Our amazing planet is mysterious and extraordinary. It is full of unique phenomena and mysteries. Every day nature pleases us with beautiful sunsets, autumn cobwebs, and a starry sky. Someone enjoys the morning dew, others breathe the frosty air while admiring the white canvas of hoarfrost. But often nature amazes and makes admire such phenomena that literally fascinate or, conversely, induce terrible fear.

You can observe various natural phenomena in different places on Earth. For example, aurora can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. For the first time the northern lights saw the Scandinavian peoples, deciding that this is a manifestation of the wrath of the gods. In fact, the aurora has an electrical origin. Millions of charged particles collide in air molecules thereby forming a glow. Thanks to oxygen, light is reflected in yellow, green, red. Blue and purple are formed with nitrogen.

Rainbow is the most joyful and amazing phenomenon of nature. A rainbow can be observed immediately after a rain, in the form of reflection of sunlight in water droplets that remain in the air after a rain. The light is refracted and gives us seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, blue, purple. Rainbow is also double.

The inhabitants of the earth very often can observe an amazing cosmic phenomenon - star rain or stargazing. If you look at the sky, we will see a lot of luminous points that fly from top to bottom towards our planet. During the flight, these points, like her small stars, leave behind a trail of luminous stripes. They do not reach the earth, and burn in the atmosphere in the form of a bright flash. In fact, as scientists explain, falling bodies are not stars, they are meteors. Meteor rain is formed annually during the collision of the Earth with the cosmic flow of meteor particles.

Our amazing planet is mysterious and extraordinary. It is full of unique phenomena and mysteries. Nature pleases us every day with beautiful sunsets, autumn cobwebs, starry sky. Someone enjoys the morning dew, others inhale the frosty air admiring the white sheet of hoarfrost. But often nature amazes and makes one admire such phenomena that literally fascinate or, on the contrary, inspire terrible fear.

You can observe different natural phenomena in different places on Earth. For example, the aurora can be seen in the Northern Hemisphere. For the first time, the Scandinavian peoples saw the northern lights, deciding that this was a manifestation of the wrath of the gods. In fact, the aurora borealis is electrical in origin. Millions of charged particles collide with air molecules, thereby forming a glow. Thanks to oxygen, light is reflected in yellow, green, red colors. Blue and purple colors are formed with the help of nitrogen.

Rainbow is the most joyful and amazing phenomenon of nature. A rainbow can be observed immediately after rain, as the reflection of sunlight in water droplets that remain in the air after rain. Light refracts and gives us seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. The rainbow is also double.

The inhabitants of the earth can very often observe an amazing cosmic phenomenon - star rain or starfall. If we look at the sky, we will see many luminous points that fly from top to bottom towards our planet. During the flight, these points, similar to small stars, leave behind a trail of luminous bands. They do not reach the earth, and burn up in the atmosphere in the form of a bright flash. In fact, as scientists explain, falling bodies are not stars, they are meteors. A meteor shower is formed annually during the collision of the Earth with a cosmic stream of meteor particles.

Goals and objectives of the lesson:

• repeat the topics studied;
• develop listening, speaking, reading, translation skills;
• to deepen interdisciplinary connections and knowledge of students in other subjects, in particular geography.

During the classes

I.

The lesson starts with organizational moment, during which the teacher tells the students the topic (slide 2) and talks about the tasks to be solved during the lesson.

“Hello, everyone. Glad to see you. Sit down, please. Today we are going to talk about extreme natural phenomena and we’ll learn a lot of interesting facts.”

II.

“First comes warming-up. Let's review two rhymes about the weather.”

Rainbow at night
Is the sailor's delight.
Rainbow at morning,
Sailor take warning!
Evening red and morning gray
Are the signs of a bonny day.
Evening gray and morning red
Bring down rain on the farmer's head.

III.

Next, students get acquainted with the names of some extreme natural phenomena in English (slide 4). If students find it difficult to translate a particular word, they, as always in the lesson, can use the dictionary.

“Look at the blackboard /screen/. Let’s read and translate some extreme natural phenomena.”

