Unit 1
A new start
Period 1
Starting Out & Understanding Ideas
Objectives
Warm-up
Pre-reading
While-reading
Post-reading
Summary
Homework
Content
?Learning
Objectives
Talk about your first day at school.
Learn useful emotion words: nervous, excited, curious, etc.
Read and understand Meng Hao's diary.
Analyze emotional development in the text.
Write about your own school experience.
Tick what matches your feelings:
excited
nervous
curious
calm
worried
other: ___________
Pair Work: I felt ___ because ___.
Warm-up – First Day Feelings
兴奋
紧张
好奇
冷静
担忧
What do these students do at school?
How is this school different from your school?
Watch the video and answer the questions.
Pre-reading
What do these students do at school?
How is this school different from your school?
Watch the video and answer the questions.
Pre-reading
What do these students do at school?
How is this school different from your school?
Watch the video and answer the questions.
Pre-reading
What do these students do at school?
They have four classes everyday and do practical work. They often have a quick snack and catch up with friends, and have lunch at 12:55. Some pupils also participate in after-school activities and clubs.
How is this school different from your school?
Watch the video and answer the questions.
Pre-reading
Tell us what do you think?
Pre-reading
what you want to include in your diary about your first day at senior high.
the school campus
new teachers
school subjects
a new timetable
an embarrassing moment
new friends
your feelings
other _________
校园
新老师
学科
新课表
尴尬瞬间
新朋友
你的感受
While-reading
Read the passage and find out what the author wrote in his diary about his first day at senior high.
the school campus
new English teacher
the first class
an embarrassing moment
his feelings
Sequence
Meng Hao’s experiences?
Meng Hao’s feelings
Before going to school
Because it was Meng Hao’s first day at 1
_______________,
he got up early and 2_______________ to his new school.
excited:
woke up early;
rushed out of the door
While-reading
Retell Meng Hao’s experiences with expressions from the passage.
senior high
rushed (out of the door)
Sequence
Meng Hao’s experiences?
Meng Hao’s feelings
Arriving at school
The campus was still quiet, so Meng Hao decided to
3_______________. He met a man who he
4_______________ find out later was his English teacher.
Curious: decided to explore a bit
While-reading
Retell Meng Hao’s experiences with expressions from the passage.
explore a bit
Was surprised to
Sequence
Meng Hao’s experiences?
Meng Hao’s feelings
During
the English class
Meng Hao was nervous about introducing himself in front of the class. With 5___________ __, he began, but everyone laughed. It turned out that he and his teacher shared 6_______________.
Mr Meng said that challenges at senior high might put them 7_______________. He advised everyone to 8_______________ and 9_______________.
Nervous: tried to turn on my brain; the engine just wouldn’t start; butterflies in my stomach; breathed deeply
Frightened: looked at them in panic embarrassed
relaxed
While-reading
Retell Meng Hao’s experiences with expressions from the passage.
butterflies in his stomach
the same name
under pressure
keep calm
be prepared
Sequence
Meng Hao’s experiences?
Meng Hao’s feelings
After the English class
Meng Hao thought he had 10_______________ to his new school life.
Nervous: tried to turn on my brain; the engine just wouldn’t start; butterflies in my stomach; breathed deeply
Frightened: looked at them in panic embarrassed
relaxed
While-reading
Retell Meng Hao’s experiences with expressions from the passage.
had a good beginning
Choose the best description of Meng Hao’s first day at senior high.
1 He found the English class difficult and was not sure what to do.
2 With the English teacher’s support, he thought senior high was easy and felt confident about his future.
3 He was not sure about life at senior high, but after the English class, he felt more confident.
Post-reading
Structure of the passage
Post-reading
Think & share
1. What is your understanding of the saying “Well begun, half done”?
2. What happened on your first day at senior high? Share your experiences and feelings with the class.
1. “Well begun, half done”: it means that if you have a good beginning, your chance of success is greatly improved.
2. Share your answers.
Post-reading
Summary
Key words:
excited
nervous
curious
embarrassed
confident
Part of speech: adj
feeling happy and eager
worried or anxious
eager to know or learn
feeling awkward or shy
feeling sure of yourself
Collocations & Phrases
Summary
在脑海中想象
匆忙出门
探索校园
picture ... in one's mind
rush out of the door
explore the campus
butterflies in my stomach
make a good first impression
keep calm and be prepared
put someone under pressure
紧张(生动比喻)
留下良好的第一印象
保持冷静并做好准备
给某人施加压力
Sentence Patterns
Summary
After I had pictured it over and over again...
用于描述长时间期盼后的行动。
wonder 用于表达内心想法。
I was wondering what life is going to be like here.
“With + 情绪表达”,用于开篇描述情感状态。
With butterflies in my stomach, I breathed deeply.
转折关系;用于情绪变化描写。
Although I was embarrassed, his words made me relaxed.
Expressive Skills & Literary Devices
Summary
“butterflies in my stomach”
Metaphor (比喻),形象地描绘紧张
nervous → relaxed
Contrast of emotions,展示人物成长
Homework
Reread the diary “My First Day at Senior High” and try to retell it.
Write a short paragraph about your real or imagined first day.
Try to use at least:
3 vocabulary words from class
1 metaphor or simile (e.g., “I felt like I was flying”)
2 time connectors (e.g., Then, Later, Finally)