Unit 4 Astronomy: the science of stars教案

unit 4 astronomy: the science of stars教案

teaching aims:
1. talk about the science of stars
2. practise giving instructions

teaching difficulties:

1. learn to use noun clauses as the subject
2. learn to write an essay to show your problems and the way to overcome them.
3. vocabulary: astronomy, atmosphere, violent, explode, surface, disappointed, gradually, cheer, mass, harmful, presence, in time, prevent …from… depend on, now that, get the hang of, break out
teaching procedures:

the first period intensive reading
step ⅰ presentation
t: hello, everyone! today we will come to unit 4, astronomy. before that i have a question: where do we come from? or we can say: who are our ancestors?
s1: monkeys!
s2: beijing ren who lived many years ago.
s3: dinosaurs
…
t: very good! do you know what it was like before life appeared on earth?
s4: full of water…
bs: i don’t know.
t: do you want to get more information?
ss: yes, we do.
t: today we will learn something about how life began on earth. turn to page 25. let’s come to warming up first.


step ⅱ warming up
1. read the three questions, while the students listen and follow.
2. give the students several minutes to discuss the questions.
3. collect answers from the class.
4. check answers while discussing.


step ⅲ pre-reading
get the students to discuss the questions on page 25 with their partners. then ask the students to tell their stories. encourage them to tell different stories, if they don’t know any, tell them some.
t: now discuss these questions with your partners. then i will ask some of you to tell us your stories. are you clear?
ss: yes.
a. do you know each religion or culture has its own ideas about the beginning of the universe? give an example if you know.
b. do you know what a scientific idea is?
read some stories to the students.
pangu separates the sky from the earth;
the biblical account;
india;
japan;
europe;
…

step ⅳ reading
1. scanning
get the students to read the passage quickly and accurately and meanwhile help the students to form a good habit of reading. give the students a couple of minutes to look throuth the whole passage. tell them to read silently and then ask some detailed questions about the text. encourage them to express their ideas.
t: we are going to learn a passage about how life began on the earth. now read the text quickly and then answer my questions.
a. what was there on the earth before life began?
b. why do scientist think there has never been life on the moon?