Title: In the world of signs

Lesson plan elaborated by: Magdalena Trysińska

Topic

In the world of signs.

Target group:

1st‑grade students of a high school.

Core curriculum

Basic level

II. Language education.

3. Language communication and language culture. Student:

1) understands the notion of language sign and language as a system of signs; distinguishes the types of characters and determines their functions in the text.

III. Creating statements

2. Speaking and writing. Student:

6) creates consistent statements in the following species forms: an argumentative statement, a paper, an interpretative sketch, a critical sketch, a definition, an encyclopaedic entry, and a synthesizing note.

IV. Self‑study. Student:

1) develops the ability of independent work, among others, by preparing various forms of presenting their own position;

2) organises information into a problematic whole by valuing it; synthesizes the learned content around the problem, topic, issue and uses it in your statements;

11) uses multimedia resources, eg from: libraries, on‑line dictionaries, e‑book publications, original websites; selects web sources, taking into account the criterion of material correctness and critically evaluates their content.

Advanced level

II. Language education.

3. Language communication and language culture. Student:

4) defines the role of language in building the image of the world.

General aim of education

The student acquires knowledge about contractual and natural signs, which play an important role in the process of communication and obtaining information

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Learning outcomes

Student:

• explains what the sign is; indicates a significant and marked element;

• recognises contractual and natural signs, reads their content;

• differentiates indicators, icons and symbols.

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;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

1. The teacher divides the class into groups. Everyone is asking to develop examples of symbols in different cultures. One group can deal with the culture and civilization of Egypt, the second - Greek, the third - Celtic, the fourth - the Middle East, the fifth - China, the sixth - Indians. Students are required to compile messages in the form of presentations.

Introduction

1. The teacher determines the purpose of the class, which is to learn about different types of characters that affect communication processes. It gives students the criteria for success.

2. Student presentations. Determining what the symbols are, what their purpose is and what their relationship to the real objects / phenomena / states they refer to. The teacher asks students why they are illegible to representatives of other cultures and what they testify (they are contractual).

Realization

1. The teacher displays on the board a photo gallery of various characters, whose characteristic sign is a special outfit. Students indicate items of clothing that can be assigned meaning. Discussion of meanings on the class forum.

2. Students get acquainted with information in the abstract about indicators, icons and symbols. They do exercise No. 2.

3. The teacher together with students discusses the content of iconic characters, signs‑indicators and symbols

4. The teacher divides the students into groups. Each team develops a graphic note, which will be a summary of the character classification.

5. Students carry out abstract exercises to check the level of acquiring knowledge about characters: pupils analyze photos in an abstract; decide which of the behaviors shown in the picture contain various functions, eg indicator, symbol and icon.

Summary

1. The teacher asks the chosen student to try to explain the lesson issues to a colleague who is 10 years old.

2. The teacher chooses one student by random method and asks him or her to explain in own words the meaning of a given word or concept learned during the lesson.

Homework

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

2. Exercise 5 in the abstract: If you had to send information in Pioneer's space in the form of an encyclopaedia note, what would its contents mean? Try to translate NASA's picture into English.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

In the world of signs

We observe various signs on a daily basis. They inform us about things, convey a certain meaning. Usually, they are created by a person aiming to communicate something to us. However, we often assign a certain meaning to something by ourselves, creating our own interpretation. Signs are therefore a form to which we assign a certain meaning. We perceive them through different senses, mostly through sight and hearing, but taste, touch and smell can have their role too. It is worth to know the nature of signs and their role in interpersonal communication.

Signs are objects which direct our thoughts to other objects or phenomena. For example, a stream of letters „bicycle” makes us think about 'a two‑wheel human‑powered vehicle' while a road sign prohibiting the cross without stopping refers to a thought about the danger that makes people stop.

Signs consist of two elements: a signifying (medium of meaning) and a signified (meaning).

Signs can refer to other objects or phenomena in three ways. For that reason, we divide them into: indicators (indexes), icons and symbols.

Interestingly, the functions of indicator, icon and symbol can co‑exist in one sign.

• it is an indicator of a left turn because behind it the road actually turns left,

• it is also a symbol of warning because people agreed to war fast‑drivers by a triangular shape on a yellow background (and not differently),

• it is an icon because of being a very schematic picture of a bending road.

It's the same case with knocking on the door:

• it indicates there is a person standing behind the door,

• it is a symbolic sign meaning could you open the door?,

• it is an arbitral conventional sign because we could scratch the door (like dogs and cats do) or rub it as well.