Teaching Economics in English

1. TeachingEconomics in English LEND Bologna 18 marzo 2009

2. Patrizia Calanchini Monti – Elena Dal PozzoMODULO CLIL INGLESE – ECONOMIA POLITICA Perché The Great Crash 1929? • Lettura e analisi di estratti da un saggio di economia opera di un insigne economista nella versione originale • Crisi del 1929: argomento chiave nella storia economica • Interessanti analogie con la situazione economica attuale: l’economia va oltre il libro di testo

3. Patrizia Calanchini Monti – Elena Dal PozzoMODULO CLIL INGLESE – ECONOMIA POLITICA The Great Crash 1929 l’economia va oltre il libro di testo DOCUMENTO AUTENTICO Saggio di economia opera di un insigne economista nella versione originale RILEVANZA STORICA Crisi del 1929: argomento chiave nella storia economica RILEVANZA TECNICA Analogie con la situazione economica attuale

4. Patrizia Calanchini Monti – Elena Dal PozzoMODULO CLIL INGLESE – ECONOMIA POLITICA J.K. Galbraith, The Great Crash 1929 Lettura di una breve sequenza per volta seguita da: • Skimming questions = risposta a domande di comprensione del senso generale del segmento letto(in inglese) • Word matching = lista di parole ‘difficili’ dal brano e lista di sinonimi o quasi sinonimi che gli studenti devono abbinare, inducendo il significato delle parole nuove dal contesto (in inglese) • Dealing with economic terms = estrapolazione dei termini economici e spiegazione o ripasso dei concetti corrispondenti (in italiano) • Defining = Creazione guidata di una definizione in inglese dei termini tecnici economici appena spiegati o ripassati. • Scanning questions = domande di comprensione più mirate (in inglese) • Rephrasing = fornire agli studenti una riscrittura di alcune parti del brano con parole più semplici, ma con gaps da riempire (in inglese) • Guided summarizing = fornire un riassunto del brano con le frasi in ordine sparso che gli studenti devono riordinare per ricostruire il riassunto (in inglese)

5. UNIT 1 Skimming questions Page 28-29 a) What is the main aim of this book? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. b) How can a reflection on 1929 events be useful to us? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. c) Is such a reflection a guarantee of preventing new problems? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..

6. UNIT 1 Word matching Match the following words form the texts with the corresponding synonym or definition: a. foregoing 1. state of mind b. chronicle 2. to save c. safeguard 3. previously mentioned d. recurrence 4. to happen e. to enact 5. mentally sound f. to restrain 6. to consider g. feature 7. repetition h. to occur 8. guarantee i. outburst 9. characteristic j. bemused 10. to adopt/to approve k. to deem 11. puzzled/ confused l. sane 12. to control m. mood 13. story n. frenzy 14. craziness o. to spare 15. blast / outbreak Key: a3; b13; c8; d7; e10; f12; g9; h4; i15; j11; k6; l5; m1; n14; o2;

7. UNIT 1 Dealing with economic terms Speculation Boom Depression Inflation Deflation Investment trust

8. UNIT 1 Dealing with economic terms • Speculation = making investments or business operations which involves risk of loss. ( In economics the word does not have a negative connotation.) • Boom = period of economic prosperity (opposite of depression) • Depression = slump / economic drop (opposite of boom) • Inflation = general increase in prices and fall in purchasing value of money; increase in available currency • Deflation = general drop of prices and rise in purchasing value of money; decrease in available currency. • Investment trust = society which buys and sells shares in selected companies to make profit for its members

9. UNIT 1 Dealing with economic terms Durante l’analisi dei termini economici l’insegnante di economia politica fornisce spiegazioni più approfondite ed esempi dei fenomeni economici descritti dai termini stessi (in italiano). Si chiede poi agli studenti di esprimere quanto hanno compreso in lingua inglese. Deflation A period of deflation is not a positive one even though prices go down. When there is deflation, the demand drops, companies do not make new investments and as a result many people lose their jobs.

