HOUSING.

INTERCULTURAL APPROACH

ADULT EDUCATION SCHOOL

DIDACTIC UNIT

THEORY.-

1. - INTRODUCTION.

2. - DIDACTIC UNIT LEVEL.

3. - PLANNING OF THE DIDACTIC UNIT.

	General objectives.
	Specific objectives.
	Functions.
	Exponents.
	Lexicon, grammar and culture.
	Basic vocabulary.

4. - METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS.

5. - ACTIVITIES.

6. - MATERIALS.

7. - EXTRA INFORMATION.

8. - EVALUATION.

PRACTICE.-

1. - SOCIO – CULTURAL ASPECTS

2. - GENERAL OVERHAUL. - “HOUSING”.

Types of accommodation.

3. - BASIC CONCEPTS.

	New – old.
	Open – close.
	Surroundings.
	Opposite – behind.
	Close (near) – far.
	Next to
	Wide – narrow.

4. - RELATED TOPICS:

	Looking for accommodation.
	Places where we can look for flats/houses to be rented/sold.
	Bank credits, borrowings, requirements…..

5. - ASKING AND GIVING INFORMATION ABOUT

DIFFERENT TYPES OF HOUSES.

6- LINGUISTIC RESOURCES FOR: BUYING – RENTING –

PRICES. ETC...

7. - DEVELOPMENT OF ACTIVITIES SUCH AS:

	Oral and written expression.
	Oral and written comprehension.
	Civic and environmental education.

8.- GRAMMAR.

	Family words.
	Interrogative clauses: what, how, where, etc….
	Verb how much, cots, etc…
	Verb to have
	Adjectives: big , small , wide , short , large , cosy , awful , nice, beautiful, etc
	Demonstratives Adjectives.
	Adverb.- more , less , fine , bad , better , worst, etc.
	Pronouns. - My, yours, hers, his, etc...

9.- INTRODUCTION TO MATHEMATICS

Basic calculations can be included.

10.- POSSIBLE TASKS TO BE DEVELOPED.

	What does these drawing suggest to you?
	Asking questions about drawings, ideas, concepts…
	Reading and pronouncing the vocabulary of this unit.
	Short texts.
	Joining words with pictures.
	Filling the blank (incomplete words)
	Reordering words to create new sentences.
	Classifying attending to different subjects.
	Grammar based activities/tasks.
	Crosswords.
	Riddles.

11.- EXTRA ACTIVITIES

	Songs.
	Proverbs.
	Riddles.
	Working with a video tape where you can see how different houses are organized attending to the culture or the clime.
	Typical houses exposition.
	It is possible to follow the necessary steps for renting/

buying a house/flat with students.

This unit is going to be related with the following topics:

q Type of houses according with geographical aspects.

q Material use in constructions.

q Different occupations.

q Where can we find a house/flat? Internet, newspapers, building companies, state agency.

q Handbook for buying/renting houses/flats.

q Rights and obligations of the tenant/landlord/lady.

q Decoration elements.

q How culture and clime affect when building a house.

LEVEL.-

This unit is focus on adult students with intermediate

language level.

There is a group made up of different cultures. (It could

also be used with monoculture groups.)

GENERAL OBJECTIVES.-

The main objective is to provide our students with a good level of information about the different houses in different cultures.

Objectives:

	To learn from different cultures.
	To consolidate the knowledge.
	To promote different values of the cultures involved.
	To promote the self-esteem, communication and participationbetween our students.

Developing values such as: respect, tolerance, same rights and obligations for native people and those coming from other cultures (immigrants, ethnic minorities…) in order to reach a positive cultural enrichment.

DIDACTIC OBJECTIVES.-

	To know and to practice the vocabulary of this topic.
	To be able to recognise the vocabulary; in its oral and written form.
	To learn about the different cultures and houses. To reflex about what materials are used in other cultures.
	Main characteristics of houses/flats.
	To respect other ways of living, cultures, decorations etc….
	To know the most important expressions/idioms when renting/buying/selling houses.

Communicative objectives .-

	To promote dialogues between teacher, students etc.. with the vocabulary given.
	To know the different material used in other cultures for building houses.
	To be able to ask for/give the price of a house (to be rent/bought).
	To be able to follow instructions.

