LESSON PLAN
LEVEL: C1.1
GROUPS: A, B, C
DATE: October 19th-22nd, 2020
UNIT 1: CITIES
In this unit, we will talk about urban problems and how to tackle them, about changes in urban areas and we will tell stories and urban myths. We will also learn how to describe different aspects of cities and city life. Regarding grammar, we will revise perfect tenses. Eventually, we will mediate in an oral and written format to solve problems related to urban life for people who can’t understand Spanish.
Reading:
To begin with, you will read three texts about three different cities in the world:
· Bogota, page 185, file 1.
· Manchester, page 186, file 2.
· Bilbao, page 197, file 3.
Task 1: After reading these texts, you should compare them and write down the similarities between these three cities.
Task 2: Go to page 10 in your textbook, activity 5. Read the 8 sentences and decide which city each sentence refers to: Bogota, Manchester or Bilbao.
Task 3: Go to page 10 in your textbook, activities 1 and 6. Answer those eight questions (there are two questions in activity 1 and 6 questions in activity 6).
Vocabulary:
Task 1: Go to page 11 in your textbook, activity 7. Use the verbs in the box to substitute the words in italics in the 8 given sentences. Remember to use the right verbal form.
Task 2: Go to page 11 in your textbook, activity 8. Individually, give examples of those five items.
ANSWER KEY:
Reading, Task 1. Possible answers:
All three cities have managed to overcome huge obstacles.
They all used to be more run-down / divided / poor than they are now.
They all reinvented space in the city.
They’ve placed an emphasis on bringing the city centres back to life.
They’ve all been the victims of violence / terrorism.
There’s been some criticism of each project, claiming it’s benefitted some more than others, affecting working class people, etc.
Reading, Task 2:
1 Bilbao: Other cities trying to replicate the so-called “Guggenheim effect” may have failed because they didn’t take up the other strands of Bilbao’s regeneration project.
2 Bogotá: Peñalosa’s administration then expropriated the land of a private country club in the north side of the city. Its golf course and polo fields were converted into a free park with sports facilities for all.
3 Manchester: Making more of the city’s historical sites and creating the Urbis building, which now houses The National Museum of Football. In turn, these changes have been key in attracting new investors such as the Qatari royal family, who own Manchester City Football Club.
4 Bogotá: They also imposed restrictions on car use and increased taxes on petrol, the proceeds from which went back into the new transport system.
5 Bilbao: Up until the early 80s, Bilbao had been dominated by steel plants and shipbuilding. To halt the decline, the city embarked on a strategy to reinvent itself as a centre for culture, tourism and new technologies. It alsomodernised what remained of its more traditional industries and attracted new companies to the technology park on the outskirts of the city.
6 Bogotá: The ex-mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa, has argued that if we ever achieve a successful city for children, we will have built the perfect city for all citizens.
7 Bilbao: Nevertheless, it’s difficult to deny it’s been a success which has seen the city return to its previous population levels and survive the major recession that began in 2008.
8 Manchester: So, dreadful though the bombing was, it actually provided an opportunity to start again that might not have happened otherwise.
Reading, Task 3. Possible answers for activity 1, page 10, second question:
an economic downturn: businesses go bankrupt, people get made redundant, poverty increases, homelessness goes up, crime may well go up
a hurricane: destroys buildings, devastates areas
an armed conflict: may result in men getting drafted and civilian deaths, affects the economy, leads to problems reintegrating soldiers after the war, spikes in domestic violence, etc.
an earthquake: buildings collapse, people are crushed to death, can be hard to get relief and aid into the areas if they’re remote; can lead to frustration with the government
flooding: people drown, houses get flooded, areas have to be evacuated, costs a fortune to repair damage, frustration with government can develop if relief efforts are slow
a high crime rate: middle class people leave the area, it goes downhill, gangs take over whole areas, areas become no-go zones for the police
severe pollution: people go out less, health is affected terribly, middle classes move out
terrorism: destroys infrastructure, kills innocent people, leads to fear and possible demonising of and revenge attacks on groups seen as being responsible, costs a lot to rebuild, affects tourism
a huge fire: destroys buildings, maybe kills people, causes traffic chaos
The answers for the first question in activity 1, page 10 and for the questions in activity 6 are personal. We will talk about them in our next face-to-face session.
Vocabulary, task 1 (page 11, activity 7 in your textbook)
1 undergone (undergone is more academic than gone through)
2 poured (invested is more academic than poured)
3 demolished (demolished is more academic than knocked down)
4 initiated (initiated is more academic than set out)
5 been neglected (been neglected is more academic than become run-down)
6 flourishing (flourishing is more academic than doing very well)
7 soared (soared is more academic than gone up a lot)
8 imposed (imposed is more academic than brought in)
Vocabulary, task 2 (page 11, activity 8 in your textbook)
The answers for this activity are personal. We will talk about them in our next face-to-face session.
