EB in the Classroom Senior:

Shanghai World Expo: Part 1

(Latest Developments in China)
Lesson Description: During these two 40 minute lessons students will watch
two clips focusing on the Shanghai World Expo. Following the discussions,
teachers can choose one or more of three optional activities:

– Role play – Reading – Writing

Objectives
Students will:

Learn about Shanghai’s World Expo

Learn about Shanghai’s
environmental problems

Expand their knowledge of
environmental vocabulary

Design their owns comprehension
questions

Video 1: Is a flash that focuses on the creation of Shanghai’s environmentally friendly

World Expo
Video 2: Is the official World Expo video

Introduction:
1. Pre-video class discussion: Before showing the clip, go through the
following ‘Introduction’ questions with students.

What is the World Expo? The World Expo is a large-scale, global, non-commercial
Expo. The hosting of the World Expo must be applied for by a country and
approved by the international World Expo committee. Expo aims to promote the
exchange of ideas and development of the world economy, culture, science and
technology, to allow exhibitors to publicise and display their achievements and
improve international relationships. The World Expo with its 150-year history is
regarded as the Olympic Games of the economy, science and technology.

Where is the World Expo going to be held this year? Shanghai

This year’s World Expo is going to be environmentally friendly - why is this

important? Brainstorm answers with students, however, Shanghai is a very polluted
city and its important that it shows the world that the expo isn’t environmentally
unfriendly.

2. Vocabulary: Go through this EB Lesson’s vocabulary and definitions with

students.
climate neutrality noun
the state of not affecting the climate
negatively or having a negative carbon
footprint
Ex. The UNEP Environmental Assessment
outlines Shanghai's efforts in nine key
areas: air quality, transport, energy, solid
waste, water, green coverage, protected
areas, climate neutrality
hybrid noun
something that consists of or comes from a
mixture of two or more other things
Ex. electric buses, hydrogen fuel-cell buses
and hybrid buses.
initiatives noun
an important new plan or process to
achieve a particular aim or to solve a
particular problem
Ex. the city has scaled up and accelerated
its environmental initiatives
legacy noun
something that happens or exists as a
result of things that happened at an earlier
time
Ex. Expo 2010 that aims to benefit not only
the 70 million expected visitors but also
leave a green legacy for the city's over 20
million residents.
nitrification noun
the process of treating nitrogen in waste
water
Ex. the report also points out the need to
tackle the nitrification of the river systems
prominence noun
the fact of being important
and well-known
Ex. Since then, the idea of sustainable
development has gained prominence.
strategy noun
a planned series of actions for achieving
something
Ex. the safe disposal of waste seems to be
the foundation of Shanghai's strategy

sustainable adjective
able to continue without causing damage
to the environment
Ex. better living conditions and more
sustainable urban environments

Lesson 1

Click on Video 1
When the clip has finished go through the ‘Discussion Questions 1’ with students.

Shanghai World Expo

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released today its assessment of
Shanghai's efforts to organize an environmentally-friendly Expo 2010 that aims to benefit
not only the 70 million expected visitors but also leave a green legacy for the city's over
20 million residents.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Since the
first Expo in London in1851, world fairs have given visitors a taste of the future and the
progress of human societies. The Shanghai Expo follows this historic legacy and is offering
us a glimpse of a greener future."
"Like many rapidly developing cities, Shanghai faces enormous challenges in ensuring
fresh air, clean water, sustainable energy, efficient transport and waste reduction for its
population. The experiences of Shanghai in handling these issues provide valuable
examples and lessons for other cities in China and worldwide," he added.

Since the first one, there have been a total of 40 world fairs focusing on everything from
the achievements of the industrial revolution to economic progress and a call for world
peace. Environmental concerns were first introduced into the Expo in 1974 in the United
States. Since then, the idea of sustainable development has gained prominence. The
theme of Expo 2010 is "Better City, Better Life" and focuses on Shanghai, the environment
and the concerns of our times: the sustainability of urban living in a finite world.

Discussion Questions 1:

What are some of the problems facing Shanghai? Shanghai faces enormous
challenges in ensuring fresh air, clean water, sustainable energy, efficient transport
and waste reduction for its population.

What has been the aim of successive world fairs since 1851? The expo enables
visitors to understand how society has developed and what it might be like in the
future

Why is the World Expo important to China? The event promotes a country’s culture
and it latest artistic and technological developments.

Click on Video 2
Official Shanghai World Expo video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnVO2R9SWZQ

When the clip has finished go through the ‘Discussion Questions 2’ with students.

Discussion Questions 2:

What benefit will the Expo most likely have for Shanghai? Improving the city’s
environment

How do other countries benefit from having a pavilion at the Expo? Tourism
mostly but depends upon what a country wants to promote about themselves
and their culture.

What do you think will be inside the Chinese Pavilion? What follows is a
description of one part of the Chinese pavilion.

The wisdom that the ancient Chinese used to develop cities will be showcased
with programs of different styles in Section One. A video played in the
multimedia exhibition will tell stories about China's vast migration from rural to
urban areas over the past 30 years of reform and opening-up people's
enthusiasm for building a better city and expectations for the future. The famous
picture of “Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival” will also make its appearance in
the China Pavilion to illustrate the charms of ancient Chinese cities.

