Цілі: вдосконалювати лексичні навички й навички вимови; вдосконалюва- ти навички аудіювання, читання й усного мовлення; розвивати логічне мис- лення; виховувати толерантне ставлення до інших i національну самосвідо- мість.
Procedure
1. Warm-up
Клас
Дата
1) What is Ukraine most famous for?
2) What things about Ukraine do you think Ukrainians are proud of?
2. speaking
1) How interested are you in politics?
2) What type of political system does your country have?
3) What are the main political parties in your country?
4) How long is the term of elected officials in your country?
5) What is your opinion about actors or actresses who run for a position in politics?
6) Would you vote for an actor or actress who campaigns for a govern- ment position? Why or why not?
3. Reading and speaking
Do ex. 8, p. 242.
4. Vocabulary practice
Do ex. 1, p. 243.
5. Listening
Listen to someone’s opinion as for politics and express your own atti- tude to this problem.
1) What do you think about politics and politicians in our country?
2) Who needs politics?
Politics, politics, politics; who needs them? Unfortunately, we do. But,
do we really need politics as usual? Lately, it seems that all we hear about is politics, the politics of running for political office, the politics of which party is best and even the politics of whether we need politics. Imagine a world where no politicians existed, and no one sat around arguing over
their politics. In this utopia, everyone would either agree on everything
or amicably disagree, with no recourse to political in-fighting or partisan party politics. While this scenario sounds great, it probably won’t happen this side of heaven.
As long as you have people, you will have differences of opinion; as long
as you have differences, you will need a way to settle those differences. You
will need policies in place to protect each citizen, and you will need politi- cians of some sort to monitor, apply and enforce those policies. Unfortu-
nately, that opens the door to politics. The problem, really, is not so much
politics as politicians.
In a Republic, such as the United States, the people vote for representa-
tion. The person elected is expected to follow the will of the majority in his or her area of representation, whether that be at the federal, state, district,
county, township or other level. The founders of this republic, set it up that
way so as to limit the possibility of “mob rule” where the majority of vot- ers could turn policy at will. The majority still counts, but does so more in- directly.
Whether the established government consists of a Republic, a Demo- cracy, a Monarchy or some other form of government, it needs people at its head to keep it running properly. Of course, in our utopia, each per- son would act appropriately and never let power, monitary gain or personal agenda corrupt his or her actions in behalf of the people he or she serves. In the United States, voters can send a clear message to corrupt politicians through their vote, even though they obviously do not always do so.
Politics really breaks down at this level, regardless of the type of go- vernment. The individual has a responsibility to act on their freedoms, es- pecially if he or she has the freedom to vote. The individual has a responsi- bility to monitor his or her politicians for ethics and stance. In other words, if the individual takes the time to become informed and then use his or her vote to let politicians know he or she will not tolerate corruption, a strong message is sent to the politician. If all do this, politics, and politicians, will be in check.
But what happens between the individual’s votes? The vote itself is not the only responsibility a citizen should take on. In between votes, while a politician is in office, the individual has the responsibility to continue monitoring of his or her politician and speaking up when things go wrong. Citizens often allow lobbyists to set up camp in the political world and in- fluence the politician, unaware of his or her own right to speak up and lobby for a politician’s interest by writing, calling, or e-mailing between votes to let his or her voice be heard.
Yes, we unfortunately need politics and politicians, but we also need to remember: they work for us! We get the government that we allow, so each citizen needs to speak up. One voice can make a difference, especially when that voice is joined to another voice and another voice. By remaining silent, the citizen participates in the corruption or misrepresentation of govern- ment. By speaking up, he or she becomes part of the solution and part of the wheels that keep government going in the right direction, in spite of politics.
6. Vocabulary practice
Do ex. 2, p. 244.
7. Reading
Do ex. 3, p. 245.
8. summary
1) Would you like to work in politics?
2) Is politics important to you?
3) Should religion and politics mix?
4) Do you read about the political issues of your country?
5) What can governments do about poverty?
6) Is military service required in your country? Do you think it’s a good idea?
7) Do you think it’s important for a country to have a strong military?
Why or why not?
8) How are government officials chosen in your country? Do you think this method is fair?
9) In your opinion, how much should governments contribute to univer- sity education?
9. Homework
Write about a political person you admire.
Lesson 83