1. An eclipse.
2. A tsunami.
3. A typhoon.
4. A hurricane.
5. A tornado.
6. An eruption.
7. An earthquake.
8. A flood.

After the words are translated and their correct pronunciation is worked out, students are offered explanations of all these words (slide 4):

“And now you can see the definitions of these extreme natural phenomena. Read and match. Five minutes at your disposal.”

a. a violent storm with extremely strong winds and heavy rains.

b. a process when a volcano explodes inside and flames, rocks and lava come out of the top.

c. a large amount of water that covers an area that was dry before.

d. a short period when all or part of the Sun or Moon becomes dark because of the positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth in relation to each other.

e. a tropical storm with strong winds

f. a sudden shaking movement of the ground

g. a very strong wind that goes quickly round in a circle or funnel

h. a very large wave that causes a lot of damage when it hits the land

Students independently read and translate the definition of words and match the word with its definition, for example 1-b, 2-g, etc. When most of the students completed the task, the teacher invites the students to test themselves by showing the correct answers: 1-d, 2-h, 3-e, 4-a, 5-g, 6-b, 7-f, 8-c(slide 5).

After that, students take turns reading the resulting sentences (slide 5).

“And now let’s read and translate these sentences.”

1. An eclipse isa short period when all or part of the Sun or Moon becomes dark because of the positions of the Sun, Moon and Earth in relation to each other.
2. A tsunami isa very large wave that causes a lot of damage when it hits the land.
3. A typhoon is a tropical storm with strong winds.
4. A hurricane isa violent storm with extremely strong winds and heavy rains.
5. A tornado isa very strong wind that goes quickly round in a circle or funnel.
6. An eruption isa process when a volcano explodes inside and flames, rocks and lava come out of the top.
7. An earthquake isa sudden shaking movement of the ground.
8. A flood isa large amount of water that covers an area that was dry before.

“Now let's read and answer the questions.”

1. What is...?
2. Which of these natural phenomena is the most dangerous? Why?
3. Have you ever seen anything like this yourself?
4. Where do … often happen on the Earth?
5. What famous volcanoes do you know? Where are they?
6. Why do people give names to tornadoes? to typhoons? to hurricanes?

This type of work is carried out in several modes: student - student, class - student, student - class.

IV.

The next stage of the lesson is working with text. "Volcanoes"(slide 7).

“Next comes the text “Volcanoes”. Your task is to read and translate it. Try to understand as much as possible.”

There are a lot of volcanoes on the Earth. A volcano is a mountain that forces hot gas, rocks, ash and lava into the air through a hole at the top. Some volcanoes are not immediately dangerous because they are not active and have become dormant. Others will never be dangerous again because they are completely extinct. Active volcanoes can erupt. Some of them erupt slowly and quietly. This slow eruption can last for months or even years. Sometimes volcanoes erupt very quickly and noisily.

Under the surface of the earth it is very hot. The rocks are not hard and solid. They are thick and liquid. This liquid rock is called magma. Sometimes there is an opening in the rocks on the surface. Then magma can come up through this opening and the volcano erupts. Dust and pieces of rock are thrown up into the air. Red hot lava pours down the sides of the mountains. Later on, the lava cools and becomes hard rock.

Then students are asked to restore the correct word order in sentences (slide 8).

“Your next task is to arrange these sentences in a proper way. Do it in written form.”

1. into the air; a volcano; hot gas, rocks, ash and lava; that; is; forces; a mountain; through a hole at the top
2. and; active volcanoes; on the Earth; there are; dormant volcanoes; extinct volcanoes
3. on the surface; there is; an opening in the rocks; sometimes
4. and; breaks; can come up; the magma; through this opening; the volcano
5. into the air; are thrown up; hot gas, rocks, ash and lava
6. down the sides of the mountains; pours; red hot lava
7. cools; becomes; the lava; hard rock and
8. thick and liquid; under the surface of the earth; and; are; the rocks; are called magma; they

When students complete this task, they check themselves.

“Now look at the screen again and check yourselves.”

1. A volcano is a mountain that forces hot gas, rocks, ash and lava into the air through a hole at the top.
2. There are active volcanoes, dormant volcanoes and extinct volcanoes on the Earth.
3. Sometimes there is an opening in the rocks on the surface.
4. The magma can come up through this opening and the volcano erupts.
5. Hot gas, rocks, ash and lava are thrown up into the air.
6. Red hot lava pours down the sides of the mountains.
7. The lava cools and becomes hard rock.
8. Under the surface of the earth the rocks are thick and liquid and they are called magma.

v.

An animated picture of a volcano eruption appears on the screen. Students look at it and their task is to comment on what is happening on the screen by filling in the callouts (slide 10).