Click on Role Play and complete the first classroom activity.

Lesson 2
Click on one or more of the following options for classroom activities.
Role Play – Reading - Writing

Role Play 1
1. Go to the World Expo site http://en.expo2010.cn/index.htm
2. Click on the ‘pavilion’ icon in the headings
3. Surf the pavilions and select the one that you find the most interesting and then
present findings to your class.

Role Play 2

The World Expo tour

There are many pavilions from different countries at a world expo and they all, somehow,
represent the culture of their country.
In groups of 8-10, one person will be the tour guide and the others will be the pavilions.
Create at least three pavilions using your bodies. The tour guide will guide the rest of the
class around the pavilions informing the class why they are so special and how each
represents its respective country.

To help you here is an example of the Spanish Pavilion.

Performance buffs and gourmets will be delighted by World Expo 2010's Spain Pavilion,
where they can enjoy authentic flamenco dancing and taste Spanish delicacies.

Javier Conde de Saro, Spain's commissioner general for next year's World Expo, has
unveiled unique Spanish cultural events including flamenco dancing, Latin and Spanish
music and exhibitions.

In addition to these monthly events, the pavilion will contain a cultural space offering a
varied and continuing program about the modern and contemporary image of Spain and
its cities.

When night falls, the pavilion's auditorium will be turned into a gastronomic cabaret where
visitors can take in music, dance and theatre performances while enjoying Spanish cuisine.
The ground floor will feature a tapas bar where up to 170 people can enjoy gourmet food
made with the finest Spanish ingredients.

Covering about 6,000 square meters, the Spain Pavilion is designed like a hand-woven
wicker basket structure supported by a steel framework inside.

Its theme is "From the City of Our Parents to the City of Our Children."

Reading
Quiz

1. Read the following short history of the World Expo below.

2. In pairs, on a piece of paper, write two comprehension questions that focus on the text.
The questions can be reference or inference, just make sure that the answers can be
found in the text.

Here is an example:
Q: Who is Goliath?
A: Goliath is a giant that was killed by Saint David in the bible.

3. Write your names on your questions and give them to your teacher.
4. Your teacher will split the class into teams and begin the quiz.

Great Exhibition, 1851

The first World Expo ever, was held at Hyde Park, London. The Crystal Palace designed by
Sir Joseph Paxton was set up on 9 acres of the park with astonishing speed (within a
year). It housed the first world exposition and is a huge iron goliath.
On the opening day, more than 20,000 people visited this great fare and in the month that
followed over 600,000 from different regions and classes had visited it. The World Expo
held at Crystal Park had over 13,000 exhibits from different parts of the world sheltered
under the single roof of the Crystal Palace. The exhibits and items like kitchen appliances,
steel making tools and many more displays were diverse, beautiful and innovative at the
time. This exhibition was enjoyed by millions of people in the period from May to October
1851.

Since the start of the World Expo in the mid-nineteenth century, many expositions were
held and these can be distinguished into three eras: the era of Industrialization, the era of
Cultural Exchange and the era of Nation Branding.

World Expo - The Era of Industrialization

The first era, the era of Industrialization was from the first exhibition at the Crystal Palace
in 1851 to the year 1938. In these years, the exposition mainly focused on trade of
technological inventions and achievements. The main objective of the expositions in these
eras was to merge art and science together and provide a platform for them to grow. The
expos held in 1851 (London), 1890 (Paris), 1893 (Chicago), 1900 (Paris), 1904 (St Louis)
and 1915 (San Francisco) are the landmarks of the Industrialization era.

World Expo - The Era of Cultural Exchange

This era of Cultural Exchange between the years 1939 to 1987 was based on specific
themes of cultural significance that addressed the issues of mankind. Though technology
and inventions were still important, they were no longer the principal focus of the
exhibitions. The expositions held in these eras were future oriented and themes like
'Building the World Tomorrow' (New York, 1939) were given importance. The Montreal
Expo (1967) was considered the most successful world fair of the twentieth century, with
67 nations and over 50 million people participating.

World Expo - Era of Nation Branding

The expositions held since 1987 have been aimed at improving the image of nations. Each
country focuses on improving their national image though their pavilion. Brisbane Expo
1988 started this by using the pavilion as an advertisement and campaign for the
country's branding through different products and artworks.

This year, Shanghai hosts Expo 2010 under the theme ‘Better City, Better Life'. It will be
held for six months starting from May and is expected to attract around 70 million visitors.
This expo has nearly 200 countries participating in it and many believe this will be one of
the biggest world fairs in history.
Writing
Vocabulary
Complete the blanks with the correct word from the selection below.

prominence nitrification sustainable strategy legacy

climate initiatives hybrid

1. The introduction of _________ buses are one of the new _________ brought in by the
city council.

2. Achieving _________ neutrality for the city will provide a worthwhile _________ for
upcoming generations.

3. Using _________ sources of energy is a central part of the _________ to combat

global warming.

4. The city has come to _________ as it is had led the country in the development of
green transport systems.

5. One of the outstanding issues remains tackling the problem of _________ of water
supplies.

Key:
initiatives 1
hybrid 1
legacy 2
climate 2
sustainable 3
strategy 3
prominence 4
nitrification 5