Unit 2 Wonders of nature 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 2 Wonders of nature-B Reading and critical thinking This reading passage in Unit 2 “Wonders of nature” focuses on introducing some of the most famous natural wonders around the world. It describes their unique features, geographical locations, and the significance they hold. Through vivid descriptions and detailed information, students will be exposed to the magnificent beauty of nature, such as the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, etc. The text is not only informative but also aims to arouse students’ interest in nature and their awareness of environmental protection. 教学目标 1. Knowledge Objectives Students will be able to understand and master the key vocabulary related to natural wonders, such as “wonder”, “nature”, “magnificent”, “mysterious”, “volcano”, “waterfall”, “preserve”, “threaten”, etc. Students can grasp important phrases and sentence patterns, like “the wonders of nature”, “natural scenery”, “magnificent view”, “be threatened by”, “take measures to”, “one of + the + highest + plural nouns”, “such as” for giving examples, and “if” - clause for condition. Enable students to understand the main idea and details of the reading passage about natural wonders. 2. Ability Objectives Improve students’ reading skills, including skimming for the main idea, scanning for specific information, and inferring meaning from context. Develop students’ critical thinking ability by asking them to analyze and evaluate the information in the passage, such as the causes and consequences of natural wonders being threatened. Train students’ oral and written expression ability. They should be able to talk about natural wonders briefly and write a short passage to introduce a natural wonder using the knowledge they have learned. 3. Emotional Objectives Foster students’ love and respect for nature, and enhance their awareness of environmental protection. Encourage students to be curious about the world and explore the mysteries of nature. 教学重难点 1. Key Points The understanding and application of new words, phrases, and sentence patterns related to natural wonders. Helping students to effectively use reading strategies to understand the text, such as identifying the topic sentence, summarizing paragraphs, and finding key information. Grasping the main idea and structure of the passage, and being able to retell the content of the passage in their own words. 2. Difficult Points How to guide students to think critically about the information in the passage, for example, analyzing the reasons why some natural wonders are in danger and proposing solutions. Teaching students to use the language they have learned in the passage to express their own opinions and ideas about natural wonders, both orally and in writing. Helping students to understand some complex sentences and abstract descriptions in the passage. 1. Key Vocabulary wonder (n.) 奇迹；奇观；(v.) 想知道 ， e.g. the wonders of nature（自然奇观）, wonder about（对…… 感到好奇） nature (n.) 大自然；自然界 ，adj. natural 自然的 ， e.g. natural scenery（自然风景） magnificent (adj.) 壮丽的；宏伟的 ， e.g. magnificent view（壮丽的景色） mysterious (adj.) 神秘的 ，n. mystery 神秘；奥秘 ， e.g. mysterious place（神秘的地方） volcano (n.) 火山 ，adj. volcanic 火山的 ， e.g. volcanic eruption（火山喷发） waterfall (n.) 瀑布 ， e.g. a beautiful waterfall（一个美丽的瀑布） preserve (v.) 保护；保存 ，n. preservation 保护；保存 ， e.g. preserve the environment（保护环境） threaten (v.) 威胁；危及 ，n. threat 威胁 ， e.g. threaten to do sth.（威胁要做某事） 2. Core Phrases the wonders of nature 自然奇观 natural scenery 自然风景 magnificent view 壮丽的景色 mysterious place 神秘的地方 volcanic eruption 火山喷发 a beautiful waterfall 一个美丽的瀑布 preserve the environment 保护环境 be threatened by 受到…… 的威胁 take measures to 采取措施去…… in danger 处于危险中 3. Classic Sentences The Grand Canyon is one of the most famous wonders of nature in the world.（大峡谷是世界上最著名的自然奇观之一。） - Structure: one of + the + highest + plural nouns Natural scenery, such as mountains and rivers, can make people feel relaxed and peaceful.（自然风景，比如山川河流，能让人感到放松和平静。） - “such as” for giving examples If we don't preserve the environment, many natural wonders will be threatened by pollution.（如果我们不保护环境，许多自然奇观将受到污染的威胁。） - “if” - clause for condition We should take measures to protect these magnificent natural wonders in danger.（我们应该采取措施保护这些处于危险中的壮丽自然奇观。） - “to protect...” as an adverbial of purpose 4. Grammar Focus Adjective and adverb comparatives and superlatives: For one - syllable words: add -er / -est, e.g. high→higher→highest For one - syllable words ending in -e: add -r / -st, e.g. large→larger→largest For words ending in -y: drop -y and add -ier / -iest, e.g. dry→drier→driest For one - syllable words ending in vowel + consonant: double the consonant and add -er / -est, e.g. big→bigger→biggest For words with two or more syllables: add more / most, e.g. beautiful→more beautiful→most beautiful Some words are irregular: good→better→best, etc. When comparing two things, use comparatives with “than”. When comparing three or more things, use superlatives with “the”. 教学过程 1. Lead - in (5 minutes) Show students some pictures of famous natural wonders around the world, such as the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, Mount Everest, etc. on the PPT. Ask students: “Do you know what these places are? Have you ever seen any of them? Can you briefly describe what you know about them?” Encourage students to share their ideas and experiences. Then introduce the topic of this class: “Today, we are going to learn more about these amazing wonders of nature in our reading passage.” 