III. Speaking

Choose one of the following topics and make a list of questions to cover it:

• material for birch bark weaving;

• types of birch bark weaving;

• peculiarities of with woven items; > material for withe weaving;

• withe weaving technique;

• types of withe weaving.

Text 23-24.

I. Vocabulary

1. Translate these words: durable, to steam, condition, resilient, tint, wild grains, sheave, saturated, solution, interlacing, supplementary, thread.

2. Find them in the text and translate the sentences.

   2. Comprehension

      1. Fill the blanks.

         1. . Having been ... and soaked in ..., rye straw becomes so ... that one can ... very small... with delicate ....

         2. . That's why it can be used for weaving ... used for ... hard .. - baskets, ... and rugs.

         3. . Trunks can be ... at any stage of..., and the ... will have ... tints.

         4. . The ... of every plant, both ... and ..., can be divided into several..., called ....

         5. . The ear or a ... is cut off every ... with ..., the leaves are ..., and then it is cut into

         6. . The nodes are ... into ... parts according to their ... and ....

         7. . To make the straw ... an even and saturated ... colour it is kept in the ... for about... or ... days.

         8. . Collected and ... straw can be ... by a hot... solution of..., soaking it for about ...

         9. . Handmade weaving is ... on a... of... interlacing of... and ....

         10. . For decoration one can use ... and fruit, woven ... or...,...,..., etc.

         11. . It is interesting to combine ... and ... materials (wires,..., furs,... and so on).

         12. . The most important thing is to have the... threads of the base ... between two ...

      2. Write out of the text the names of instruments and materials.

   3. Speaking

Which of these topics are covered in the text? Tell about them:

• regional traditions of weaving with straw;

• types of straw used for weaving;

• preparation of the straw for weaving;

• technology of weaving with straw;

• items that can be made with straw;

• historical background of weaving with herbs;

• different herbs used for making gobelins;

• technique of weaving with herbs.

Summarizing Tasks

1. Make topical vocabulary to every section (applique work, drawing, stamping, modeling, weaving).

2. Sum up the main points of each topic.

3. Give your opinion on the crafts with natural materials: are they really useful? What are their advantages and disadvantages? Can we do without natural materials? Is it possible to use natural materials without doing any harm to living organisms? What such uses can you suggest?

4. The given texts present only a few of the possible methods of decorating natural materials. What other ways of processing natural materials can you think of?

5. Choose one of the methods presented in reading materials or some other ones you know to create a project (you can combine several methods).

DO IT Yourself

In this section you will find the instructions for creating different items with natural materials. You may try to make them or use as examples in the projects of your own.

Photo frame "A hot beach"

1. Cut a frame out of the cardboard with the size corresponding to the photo.

2. Coat the frame with plasticine on the right side.

3. Press the selected decorating materials (dry cockle-shells, small stones and the like) into the plasticine.

4. Sprinkle the surface of the frame with river sand, pressing it in some areas.

5. Shake the frame to remove unnecessary sand.

6. Insert a photo.

Stone painting

1. Clean the surface of the stone, wash it with soap.

2. Decorate the stone with watercolour or gouache paintings according to your design.

3. Varnish the stone to make it glittering and waterproof.

Aroma compositions

1. Into the selected container arrange dry flowers, painted large shavings, birch bark fragments and other materials considering the colour range.

2. Add some aroma flavour (flower or fruit tea, lemon or orange peels, aroma oils). Don't forget about the harmony of colour and scent. For example, for a composition in yellow-orange colours the best scent is a citrus one.

Composition "Flower cocktail"

1. Choose the container for the composition (transparent glass of a beautiful shape, a goblet or something like that).

2. Select the materials: dry (lowers, greenery, small shavings. straw, birch bark

fragments or others.

3. Arrange the materials into the container in chaotie order

4. Insert a straw.

Collage

1. Find a picture or draw a sketch.

2. Choose materials: small (semolina, wheat grain) for the background, large (pearl-barley, buckwheat grain, rice, peas, different kinds of рasta) for making relief surface and to reveal the detail structure.

3. With the help of glue paste the background to the cardboard, and after drying paint it. The dye should not be very watery.

4. Paste and paint other details according to the design.

5. Put the picture into a frame.

DICTIONARY "DECORATING NATURAL MATERIALS"

admixtures - примеси birch bark - береста braiding - скручивание bristle - щетка burdock - репейник cheese cloth - марля clip - подрезать cone - шишка

cone scales - чешуйки шишек

conifer needles - хвойные иголки

cotton wool - вата

crumbling - крошение

cutting of the edge - резаный край

down - пух

driftwood - коряга

drying oil - олифа

ear - колос

embossed - выпуклый

fish scales - рыбья чешуя

glass beads - бисер, стеклярус

hydrogen peroxide - перекись водорода

knot - сучок

modeling - лепка

mould - формочка

oil-cloth - клеенка

pivot - стержень

plank - дощечка

pod - стручок

potassium manganese - марганцовка

pro-carving - прорезание

pumice-stone - пемза

sand-paper - наждачная бумага

shell-fish - моллюск

slice - нарезать ломтиками

stain - морилка

superposition - наложение

weft - уток

whatman paper - ватман whitewashing - побелка wire - проволока withe - ивовый прут wood cuts - срезы дерева

СПИСОК РЕКОМЕНДУЕМЫХ ИСТОЧНИКОВ