“Look at the screen please. The volcano is erupting. Please comment what is happening.”

After this task, if time permits, students can be invited to watch a short video clip (albeit in Russian) about a volcanic eruption (the video clip is taken from the electronic version of the encyclopedia of Cyril and Methodius).

After the video clip, one of the students tells in English how the volcano erupts (slide 12).

VI.

The next stage of the lesson is devoted to the city of Pompeii. For five to seven minutes, students read the text on their own (slide 13), and then perform several tasks for this text.

“Your next task is to read the text about the Italian town of Pompeii. While reading choose the best title for the text from your point of view.”

North of Pompeii there is a mountain called Mount Vesuvius. It is a volcano. The people who lived in Pompeii two thousand years ago were not afraid of the volcano. It had been quiet for eight hundred years.

Then in August one year strange things started to happen. People heard noises under the ground. The water in their wells disappeared. Birds flew away from the town. Animals were frightened. On August 24th Mount Vesuvius erupted. Hot dust and rock was thrown 20 kilometers into the air. Red-hot lava and rock poured down the sides of the mountain. The wind was blowing towards Pompeii and the hot dust fell on the town. It made breathing difficult for people. Many people ran away but many people stayed there. They did not know that a wall of lava was coming towards the town at more than 1000 kilometers an hour. The next day the town of Pompeii was buried under four meters of lava. Everyone who had stayed in the town died. The town stayed buried until 1860. in that year archaeologists started to move the rock which covered the town. They found temples, theaters, shops and houses, paintings, jewelry and coins. They found the town just as it was nearly two thousand years ago when it disappeared under the lava from Mount Vesuvius.

Students are given four titles of the text, they choose the best from their point of view (slide 13).

The next task that students perform in the text is to determine whether the sentence matches the text or not (slide 14).

“Read these sentences and say whether they are true or false.”

1. The people of Pompeii were frightened of Mount Vesuvius.
2. Nothing unusual happened before the volcano erupted.
3. It was a very big eruption.
4. The lava moved slowly.
5. When the volcano erupted, everybody left the town.
6. The town was buried for nearly 2,000 years.

The next task for the text is work with numerals, of which there are quite a lot in the text (slide 15). First, students remember how quantitative two-digit, three-digit, four-digit and ordinal numbers are read in English, then they make up mini-dialogues (slide 15):

Give me a number, please.

- (a sentence from the text)

Another version of the same mini-dialog:

Give me a number, please.

VII.

The next task for students is as follows. Students are given information about two famous volcanoes - Vesuvius and Krakatoa (slide 17). Many facts are confused. The task of students is to correctly divide the information into two groups.

“Now look at the screen again, please. You see some information about the two famous volcanoes. Some of these facts are mixed up. Please divide all this information into two groups correctly.”

1. 2,000 years ago Pompeii was a busy town.
2. There was a volcano on this island.
3. The volcano had been quiet for 800 years.
4. The volcano erupted on the 26th of August, 1883.
5. The waves in the sea were 15 meters high.
6. Hot dust and rock was thrown 20 kilometers into the air.
7. About 36,000 people died.
8. People heard the noise of the eruption 4,300 kilometers away from the island.
9. The ash from the volcano covered the area of ​​800,000 km2.
10. They found the town just as it was nearly two thousand years ago.

1. It was a small beautiful island in Indonesia.
2. North of the town there was a volcano.
3. The volcano erupted on the 24th of August, 73.
4. A wall of lava was coming towards the town at more than 100 kilometers an hour.
5. The waves traveled 13,000 kilometers and destroyed houses and villages.
6. The town was buried under 4 meters of lava.
7. About 20,000 people died.
8. In 1860 archeologists started to move the rock which covered the town.
9. For three years people all over the world saw beautiful bright sunsets because of the dust from Krakatoa.
10. The volcano erupted again in 1927 and in 1950.

After completing the task, students again have the opportunity to check themselves (slides 18 and 19).

And the last task of the students is to choose any of the two volcanoes and talk about it. As an introduction to their story, students can use the information they already know (slides 4,7, 9).

“Now choose any volcano you like more and make a story about it. You can use all the information about volcanoes you know. You can begin with the definition of a volcano, how it erupts, etc.”

VIII.