2. Pre - reading (8 minutes) New words teaching: Present the new words and phrases related to natural wonders on the PPT. Teach students the pronunciation, meaning, and usage of each word through example sentences. For example, when teaching “magnificent”, show the sentence “The magnificent view of the sunrise over the mountains took our breath away.” Let students read the words and phrases after the teacher several times to ensure correct pronunciation. Prediction: Let students look at the title of the reading passage and the pictures in the textbook. Ask them to predict what the passage might be about. Guide them to think about questions like “What natural wonders might be mentioned? What aspects of these natural wonders will be described?” 3. While - reading (20 minutes) Skimming: Give students 2 - 3 minutes to quickly read the whole passage. Ask them to find out the main idea of the passage and the natural wonders introduced in it. After that, invite some students to share their answers. The main idea of this passage is to introduce several famous natural wonders of the world, their features, and the threats they are facing. The natural wonders may include the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Scanning: Divide the passage into several paragraphs. Let students read each paragraph carefully and answer some detailed questions on the PPT. For example, for the paragraph about the Grand Canyon, the questions could be “Where is the Grand Canyon located? What makes it so special?” Students need to scan the text to find the relevant information. After they finish, check the answers together and explain the key sentences in the paragraph. In - depth reading: Analyze some difficult sentences and language points in the passage. For example, explain the sentence pattern “one of + the + highest + plural nouns” in “The Grand Canyon is one of the most famous wonders of nature in the world.” Let students understand how to use this pattern to express “one of the outstanding things in a certain category”. Also, analyze complex sentences like “If we don't preserve the environment, many natural wonders will be threatened by pollution.” to help students understand the usage of “if” - clause. Mind - mapping: Guide students to make a simple mind - map of the passage according to the structure and content. The mind - map can start with the main topic “Wonders of nature”, then branch out to different natural wonders, and under each wonder, list its features, location, and threats. This will help students better understand the structure and organization of the passage. 4. Post - reading (10 minutes) Retelling: Based on the mind - map, ask students to retell the content of the passage in their own words. First, let them practice retelling in pairs. Then, invite some pairs to stand up and retell in front of the class. Give them positive feedback and correct their mistakes in pronunciation and grammar. Group discussion: Divide students into groups of 4 - 5. Pose a discussion topic, such as “What can we do to protect these natural wonders?” Each group discusses the topic and writes down their ideas. After 5 minutes, ask each group to choose a representative to share their group's ideas with the whole class. Encourage students to use the language they have learned in the passage, like “We should take measures to...” “We can preserve the environment by...” 5. Summary and Homework (2 minutes) Summary: Briefly summarize the key points of this class, including new words, phrases, sentence patterns, and the main content of the reading passage. Emphasize the importance of protecting natural wonders. Homework: Ask students to write a short passage of about 80 - 100 words to introduce a natural wonder they like. They should use at least three new words and one sentence pattern learned in this class. Let students collect more information about a natural wonder they are interested in and share it with the class next time. 教学反思 After this class, I need to reflect on the following aspects. Firstly, in terms of teaching methods, whether the combination of different reading strategies like skimming, scanning, and in - depth reading is effective for students to understand the text. If some students still have difficulty in grasping the main idea or details, I may need to adjust the way of explanation or provide more examples. Secondly, regarding students’ participation, did all students actively engage in class activities such as group discussions and retelling? If some students were left out, I should think about how to create a more inclusive classroom environment and encourage their participation. Thirdly, for the achievement of teaching objectives, did students really master the new words, phrases, and grammar? Did they improve their reading skills and critical thinking ability as expected? Based on the answers to these questions, I can make corresponding adjustments and improvements in future teaching to make the teaching more effective. 2 / 37 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 学科网（北京）股份有限公司 $