Unit 4 Astronomy:
unit 4 astronomy:
the science of the stars
type of lesson: reading
teaching objectives: at the end of the class, students will be able to
1. get to know the information about the development of life by finishing the mind map;
2. retell how life began and developed on the earth briefly with the mind map.
teaching procedures:
part i lead in
1. play a part of video to arouse the students’ interest and lead to the topic of unit 4.
2. show the students the picture of the eight planets and ask some questions, leading to the passage how life began on the earth.
q1: how many planets travel around the sun?
q2: which planet is the most important for us?
q3: how is the earth different from other planets?
q4: do you know how life began on the earth?
part ii reading
step 1 fast reading for the main idea and the structure
1. ask the students to number the paragraphs and pay attention to the first and the last sentences of each paragraph.
2. ask the students to read the whole passage quickly and match the main idea of each paragraph.
para. 1 the development of plants and animals
para. 2 the importance of water
para. 3 the formation of the universe
para. 4 the arrival of human beings
para. 5 the formation of the earth
3. check the answer and find the clue of the passage:
step 2 careful reading for the detailed information
paragraph 1:
ask the students to read paragraph 1 and answer the following questions to understand the formation of the universe:
q1: how did the universe begin?
q2: what happened after the “big bang”?
q3: what does “bodies” mean here?
a. persons or animals’ bodies b. planets and stars
paragraph 2:
ask the students to read paragraph 2 and answer the following questions to understand the formation of the earth and the appearance of water:
q1: what was the earth like for several billion years after the big bang?
q2: what was the earth like between 4.5 and 3.8 billion years ago?
q3: what happened next? what’s the result of it?