Unit 8 Pets and us-Section 4 Extending and developing competencies-Focusing on culture 教学设计 2025-2026学年沪教版英语八年级上册

Unit 8 Pets and us-Section 4 Extending and developing competencies-Focusing on culture This section "Focusing on culture" in Unit 8 "Pets and us" of Shanghai Education Press (2024) English for Grade 8 上册 mainly explores the cultural significance of pets in different regions. It may introduce various pet - related cultural traditions, attitudes towards pets, and how pets are integrated into people's daily lives and festivals in different cultures. Through reading materials, pictures, and discussions, students will be exposed to the rich and diverse pet cultures around the world, which helps them broaden their international perspectives and enhance their cultural awareness. 教学目标 Students will be able to understand new words and phrases related to pet culture, such as "pet parade", "therapy animal", etc. They can master key sentences used to describe pet - related cultural phenomena, like "In some Western countries, people often hold pet parades to celebrate their love for pets." 教学重难点 A. Key Points New vocabulary and expressions related to pet culture. Teachers need to ensure students can accurately understand and use these words in context. The main ideas and important details of pet - culture - related reading materials. Students should be able to summarize the cultural features of different regions regarding pets. Oral and written expressions about pet cultures. Teachers should guide students to use correct grammar and rich vocabulary to express their views. B. Difficult Points Understanding the deep - seated cultural connotations behind different pet - related behaviors. For example, why some cultures consider certain pets as symbols of good luck while others do not. Helping students overcome language barriers and express their complex thoughts about pet cultures clearly and fluently in English. A. New Words and Phrases Pet parade: a public procession in which people show off their pets. For example, "The annual pet parade in this town attracts thousands of visitors." Therapy animal: an animal, often a dog or a cat, that is trained to provide comfort and emotional support to people. "Therapy animals are widely used in hospitals to help patients recover psychologically." Pet - friendly: referring to places, policies, or services that are suitable for pets. "This hotel is pet - friendly, so you can bring your dog with you." Pet cemetery: a burial ground specifically for pets. "Some people build beautiful pet cemeteries to remember their beloved pets." B. Key Sentences In Western cultures, pets are often regarded as important members of the family. In some Asian countries, certain pets are considered to bring good fortune. Many communities hold pet - related events to promote the bond between humans and animals. C. Cultural Knowledge In the United States, there are many pet - themed festivals, such as the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which is one of the most famous dog shows in the world. In ancient Egypt, cats were highly respected and even worshipped. Killing a cat was a serious crime. In some European countries, there are laws to protect the rights of pets, ensuring their proper care and treatment. 教学过程 A. Lead - in (5 minutes) Greet the students and show them some pictures of pets in different situations, such as pets in a park, pets at home, and pets in a parade. T: "Good morning/afternoon, class! Look at these pictures. We all know that pets are our good friends. But do you know that pets have different roles and meanings in different cultures around the world? Let's start our exploration today." Ask students to share their own experiences with pets briefly. For example, what kind of pet they have, what they usually do with their pets. T: "Now, I want some of you to share your stories about your pets. Raise your hands if you want to share." After students share, give some positive feedback, like "That's a very interesting story. Thank you for sharing." B. Pre - reading (10 minutes) Present some new words and phrases related to pet culture on the blackboard or through PPT. Teach students how to pronounce and explain their meanings. T: "Look at these new words and phrases. First, follow me to read them. 'Pet parade', /pet pəˈreɪd/; 'therapy animal', /ˈθerəpi ˈænɪml/..." Use simple examples to help students understand, such as "We saw a pet parade on the street yesterday. There were so many cute pets." Brainstorm with students about what they think they might read in a text about pet culture. Write their ideas on the blackboard. T: "Now, let's think about what we may read in an article about pet culture. What comes to your mind? Raise your hands and tell me." If a student says "How people take care of pets in different countries", write it on the blackboard and say "Good idea. That might be an important part of pet culture." C. While - reading (15 minutes) Provide students with a reading passage about pet culture. Let them read it quickly for the first time to get the general idea and answer the question: "What is the main topic of this passage?" T: "Now, I will give each of you a reading passage. Read it quickly and tell me what the passage is mainly about. You have 2 minutes." After 2 minutes, ask some students to answer. Let students read the passage carefully for the second time. Ask them to underline the key information and answer some detailed questions on the PPT, such as "What special pet - related events are mentioned in the passage?" "What are the attitudes towards pets in different cultures according to the passage?" T: "Read the passage carefully this time. Underline the important information and answer the questions on the screen. You can work in pairs if you like." Walk around the classroom to monitor students' reading process and offer help if necessary. Check the answers with the whole class. Invite students to share the sentences they underlined as key information. T: "OK, let's check the answers. Who wants to share the answer to the first question? And also, tell us which sentence in the passage supports your answer." D. Post - reading (10 minutes) Divide students into groups of four. Assign each group a topic related to pet culture, such as "Pet - friendly cities in the world", "The most popular pets in different cultures", etc. Let them discuss in groups and make a short presentation. T: "Now, I will divide you into groups. Each group will get a topic. Discuss it and prepare a short presentation. You have 5 minutes to discuss." While students are discussing, move around the groups, listen to their conversations, and give some guidance, like "You can add this point to make your presentation more complete." Each group gives a 2 - minute presentation. After each presentation, other groups can ask questions. T: "Now, let's start the presentations. Group 1, you can begin." After each presentation, say "Thank you, Group 1. Do other groups have any questions?" Summarize the main points of different pet cultures discussed in class, and emphasize the importance of respecting cultural diversity. T: "Today, we have learned a lot about pet cultures in different parts of the world. We can see that each culture has its own unique way of treating pets. Remember, we should respect these differences. Culture makes our world more colorful." E. Summary and Homework (5 minutes) Summarize the key words, phrases, and cultural knowledge learned in this class with students. T: "Let's review what we have learned today. What are the new words about pet culture? Yes, 'pet parade', 'therapy animal'... And what did we learn about different pet cultures?" Assign homework: Ask students to write a short essay (about 100 words) introducing a pet - related cultural activity they are interested in. Encourage students to search for more information about pet culture on the Internet or in books and share it with the class next time. T: "For your homework, first, write an essay about a pet - related cultural activity you like. Second, find more interesting information about pet culture and be ready to share it in our next class." 教学反思 In the teaching process, the use of pictures and real - life examples in the lead - in part effectively aroused students' interest and made them actively participate in class. However, more time could be allocated to students' sharing of pet experiences to make the connection with the topic more natural and in - depth. During the vocabulary teaching in the pre - reading stage, some students had difficulty in remembering new words. In the future, more vivid teaching methods, such as word - building games or using more real - life scenarios to illustrate word meanings, should be adopted. In the group discussion and presentation part, most students actively participated and showed good teamwork spirit. But a few students were a bit shy and less involved. Teachers need to pay more attention to these students, encourage them to express themselves, and provide more opportunities for them to practice speaking English. The overall teaching goal of helping students understand different pet cultures was achieved. However, for the difficult point of understanding the deep - seated cultural connotations, more in - class guidance and after - class reading materials could be provided to further enhance students' understanding. 2 / 37 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$