Socio – cultural objectives.-

To know and to share different ways of living (housing, decoration, weather, food, distribution of the house)

Lexicon.-

· Vocabulary review (related with this topic) :

q Verbs .- to have , to buy , to sell , to rent/hire , to open etc.

q Adjectives .- new , old , big , small , wide , large , un/comfortable , cosy , nice, awful, beautiful, etc.

q Demonstrative adjectives.

q Adverbs .- more , less , fine , better , worst, etc.

q Pronouns. - My , yours, his, etc...

q Building materials.

q Related with the different materials/houses attending to the culture.

q Related with the different type of houses in Europe : studio, flat, apartment , attic , attached / semi attached house, building, cottage, etc.

q Related with the occupation in construction.

q Decorative elements.

q Basic words.- wide , narrow , previous , after , bright, dark , large , etc.

· To know vocabulary related with space and time: close , far, left, right , opposite, behind, up, down, first , second, yesterday, today , tomorrow , before , now , after, etc.

· To know the vocabulary related with renting : deposit, monthly payment, expenses, community , rubbish , light , water , etc…

· To recognize houses depending on the country.

· To recognize the basic information advertise in the estate agencies .

· To use the basic vocabulary to create new sentences.

· To use the basic expressions related to housing.

FUNCTIONS .-

· Identifying the necessary elements when building a house

· Identifying and recognising different buildings from the cultures involved.

· Knowing the name of the places where we can find houses/flats, etc...

· Knowing how estate agencies work.

· Asking information about a house, directly and on the phone.

· Asking for prices of houses/flats.

· Special offers, governmental benefits.

· Asking for elements to decorate your new house.

· Knowing healthy habits, such hygiene and health.

· Asking for permission to visit a house for selling.

· Ways of payment.

EXPONENTS .

q How can I help you ?

· Could you …

q Which one do you like….?

· I would like……………..

q How many rooms?

· It has ………….. bedrooms...

q How much does the house/flat cost?

q Can I visit the flat/apartment….?

q Where is it?

· It is………

q Do you want to buy it?

· Yes/ no

· It is big/small/dark/far from

LEXICON , GRAMMAR , AND CULTURE.

LINGUA.-

Speaking .-

q Review of the basic vocabulary.

q Ornamental elements.

q Type of housing.

q Occupations.

q Building materials.

q Space and time concepts.

q Words related to: community, bills, payments, debts,

interest….

q Words related to: estate agencies, banks………..

q Adjectives when describing houses..

q Sentences with a good command of the target language.

q Poems.

q Songs.

q Riddles.

Listening -

q Understanding different types of housing.

q Asking and giving instructions.

q Giving names to different rooms.

q Explaining the meaning of the oral text.

q Associating concepts and pictures.

q Classifying according to different concepts.

q Riddles.

q Tales, songs, idioms, poems, chants.

Grammar .-

q Using verbs included in this didactic unit.- To rent, to buy, to hire, to sell, how much?

q Interrogative clauses, what/which? How much/many? Where? When?.

q Adjectives .- big , small , wide , short , large , un/comfortable , nice, beautiful, lousy, awful, etc.

q Demonstrative adjectives.

q Adverbs.-

q Pronouns.-

Writing.-

q Writing words in block letters.

q Sentences.

q Writing words related with the topic.

q Spontaneous sentences.

q Filling the necessary form for renting/buying.

q Bills, local taxes…….

Reading .-

q Crosswords.

q Joining words with images.

q Filling the gap.

q Identifying the correct words.

q Ordering words to create sentences.

q Reading and answering easy questions about a text.

Cultural elements.-

Houses give lot of information about the area where it is located.

q Type of house according with the weather.

q Building materials according to the country.

q Offer and demand.

q Bargain away.

q Liquidation.

q Opening time.

q Using polite forms.

q Looking after our house, environment.

q Sharing the household between men and women.

BASIC VOCABULARY.-

q verbs .- to have, to buy, to sell, to rent, to open to close…etc..

q basic vocabulary related with house.- roof , facade , floor , ceiling , etc.

q Type of house.- igloo , cottage , building, etc.

q Ornamental elements.- picture , lamp, curtains , vase, etc.

q Vocabulary related with renting.

q Basic expressions.- open , close , surroundings , left , right , close , far , up , down , etc.

METHODOLOGICAL ASPECTS.-

Focusing on questions such as:

What topics are interesting for these students ?

What could they learn ?

What have to be learnt ?

Housing is an important topic for these students because it will be a basic need to cover. However, language and social contents should be included in this unit.

The aim is to develop their communicative competence, although intercultural perspective can not be omitted. A task-based approach should be used in order to develop our students’ knowledge and capacities.

