Unit 6. Viet Nam: Then and now. Lesson 1. Getting started

Look at the pictures and answer the questions.
What is the main topic of the following pictures?
Teacher: Huynh Phong Dinh
WELCOME TO OUR CLASS 9/1
Lesson 1: Getting started
OUR SCHOOL IN THE PAST
Unit 6 - VIET NAM : THEN AND NOW
Answer the following questions:
Who can you see in the picture?
Where do you think they are?
Is there anything in the small pictures on the wall related to past and present?
1. Listen and read
Duong: Can you believe it’s the school’s 60th anniversary?
Phuc: I know! I really like the photo exhibition. It’s fascinating to see how the school used to look.
Duong: Right! The photos explain a lot about our school in the past.
Tom: Look – these two pictures were taken in 1970.
Phuc: Wow, that long ago? The school looks more like thatched houses with paddy fields all around. You can see there were only a few classrooms and the walls were made of mud and straw and, look – trenches!
Duong: I think that was during the war so it was necessary to have the trenches right there.
Tom: Ha… the students in this picture are wearing rubber sandals and straw hats.
Nhi: Hey, and these pictures were taken in 1985. Look at the broken tiled roof and wooden window frames… and some of them are missing.
Duong: Yes, I can’t imagine how those students could study in such poor conditions!
Phuc: Right! Things have improved considerably now. We have everything… comfortable classrooms, learning facilities like computer rooms…
Nhi: Yeah, we also have nice uniforms and proper shoes. We’re much luckier these days… But, I’m not sure our grades are better…
1a. Put a word/phrase from the box under each picture.
thatched house
facilities
tiled roof
rubber sandals
photo exhibition
trench
1
2
3
4
5
6
thatched house
facilities
tiled roof
trench
rubber sandals
photo exhibition
1b. Find a word in the conversation that means:

1. celebration of an important year
2. very interesting
3. not there
4. situations
5. got better
6. real


= anniversary
= fascinating
= missing
= conditions
= improved
= proper
1. The school was founded at the beginning of the 20th century.
2. The school was initially surrounded by paddy fields.
3. During the 1970s, the students were well dressed.
4. The students in the 1980s learnt better than in the 1970s.
5. The school now is much better equipped.

1c. Read the statements and decide whether the information is true (T) or false (F), or not given (NG).
Statements
F
NG
T
√
√
√
√
√
1. The school was founded in the 1960s.

3. During the 1970s, the students wore
rubber sandals and straw hats.

1d. Read the conversation again and answer the questions.
When does the conversation take place?
- ____________________________________________

2. Why does Phuc say the photo exhibition is fascinating?
- ____________________________________________

3. What was unusual about the school in 1970?
- ____________________________________________

4. How was the school in 1985?
- ____________________________________________

5. What can the students learn from the photo exhibition?
- ____________________________________________
The conversation takes place on the school’s 60th anniversary.
Because it explains a lot about how the school was in the past.
There were trenches outside the classrooms.
The roof was made of tiles and some tiles were broken. The window
frames were made of wood and some of them were missing.
They can learn that they are lucky to have such great learning facilities
nowadays.
Remember!
When we want to describe changes, we can use adjectives to modify nouns and adverbs to modify verbs:







Example:
-There have been changes considerable in the last decade.
Our environment has been gradually polluted.



2. Complete each sentence with a word from the REMEMBER! box which has the same meaning as the words in brackets.
1. There have been _____________ differences in the country’s policies as compared to two years ago. (minor)
2. The traffic system in Ha Noi has been _____________ upgraded over the last ten years. (suddenly and to a great degree)
3. Vietnamese people’s lives have been _____________ improved. (enough to make a difference)
4. There have been _____________ changes in the way people work. (quite large)
5. There has been a ____________ increase in people’s income over the last ten years. (little by little)
slight
dramatically
significantly
considerable
gradual
3. Interview your teacher about the features of your school when she/he started teaching here. Then use the information provided to talk about the changes to your school.
You can talk about:
+ the school principal and school teachers
+ the school playground
+ the library
+ the computer room
+ the classroom