Unit 2 It’s a nice day, isn't it？课时教学设计（表格式）鲁教版（五四制）八年级下册

Unit 2 It’s a nice day, isn’t it
Purpose To introduce Ss to the unit goal: use small talk to communicate with strangers. To set the scene and introduce the target language.
Picture The pictures show four conversation situations. In Picture a, there are some people waiting inline outside a cinema. A woman and a girl are talking about the movie and the weather, with umbrellas in their hands. In Picture b, some children are having a party. A boy and a girl are talking in the sofa. In Picture c, a man and a boy are waiting for a train at the train station. In pictured, many people are watching the violin performance in a theatre. Two girls are talking about the violin player.
Culture Focus Small talk Generally, westerners are a little more outgoing than the Chinese. In the US, people who don’t know each other often start conversations in public places. This kind of conversation between the strangers is called small talk. In some places, especially in small cities and towns, people feel it is polite to speak with people they don’t know. But the subjects of small talk should not be too random. Successful conversations make each other happy and relaxed, while the improper subjects cause embarrassment or offence. Usually the safe subjects could be weather, traffic, sports games, music, movies, TV shows, public events, restaurants and activities in vacations, etc.
Optional Approach Brainstorm Have Ss work in groups, talking about when and where they would start to talk with strangers. Then ask Ss to look at the four pictures and circle the situations where they would start a conversation. Encourage Ss to list as many situations as possible where they would talk to strangers.
Answers Answers will vary.
Purpose To help Ss recognize the target language in conversations.
Teaching Tip Find out the key words Remind Ss to pay attention to the keywords that show the situation of the conversation. Then have Ss write the number of each conversation in the box next to the correct picture.
Answers Picture a: Conversation 2 Picture c: Conversation 3 Picture b: Conversation 4 Picture d: Conversation 1
Purpose To help Ss use the target language in natural speech.
Teaching Tip Make up conversations Remind Ss to make up conversations using tag questions. Write model sentences on the board: A: The train is always late, isn’t it B: Yes, it is. / No, it isn’t. A: You’re Tim’s cousin, aren’t you B: Yes, I am. / No, I am not.
Purpose To help Ss understand what is successful small talk.
Teaching Tip What is successful small talk Explain that in successful small talk, both people need to ask questions. 1. Read the instructions and point out the sample answer. Explain that the U means that Conversation 1 is an unsuccessful conversation. 2. Remind Ss to pay attention to the questions asked by the speakers. 3. Play the recording again. Have Ss write S or U in the right places. 4. Check the answers.
Answers Conversation I:U Conversation 2: U Conversation 3: S
Purpose To give Ss practice in listening for specific items in the conversation.
Teaching Tip Read before listening 1. Have Ss read the sentences in 2b, and try to order the sentences into a conversation. 2. Have Ss listen to the recording of Conversation 3 and take notes while listening. 3. Check the answers.
Answers 1.f 2. b 3. e 4. a 5. d 6. c 7. g
Purpose To give Ss the opportunity to use the target language in conversations.
Teaching Tip Listing the subjects of small talk 1. Support Ss by writing subjects on the board: Weather: It’s going to rain, isn’t it … Traffic: The bus is often late, isn’t it … Public events: There is going to be a basketball game tomorrow, isn’t there …
2. Have Ss make small talk in pairs.
Purpose To give Ss the opportunity to use the target language in a controlled manner.
Optional Approach Emotions and expressions Remind Ss to make appropriate facial expressions when role-playing the conversation because emotions are very important when making successful small talk.
Purpose To provide reading practice with the target language.
Culture Focus To be a pleasant person in social situations, one needs to know the skills of small talk.
Answers From top to bottom: 3,2,1
Purpose To help Ss have further understanding of the article.
Answers 1. At a friend’sparty. 2. He didn’t know anyone there. 3. He felt more nervous and Tania was uncomfortable. 4. How to make a good starting point.
Purpose To give Ss practice in using tag questions.
Teaching Tip Share answers The T can elicit sample answers from the Ss and write them on the board for the benefit of the class.
Answers From top to bottom: isn’t it; aren’t you …
Answers 1. didn’t you c 2. aren’t you e 3. don’t you b 4. wasn’t it a 5. have we d
Answers (1) I’m going to the beach today. (2) Which beach do you usually go to (3) Oh, it’s crowded there, isn’t it (4) You, too. Goodbye.
Purpose To give Ss the opportunity to use the target language.
Optional Approach Making up conversations Four situations are given to Ss. Remind Ss to make small talk continue, not just give a beginning tag question and an answer.
■ Optional Activity 1: How Long Can You Talk
Purpose To give Ss the opportunity to make up small talk.
Materials Required Notebooks (normally used by Ss in school)
Procedure
1. Divide Ss into small groups.
2. Ask each group to write a list of opening questions they might use to start a conversation.
3. Ask every two groups to work together.
4. Group A gives an opening question, and Group B must give an answer. Then Group B gives another question, and Group A gives the answer.
5. The two groups continue the conversation this way as long as possible.
Purpose To help Ss understand what subjects are good for polite small talk.
Optional Approach Add more questions The T may have Ss add more questions to the pictures and ask them which are more polite.
Answers Picture a, Picture c
Purpose To give Ss oral practice to use the target language.
Optional Approach Making up conversations The T may ask Ss to make up their own conversations about the pictures in 1a.
Purpose To give Ss an opportunity to understand the target language in spoken conversations.
Optional Approach Key words Before playing attention to the keywords in that can remind them of some the recording, the T can ask Ss to pay the recording, especially to some words places.
