Colour the flag Speaking and listening – Pre-intermediate to Upper-intermediate Let’s talk about AUSTRALIA Conversation cards What you know about Australia? Make a list of cities, facts and landmarks Where in the world is Australia? Describe and locate on the map One of Australia‘s nicknames is Down Under Why is this? What’s the capital? What’s the biggest city? What’s the sports capital? How big is Australia? How many people live there? Compare with other countries Do you know any famous Australians? Talk about them When was Australia founded? When did it become independent? Guess The Queen of England is the head of state in Australia Why is this? In the middle of Australia there is a famous red rock What’s it called? How big is it? What are the original people of Australia called? What they look like? Where they live? What they do? Which animals are endemic (= native) to Australia Brainstorm Make a list Where is the Great Barrier Reef located? What is it? Is it important? Why? What are the most common wild animals in Australia? What about farm animals? What’s a boomerang? What’s it made of? What’s it used for? What sports are popular in Australia? Guess Explain why Australia has plenty of raw materials Which ores and minerals are mined? What languages people speak in Australia? Are they easy to learn? ‘All Australians are criminals.’ Is this true? Was it ever true? Explain Typical Australian words and expressions Match dingo emu frilled lizard kangaroo koala kookaburra platypus Tasmanian devil thorny dragon ankle biter a no problem barbie b food didgeridoo c I'll pay this time g'day (good day) d barbecue joey e Australia my shout f small child no worries g hello Oz h baby kangaroo tucker i Aboriginal wind instrument Speaking and listening – Pre-intermediate to Upper-intermediate FAST FACTS Speaking and listening – Pre-intermediate to Upper-intermediate Location • Australia is located in southern hemisphere between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean • The country called Australia is on a continent which is also called Australia Geography • world’s smallest continent, 6th largest country Area : 7,686,850 sq km (slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 US States) Capital: Canberra Population: 21 million (July 2008 estimate) Government • Democratic, federal-state system recognizing British monarch as sovereign • Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia Money: Australian Dollar (AUD) Climate: generally arid (= dry) to semiarid Languages: English and native languages History • United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1829 • Australia gained Independence on the 11th December 1931 Industry • mining, industrial and transportation equipment, steel Agriculture • wheat, barley, sugarcane and fruits Natural Resources • plentiful supply of precious metals such as iron ore, copper, gold or uranium Livestock • cattle, sheep and poultry Animals Owls, bottlenose dolphin, crocodile (salt water), bilby, parrot, dugong, fur seal, pelican, great white shark, platypus, tree frog, western swamp tortoise, giant cuttlefish, pygmy possum, dingo, red kangaroo, emu, kingfisher, kookaburra, flying fox (greyheaded),frilled necked lizard, sulphur crested cockatoo, Tasmanian devil, koala, kangaroo, wallaroo, magpie, wombats, wallaby Sports • Australians love sports, including rugby, football, golf, soccer, swimming, and cricket • They have gained high level of achievement in Olympics and other international sporting events