THE GREATEST OF THE GREAT
by Ewa Krzywicka-Dzioch
Zespol Szkol w Ostrowie Lubelskim,
Ostrow Lubelski, Poland
ewakdz@interia.pl  

Time: 90 minutes

Level: pre-intermediate- intermediate

Aims:

1. to practise searching information on the website and scanning it
2. to find out about the greatest buildings in the world
3. to extend and practise vocabulary related to buildings
4. to describe and discuss the greatest world architecture

Technical requirements:

One computer with Internet connection per 1-2 students, PowerPoint software, multimedia projector desirable.

Anticipated problems:

Ss may have some problems with the authentic language which may be a discouraging factor. Some students may be less confident while presenting their findings to the teacher. 

Procedure:

Pre-stage activities (8-10 mins)

·         Ask Ss if they have ever seen a building that made a great impression on them. Elicit the details, e.g.: location, historical background, appearance, function, etc.

·         Ask Ss to tell the class about some impressive buildings they have seen on television, newspapers or in other sources.

While-stage activities (45 mins)

• The teacher divides the Ss into groups of 3 and informs them about their task which is set in the following context:

• Ss are aliens. They come from a distant planet called Zing. Their civilization has recently discovered the Earth and their ruler has found out that the inhabitants of the blue planet build amazing structures in which they live or do their business. He wishes to build a replica of the most magnificent building humans ever erected. He sends his spies to the Earth to investigate the most famous ones.

• Each team of spies will consist of three specialists (a historian, an environmentalist and an architect) who will investigate three different aspects of a building: its historical background, location and design. The teacher assigns roles within the groups. Architects will investigate the construction system, environmentalists will find out about the location and the climate of the place, historians will gather information on the epoch, style of the building and its historical significance
• Ss are referred to one of the following websites: 

http://www.greatbuildings.com - a leading architecture site where they can find information and pictures of thousands of buildings. It enables searching by name, architect or place. The search returns basic information about the building, pictures as well as comments and additional links to other pages. There is also a list of most visited buildings which may suggest the most popular ones

http://www.architecture.about.com, - provides links to great buildings, allows search by designer, location, building type, historic period, building name

http://www.rateitall.com/t-1041-greatbuildings-of-the-world.aspx - this page allows you to view ratings and reviews for Great Buildings of the World.

It is advisable for the teacher to show students how to navigate the websites.

• Each group chooses five great buildings and the specialists investigate their areas.
• Once they have collected their data, they discuss to order their constructions from the least to the most recommendable. Each specialist will try to stress the importance of their areas in the rating. The teacher goes round, monitors their work and helps if necessary
• Ss prepare a PowerPoint presentation with pictures and brief information about the buildings they have agreed on.

Post-stage activity (35 mins)

• The groups of spies present their findings to their monarch (teacher) trying to convince him that they are the ones who accomplished their task best and His/Her Highness should choose one of their constructions to be built on their planet. Ss should be prepared that they can be asked additional questions in case they left out important information.

• Ss are given evaluation sheets where they complete the self-assessment column. The other column is completed by the teacher and then the grades are given.
• The teacher asks Ss to share their impressions of the task, e.g.: how difficult it was for them, if they would rather take a different role performed by their teammates, which part of the task was the most difficult or if it was easy to reach a consensus. Ss also discuss which factors determine the impression a building makes on people.
• For Ss who became interested in architecture and wish to know how to make a career of an architect, the teacher can recommend to visit a professional site run by The Royal Institute of British Architects, namely www.architecture.com.
• The teacher gives Ss a list of words for describing a building and asks them to organize them into four groups, then using the websites they worked on or the words they remember, try to add more vocabulary to each category. If short of time, the exercise can be set as homework

STUDENT EVALUATION SHEET

Rate each category according to the following scale:

3 points - your work meets the criteria without any shortcomings

2 points - your work meets the standards but leaves significant room for improvement

1 point – your attempts to meet the requirements were often unsuccessful but with the help of your team you managed to accomplish the task

0 points - your work needs to be redone

Now add your points and your teacher's points, divide them by two and work out your total score:

29-30-excellent, 27-28-very good, 23-26-good, 17-22-satisfactory, 12-16 –poor, below 12- unsatisfactory