Students' homework is creative in nature and includes several options:

- prepare a presentation about volcanoes
- write an essay about the eruption of Vesuvius or Krakatoa from the point of view of a reporter - an eyewitness or a resident of this city / island
- find information about some other famous volcano

IX.

Summing up the lesson, grading.

“Our lesson is over. I hope you learned a lot of new and interesting information. Your marks are … Thank you for your work. Goodbye.”

Hi all! Talking about the weather is one of the most popular topics of daily communication. If it is necessary to somehow strike up a conversation with a stranger or unfamiliar person, then we, of course, will talk about the weather. This is a great neutral topic to start a conversation. Therefore, today we will consider English vocabulary, which is somehow related to the weather and natural phenomena, and also repeat the rules for constructing certain types of questions in English. English vocabulary about weather and natural phenomena

During the lesson, you will learn how to talk about the weather, learn useful expressions and questions used at the beginning of a conversation with strangers. Let's start, according to tradition, by reading and studying a small dialogue. This time, reporter Martin Lerner is talking to visitors to one of the many state and national game reserves in the United States. To start a conversation, visitors decide to talk about the weather:

Woman:It's a beautiful day, isn't it? “It's a wonderful day, isn't it?
Martin: Not bad. It's a little cold. - Not bad. But a little cold
Woman: Oh, I like that. I like cold weather. I don't like summer. It's too hot in summer. Do you like cold weather? — Oh, I love it. I love cold weather. I don't like summer. It's too hot in summer. Do you love cool weather?
Martin: No, not very much. Do you come here in the winter? - Not, no so much. Do you come here in winter?
Woman: Yes. I like the park in winter. - Yes. I love the park in winter.

Carefully study the fragment of the conversation, highlight the main semantic expressions or words that correspond to the topic of today's lesson. Reread the dialogue several times and, based on the text, answer the question in English. What do you like more: hot or cold?

When communicating with strangers, you will also need to know the article American greeting and farewell

Listen to an audio lesson in which these and other useful English phrases and questions are voiced by a professional speaker, which are used at the beginning of a conversation with strangers or unfamiliar people: /wp-content/uploads/2014/11/russian_english_061.mp3

Pay attention to how to pronounce these expressions correctly in American English. Use the audio recording to repeatedly listen and practice American listening comprehension and, of course, to practice traditional American pronunciation.

English expressions about the weather

Today's table is very diverse in its lexical composition. You have to master a lot of words from a wide variety of grammatical categories: nouns, numerals, verbs, adjectives and popular English phrases about the weather or natural phenomena, as well as questions used at the very beginning of a conversation with a person you do not know well.

About weather
Phrases
All the best	have a good day
It's a wonderful day, isn't it?	It's a beautiful day, isn't it?
It's raining, it's raining	It rains
It looks like rain	It looks like rain
Nouns
acres	Acres
bird	birds
cold (cold weather)	cold (cold weather)
forestry, forestry	forestry
leaf/leaves	leaf (leaves)
forester (in the reserve)	(park) ranger
rain	rain
snake	snake
snow	snow
Creek	stream
summer	summer
sun	sun
table	table
wood	tree
Walnut	walnut
waterfall	waterfall
weather	weather
winter	winter
wood	wood
Adjectives
hot	hot
another	other
cold	cold
Adverbs
before, before	before
near, nearby	nearby
Verbs
enjoy	to enjoy
hope	to hope
come back	to come back
agree	agree
Numerals (Numbers)
million	million
one thousand	thousand

Study the table carefully, repeat the words you already know and learn all the new English vocabulary. Then you can easily start or maintain a conversation about the weather with an American and other English speakers.

Remember also a similar audio lesson - Making new acquaintances

Be sure to complete Homework (Homework):

1. Learn some English weather questions to help you start a conversation with a stranger:

• It's a nice day, isn't it?
• It's a wonderful day, isn't it?
• Do you think it will rain?
• Isn't it hot today?
• Isn't it cold today? Yes, it's a little cold, but I like cold weather.
• Don't you like cold weather?
• Don't you like warm weather?

2. Translate into English and copy the following expressions in a notebook:

• I love cold weather
• I don't like summer. Too hot in summer
• Do you like cold weather?
• Wonderful day, isn't it?
• It looks like rain
• I like the park in winter

The key to successful mastering a foreign language is constant conversational practice, so communicate in English on any everyday topics as often as possible, even with mistakes. This is the only way you will be able to master spoken American English.