Unit 1 Learning to be-B Reading and critical thinking 教学设计 2024-2025学年沪外教版（2024）七年级英语下册

Unit 1 Learning to be-B Reading and critical thinking 1. Content Overview This part of the teaching material is from Unit 1 Learning to be in the 7th grade English textbook of Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (2024). The reading material is a letter. Linda writes to Brad, who is worried about giving a public speech for the first time. Linda shares a story about her mother moving plants from small pots to bigger ones. Through this story, she tries to encourage Brad that change, though difficult, can lead to growth. This text not only provides language input but also offers a valuable life lesson, which is closely related to the theme of learning to be in this unit. 教学目标 2.1 Knowledge Objectives Students will be able to master new words and phrases related to the topic, such as "dig out", "survive", "root", etc. Students can understand the key information and the main idea of the reading passage, including the story about the plants and the purpose of Linda's letter. Students will learn the usage of key sentence patterns, like "be worried about", "be going to", etc. 2.2 Ability Objectives Improve students' reading skills, especially the ability of scanning for specific information and skimming for the main idea. Develop students' critical thinking ability by analyzing the relationship between the story of the plants and Brad's situation, and by discussing the meaning of change. Enhance students' language output ability, enabling them to express their own opinions on the topic of facing changes in simple English. 2.3 Emotional Objectives Cultivate students' positive attitude towards changes in life, and help them understand that challenges can be opportunities for growth. Encourage students to support and encourage each other when facing difficulties. 教学重难点 3.1 Teaching Key Points Guide students to understand the reading passage accurately, including details of the story and the implied message. Help students master new vocabulary and sentence patterns, and be able to use them in simple sentences. Train students' reading strategies, such as predicting, scanning, and summarizing. 3.2 Teaching Difficult Points Enable students to deeply understand the metaphorical meaning of the story about the plants, and relate it to real - life situations, thus promoting critical thinking. Encourage students to express their own views on the topic of change clearly and fluently in English, which requires integrating language knowledge and personal thinking. 4.1 New Words and Phrases dig out /dɪɡ aʊt/ (v. phrase): to remove something from the ground by digging 挖出；掘出 e.g. They dug out a small hole to plant the tree. survive /səˈvaɪv/ (v.): to continue to live or exist 生存；存活 e.g. Some animals can survive in very cold environments. root /ruːt/ (n.): the part of a plant that grows under the ground and takes in water and food 根 e.g. The roots of the plant go deep into the soil. be worried about /biː ˈwʌrid əˈbaʊt/ (v. phrase): to be anxious or concerned about something 担心 e.g. She is worried about her exam results. be going to /biː ˈɡəʊɪŋ tə/ (v. phrase): used to express future plans or intentions 打算；将要 e.g. I am going to visit my grandparents this weekend. 4.2 Key Sentence Patterns “Won’t it hurt them? I think it is safe for them to stay where they are.” Structure: Negative interrogative sentence + “I think + clause” expressing an opinion. Usage: The negative interrogative sentence is used to express doubt or concern, and “I think” is used to state one's view. “Life in the new pot will be difficult. To survive, the roots will grow bigger and stronger.” Structure: Simple future tense + Infinitive phrase expressing purpose. Usage: The simple future tense is used to describe future situations, and the infinitive phrase shows the purpose of an action. 4.3 Reading Strategies Predicting: Before reading, look at the title, pictures (if any), and the first few sentences to predict what the text might be about. Scanning: Look for specific information quickly, such as names, dates, numbers, etc. Skimming: Read quickly to get the general idea of the text, focusing on headings, topic sentences, and the overall structure. 教学过程 5.1 Lead - in (5 minutes) Activity: Show students some pictures of plants in small pots and big pots. Ask them: “What do you think will happen if we move the plants from small pots to big pots?” Encourage students to express their opinions in English. Purpose: This activity can arouse students' interest and activate their prior knowledge, preparing them for the reading content about plants. 5.2 Pre - reading (10 minutes) Vocabulary Teaching: Teach new words and phrases by showing pictures or using real - life examples. For example, show a picture of someone digging to teach “dig out”, and show a picture of a plant root to teach “root”. Let students read the words and phrases after the teacher several times. Prediction: Let students look at the title of the letter and the first sentence “Sorry to hear that you were worried about giving a public speech for the first time next week.” Ask them to predict who wrote the letter, who received the letter, and what the letter might be about. Purpose: Vocabulary teaching helps students overcome reading obstacles, and prediction can stimulate students' curiosity and improve their reading motivation. 5.3 While - reading (15 minutes) Fast Reading: Let students read the letter quickly and answer the following questions: Who sent this letter? What was Brad worried about? What did Linda's mother do with the plants? Check the answers together. Careful Reading: Let students read the letter again carefully. Ask them to find out the reasons why Linda was worried about the plants and why the plants could survive in the new pots. Then, ask them to analyze the relationship between the story of the plants and Brad's situation. Organize students to have a group discussion. Each group discusses these questions and chooses a representative to report the group's ideas. Purpose: Fast reading trains students' skimming ability to get the main idea, and careful reading combined with group discussion can help students understand the details and develop their critical thinking ability. 5.4 Post - reading (10 minutes) Summary: Guide students to summarize the letter. First, ask them to recall the main events in the letter, and then help them organize the content into a short summary. For example, “Linda wrote to Brad. Brad was worried about giving a public speech. Linda shared a story about her mother moving plants to encourage Brad that change can lead to growth.” Discussion: Organize a class discussion on the topic “What changes have you experienced in your life? How did you deal with them?” Divide students into small groups to share their experiences. Then, each group selects a representative to share the group's ideas with the whole class. Purpose: Summary helps students review and organize the reading content, and the discussion can improve students' language output ability and let them connect the reading content with their own lives. 5.5 Homework Assignment (5 minutes) Ask students to write a short passage about a change they have experienced in their lives, following the structure of Linda's letter. They should first introduce the problem or worry, then share a story (real or made - up) that can encourage themselves, and finally give some advice to themselves. Purpose: This homework can further strengthen students' understanding of the reading content and improve their writing ability. 教学反思 After this class, I need to reflect on the following aspects: Teaching Effectiveness: Check whether students have achieved the teaching objectives. For example, whether they can understand the reading passage, master new words and sentence patterns, and express their opinions on the topic of change. If some students have not fully mastered, I need to find out the reasons, such as whether the teaching methods are not suitable or the teaching content is too difficult. Teaching Methods: Evaluate the effectiveness of the teaching methods used in class, such as group discussion, prediction, and reading strategies training. If some methods do not work well, I should consider adjusting them. For example, if students are not actively participating in group discussions, I may need to change the way of grouping or the way of guiding discussions. Student Participation: Reflect on the degree of student participation in class. If some students are less involved, I need to think about how to stimulate their enthusiasm, such as by asking more questions related to their interests or giving more positive feedback. 2 / 37 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $