Topic: Rivers, lakes, ponds ...

Target group

4th‑grade students of elementary school

Core curriculum

Grade IV
VI. The natural environment of the immediate area. Pupil:
5) distinguishes standing and flowing waters, gives their names and indicates natural and artificial water reservoirs;

General aim of education

Students call water reservoirs and describe the role of artificial tanks.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• recognize water reservoirs and watercourses;

• describe what wetlands are and where they arise;

• present the role of rivers and lakes in the human economy;

• explain the role of artificial tanks and canals.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• river model from the previous lesson;;

• sheets of gray paper;

• paper strips with concepts.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• Teacher referring to the previous lesson displays the definitions of the concepts learned, and the student indicated gives the concepts they concern and points them to the model..

• The teacher explains the aim of the lesson and together with students determines the success criteria to be achieved.

Realization

• The teacher handing out a sheet of paper to each pair of students, stripes of paper with the notions: river, stream, lake, fish pond, wetland, dam reservoir, channel. The task of the students is to divide the received concepts according to the criterion set in the pair. After the appointed time, students discuss their classification suggestions in groups created by the teacher, selecting and presenting one solution..

• The teacher writes on the board and explains five or more new English words related to the subject of the lesson. Then the teacher plays the audio recording of the abstract, asking the students to raise their hands when they hear one of the written on the board words. Lesson participants can also note how many times they have captured a given word.

• The teacher asks students to read the abstract themselves, paying particular attention to the illustrations.

• The teacher presents and discusses the interactive illustration. He then divides the students into groups and recommends that each of them carry out an in‑depth analysis of one of the points presented in the diagram, based on available sources of information (e.g. internet, atlas or encyclopedia). Students present the results of work in groups. Each team ends their presentation with the wording of the conclusions.

Summary

• The teacher asks students to carry out the recommended interactive exercise themselves.

• At the end of the lesson the teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer? If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions.

Homework

• Develop a lap book containing issues learned during the lesson and bring your work to the next class.

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Rivers, lakes, ponds ...

Surface waters are waters occurring on the surface of the Earth. In Poland, these waters are mainly accumulated in rivers, lakes and wetlands. All our surface waters are fresh.
Lakes are natural, inland (ie located in the middle of land) water reservoirs. Part of its bottom is devoid of vegetation, because no light reaches there. Smaller and shallower reservoirs from lakes whose entire bottom is overgrown with vegetation, we call ponds. Lakes and ponds must be provided with water, otherwise evaporation from their surface may lead to them drying completely.

Wetlands are formed in places where water comes from precipitation or rivers, and its excess does not flow away. Small wetlands prevail throughout Poland, although in some places, e.g. in the north‑east of Poland, they occupy large areas. The wetlands area is boggy and therefore difficult to access for people. However, it plays a huge role in nature – it is the living environment of many plants and animals.

Throughout Poland there are also rivers and smaller streams. They are a source of drinking water and water for industry and agriculture. Larger rivers can be used as transport routes.

People create artificial water reservoirs, which have different functions. The largest are usually dam reservoirs, that is, those that arise in river valleys after partitioning them with a dam. You can collect water in them to provide people with drinking water. In addition, water is needed in the reservoirs for agriculture and industry and is necessary to power turbines in hydroelectric power plants, that is for energy production. Flood reservoirs, on the other hand, help to prevent sudden swells in rivers. Artificial water reservoirs are also created in excavations of opencast mines and abandoned quarries. Often fish ponds are also built for fish farming. Artificial ponds are the living environment of many organisms, eg birds and insects. Also, people are happy to rest in such places, swimming or fishing.

People also produce canals, they are, artificial watercourses. They are built to allow navigation or the flow of water between rivers or lakes. They are also created to drain wetlands.

• Water reservoirs include lakes and ponds.

• Artificial water reservoirs perform many natural functions and, moreover, play an important role in human activity.

• Rivers and canals are very important in inland navigation.