Unit 1 A trip to the Silk RoadMarco Polo and the Silk Road 教学设计-2024-2025学年冀教版英语七年级下册

Unit 1 A trip to the Silk Road-Marco Polo and the Silk Road This lesson, "Marco Polo and the Silk Road," is from Unit 1 of the 7th-grade English textbook (Jijiao Edition, 2024). It focuses on the historical figure Marco Polo and his journey along the Silk Road. The text provides students with an opportunity to explore the cultural and historical significance of the Silk Road, as well as the exchanges between the East and the West. Through this lesson, students will not only expand their vocabulary related to history and travel but also improve their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. 教学目标 1. Knowledge Objectives Students will be able to understand the main idea of the passage about Marco Polo's journey along the Silk Road, including his arrival in China, his experiences, and the goods he traded. Learn new words and phrases related to the topic, such as "Marco Polo," "Silk Road," "emperor," "trade," "bring back," etc. Master the usage of some key sentence structures in the text. 2. Skills Objectives Improve students' reading skills, including skimming for the main idea, scanning for specific information, and inferring the meaning of unfamiliar words from the context. Develop students' speaking skills by discussing Marco Polo's experiences and the significance of the Silk Road in groups. Enhance students' writing skills through summarizing the story of Marco Polo. 3. Affective Objectives Foster students' interest in history and culture, especially the exchanges between different civilizations. Encourage students to be curious and explore the world, just like Marco Polo did. Cultivate students' cross-cultural awareness and respect for different cultures. 教学重难点 1. Key Points Grasp the main details of Marco Polo's journey, such as when he came to China, what he did in China, and what he brought back to Italy. Understand the importance of the Silk Road in promoting cultural and economic exchanges between the East and the West. Learn and use the new words and phrases related to the topic correctly. 2. Difficult Points Comprehend the historical and cultural background behind Marco Polo's story, which may be a bit complex for 7th-grade students. Analyze and evaluate the influence of Marco Polo's travels and the Silk Road on the development of different regions. 1. New Words Marco Polo：A famous Venetian merchant and explorer in the 13th century. Silk Road：An ancient network of trade routes that connected the East and the West. emperor：The supreme ruler of an empire. trade：The activity of buying and selling goods or services. journey：A long trip, especially by land. describe：To say or write what someone or something is like. amazing：Causing great surprise or wonder. invention：Something that has been invented, such as a new product or process. 2. Phrases set off：To start a journey. arrive in：To reach a place, usually a large one. bring back：To return with something. be famous for：To be well-known because of something. thousands of：A very large number of. 3. Key Sentence Structures Marco Polo set off from Venice, Italy, with his father and uncle in 1271. They travelled across Europe and Asia on the Silk Road. When they arrived in Beijing, they were welcomed by the emperor. Marco Polo described many amazing things in his book, such as paper money and coal. 教学过程 1. Warming-up (5 minutes) Greet the students as usual. Show some pictures of different trade goods like silk, tea, spices, and porcelain on the PPT. Then ask students: "Do you know where these goods came from in ancient times? Have you ever heard of the Silk Road?" Let students share their ideas briefly. This step aims to activate students' prior knowledge and arouse their interest in the topic. 2. Pre-reading (10 minutes) Introduction of Marco Polo Show a picture of Marco Polo and give a brief introduction: "Marco Polo was a famous Italian explorer. He made a very long and amazing journey to the East. Today, we are going to learn about his story and his connection with the Silk Road." Ask students if they know anything about Marco Polo before. Let them share what they know in pairs, and then invite some pairs to report to the class. Prediction Present the title "Marco Polo and the Silk Road" and the pictures related to Marco Polo's journey in the textbook. Ask students to predict what they will read about in the passage, such as where Marco Polo started his journey, where he went, what he saw, etc. Write down their predictions on the blackboard. This can help students have a preliminary understanding of the text and improve their reading anticipation. 3. While-reading (15 minutes) Fast Reading Distribute the reading materials (the text about Marco Polo and the Silk Road). Ask students to read the passage quickly in 2 minutes and find out the main idea of the passage. Then ask them to match the main idea with the following options on the PPT: A. Marco Polo's life in Italy. B. Marco Polo's journey along the Silk Road and his experiences in China. C. The history of the Silk Road. Check the answers together and let students explain why they choose that option. This step trains students' skimming ability to get the overall understanding of the text. Careful Reading Ask students to read the passage carefully again. Divide them into groups of four. Each group needs to answer the following questions according to the text: When did Marco Polo set off? Who did he travel with? How long did it take them to reach China? What did they see and do in China? What goods did Marco Polo bring back to Italy? Let each group discuss the questions within 3 minutes. Then ask each group to send a representative to answer one question. Check the answers and clarify any misunderstandings. This step helps students scan for specific information in the text and improves their reading comprehension. New Words and Phrases Teaching Pick out some new words and phrases from the text, such as "set off," "arrive in," "emperor," "trade," etc. Explain their meanings and usages through examples on the PPT. For example, for "set off," show the sentence "They set off early in the morning to catch the train." Let students read the words and phrases after the teacher several times and then make their own sentences using these words and phrases. This can help students master the new vocabulary. 4. Post-reading (10 minutes) Group Discussion Pose a discussion topic: "What do you think is the most important influence of Marco Polo's travels and the Silk Road?" Divide students into groups again. Each group discusses the topic for 5 minutes. Encourage students to express their opinions freely and support their views with reasons from the text or their own knowledge. After the discussion, ask each group to share their ideas with the whole class. Other groups can ask questions or give comments. This activity can improve students' critical thinking and speaking skills, as well as their ability to cooperate in groups. Summary and Retelling Summarize the story of Marco Polo and the Silk Road with the students. Write down the key points on the blackboard, such as the starting point, the route, the important events in China, and the goods brought back. Then ask students to retell the story in their own words according to the key points. First, let them practice retelling in pairs. Then invite some students to retell the story in front of the class. This step helps students review and consolidate the knowledge they have learned in the reading process and also improves their oral expression ability. 5. Homework 布置 (5 minutes) Ask students to write a short passage about Marco Polo's journey, including at least 5 sentences. They can use the information they learned in class and add some of their own ideas. Encourage students to search for more information about the Silk Road or other famous explorers on the Internet or in books and share it with the class next time. 教学反思 After teaching this lesson, I have the following reflections: Positive Aspects The warm - up and pre - reading activities effectively aroused students' interest in the topic. Most students were actively involved in the prediction and discussion, which laid a good foundation for the following reading. The group work in the while - reading and post - reading stages promoted students' cooperation and communication skills. Students were able to exchange ideas and learn from each other, and their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills were also improved to a certain extent. The new words and phrases teaching combined with examples and sentence - making exercises helped students better understand and master the new vocabulary. Areas for Improvement Some students still had difficulty understanding the historical and cultural background, especially when analyzing the influence of Marco Polo's travels. In the future, I should provide more background information and visual aids, such as short videos or more detailed maps, to help them better understand. In the group discussion, a few students were a bit passive and did not actively participate. I need to find more ways to encourage every student to be involved, such as setting clear roles for each group member or giving more incentives. The time control in the class could be improved. The group discussion in the post - reading stage took a little longer than expected, which made the summary and retelling part a bit rushed. I should be more flexible in adjusting the teaching pace next time. 2 / 37 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $$