1. CAN I MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Introduction.
The purpose of these two lessons is to make our students realize that they can make a
difference when talking about the environment and how to avoid its destruction (what would end in
our destruction as the human race)
The two lessons review, as well as introduce, a number of basic communicative functions
and grammar contents.
The main objectives of the two lessons are the following ones:
-to encourage our students to be aware of the problems that our planet is suffering due to pollution
-to be able to agree and disagree about a topic
-to listen, understand and use specific vocabulary related to the topic
-to revise first conditional sentences
Grade level.
4th year (Secondary School).
Students are generally 15-16 years old (some of them could be 17 or even 18, when they had
to repeat the same level because they did not achieve the minimum standard in more than 2
subjects)
Materials.
-A sheet of paper with statements.
-Spot: when you feel it, it's already too late.
-Worksheet about environmental issues.
-Global warming video by National Geographic
-Reading: What can you do? (Climate change, by Barnaby Newbolt)
Resources.
-Sustaining our state, a project of the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education
-www.quadernsdigitals.net
-Youtube.com
-esl.galaxy.com
-www.myenglishpages.com
-isabelperez.es
-Climate change, by Barnaby Newbolt

2. Classroom procedures and activities.
• 1st LESSON.
1.-(10') Warm up .
a) Ask students to express their opinions about the following statements:
I prefer to ride a bicycle
I prefer to go everywhere by car
I like to eat McDonalds and other fast food
I prefer to eat home made food rather than fast food
I always recycle cans and paper
I think a clean environment is a healthy environment
I am willing to change my way of life for a cleaner and healthier environment
I try to conserve resources like energy by turning off lights
strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree
b) Ask students to guess the topic of the lesson.
2.- (10') Revise and learn vocabulary. Watch the TV spot: When you feel it it's already too
late.
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UsmHlCOIEY&p=B214896E77B3915F&playnext=1&index=22)
Look at the worksheet about environmental issues.(http://www.esl-galaxy.com) Ask students what
issue is the spot about.

3. 3.-(15') Revise and learn more vocabulary. What can cause global warming? Brainstorming
activity.
Important environment vocabulary:
acid rain (rain which contains large amounts of harmful chemicals as a result of burning substances
such as coal and oil);
biodiversity (the number and variety of plant and animal species that exist in a particular
environmental area or in the world generally);
carbon monoxide (the poisonous gas formed by the burning of carbon, especially in the form of
car fuel);
carbon dioxide (the gas formed when carbon is burned, or when people or animals breathe out);
deforestation (the cutting down of trees in a large area; the destruction of forests by people);
drought (a long period when there is little or no rain);
endangered species (endangered birds/plants/species animals or plants which may soon not exist
because there are very few now alive)
fumes (strong, unpleasant and sometimes dangerous gas or smoke)
natural resources (things such as minerals, forests, coal, etc. which exist in a place and can be used
by people)
global warming (a gradual increase in world temperatures caused by polluting gases such as
carbon dioxide which are collecting in the air around the Earth and preventing heat escaping into
space)
greenhouse effect (an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere
which is believed to be the cause of a gradual warming of the surface of the Earth)
pollution (damage caused to water, air.... by harmful substances or waste)
recycle waste (to collect and treat rubbish to produce useful materials which can be used again)
Waste (unwanted matter or material of any type, often that which is left after useful substances or
parts have been removed)
4_(15')-Revision of a grammar point: first conditional sentences. Give students an
example related to the topic.: if I switch the tap off when cleaning my teeth I'll save a lot of
water. Ask students to write their own sentences and to separate the if-clause and its result
clause into two different pieces. Collect sentences written by students, mix them up and
distribute them again in a different order. Each student will have to read his or her sentence
out.

4. • LESSON 2
1.-(15') Warm up. Watching and listening.Students watch the video about global warming.
They write down the environment vocabulary used in the video.
2.-(20'')Reading (Climate change, by Barnaby Newbolt)
What can you do?
We need to reduce billions of tones of carbon, but one person makes just over one tonne a year. So
what can a single person do?
First, you can find out more. Scientist are learning new things about the climate all the time. When
you know more, you can ask yourself two questions: Is climate change an important problem? Do I
want to do something about it? If you can answer “YES” to these two questions, then you have
already started to do something about it. You have started to change yourself. And that is the first
thing to do.
Next, you can start to change other people. This is not as hard as you think. If you talk about
climate change to your friends, then you will help them to change themselves. And if everyone talks
about climate change, then our governments will want to do something about it. You can also help
with the work of groups like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Perhaps there are groups near
you that are fighting against climate change.
But you can do more than talk. You can change your way of living. Ask yourself: how much carbon
do I put into the atmosphere? (This is call your “carbon footprint”). You have to measure many
things: your travel, your food, your clothes, your telephone, and everything in your home. And you
must not forget the very big things. If your government builds a road, or your supermarket brings
food from a long way away, this increases your carbon footprint. The carbon footprint of one person
in one year is about 19 tonnes of CO2 in the USA, 11 tonnes in the UK, 8 tonnes in Spain, 4 tonnes
in China and 1 tonne in India. Nearly 30 per cent of this comes from travel, 20 per cent from the
home, 5 per cent from food and the rest comes from things like making clothes and building roads.
It is interesting to measure your carbon footprint, but it is more important to reduce it.
The easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use less energy. We use most energy either in
the home or for travel. Think of all the things in your home, like televisions and computers, that use
energy. Do you always turn them off when you are not using them? Do you use them more than you
need to? Think about when you travel. Do you use a car more than you need to? Think about buying
food. Does the food come from somewhere near to you, or from a long way away?
People always say that climate change is a global problem. But it is also a local problem because we
can all do something about it- and we can start in our homes. It is hard to change our way of living
and working. But change is like travelling on a long journey: you start in one place, and you finish
in a different place.
• Answer the following questions:
-What is a “carbon footprint”?
-How big is one person's carbon footprint in India?
-What is the biggest part of a person's carbon footprint?
-What is the easiest way to reduce your carbon footprint?
• Use a website like www.footprint.wwf.org.uk to calculate your carbon footprint. Compare it
to the carbon footprint of a classmate. Which footprint is bigger? Why?

5. 3.- (15')Show students different posters about the environment. Study the language used in
them. Ask students to create their own posters (individually or in pairs).
Students should realize that a good slogan has to be memorable, so they have to take into account
that:
1. A good slogan includes key words and/or pictures
2. A good slogan makes people instantly recognize the topic.
3. A good slogan gives the reader feelings about the topic.

7. EVALUATION.
The main assessment tool would be direct observation of the student's class work, their notebooks,
their attitude and participation in the teaching-learning process.
In order to evaluate the poster the following rubric will be taken into account.
Teacher Name: Ms. González Méijome
Student Name: ________________________________________
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Use of Class Used time well Used time well Used some of the Did not use class
Time during each class during each class time well during time to focus on
period. Focused period. Usually each class period. the project OR
on getting the focused on There was some often distracted
project done. getting the focus on getting others.
Never distracted project done and the project done
others. never distracted but occasionally
others. distracted others.
Attractiveness The poster is The poster is The poster is The poster is
exceptionally attractive in acceptably distractingly
attractive in terms terms of design, attractive though messy or very
of design, layout, layout and it may be a bit poorly designed.
and neatness. neatness. messy. It is not
attractive.
Grammar There are no There is 1 There are 2 There are more
grammatical grammatical grammatical than 2
mistakes on the mistake on the mistakes on the grammatical
poster. poster. poster. mistakes on the
poster.
Mechanics Capitalization There is 1 error There are 2 errors There are more
and punctuation in capitalization in capitalization than 2 errors in
are correct or punctuation. or punctuation. capitalization or
throughout the punctuation.
poster.