1
Grammar as an Emergent Process
(2019)
Lesson 1
Grammaring Tasks
A. Write a caption below each picture to illustrate them.
...........................................................
.....................................................................
………………………………………………
……………………………………………….
2
B. Write headlines for these texts. How short can you make them, without losing the
sense of it?
a- Scientists have harnessed liquid metals to turn carbon dioxide back into solid
coal, in research that offers an alternative pathway for safely and permanently
removing the greenhouse gas from our atmosphere. The new technique can convert
carbon dioxide back into carbon at room temperature.
b- A recently-launched satellite mission has captured precision data on the elevation
of the Antarctic ice sheet proving a valuable addition to monitoring efforts in the
region. The study shows the potential of Sentinel-3 -one of the EU Copernicus
satellite missions- to contribute towards long-term ice sheet monitoring
programmes.
c- Urban emissions of black carbon from fossil fuel combustion are not always the
main contributor to severe air pollution in south Asian megacities like New Delhi,
shows a new study
d- Fish provide a vital source of protein for over half the world's population, with
over 56 million people employed by or subsisting on fisheries. But, climate change
is beginning to disrupt the complex, interconnected systems that underpin this major
source of food.
e- The weather these days is wild and will be wilder still within a century -- in
part, because the water from melting ice sheets off Greenland and in the
Antarctic will cause extreme weather and unpredictable temperatures around the
globe. A new study is the first to simulate the effects, under current climate
policies, that the two melting ice sheets will have on ocean temperatures and
circulation patterns as well as on air temperatures by the year 2100.
3
C. Here are some newspaper headlines. Expand them so as to summarize the story.
Write between the headlines
Thousands of tiny quakes shake Antarctic ice at night
Monday 4 March 2019
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
Shifting away from coal is key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions
Thursday 7 March 2019
...................................................................................................................................................
...................................................................................................................................................
Air Pollution Leads to Millions of ER Visits for Asthma Attacks Worldwide Thursday 25 October 2018
...............................................................................................................................................................
..............................................................................................................................................................
New approach for fast estimation of solar energy potential in urban environments
Monday 4 February 2019
............................................................................................................................. .............
......................................................................................................... .................................
D. Compare your expanded headlines or summaries with other students. Are they the
same? If not, do the differences make a difference in meaning?
4
Lesson 2
Consciousness-raising Tasks
A. Read below. Then, decide if the statements below are True or False.
Economic development equals greater carbon footprint, greenhouse gas emissions
April 12, 2016
Must greater prosperity necessarily lead to a greater carbon footprint and increased
greenhouse gas emissions? "In theory, no, but in practice this seems to be the case," says
researcher Max Koch from Lund University in Sweden. His study of 138 countries is the
first ever to take a global approach to the connections between growth, prosperity and
ecological sustainability. The study was recently published in the journal article Global
Environmental Change. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160412090304.htm
1. Max Koch is a scientist. ...........................
2. He studied the connection between
growth, prosperity and ecological
sustainability.
............................
3. He studied 138 countries in Europe ...............................
4. The study of global development
shows a clear connection between
economic development and increased
greenhouse gas emissions
.................................
5. The study was published in the journal
article Global Warming
...................................
B. Now, correct the false statements so they are true.
……………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………....
5
C. Read the passage again and find the information required. Match the words with
their definition/meaning. There is one extra word. Provide the definition for that
word
1. Carbon footprint a. Any of various gaseous compounds (such as
carbon dioxide) that absorb infrared radiation,
trap heat in the atmosphere, and contribute to the
greenhouse effect.
2. Ecological sustainability b. It usually refers to the adoption of new
technologies, transition from agriculture-based to
industry-based economy, and general
improvement in living standards.
3. Journal c. the sum of all emissions of CO2, which is
induced by human activities in a given time
frame
4. Greenhouse gas d.
5. Economic Development e. A capacity of ecosystems to maintain their
essential functions and processes, and retain
their biodiversity in full measure over the long-
term.
D. Try this puzzle about global warming. How much do you know about it?
1 C
2 A
3 R
4 B
5 O
6 N
7 D
8 I
9 O
10 X
11 I
12 D
13 E
Adapted from: http://tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/crossword/puzzle.html
6
Across
1. Don’t use this if you can possibly
walk.
2. You can use less in winter if you wear
more clothes.
