Unit 6 B Reading and critical thinking 教学设计 2025-2026学年沪外教版（2024）七年级英语上册

Unit 6 B Reading and critical thinking 教学设计 I. Teaching Objectives Understand the story of Chester Greenwood inventing earmuffs, master related vocabulary, and extract key information about the invention process. Develop reading skills like choosing best answers, completing posts and charts, and enhance critical thinking abilities through understanding, analyzing, and evaluating inventor qualities and invention reasons. Be able to retell the earmuffs invention story in own words and discuss inventor qualities, using correct vocabulary and sentence structures. II. Language Knowledge 1. Key words & phrases earmuffs, invention, solve a problem, farm wires, ear - shaped circles, fur, patent, factory, create, invention, connect, improve, design, comfortable, strong will, creativity, come across, make... out of, add... to, set up 2. Key sentences When our ears are cold, we can wear earmuffs, but that wasn’t true for Chester Greenwood in 1873. On a winter afternoon, the 15 - year - old boy went ice skating, and his ears became cold. He tried to cover them with his scarf, but it was not very comfortable. Chester had to stop skating. “I must solve this problem,” he thought. On his way home, Chester came across some farm wires and had an idea. He bent a piece of wire to match the shape of his head. Next, he made two ear - shaped circles out of the wire. Then, he asked his grandmother to add fur to each circle. That’s how the first pair of earmuffs was born. Chester went on to improve the design. He used a steel band to connect the two circles. He also lined soft black cloth on the inside of the circles for comfort. Soon, everyone in town thought they should have a pair of earmuffs. Later, Chester got a patent for the earmuffs and set up a factory to make them. Today, Chester’s hometown in Maine celebrates their local hero every December. Everyone wears earmuffs, of course! People create things to solve problems and make life easier. We call those things inventions. Some of them can connect people all over the world, like phones and computers. Some of them can improve the way we do things. Some inventions are about a new design. If you like the idea of becoming a young inventor, maybe you need to: Have a strong will... Read a lot... Use things around you... 3. Key and challenging points Comprehend the earmuffs invention story and complete related reading tasks (choose best answers, complete post, fill chart). Use correct forms of words to complete sentences and passages about inventions and inventor qualities. Think critically about inventor qualities, analyze the most important quality, and evaluate if laziness can be an inventor quality, demonstrating understanding and application of English. III. Teaching Procedures Learning activities: Step 1 Lead - in Ask: How do inventors come up with creative ideas? How do they make them come true? Invite Ss to share. Then say: Today, we'll read Chester's story to find answers. Step 2 Reading & Comprehension Work on Activity B1 T: Choose the best answers about the text (purpose, where to find). Use reading for main idea and context clues. Ask Ss to read the questions and text, choose answers. Then check, explaining why (e.g., text explains earmuffs' origin, so purpose is to explain how they were born). Work on Activity B2 T: Complete the post about Chester Greenwood with text info. Ask Ss to scan text for details (Chester's identity, age when got idea, what he kept warm, what he did in winter, what didn't work) to fill post. Then check. Work on Activity B3 T: Complete the chart (Problem, Idea, Improvement, Success) and retell the story in own words. Ask Ss to identify each part: Problem (ears cold when skating), Idea (use farm wires to make ear - shaped circles with fur), Improvement (steel band, soft cloth), Success (patent, factory, hometown celebration). Then retell in pairs. Invite pairs to share. Step 3 Word work Work on Activity B4 T: Complete the passage with text words, using bracket meanings. Ask Ss to fill blanks with “solve”, “inventions”, “connect”, “improve”, “design”, “comfortable”. Then check, explaining word meanings. Work on Activity B5 T: Complete the inventor qualities passage with box words. Ask Ss to fill with “come across”, “make... out of”, “add... to”, “set up”. Then check, discussing each phrase's use. Step 4 Critical thinking Work on Critical thinking tasks Understand: T: What important qualities does Chester have? Choose top three from mind map (e.g., problem - solving skill, creativity, strong will). Analyze: T: Which quality is most important? Explain (e.g., creativity helps think of new ideas). Evaluate: T: Do you agree laziness is an inventor quality? Why? (e.g., washing machine invented because people didn't like hand - washing). Divide Ss into groups to discuss. Then invite groups to share. IV. Assessment of Teaching Effectiveness Assess Ss' comprehension via answers in B1, B2, B3. Observe word work accuracy in B4, B5. Evaluate critical thinking and oral expression in group discussions. This lesson improves reading, vocabulary, and critical thinking about inventions and inventors. V. Design Purpose Lead - in activates curiosity about invention process. Reading tasks practice main idea, detail extraction, and retelling. Word work reinforces vocabulary. Critical thinking tasks encourage analysis, evaluation, and discussion of inventor qualities, enhancing communication and deeper understanding. VI. Blackboard Design “A warm invention (Chester’s earmuffs story)” Reading and critical thinking Invention process: Problem (cold ears) → Idea (farm wires + fur) → Improvement (steel band, soft cloth) → Success (patent, factory, celebration) Key words: earmuffs, solve, invention, connect, improve, design, come across, make... out of, add... to, set up Critical thinking: Inventor qualities (creativity, problem - solving, strong will), evaluating “laziness as quality”. VII. Homework Review earmuffs story vocabulary. Write a short paragraph about an invention you think is great, explaining its creation story and why you admire the inventor. VIII. Teaching Reflection Reading tasks engaged Ss, and word work was effective. Critical thinking discussions showed good engagement, but some Ss needed help explaining “laziness as inventor quality”. More examples and guidance on forming arguments can be provided in future lessons. 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$