main theme of the text;

6) distinguishes facts from opinions.

II. Language skills.

2. Language differentiation. Student:

2) uses the official and unofficial variation of Polish;

3) uses a style appropriate to the communication situation;

4) understands the literal and metaphorical meaning of the words in a statement; recognises the ambiguous words, understands their meaning in a text and consciously uses them to create his own statements.

6) recognises neutral and evaluative vocabulary, understands their functions in the text;

7) uses a style appropriate to the intended purpose of communication;

8) distinguishes synonyms, antonyms, understands their function in the text and uses in his own statements;

3. Linguistic communication and language culture. Student:

1) identifies a text as a message, distinguishes different types of messages: informational, literary, advertising, iconic;

2) identifies the sender and recipient of the statement;

3) defines the communicative situation and understands its influence on the statement;

III. Creating expressions.

1. Elements of rhetoric. Student:

1) takes part in a discussion on a given topic, can separate its parts and structural signals strengthening the bond among the participants of the dialogue and explaining the meaning

3) creates logical, semantically complete and structured statement, using composition and layout adequate to the given genre, understands the role of paragraphs in creating consistent statement;

4) selects information;

6) identifies the means of persuasion and understands their function.

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

4) creates notes;

5) talks about the read text;

6) distinguishes modern forms of communication (i.e. E‑mail, SMS) and uses them in accordance with the language etiquette.

IV. Self‑education. Student:

1) perfects loud and silent reading;

2) perfects different forms of writing down the gained information;

3) uses information from different sources, gathers and selects information;

5) uses Polish language dictionaries, both general and specific and the dictionary of literary terms;

7) develops the ability to critically assess the gathered information;

9) develops the ability to effectively use the informational technology and the Internet resources and uses these skills to present his own interests.

The general aim of education

Students talk about the rules of behaviour now and in the past and create their own code of behaviour in public places.

Key competences

• communication in the mother tongue;

• communication in foreign languages;

• learning to learn;

• social and civil competences.

Operational objectives

Student:

• discusses what are the modern principles of good manners and compares them to the former ones;

• identifies inappropriate behaviour;

• uses vocabulary connected with etiquette;

• talks about the rules of behavior in public places – creates his/her code.

Methods/techniques

• problematic: conversation;

• practical: exercises on subject;

• programmed: using computer, using e‑textbook;

• activating: drama.

Forms of work

• uniform individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• group activity;

• collective activity;

Lesson plan overview (Process)

Introduction

1. The teacher determines the purpose of the class: students will talk about modern principles of good manners and will learn how did those principles look like in the past.

2. The teacher asks students if they know what savoir‑vivre is, then explains that it is a set of rules that apply in particular place and situations and is observed by cultural people. The teacher starts a discussion about the situation when it is good to know the principles of good manners (is it needed nowadays?) and where the relevant advice can be found?

Realization

1. Students write in their notebooks the rules of behaviour that they follow at home and then discuss them with the whole class.

2. The teacher asks students if they know any rules of behaviour from the past, i.e. how did the children behave towards their parents. He/she asks participants to prepare in pairs short scenes illustrating the chosen savoir‑vivre principle from ancient times. Presentation of several scenes.

3. Students read the extract form the book by Jan Kamyczek “Savoir‑vivre dla nastolatków”. A short discussion after reading. Students pay attention to the situations described by the author. The teacher points out that the advice given by Kamyczek are form the year 1974 and encourages students to the discussion on what have changed since then and which rules should be still followed regardless of the change of manners (i.e. maintaining tidiness, right to privacy, independence, upholding traditions?).

4. Tasks to check the understanding of the text. Students perform exercises 3 and 4 in abstract.

5. The teacher quotes the universal principle of good manners by Jan Kamyczek (it can be summarised in words: even if you do not know the principles of good manners, all you have to do is to behave kindly) and ask students how they understand this thought. If it is incomprehensible, he/she explains it and asks them to prepare new scenes illustrating the thesis that if you do not know the rules of savoir‑vivre, it is enough to be kind (Exercise 5).

6. Enhancing vocabulary. Students perform interactive exercise No. 6.

7. The teacher reminds that the established, valid, behavior is called etiquette. Students are wondering what behavior of their peers in public places bother them the most. Then they analyse which of the behaviors appear to be inappropriate (exercise 7), and then together they create a code of good manners in mass communication, cinema, and shopping centers.

Summary

The teacher asks the students questions asking for a summary, e.g.

• Why do we need savoir‑vivre?

• Where else, besides the public sphere, do rules of good manners apply?

Homework

Draw a comic book in which you will present the chosen principle of good manners.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Rules for teenagers

Savoir‑vivre (read: sawuar wiwr – from French: ability to live), the principles of good manners, the code of the cultural people that tells how to behave in particular places and situations. Do you know any situations when the knowledge of principles of good manners is useful? Where can you find relevant advice? Is the knowledge of etiquette necessary nowadays? What is your opinion?

Do you know any principles of good manners that were valid in the past? How did children behave towards their parents?

Jan Kamyczek’s advice is from 1974. What has changed since then? Should any of those rules be still followed, regardless of the change of customs? Discuss.