3. The Earth is undergoing this.
4. We need them to reduce fossil fuel
use.
5. Heavier rainstorms will cause more of
these.
6. Without this star, there would be no
life on Earth.
7. If we take care of the Earth, we will
protect this.
8. This is melting faster than before.
9. Less harmful to the environment than
a common alternative
10. Money paid on the use of fossil fuels.
11. Sea level is doing this.
12. A place to dispose of garbage.
13. If you remove trees indiscriminately
you get this.
7
E. Read this information: Three great ways YOU can eliminate waste and protect your
environment! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Throwing things away is a waste of the resources and energy which have been used to
make the product. If we reduce, reuse and recycle instead of throwing away, fewer new
materials need to be quarried or mined and fewer plantations need to be grown to make
new things. Many parts of the world have already been damaged by mining and
quarrying, which destroy the natural environment and wildlife habitats and may cause
environmental and health problems for local people. In addition, the vast majority of
resources that we use in manufacturing products and providing services cannot be
replaced, and so they will eventually run out.
http://www.recyclezone.org.uk/
F. Arrange the words below into the correct category: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
according to what can be done with the different items. Some words can belong to
more than one category. Can you add some other ones?
8
Lesson 3
Grammar Interpretation Tasks
Responding personally
A. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. How true are they for YOU? Answer these statements
with:
True
Partly true
Not true
1. I buy only what I need and use all of what I
buy.
--------------------------------
2. I avoid disposable goods, such as paper plates,
cups, napkins, razors, and lighters
--------------------------------
3. I buy economy-sized products rather than
smaller ones
---------------------------------
4. I turn off electric appliances when not using
them.
-----------------------------------
5. I save water. ----------------------------------
6. I use low consumption bulbs ---------------------------------
7. I utilize a coffee mug instead of paper cups. ----------------------------------
8. I buy products made from recycled material -----------------------------------
9. I throw litter in the bin -----------------------------------
10. I make compost from organic materials -----------------------------------
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/swmp/pubs-reports/threers.htm
9
B. How eco-friendly are you? Give 1 score to True statements; 1/2 a score to Partly-
true statements; and 0 score to Not-true statements. Add the scores up and become
aware of how eco-friendly you are.
Final Score
10 to 8: Very eco-friendly
7 to 5: Quite eco-friendly
4-0: Hardly eco-friendly
C. Can you make any improvements to become more eco-friendly?
D. Noticing: Choose appropriate endings from the second column to complete the
phrases in the column on the left, so as to write meaningful sentences. There is one
extra ending.
Facts about Climate Change
1. The Earth a. is being pursued
2. Glaciers b. is getting thinner
3. Too many trees c. are becoming more environmentally aware
4. CO2 emissions d. is being cleared for agriculture & urbanization.
5. Land e. is running out.
6. Sea Level f. is rising.
7. Fresh water g. are increasing faster
8. The ozone layer h. are being cut down.
9. Sustainable development i. is getting hotter.
10. People j. are melting.
k. are happening more often
E. Can you think of a beginning for the extra ending?
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
10
F. Global Warming. Read these facts.
Most of the leading scientific organizations in the world acknowledge the existence of
global warming as fact, according to a NASA report. Furthermore, 97 percent of
climate scientists agree that the rate of global warming trends the planet is now
experiencing is not a natural occurrence, but is primarily the result of human activity.
That consensus was made clear in a major climate report released Sept. 27, 2013, by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In that report, climate scientists
indicated they are more certain than ever of the link between human activities and
global warming.
http://www.livescience.com/37003-global-warming.html
G. For each of the underlined words in the text, decide its verb tense. Put each verb in
the correct column.
Present Simple Present Continuous Past Simple
H. What could we do to slow down global warming? Write three tips.
1. …………………………………….
2. ……………………………………
3- ………………………………………
https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-warning-co2-emissions-sign-
image4129689
I. What does the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) do? Look up the
information on the web. Write it down.
11
Lesson 4
Grammar Emergence Tasks
A. Read the following text and decide:
a. What kind of text it is – e.g. news, article, definition, advertisement…
b. What its purpose is.
What does sustainable development mean?