It is necessary to establish the level of the students (initial evaluation), which will give the starting point for each student, and will help to develop their linguistic and conceptual necessities.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACTIVITIES.-

The first activity in this unit should be focus on our students (motivate them). It will help to check their previous ideas and knowledge. It is also very useful for the following activities.

Several activities have been included for the development of the linguistic contents, attitudes and intercultural aspects such as:

· Communicative activities. - Checking the point of view of students, developing positive attitudes towards the different cultures. Moreover, it will help to change cognitive frameworks.

· Cooperative teamwork activities.- using the new knowledge. It is useful as evaluation.

· “Solving problems” activities.-

The questionnaires have been used at the end of this didactic unit. They will be used as evaluation material, not only for the student, but for the whole teaching-learning process.

MATERIALS.-

	Activity sheets.
	Flashcards related with the basic vocabulary , etc.
	Magazines.
	Authentic materials, such as bills, forms etc...
	Dictionaries.
	Paper, pencils, etc
	Music.
	Decorations.
	Transparencies
	Photocopy machines.
	Video camera and TV set.
	Computers.

EXTRA INFORMATION .-

More information can be found at:

q Didactic unit. “ the house “

Address. - http://www.educarm.net/udicom/unid5.htm

q Housing history. 1

Address.- http://www.profesorenlinea.cl/mediosocial/ViviendaI.htm

q Housing history. 2

Address.- http://www.profesorenlinea.cl/mediosocial/ViviendaII.htm

q Housing history.3

Address.-.http://www.profesorenlinea.cl/mediosocial/ViviendaIII.htm

DIDACTIC ORIENTATIONS FOR THE EVALUATION.-

· see attached document.

RIDDLES

q http://www.elhuevodechocolate.com/adivina4.htm

Riddles related with the house. Nº1

q http://www.elhuevodechocolate.com/adivin34.htm

Riddles related with the house. Nº2

q http://www.elhuevodechocolate.com/adivin18.htm

Riddles related with occupations and jobs.

SONGS AND POETRY

Blue windows,

geen steps,

yellow walls.

....

TALES

q Ricitos de oro.

ACTIVITIES

“ HOUSING”

INTRODUCTORY TASK


	There are many different types of houses according to the different cultures. They are influenced by their natural habitat. Differences can be found within the same country. Analyse these houses. Say what do you like of them.

Write down the main ideas that these houses suggest to you.-

1. ..................................................................................................................................

2. ..................................................................................................................................

3. ..................................................................................................................................

4. ..................................................................................................................................

5. ..................................................................................................................................

6. ..................................................................................................................................

7. .................................................................................................................................

REVIEW OF VOCABULARY (parts of the house)


ROOF – roof	FACADE – facade

BALCONY – balcony	CHIMNEY – chimney

FLOOR – floor	CEILING – ceiling

REVIEW OF VOCABULARY (ornaments)


PICTURE – picture	LAMP – lamp

CURTAINS – curtains	VASE – vase

COMMODE – commode	CLOCK – clock

TYPE OF HABITATS.


HUT – hut	COTTAGE – cottage

CAVE HOUSE – Cave house	ETRUSCAN HOUSE Etruscan house

ROMAN HOUSE – Roman h.	FARM – farm

PROFESSION


BRICKLAYER– bricklayer	PAINTER- painter

CARPENTER - carpenter	PLUMBER - plumber

ELECTRICIAN– electrician	PLASTER - plaster

READ THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF HOUSES.

TALK ABOUT THEM.


igloo	hut

apartments	cave

chalet	shack

WRITE DOWN THE NAME OF THESE PICTURES

---------------------------------- -------------------------------------

------------------------------------ ----------------------------------

------------------------- --------------------------

JOINING WORDS AND PICTURES
	GOTHIC STYLE GERMAN HOUSE GREEK
	CAVES ETRUSCAN
	ROMAN CHINESE
	ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE XV CENTURY AZTECS

COMPLETE WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS.-

barracks – pipes – roman - Andalusian - caves -

q This is a typical ……….. house.

In ancient times, men used to live in …………… q The plumber repairs the ...........................
q It is easy to find ………………..houses in the country side.

q This house is typical in the north of Spain . ………………

· Classify the following words.

bricklayer	small shovel	plumber	beak
hammer	spatula	chisel	bucket
shovel	carpenter	painter	loaf

*PROFESSIONS*	*WORKING TOOLS*

· EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THE FOLLOWING WORDS. USE THE DICTIONARY.