Answers Conversation 1:at a party Conversation 2:at school Conversation 3:at a ball game
Purpose To give Ss practice in listening to the target language in context.
Optional Approach Question types Before playing the recording again, the T can have Ss familiarize themselves with the sentences. Help Ss determine the type of each question and find out the correct answer.
Answers 1. d 2. f 3. c 4. b 5. a 6. e
Purpose To give Ss practice using the target language in natural speech.
Optional Approach Sample conversations The T may want to make it easier for Ss to do the activity by eliciting different sample conversations from Ss. The T can write on the board the expressions that Ss may use as they make their own conversations.
Purpose To prepare Ss for the subsequent reading activity.
Optional Approach Brainstorm The T can encourage Ss to speak out the subjects they talk about when they meet people for the first time.
Answers Answers will vary.
Purpose To provide reading practice with the target language.
Teaching Tip Guess from the first sentence The T may have Ss read only the first sentence of the paragraph to match each paragraph with the heading.
Answers A. 3 B. 5 C. 2 D. 1 E. 4
Purpose To give Ss an opportunity to practice the strategy of predicting before reading.
Optional Approach Predicting The T may have Ss read the first sentence to predict the content of the paragraph.
Answers E A B D C A
Purpose To give Ss an opportunity to check their predictions in reading.
Teaching Tip Read for a purpose The T may have Ss refer to the questions in 2c and read the article to find the answers.
Answers 1. They often talk about the weather, because the weather changes so much. But the most important reason is to give the other person a chance to speak and listen to what they have to say. 2. It makes others feel relaxed and it passes time nicely. 3. Business travelers and workers in shops or restaurants. 4. The private subjects, for example, asking people if they are married or whether they have children. And the common Chinese greeting “Have you eaten yet ” might not be right. 5. To smile and keep the conversation light and humorous. 6. At an airport or bus stop.
Purpose To help Ss use the target language.
Teaching Tip Pair work The T can allow Ss to work in pairs to complete the activity. The T may have each pair of Ss start small talk in turns. In this way, Ss will keep active during the whole activity.
Answers Answers will vary.
Purpose To prepare Ss to write using the target language.
Culture Focus Safe subjects In different cultures, different subjects should be avoided in small talk. The T may have Ss learn how to choose safe subjects in small talk in English.
Answers SituationsSafe subjectsSubjects to avoidin a bookstore with a stranger, in the school hall with a classmate, at a party, a first meeting for a school clubweather, favorite things, TV shows or moviessomeone you like/ hate, family problems, jobs, money
Purpose To let Ss use the target language in writing.
Optional Approach Use the outline In activity 3b, Ss are asked to write a short article for a school magazine. This would be a good opportunity to talk with Ss about how to write formal articles. The three key points must be included in the article, and in order to be formal, the useful language listed should also be well used in the article.
Answers Answers will vary. Sample writing: Do you know how to make successful small talk Here are some tips. You may need to make small talk when waiting in line at the train station. It’s a good idea to smile and have a talk with the person next to you. You shouldn’t talk about private subjects because you are not close friends. If you want to talk with him or her, you could talk about some safe subjects such as weather, sports, TV shows or movies, etc. Small talk is easy if you can keep the conversation light and humorous. Here is an example about small talk. I hope you will like it. [Jack is waiting inline at a travel agency, and he thinks travel is a safesubjectfor small talk. He makes small talk with the man nextto him.] J: Hawaii is a good place to visit, isn’t it M: Yes, it is. It’s very beautiful. And it is not too hot or too cold. Have you ever been there J: Yes, I have. I hope I can go there again with my friends. Which places of interest have you been to M: …
Purpose To provide a comprehensive review of target language, functions and grammar presented in the unit.
Procedure 1. Have Ss look at the Self Check activities. 2. Model the activities if necessary. 3. Give Ss time to do the activities and compare their work with a group partner. 4. If necessary, elicit answers from the Ss and write them on the board.
Answers 1. Answers will vary. 2. 1. isn’t it 2. does it 3. aren’t you 4. have you 5. wasn’t it 6. are you 7. doesn’t it 8. don’t you 3. Answers will vary.
■ Optional Activity: How many good questions can you ask
Purpose To give Ss the opportunity to make up successful small talk.
Material Required Notebooks (normally used by Ss in school)
Procedure
1. Show the following table to the Ss.
Subjects for small talk Good questions/sentences
2. Divide Ss into groups of four, and have one person of each group take notes.
3. Have Ss discuss what subjects to choose.
4. For each subject, Ss need to think of questions that can be used to start small talk.
5. Ask some Ss to show their lists to the class.
Answers will vary. Sample questions:
Subjects for small talk Good questions/sentences
1. Weather It’s a nice day, isn’t it This is great weather, isn’t it Nice day, isn’t it It’s really cold today, isn’t it It looks like rain, doesn’t it It always rains on the weekend, doesn’t it Do you think the rain will stop soon It’s always windy in spring, isn’t it It seldom snows here, does it What a hot day today! I hope the snow will stop this afternoon. The weather is good, don’t you think so
2. Traffic The bus / train is always late, isn’t it It’s really crowded, isn’t it The traffic is always busy at this hour, isn’t it You always take trains to school, don’t you
3. Music or movies You love violin music, don’t you The actor is really good, isn’t he The music sounds sweet / beautiful, doesn’t it Do you like action movies What do you think of the music / movie It’s an exciting movie, isn’t it
4. The activity they are having It’s a nice party, isn’t it This is a great party, isn’t it What do you think of the party You love football, don’t you This line is slow, isn’t it Their prices are really low, aren’t they You’re Ben’s sister, aren’t you The food in this restaurant tastes delicious, doesn’t it
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