“…living in a way that meets the needs of today’s population without harming the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
From a video: Sustainable Development by A. Kurlovich on Youtube
B. Word Pattern. In the text find examples of
a. Repetition (i.e. words that are repeated)
b. Synonyms (i.e. words with similar meaning)
c. Antonyms (i.e. words with opposite meaning)
C. Phrase and sentence patterns. In the text find examples of
a. Phrases that are repeated
b. Grammatical structures that are repeated
D. Read the following text and decide
a. What kind of text it is – e.g. news, article, definition, advertisement…
b. What its purpose is
When people make decisions about how to use the Earth’s resources such as forests,
water, minerals, land, wildlife, etc., they must take into account not only how much of
these resources they are using, what processes they used to get these resources, and who
has access to these resources; but also, are enough resources going to be left for their
grandchildren to use, and will the environment be left as they know it today?
http://www.sustainabledevelopmentinfo.com/what-is-sustainable-development/
E. Word Pattern. In the text find examples of
a. Repetition (i.e. words that are repeated)
b. Synonyms (i.e. words with similar meaning)
c. Antonyms (i.e. words with opposite meaning)
12
d. Word families (i.e. words that are related by meaning)
F. Phrase and sentence patterns. In the text find examples of
a. Phrases that are repeated ….
b. Grammatical structures that are repeated
c. Any other evidence that you think might be a pattern
G. You are going to reconstruct the last text from memory. But before you do, you can
write down a maximum of ten words to help you. When you have selected your ten
words, cover the text to reconstruct it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.
Listen to the song. "The 3 R's"
Three it's a magic number
Yes it is, it's a magic number
Because two times three is six
And three times six is eighteen
And the eighteenth letter in the alphabet is R
We've got three R's we're going to talk about
today
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
If you're going to the market to buy some
juice
You've got to bring your own bags and you
learn to reduce your waste
And if your brother or your sister's got some
cool clothes
You could try them on before you buy
some more of those
Reuse, we've got to learn to reuse
And if the first two R's don't work out
And if you've got to make some trash
Don't throw it out
Recycle, we've got to learn to recycle,
We've got to learn to
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Because three it's a magic number
Yes it is, it's a magic number
3, 3, 3
3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36
33, 30, 27, 24, 21, 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, and
3, it's a magic number
By Jack Johnson
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/jackjohnson/the3rs.html
13
I. What does the 3 R’s stand for?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
J. Find examples in the song of these patterns:
a. Phrases that are repeated
.............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
b. Grammatical structures that are repeated
.............................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................................................
c. Any other evidence that you think might be a pattern
.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
14
Combining Tasks
A. Word Search. Paper is an important resource. Each year people throw away enough
recyclable paper to fill thousands of soccer fields three feet deep. See if you can find
these recycling words hidden in the letters below! Words can take the following
directions: across – down – up towards the right – down towards the right
Box Landfill
Prevention
Reuse
Cardboard Litter
Recycled Trash
Environment Newspaper
Recovery
Tree
Fiber Paper
Reduce
Waste
Forest Pollution
Resources
Wood
A K R E C O V E R Y M F
N E W S P A P E R R L I
L T A S A B O X E E P B
A I S L P A L N E C R E
N Q T N E X L C O Y E R
D W E T R E U S E C V Q
F A O K E D T M B L E F
I G U O E R I W H E N O
L C A R D B O A R D T R
L T R A S H N T X A I E
R E S O U R C E S H O S
W E N V I R O N M E N T
Activity Book 2010: WWW.RECYCLEGUYS.COM
15
B. Choose five words found in the word soup and share some eco-friendly thoughts.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
C. Sustainable Development Classify the eight points either as ‘Sustainable
Activities’ or as ‘Unsustainable Activities’ and distribute them in the chart below.
1. Cause cumulative degradation of the environment (creating waste which nature
cannot handle, or which cannot be absorbed as fast as we create it).
2. Come mainly from the qualities of being human (i.e. creativity, communication,
coordination, appreciation, and spiritual and intellectual development).
3. Lead to the extinction of other life forms (the loss of species means we also lose
genetic possibilities for fighting disease, in people and in food crops, as well as
potential new sources of food).
4. Require continual inputs of non-renewable resources (resources available only in
limited quantity. Metals, coal and oil are notable examples).
5. Require resources in quantities that undermine other people's well-being (people
taking unfair advantage of others).
6. Use continuously reliable sources of energy (heat from the Earth's core, tides, the
sun (nuclear fusion at a safe distance), and the wind and water which the sun sets in
motion).
