新仁爱科普版七年级上册英语Unit 5 Love Mother Nature Lesson 4 Theme Reading教学设计
I. Core Competence Objectives
1. Language Competence: Apply reading strategies to decipher unfamiliar vocabulary in texts about natural landscapes; enhance paragraph analysis skills to identify main ideas related to introduction, differences, and similarities.
2. Thinking Competence: Develop comparative and contrastive thinking by analyzing the Amazon rainforest and Sahara Desert, strengthening logical reasoning and critical thinking when exploring discourse details.
3. Cultural & Affective Competence: Cultivate awareness of nature’s diversity and richness, fostering a sense of appreciation and responsibility toward protecting global natural landscapes.
4. Learning Competence: Strengthen collaborative learning skills through pair work and group discussions; build independent learning ability by applying reading and thinking strategies to new materials about landforms.
II. Teaching Procedures
Step 1: Lead-in (7 minutes)
1. Video Viewing: Play a 2-minute video clip showcasing the Amazon rainforest (featuring lush vegetation, diverse animals) and the Sahara Desert (featuring vast sand dunes, arid landscapes). Pause at key moments to allow students to observe details closely.
2. Guided Questioning: After the video, ask the class:
- "What kind of landforms did you see in the video "
- "Can you name them "
- "Where are these landforms located in the world "
Invite 4–5 students to share their answers, and write key words on the blackboard.
Instructional Purpose
- The video visually immerses students in two distinct landscapes, activating their interest and prior knowledge about natural landforms.
- Guided questions help students connect visual input to linguistic output, practicing vocabulary related to landforms and geography while setting the stage for subsequent comparison and contrast.
Step 2: Pre-reading (8 minutes)
1. Pair Discussion with Pictures: Distribute the pictures from Activity 1 (one of the Amazon rainforest, one of the Sahara Desert). Have students work in pairs to discuss:
- "What do you already know about rainforests and deserts "
- "What’s the difference between them "
- "What do they have in common "
Encourage them to list their ideas.
2. Share-out: Call 3–4 pairs to share their discussions with the class. Write the shared ideas on the blackboard under "Differences" and "Similarities" columns.
Instructional Purpose
- Pair work promotes peer interaction, allowing students to activate and share background knowledge.
- Discussing differences and similarities previews the comparative thinking skill needed for the while-reading phase, preparing students to engage with the text’s structure.
Step 3: While-reading (12 minutes)
1. Vocabulary Guessing: Have students read the text in Activity 2 silently. Ask them to circle underlined unfamiliar words and guess their meanings using context or prior knowledge. After 3 minutes, lead a whole-class check: "Who can guess the meaning of 'lush' Let’s look at the sentence 'The Amazon has lush vegetation' and the rainforest picture—what does 'lush' likely mean " Confirm answers and explain word meanings.
2. Paragraph Main Idea Analysis: Ask students to re-read the text in Activity 2 and identify the main idea of each paragraph:
- "What is Paragraph 1 mainly about " (Expected: Introduction to the two landforms)
- "What does Paragraph 2 focus on " (Expected: Differences between rainforests and deserts)
- "What about Paragraph 3 " (Expected: Similarities between them)
Write "Introduction", "Differences", and "Similarities" on the blackboard next to the corresponding paragraph numbers.
Instructional Purpose
- Guessing vocabulary meanings develops independent word-learning strategies, helping students rely less on dictionaries and more on context or visual clues.
- Analyzing paragraph main ideas hones reading comprehension skills, teaching students to recognize text structure (introduction → differences → similarities), which supports understanding of discourse organization.
Step 4: Post-reading (10 minutes)
1. Fill in the Blanks & Match Pictures: Provide the exercise with blanks and phrases. Have students fill in the blanks individually, then match sentences to pictures. After 5 minutes, check answers as a class, explaining how each phrase relates to the landforms.
2. Landform Comparison Task: Ask students to choose two landforms they know. Have them complete a comparison and contrast chart (with columns "Differences" and "Similarities"), then introduce their chosen landforms to a partner. Walk around to offer support.
Instructional Purpose
- The fill-in-the-blanks and picture-matching activity reinforces vocabulary and sentence structure related to natural landscapes, ensuring retention through application.
- Choosing and presenting new landforms extends learning to other natural features, encouraging transfer of comparative thinking skills and deepening understanding of nature’s diversity.
Step 5: Summary & Homework (8 minutes)
1. Class Summary: Lead a brief recap with questions:
- "What two landforms did we learn about today "
- "What reading strategy did we use to understand new words "
- "What’s one difference and one similarity between rainforests and deserts "
Summarize key points on the blackboard.
2. Homework Assignment:
- Task 1: Write a short paragraph (5–6 sentences) comparing two natural landforms you’re interested in, using at least two phrases from the blackboard.
- Task 2: Find a picture of a natural landform you want to learn more about, and write down three questions you have about it.
Instructional Purpose
- The summary consolidates learning by highlighting key content, strategies, and concepts from the class.
- Homework tasks extend learning outside the classroom: writing a paragraph practices comparative writing, while researching a new landform fosters independent inquiry and curiosity about nature.
III. Blackboard Design
Unit 5 Love Mother Nature Lesson 4 Theme Reading
Landforms: Rainforest, Desert Vocabulary Phrases:- plenty of- many kinds of- live on- be home to
Text Structure:- Paragraph 1: Introduction- Paragraph 2: Differences- Paragraph 3: Similarities Key Ideas:- Rainforests: lush, wet, home to diverse life- Deserts: dry, sandy, extreme climate
IV. Teaching Reflection
1. Strengths:
- The video in the lead-in was highly engaging—students were excited to share observations about the Amazon and Sahara, which made the topic feel relevant and accessible.
- Pair work in pre-reading and post-reading encouraged active participation; even quieter students joined discussions when talking with a partner.
- Analyzing paragraph main ideas helped students grasp the text’s structure, which many later said made the reading "easier to follow" and boosted their comprehension confidence.
2. Areas for Improvement:
- During vocabulary guessing, a few students struggled to use context alone to figure out word meanings. Next time, I’ll provide subtle hints for particularly challenging words to scaffold their learning.
- Some students took longer to choose landforms for the post-reading comparison task, leading to rushed presentations. In future lessons, I’ll prepare a list of landform pairs as options to help students start more quickly.
3. Future Adjustments:
- To deepen cultural connection and affective engagement, I’ll add a short discussion about how different cultures interact with rainforests or deserts to highlight human-nature relationships.
- For Homework Task 2, I’ll create a "Landform Q&A" board in the classroom where students can post their questions and discuss answers with peers in the next class, fostering collaborative inquiry.
