You are here to READ

maps and do a geography quiz, reports about countries, landforms and nationalities

 

and TALK about

countries and their culture, school subjects and every day activities

 

and LISTEN TO

pupils talking about school projects

 

and WRITE

reports about countries and people's everyday activities

 

and LEARN

how to use the Present Simple and the Present Continuous tense

A Geography quiz

Are these true or false? Tick ☑ the correct box.

TRUE

FALSE

1. Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe.
✔

2. Ukraine borders the Aegean Sea.

3. The accident in Chernobyl, in 1986, is still causing serious environmental problems.

4. Earthquakes or tsunamis sometimes happen along the South coast of Albania.

5. Albania is in the Balkan Peninsula.

6. The Carpathians are large plains.

7. Mother Teresa is of Albanian origin.

KEY: 1 True, 2 False, 3 True, 4 True, 5 True, 6 False, 7 True

This year the 6th Class of our International School welcomes some new pupils from different countries. All the other pupils want to know them better. They are reading the newcomers' reports about their countries in the school newsletter. Read the reports below to find answers in the Geography quiz:

I come from Ukraine, the second largest country in Europe. It is between Poland and Moldavia in the west and Russia in the east. I don't come from the capital Kiev. My hometown is Odessa, on the coast of the Black Sea. Ukraine has got large plains but also high mountains, such as the Carpathians. The River Dnipo flows across the country splitting it in two parts.

In winter the weather gets very cold. Summers are warm across the greater part of the country and cool along the Black Sea, so we spend much more time outdoors.

A nuclear power plant accident in Chernobyl, in 1986, is still causing serious environmental problems which worry Ukrainian people. Today we don't have enough drinking water supplies because of that accident.

Despite these problems, I believe Ukraine is a beautiful country with outgoing and brave people. I love it very much.

Sasha

Albania, the ancient Illyria, is where I come from. My hometown is Tirana, the capital of Albania. Albania shares borders with Serbia, Montenegro and Greece. On the west, it is bordering the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Sea.

The beaches are beautiful and during the hot, dry summers we swim in the clear sea, but in winter the temperature usually drops and it often rains heavily, so there are a lot of forests. We often have problems with natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis that happen along the South coast.

Mother Teresa, the popular nun and humanitarian Nobel Prize winner, is of Albanian origin.

My country is not very rich and our parents sometimes go to other countries, such as Italy, France or Greece, and work there. However, we miss our homeland.

Christina

Do you remember the ancient Colchis and the myth of Jason and the Golden Fleece? That is where I come from, Georgia! It is in the West Asia, bordering the Black Sea, which the Greeks called Pontus Euxinos, Turkey and Russia. The temperature is mild and it is usually sunny and warm.

The country is mountainous, but along the coast we grow vines, tea and citrus fruit. In this area the temperature rarely drops below zero. Many people work in copper and coal mines, or in oil wells. Others sometimes leave their hometown to find work. My uncle works in T'blisi, the capital of Georgia.

Georgi

LEARNING STRATEGIES

When I learn new words…

I listen carefully and try to imitate.

I repeat new words many times and try to
remember them.

I write them down.

I may write them down with the translation in Greek.

I group the words by topic.

I write them down in an example sentence.

A. Look at the map and write the capital city next to each country. Then write in the relevant nationality.

Country

Capital

Nationality

Georgia

T'blisi

Georgian

Albania

Ukraine

B. Work in pairs. Use the information in the reports to fill in the table below:

Country

Terrain

Weather

Problems

Albania

Georgia

Ukraine

A. LOOK AT THE EXAMPLES:

a. It often rains heavily in winter. b. My uncle works in a coal mine.

Which example a or b refers to:

something that happens regularly?

something true in general?

B. STUDY THESE TABLES

Present Simple Tense

Affirmative

Interrogative

Negative

I

you

we

they

swim

go

watch

worry

wash

Do

I

you

we

they

swim ?

go ?

watch ?

worry ?

wash ?

I

you

we

they

don't

swim

go

watch

worry

wash

he

she

it

swims

goes

watches

worries

washes

Does

he

she

it

swim ?

go ?

watch ?

worry ?

wash ?

he

she

it

doesn't

swim

go

watch

worry

wash

C. Look at the words sometimes, often, usually, always
(ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY) in the following examples.

People sometimes leave their hometown to find work.

The temperature usually drops in winter.

It often rains heavily in winter.

My brother is always early for school.

Now complete the rule:

We use an adverb of frequency to say how ______
something happens. It comes ______ the verb in
the Present Simple. When we have the verb to be
we put the adverb ______ the verb.

Now write true sentences
about your habits:


I sometimes ________________
__________________________

I usually ___________________
__________________________

I _________________________
__________________________

I _________________________
__________________________

A. Alice, your pen-friend from Great Britain has sent you some pictures with her daily activities. Look at the pictures below and write what she does every day:

Now fill in the diagram about what pupils do in Greece and in Great Britain:

B. ROLE-PLAY: AN INTERVIEW

Pupil A

You are a reporter. You are interviewing a pupil from another country. Look at the back of your book (here) for more information.

Pupil B

You are a pupil from another country. Look at the back of your book (here) for information and answer the reporter's questions.

It's your choice: You can find a different version here
Το παρόν αποτελεί μέρος του ψηφιακού εμπλουτισμού των σχολικών βιβλίων (Ψηφιακό Σχολείο) και διατίθεται μόνο για εκπαιδευτική χρήση και στο πλαίσιο για το οποίο διαμορφώθηκε.