Constructions	Definition
Hut
Igloo
Mason
Granary

· LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING DRAWINGS .-

· WRITE DOWN YOUR IMPRESSIONS.-

.................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................. .................................................................................................................................
*JOIN SINGULAR AND PLURAL WORDS*
bricklayer	carpenters
carpenter	cottages
cave	pictures
hut	plumbers
cottage	plasters
plumber	bricklayers
picture	huts
plaster	caves

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING WORDS

e.................i.................an	a....................t........................

c………….k	Ch…………………y

c.................... h…………e	Pl…………………..r

Can you describe the houses of your country?

Name of the typical house in your country.-
Situation of the country	Picture of the country		Main characteristics

Characteristics.-
Picture of your house in your country.-
How long does it take to be built?		Grade of difficulty		Price

Ways of building in your country.-

Look at the following example. Describe how typical houses in your country are built.

HOUSING.-

Groups of 2/3 people. Try to get information from magazines, books, internet etc… Analyse the evolution of the houses through

history.

*ZONE/ CULTURE*	*DRAWING / PHOTO*	*MAIN* *CHARACTERISTICS*

DEBATE ABOUT THE CHANGES IN THE HOUSE

THROUGH HISTORY. Think about economic factors which may have interfered in this evolution.

.............................................................................................................................................

Groups of 2/3 students. Influence of: clime, geography, building materials, style etc… Each group will deal about a different country.

*ZONE*	*BUILDING MATERIALS*	*STYLE / TYPE OF HOUSING*

GIVE YOUR OPINION. BEFORE OR NOW.

................................................................

CALCULATING THE PRICE OF DECORATIONS IN A

HOUSE. Do it room by room

*ROOM*	*PRICE*

HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST IN YOUR COUNTRY?

TALK ABOUT IT

.............................................................................................................................................

ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN GROUPS.

Housing, same or different in your country?

.................................................................................................................................................

HISTORY OF HOUSING.-

Read and talk about the text.-

Long ago, tribes used to be nomads and they lived in caves. However, there must have been other type of refuges, to protect them from animals and weather; although they had to be very ephemeral.

Houses dating from 10.000-6.000 b.C., have been found in Çatal Hüyük ( Turkey ). These houses were made of clay. Nonetheles the following houses were built on these old ones, so it is difficult to say how was these first houses.

In Babylonia , the houses were made of adobe; there was no stone, so clay and adobe were the building materials which left no room for windows or any open space.

It is impossible to find any ancient building in China . The reason is that they used to build houses with very soft materials (wood, bamboo, porcelain etc...). However it is easy to imagine how the used to distribute their houses.

Etruscan civilisation used to live in circle huts, with only one room and no other gap but the door. The walls were built with clay and branches, and they used to hold a leaning roof, thought for heavy rains.

Romans copied many elements from the Etruscan civilisation, it was far more advanced than Romans. They copied the same simple architecture as Etruscan until the I century b. C. There were no decorations in houses. However they used to have more than one bedroom.

Complete.-

Wooden houses – granary – hut – Andalusia – state agency– cosy - deposit - community – lending - vases

q We can rent a house in...........................................................

q There are being built ……………… in the Alps .

q When I rent a house/flat I have to give a................................................

q Cottages are typical from ................................................................................

q I did not have to pay the..................................in my country.

q I went to Galicia last week and I saw a very nice………………………………………...

q An Arabic house is...................................

q The Indian ……………… you have at home are very nice.

q There are lot of ……………………. in Africa .

q Some banks have especial ………………….for immigrants like me.

MISCELLANEOUS. TALK IN GROUPS

Houses are influenced by the geographic situation .

It also influence the building materials.

One of the main characteristic of the modern building is the shortage of useful space.

Houses are built with adobe and reed in Africa .

The economy is the most important factor when building houses, it will tell the quality, quantity, etc...

Nowadays, houses are similar in cold and hot weather

countries.

STATE AGENCIES

Groups of 4/5 students. Carry out the following task:

· Analysing the values of our actions.

· Experimenting how decisions can be taken in groups.

We will choose one of the members of the group. He/she will

analyse the offer and the demand of the state agency.

Offer:

Ø 1-- Luxury chalet.

Ø 2-- Big house with garden situated in a nice area.

Ø 3-- Flat, fifth floor, no lift. Situated in the outskirts.

Ø 4-- Apartment. In the centre of the city.

Ø 5-- Flat, there is a disco next to it, very bad conditions and

surroundings.

Demand:

ü 1^st family

Father. - Carpenter.

Mother .- cook.

Two children, 9 and 7 years old

ü 2^nd family

South American family that have been living in our city for ten years.