7. Use materials in continuous cycles (reusing materials either through natural
processes or recycling programs).
8. Use renewable resources faster than their rate of renewal (renewable resources:
grow and increase through natural processes; e.g. forests, fish stocks, ground water
and soil fertility. The rate at which they are used ≥ the rate at which they grow or
accumulate).
From: thinking globally in the local classroom – Sustainable development by Tanya
Barnett Claude Brun del Re & Harold Moore.
16
Eight Point Outline of Sustainable Development
Sustainable Activities Unsustainable Activities
17
D. Have a look at this joke for a few minutes. Then cover it and write down as many
words or phrases as you can remember.
http://greenanswers.com/q/224082/media-entertainment/internet/websites/are-there-any-
websites-have-good-green-jokes
E. Can you find synonyms for the word “hoax”?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
F. Can you explain the word “Summit”?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
G. Can you put ‘the joke’ in plain words?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
H. Do you know, or can you make a joke about an environmental issue?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
18
I. Match these words with their meanings below.
Solid Waste
Reuse
Recycling
Composting
Reduction
Natural Resources
Renewable
Non-Renewable
Image source: http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-148676-recycling-symbol-
vector.php
1. Raw materials found in nature.
……………………………..
2. Cannot be replaced when used up. ……………………………..
3. Everything we throw away. ……………………………..
4. A means of converting kitchen garbage and
garden vegetation into humus.
……………………………..
5. Can be replaced by nature. ………………………………
6. Limiting the purchase of items with
unnecessary packaging.
…………………………………
7. To reprocess materials to make new products
using the natural resource again.
…………………………………
8. To reuse a product for the original or some
other purpose.
…………………………………
From: Activity Book 2010:
WWW.RECYCLEGUYS.COM
19
J. Select a natural resource from the list below, and then answer these questions.
Clean Water
Fertile Soil
Clean Air
1. How is this resource used?
2. What activities threaten its sustainability?
3. What measures can be taken to preserve this resource?
From: thinking globally in the local classroom – Sustainable development by Tanya
Barnett Claude Brun del Re & Harold Moore.
1…………………………………………………………………………………………
2. ……………………………………………………………………………………….
3. …………………………………………………………………………………………
K. Have a look at both pictures. What differences can you see?
http://www.p2sustainabilitylibrary.mil/issues/emergeapr2006/index.html
20
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
L. What do you think the image illustrates? Provide a title for the image.
……………………………………………………………………………………………
This is the end of Unit One: Grammar as an Emergent Process. In the next Unit,
we’ll continue with Learning Strategies for Reading Comprehension.
21
Sources
Lesson 1
Images
http://www.utne.com/environment/best-worst-us-cities-climate-change-zm0z13ndzlin
http://www.keepbanderabeautiful.org/climatechange.html
http://tiki.oneworld.org/global_warming/climate_home.html
http://climate-change-solutions.net/
Headlines
https://www.sciencedaily.com retrieved on March 11
Lesson 2
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160412090304.htm
http://tiki.oneworld.net/global_warming/climate_home.html#
http://www.recyclezone.org.uk/
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/index.htm
Lesson 3
http://www.dnr.mo.gov/env/swmp/pubs-reports/threers.htm
http://www.livescience.com/37003-global-warming.html
https://www.dreamstime.com/royalty-free-stock-images-warning-co2-emissions-sign-
image4129689
Lesson 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR4wYm5bdCg
http://www.sustainabledevelopmentinfo.com/what-is-sustainable-development/
http://www.instamp3.co/dl/USo_vH1Jz7E.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6IbRSRe8MQ
Combining Tasks
WWW.RECYCLEGUYS.COM
www.woodroffehs.ocdsb.ca/.../sustainabled.pdf
http://greenanswers.com/q/224082/media-entertainment/internet/websites/are-there-any-
websites-have-good-green-jokes
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-illustration-148676-recycling-symbol-vector.php
http://sedecgdl.blogspot.com.ar/2011/08/la-gota-de-agua-cuento.html
http://espaciohogar.com/abono-casero/
http://www.cleanairchicago.net/
http://www.p2sustainabilitylibrary.mil/issues/emergeapr2006/index.html
http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-99524510/stock-photo-cute-little-cartoon-boy-watering-
sprout-high-quality-d-illustration.html