Структура занятия. You will learn to explain the meaning of words, to group vocabulary units according to the difficulties they may present to a Russian learner

You will learn to explain the meaning of words, to group vocabulary units according to the difficulties they may present to a Russian learner, and to explain phenomena to people according to the level of the audience. You may do it in two ways: a) by simplifying your explanation; b) by making people discover the complicated nature of things.

1. Классификация словарных единиц по трудности запоминания значения и употребления.

Group the following words according to the study-efforts a Russian learner would make: Land, ocean, earth, experiment, influence, wave, depend, gravitation, geology, calculate, surface, accordingly, accurate, space, attract.

Group 1. The word in English has practically the same scopeofmeaning as the one in Russian: e.g., a spoon, to swim.

Group 2. The word in English has several meanings; its scope of meaning is wider than that of the Russian word: e.g., get = receive, reach some place, become, understand, make smb. do smth.

Group 3. Two or more words in English are translated by the same word in Russian (their meaning is narrower than in Russian), so the Russian word has to be interpreted to be translated correctly: e.g., «узнавать» - to identify a person by his appearance = to recognize; to receive information = to learn; to look for information and get it = to find out.

Group 4. The difficulty lies in the specific form or usage of the word which may cause a Russian learner to make a grammar mistake (in the preposition, number, etc.): the usage of " money" with a verb in the plural form or the usage of " under the rain " instead of " in the rain ", etc.

A word may belong to more than one group!

2. Объяснение учащимися на основе заранее изученных комментариев к лексическим единицам по учебнику слов, значение которых уже или шире, чем в родном языке.

3. Объяснение учащимися особенностей употребления слов, принадлежащих к группе 4.

4. Объяснение намеренного использования контекстуальной многозначности слов для создания юмористического эффекта.

Reproduce the following jokes and explain what the humour of each joke depends on.

a) TAXI-DRIVER: It's not the work I enjoy. It's the people I run into.

b) The driver is safer when the road is dry; the road is safer when the driver is dry., etc.

5. Аналогичное задание на уровне связного текста, что обусловливает большую самостоятельность выявления средств юмористического воздействия.

Reproduce the piece of the dialogue. Then explain the humour and say how this device of the author characterizes Augustus.

THE CLERK: Are you engaged?

AUGUSTUS: What business is that of yours? However, if you will take the trouble to read the society papers for this week, you will see that I am engaged to the Honourable Lucy Popham, youngest daughter of-

THE CLERK: That isn't what I mean. Can you see a female?

AUGUSTUS: Of course, I can see a female as easily as a male.Doyou suppose that I am blind? (B. Shaw)

6. Суммирование информативного текста учебника, основанного на вокабуляре, представленном в задании 1. " Earth Land Masses Rise 12 Inches Twice a Day." (См.: [19]).

7. Отбор из текста понятий, требующих комментария, и их объяснение с применением словаря, представленного в задании 1.

What notions are to be explained to schoolchildren of ten if they are to listen to a lecture on the subject? Explain the necessary notions (such as " tide", " gravitation", etc.)

8. Сопоставление дефиниции со связным текстом, трактующим то же явление для менее подготовленной аудитории.

Read the following definition of an earthquake:

EARTHQUAKE - sudden violent movement of the earth's surface due to volcanic action or to the shifting of the deeper layers inside the planet, often resulting in the destruction of buildings and killing of people.

Compare the definition with the following text which is meant to explain the same notion to children. Are all the characteristics rendered adequately or are some of them omitted in the text or in the definition?