Father. - Bank assistant

Mother. - Translator.

Two girls, 18 and 20 years old.

Boys 12 and 14 years old

ü 3^rd family

Father. - Owner of a shop

Mother. - doesn’t work

No children at home.

ü 4^th family

Moroccan family

Father .- waiter

Mother .- low paid job

Four children, 3, 7, 9 and 11 years old

ü 5^th family

Father. - Works in a factory

Mother. - divorced, they live separated.

q Individual work. We have to give an accommodation to each family.

q Each group will have to reach an agreement. There will be a spokesperson in each group.

q The spokesperson will be the only person who can talk to the rest of the groups.

q There will be a deadline. If they have not reach an agreement, they won’t be able to rent the houses/flats

Launching questions:

q How did we felt?

q Do we agree with the group decision?

q Was it easy to reach an agreement?

q Did everybody participate in the discussions?

q What arguments have been taken into account?

q What values were more important?

.......................................................................................................................................

DISCUSSIONS. RISING QUESTIONS:

q Some houses are not healthy or in good condition to be used. Even though, there are living old people or minorities/immigrants in these houses. what do you think?

.......................................................................................................................................

PAINTING WORKSHOP.-

We aspire to:

· Each student draw the typical house where he/she come

from.

· Exposition of pictures / drawings from other cultures.

· To create a book with the typical housing of each area/country, ornamental elements and building materials.

· To elaborate a didactic guide which include the importance of taking care of environment. The necessity to look after our nature.

EVALUATION.-

*SELF EVALUATION* *- AREA OF LANGUAGE.-*
Contents	Yes	No	Sometimes
Is he / she able to use the vocabulary of this unit?.
Form sentences from a given word.
Can he / she describe the typical house of his / her community?.
Is he / she able to recognise houses from other cultures?
Is he / she able to ask for ways of building houses?.
Do students know the meaning of the concepts of this unit?.
Is he / she able to use the verbs learned in this unit?
Is he / she able to identify the correct spelling of the words learned in this unit?
Is he / she able to use interrogative clauses?
Is he / she able to use the adjectives learned in this unit?
Is he / she able to use the advebs of this unit?
Is he / she able to use the pronouns of this unit?
Is he / she able to use capital letters?
Can student read easy texts?
Can student write spontaneous sentences?
Is he / she able to ask questions related to this topic?
Is he / she able to go to a state agency and get the information he/she needs?.
Is he/she able to carry out orders?
Is he /she able to join synonyms?.
Is he /she able to join words and pictures?.
Is he/she able to order words to make sentences?
Is he /she able to recognise the basic information from a bill?.
Does he/she knows any poem?
Can he/she read for the gist?
Is he / she able of scanning a text?
Can he / she resolve a riddle?
Can he/she sing a song?

SELF EVALUATION - CULTURE.-
Contents	+	+/-	-
Is he / she able to classify houses according to different cultures?
Is he / she able to classify according to the type of house?
Is he / she able to classify according to some characteristics?
Is he / she able to number several construction tools?
Is he / she able to identify occupations related to constructions?.
Is he / she able to enumerate materials used in a house?
Is he / she able to know the different departments in a bank/state agency?
Is he / she able to identify the information related with the topic?
Does he / she knows the opening time of busissnes?.
Is he / she able to recognise the ornamental elements from other cultures?
Is he / she able to respect other ways of living/dressing/food/etc?
Has this unit increased the curiosity for other cultures in our students?

This project is being carried out with the support of the European Community in the framework of the Socrates programme. The content of this project does not necessarily reflect the position of the European Community, nor does it involve any responsibility on the part of the European Community. For questions and contact:

THEORY.-

PRACTICE.-

LEVEL.-

GENERAL OBJECTIVES.-

Lexicon.-

Speaking .-

DEVELOPMENT OF THE ACTIVITIES.-

EXTRA INFORMATION .-

DIDACTIC ORIENTATIONS FOR THE EVALUATION.-

· see attached document.

RIDDLES

SONGS AND POETRY

TALES

JOINING WORDS AND PICTURES

AZTECS

COMPLETE WITH THE FOLLOWING WORDS.-

Constructions

Definition

Hut

Granary

JOIN SINGULAR AND PLURAL WORDS

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING WORDS

Read and talk about the text.-

Complete.-

STATE AGENCIES

EVALUATION.-

Is he / she able to use the vocabulary of this

unit?.

Is he / she able to classify houses according to different cultures?

eu-project@gmx.com

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