10. UNIT 1 Rephrasing Rephrasing: Rephrase the following sentence from the text expressing the same concepts in your own words: ‘sanity exposed one to ridicule, condemnation for spoiling the game, or the threat of severe political retribution’ ‘if a person was ……………………………..., he ran the risk of ……………………………… …..………………………, ……………………………………………………………………………………… and ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ‘if a person was sane /not involved in the frenzy of speculation, he ran the risk of being laughed at /mocked, of being accused of ruining a moment of general luck andof being politicallydiscriminated.

11. UNIT 1 Rephrasing ‘The wonder, indeed, is that since 1929 we have been spared so long. One reason, without doubt, is that the experience of 1929 burned itself so deeply into the national consciousness. It is worth hoping that a history such as this will keep bright that immunizing memory for a little longer.’ ‘What is strange is that since 1929 ……………………………………………………………………. That is probably because ……………………………………………………………………… ………… ………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… We sincerely hope that ……………………………………………………………………… …………… ………………………………………….. ………………………………………………………………………..’ ‘What is strange is that since 1929 we haven’t experienced any other serious economic crisis. That is probably because the memory of the 1929 crisis has been so long-lasting /durable in the mind of all Americans . We sincerely hope that such a negative experience will continue to prevent other big disasters in the near future.’

12. UNIT 1 Rephrasing Testo originale: There seems little question that in 1929, modifying a famous cliché, the economy was fundamentally unsound. This is a circumstance of first-rate importance. Many things were wrong, but five weaknesses seem to have had an especially intimate bearing on the ensuing disaster. Rephrasing (fill in the gaps): Differently from what people traditionally (1) ………………, there is no(2) ……………….. that the economy in 1929 was not in a(3) ………………….. condition. It is(4) …………… to understand that many things were going(5) ……………………., in particular there (6)……………………… five aspects of economy which were closely (7)…………………… with the coming economic (8)…………………………….. Key: 1. think / 2.doubt / 3.good / 4.important/ 5.badly / 6.were / 7.connected / 8.crisis

13. UNIT 2 Pre-reading questions Page 51 – 52 Something should be done? Is the title a question or not? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… What is, in your opinion, the reason for this title? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

14. UNIT 2 Word matching Match the following words form the texts with the corresponding synonym or definition a)inimical 1. finished b) overdue 2. finished c) due 3. finished d) roaring boom 4. accused e) in progress 5. hidden /not recognizable f) out 6. unfriendly g) rising 7.caused / arranged h) exhausted 8. trust i) to level out 9. late, /outstanding /long expected j) puzzles 10. pin k) baffling 11. expected to happen l) to deserve 12. deflate slowly m) intimation 13. happening n) came to an end 14. great economic prosperity

15. UNIT 2 Word matching o) dimly 15. final p) wild 16. increasing / going up q) raised 17. problems /issues r) needle 18. to merit s) confidence 19. pictured t) to subside 20. premonition u) engineered 21. confusing / problematic v) blamed 22. frenetic /crazy w) deflated 23. not clearly x) eventual 24. posed y) framed 25. avoided z)stark 26. obsessed / worried aa)disguised 27. to stabilize /to find a balance bb)evaded 28. reduced / stopped cc)haunted 29. difficult / contrasting

16. UNIT 2 Skimming questions a) At the beginning of 1929 were economists expecting a crisis? ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… b)Why didn’t people who had the power try to make the boom subside slowly ? …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

17. UNIT 2 Dealing with economic terms Boom buying for an increase ownership on margin

18. UNIT 2 Rephrasing Rephrasing: Rephrase the following sentence from the text expressing the same concepts in your own words: When prices stopped rising - when the supply of people who were buying for an increase was exhausted – then ownership on margin would become meaningless and everyone would want to sell. The market wouldn’t level out; it would fall precipitately- When prices ………………………………, when there were no …………………………………………………………………………….., then it would be ………………………………………………………………………………….. and everyone would want to sell. The market would not ………………………………………………………….., but there would be ……………………………………

19. UNIT 2 Rephrasing One may doubt if at any time in early 1929 the problem was ever framed in terms of such stark alternatives But however disguised or evaded, these were the choices which haunted every serious conference on what to do about the market. It is not sure that …………………………………………………………. , experts saw ……………………………………………………. But even if ……………………………………………………………………….., those who discussed about……........................ ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

20. TeachingEconomics in English LEND Bologna 25 ottobre 2010