Teaching design of Understanding ideas
Type Reading
Theme Man and Nature—Space Exploration
Content analysis This section presents a text reflecting the theme of the unit, and the discourse type is expository text. The text tells the story of space shuttle Challenger’s crash. This failure has had a huge impact on the U.S. space exploration program and people’s psychology. However, it has not stopped people’s footsteps and determination to explore space. The pre-reading activity asks students to complete a quiz about space exploration to pave the way for learning the text. During the reading activity, students are asked to predict the content of the text by reading the title and looking at the pictures. The post-reading activities help students to deeply understand the text, analyze the text, explore the meaning of the theme, and cultivate their thinking ability through activities such as text judgment, key information extraction and open question and answer.
Teaching objectives Obtain the main information of the process of the Challenger’s crash; Understand the significance of the crash to the history of human spaceflight; Appreciate humans’ brave and courageous spirits in the process of space exploration.
Key points Guide students to read the text, understand the author's intention, text structure and internal logical relationship; Guide students to master the relevant expressions.
Difficult points Guide students to understand the structure of the text and grasp the important information in the text.
Teaching contents Procedures Purposes
Teacher’s activity Students’ activity
Lead-in Teacher asks students to look at the questions and choose their answers. Teacher check the answers with students. Students choose the answers individually. Check the answers with the teacher. To test students’ knowledge of space exploration. To raise students’ interest in reading the passage.
Activity 1 Teacher asks students to read the title and tell anything they know about the Challenger. Teacher asks students to find out the key word in the title and predict the content of the passage. Teacher asks students to do fast reading to check if his or her prediction is true. Students read the title and talk about the Challenger. Students think about the key word and predict then content. Students read the passage quickly and check if his or her prediction is true or not. To arouse the students’ curiosity about the topic. To learn the strategy of prediction.
Activity 2 Teacher asks students to read the passage and match the main idea to the corresponding paragraph. Teacher checks answers with students. Students read the passage quickly and match the main idea to the corresponding paragraph individually. Students check their answers with the teacher’s. To get the main idea of the passage.
Activity 3 Teacher asks students to read the passage again and answer questions through the close reading. Teacher checks answers with students. Teacher asks students to do a thorough summary after the close reading. Students read the passage quickly and answer questions through the close reading individually. Students check their answers with the teacher’s. Students do a thorough summary after the close reading. To understand the important details of the passage and draw a lesson from the Challenger disaster.
Activity 4 Teacher asks student to have a second thought on the extension questions about what they learn from the Challenger disaster. Teacher asks students to watch a video. Teacher gives some necessary comments. Students think about the extension questions about what they learn from the Challenger disaster. Students watch a video. To help students understand the meanings of space exploration. To guide students to focus on the useful expressions.
Assignment Some people think the money spent developing technology for space is not justified. There are some beneficial ways to spend this money. To what extent do you agree or disagree Write an argumentative essay around 150 words.