Development Issues

Le cours

1. Topic Presentation\n\nStarter dialogue\nTeacher: Class, the UN has Sustainable Development Goals. Which ones are most important for Ivory Coast?\nChantal: I think 'Quality Education' and 'No Poverty'.\nDavid: But also 'Clean Water and Sanitation'. In my village, getting clean water is still hard.\nTeacher: Good points. These are development issues.\n\nKey vocabulary\nDevelopment, challenge, opportunity, poverty, infrastructure, health, education, sustainable, economy, progress, indigenous people, rural, urban.\n\n## 2. Listening & Reading Comprehension\n\n### 2.1 Authentic text\nA simplified infographic showing Ivory Coast's progress on 2-3 SDGs compared to the regional average.\n- Comprehension: Which goal shows the most progress? Which is the biggest challenge?\n- Reflection: Why might access to electricity be a bigger challenge in rural areas?\n\n### 2.2 Listening activities\nAudio: A 1-minute BBC Newsday clip about a tech startup in Lagos, Nigeria, solving a local problem (e.g., fintech for farmers).\nExercises: Listen and identify the problem and the solution mentioned.\n\n## 3. Speaking & Writing Expression\n\n### 3.1 Guided practice\n- Practice making comparisons: 'Access to hospitals is easier in Abidjan than in...', 'The biggest problem is...'.\n- Model dialogue: A journalist interviewing a local official about a new school building project.\n- Role-play: A community meeting where villagers discuss the need for a new water pump.\n\n### 3.2 Free production\n- Discussion: 'Is preserving forest areas more important or less important than building new factories for development?'\n- Short writing: Write the headline and the first two sentences (the lead) of your newspaper article about a local development project.\n\n## 4. Grammar in context\n\n### 4.1 Clear and simple explanation\n- Comparatives & Superlatives: -er / more ... than (plus ... que); the -est / the most ... (le/la plus ...).\n- Examples: 'Abidjan is more populous than San-Pédro.' 'Poverty is one of the biggest challenges.'\n- Irregulars: good -> better -> best; bad -> worse -> worst.\n- Common mistake: Using 'more' with short adjectives (e.g., 'more big' instead of 'bigger').\n\n### 4.2 Application exercises\n- Recognition: Find comparatives and superlatives in the infographic descriptions.\n- Production: Write 3 sentences comparing life in your city/town with life in a very rural area you know.\n\n## 5. Cultural aspects\n\n### 5.1 English-speaking cultures\n- Focus on Nigeria: A developing country with huge challenges (corruption, infrastructure) but also major opportunities (large population, creative industries like Nollywood).\n- Similarities/Differences with Ivory Coast: Both rely on natural resources (oil vs. cocoa) and face similar urban-rural divides.\n- Stereotype to avoid: 'Africa' is not one country. Development levels and challenges vary greatly between nations and regions.\n\n### 5.2 English in Ivory Coast\n- English is essential for Ivorian professionals working with international development agencies (World Bank, UNICEF, African Development Bank based in Abidjan).\n- Understanding English reports helps Ivorians stay informed about global development strategies that affect the country.\n- ECOWAS development projects require communication in English with member states like Ghana and Nigeria.\n\n## 6. Formative assessment\n\n### 6.1 Self-assessment\n- I can name at least three UN Sustainable Development Goals. [ ] Yes [ ] Not yet\n- I can form comparative and superlative adjectives correctly. [ ] Yes [ ] Not yet\n- I can discuss a development issue using 'bigger than', 'the most important', etc. [ ] Yes [ ] Not yet\n\n### 6.2 Final project\n- Create a simple 'before and after' poster for a fictional (or real) community development project (e.g., building a health clinic). Write 2 short descriptive sentences in English for each picture, using comparatives.\n- Rubric: Concept (4pts), Correct use of comparatives/superlatives (3pts), Visual clarity (2pts), Relevance (1pt).\n\n## 7. Additional resources\n\n### 7.1 For practice\n- Website: The World Bank's 'Data for Africa' site with simple charts.\n- Video: TEDx talk by an African entrepreneur (with French subtitles).\n\n### 7.2 To go deeper\n- Report: Summary of Ivory Coast's 'Plan National de Développement (PND)'.\n- Research: The role of cocoa farmers in Ivorian development and global trade.