learning a foreign language[下学期]

Unit 8 Period 2
Teaching aims:
1. Get the Ss to learn the usages of useful words and expressions;
2. Get the Ss to learn the characteristics of the successful Ss so as to improve the Ss’ English study.
Teaching important points:
1. The usages of the useful words and expressions above.
2. How to get the Ss to summarize the general idea of a paragraph.
3. How to get the Ss to master the way to improve their English, and put what they’ve learned form the text into reality.
Teaching difficult point:
How to get the Ss to bring the useful experience into their English study so as to raise their English level.
Teaching methods:
1. Fast reading to improve the Ss’ reading ability.
2. Discuss to make every student understand the text better.
3. Pair work or group work to get the Ss active in class.
Teaching aids:
1. a computer 2. a courseware
Teaching Procedures:
Step 1 Lead-in
Begin with a joke.
A mother mouse and a baby mouse were playing in the bush happily when suddenly they saw a cat coming along towards them. At first they were very frightened. Suddenly a good idea came to the mother’s mind. Then she barked like a dog. You know, what happened The cat ran away on hearing the sound. After the cat disappeared, the mother mouse said to its baby, “…”
Please guess what the mother mouse would say.
How important learning a foreign language is!
Learning a foreign language is important. But is it difficult to learn a foreign language Even twice as hard as learning our native language From the text we can know the answer.
First let’s think about how we learn English every day.
Ways of Learning English:
Memorize new words
Watch English films
Practice writing in English
Talk to your classmates
Listen to the tape
Learn from your teacher
Read English stories
Make a study plan
Talk to native speakers
Difficulties in learning English
memorizing new words
good pronunciation and intonation
understanding English grammar
listening and speaking
writing…
overcoming shyness
learning to work with others
learning about other countries
Differences in learning English and Chinese
Sounds and pronunciations
spelling system
sentence structures
grammar rules
way of thinking
history
culture
social system
Characteristics of successful learners
a clear goal in learning
making proper study plans
wide interest in anything
high efficiency
self-confidence
a good study habit
Effective learning skills
Reading all kinds of materials
Taking notes
Using dictionaries
Connect English with work and life
Listening to English radio programs
Imitating
Ways of develop confidence
Practice good pronunciation and try to speak in public
Learn to express ideas in English orally
Try to attend all kinds of lectures and sit in front row of seats and
ask questions
Step 2 skimming
Main Idea of Each Paragraph
Para 1. The environmental factor of learning mother tongue. (question)
Para2. Different opinions of language experts. (answers)
Para3. The difference between learning mother and learning a foreign language. (differences)
Para4. The characteristics of successful language learners. (characteristics)
Para 5. Different learning ways of successful language learners. (skills)
Para6. The importance of the purpose of learning. (purpose)
Step 3 Scanning
Para 1
Q: How was it possible for us to acquire our mother tongue without receiving formal instruction
By communicating with the people around us.
What can you infer from Para 1
a. Formal instruction is useless for learning a foreign language.
b. Grammar rules and structures cannot be learned by communicating.
c. Putting the language in practice is the best teacher.
Para 2
Language experts have different answers to the question.
Some … (believe that we are equipped with a special ability to learn language and that our brain adjusts itself to the language we hear around us.
Others …( think that we learn language in the same way we learn other things and that what we are born with is a general ability to learn and adapt not a language-specific part of the brain.)
Their agreement on one fact:
Virtually everyone learns to use a language and has mastered the basics by the age of 5.
The sentence “ Life is a very successful language school.” means _____.
A. We are equipped with a special ability to learn language.
B. The key to learning the language well is to communicate with the people around us.
C. Parents can give children language lessons.
D. People can learn the language by themselves.
Para 3
Q: What does the writer mean by saying that we actually learn a foreign language much faster than we do our mother tongue
Mother tongue: spend all our waking hours
English: spend limited time in class …
What is the purpose of the writer in Para 3
a. To make us believe we have done well in learning English.
b. To tell us learning a foreign language is different from learning our mother tongue.
c. To remind us that learning a foreign is slow and difficult.
d. Without teachers, textbook or classmates, we couldn’t have been so efficient.
Para 4
What characteristics do successful language learners share
Interested in understanding their own thinking
Curious about the world
Willing to take chances
Confident in their ability.
Use different ways of learning
Plan their studies
Para 5
Successful language learners plan and evaluate their learning.
Results:
gain confidence
be able to relax
enjoy the learning
acquire skills faster
put what they know to better use
Para 6
Advice: try to adopt some of the study habits and characteristics described above.
Learning a foreign language can be twice easy and a lot of fun.
It takes patience to learn a language.
Purpose
To explain the differences between learning one’s mother tongue and learning a foreign language and to describe the study skills and characteristics of successful language learners.
Step 4 Practice
We acquire our mother tongue and learn foreign languages.
acquire: automatically and unconsciously
learn: consciously
We acquire our first language by interacting with our environment.
Good learners have confidence in their ability and use strategies to learn.
A language learner who is confident and patient has the right attitude towards learning.
Successful language learners use strategies to develop their ability.
Language learning takes time. Perseverance and interest are important factors in the language learning process.
Step 5 Review
formal instruction
grammar rules
And, perhaps most puzzling of all, how were we able to make sense of what we heard and distinguish the mistakes and errors from “good” language
Can you make sense of her letter
We all agreed that the plan made sense..
be equipped with
adjust oneself to sth.
regardless of
=in spite of
=despite
无论天气好坏我都要去
I shall go regardless of the weather.
他不顾及我在此事上的感情继续往下说。
He continued speaking, regardless of my feelings on the matter.
language acquisition语言习得
a complex process一个复杂过程
fruitless adj. 徒劳的
a series of一系列的
But that was indeed the case. 情况确实如此。
an awful lot of words非常多的单词
make sense讲得通，有意义
be born with a special ability生来就有特殊能力
Step 6 Homework
Ex 1, 2.
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