Unit 4 Adversity and Courage-Reading and Thinking 教案-2025-2026学年高中英语人教版选择性必修第三册

Unit 4 Adversity and Courage-Reading and Thinking 内容导航 This section takes the form of Percy Blackborow’s diary entries, recording his experience of secretly joining Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition on the Endurance in 1914. It describes his initial enthusiasm, the expedition’s predicament of being trapped and the ship sinking, and the crew’s perseverance in surviving adversity, vividly showing the power of courage, perseverance and team spirit in the face of extreme difficulties. It also conveys the profound meaning of "a successful failure" through the explorers’ choices and persistence. 教学目标和重难点 1. 教学目标 Language Ability: Master core words and phrases related to adversity and courage, and learn to use complex sentences such as adverbial clauses and attributive clauses to describe experiences and express emotions. Cultural Awareness: Understand the spiritual connotation of courage and perseverance in Western exploration culture, recognize the common human pursuit of overcoming adversity, and cultivate a positive life attitude. Thinking Quality: Develop logical thinking by sorting out the expedition process, and cultivate critical thinking by analyzing the characters’ choices and the meaning of "successful failure". Learning Ability: Improve autonomous reading and cooperative learning skills, and master reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to extract key information. 2. 教学重难点 Key Points: Grasp the main plot of the diary entries, including Percy’s joining the expedition, the Endurance being trapped and sunk, and the crew’s survival efforts; master core vocabulary (e.g., adversity, courage, enthusiastic, abandon, essential) and phrases (e.g., turn down, go aboard, keep one’s spirits up); understand the emotional changes of the characters and the embodiment of courage and perseverance. Difficult Points: Accurately understand the connotation of "a successful failure"; use English to express the complex emotions in the face of adversity; analyze the characters’ qualities and the significance of their choices from the text details, and connect with personal experiences to reflect on the meaning of courage. 教学过程 Step 1: Lead-in (Lead-in Activity) Activity 1: Video and Question Guide. Play a 2-minute short video about Antarctic exploration, showing the magnificent but harsh Antarctic scenery, the difficulty of polar exploration, and the explorers’ tough looks. After the video, ask students two questions: 1. What do you think of Antarctic exploration? Is it a kind of adventure or a kind of recklessness? 2. What qualities do you think an explorer needs to have to survive in the harsh Antarctic environment? Invite 3-4 students to share their opinions freely, and then the teacher makes a brief summary, leading to the theme of the unit: Adversity and Courage. Finally, introduce the reading text: Today, we will learn a real story about Antarctic exploration through the diary of a young explorer, Percy Blackborow, and experience how he and his teammates faced adversity with courage. Design Intention: The short video can quickly attract students’ attention, create a vivid teaching situation, and let students intuitively feel the harshness of the Antarctic environment and the hardship of exploration. The guiding questions can stimulate students’ thinking, arouse their interest in the theme of adversity and courage, and lay a emotional and cognitive foundation for the subsequent reading. At the same time, it can naturally connect the previous knowledge and the new lesson, realizing the smooth transition of teaching. Step 2: Pre-reading (Preparatory Work) Activity 1: Vocabulary Preview. Present the core vocabulary and phrases of the text on the blackboard or courseware, including nouns (adversity, courage, vigour, steward, supply), verbs (apply, turn down, board, abandon, assign), adjectives (enthusiastic, essential, miserable), and phrases (be enthusiastic about, go aboard, keep one’s spirits up, get stuck in, throw away). For each word and phrase, provide the phonetic symbol, Chinese meaning and simple example sentence related to the text. For example, "turn down" is explained as "refuse someone or something", with the example sentence from the text: "When I applied to join the expedition, Shackleton turned me down because he thought I was too young and wasn’t qualified." Then, organize students to read the words and phrases twice in groups, and ask them to guess the possible meaning of the words according to the example sentences and the theme of the unit. Finally, the teacher checks the preview effect by asking random questions, such as "What does ‘keep one’s spirits up’ mean?" and "Can you make a sentence with ‘enthusiastic’?" Design Intention: Vocabulary is the foundation of reading. Previewing core vocabulary before reading can help students reduce reading obstacles, improve reading speed and comprehension. Providing example sentences related to the text can help students connect vocabulary with the text context, deepen their understanding and memory of vocabulary, and lay a solid language foundation for the subsequent in-depth reading. Group reading and random checks can enhance students’ participation and ensure that each student can master the basic vocabulary. Activity 2: Background Introduction. Briefly introduce the background of the text to the students: The story takes place in 1914, when Sir Ernest Shackleton, one of the most famous explorers in the world at that time, organized an Antarctic expedition to the South Pole. Percy Blackborow, a 19-year-old young man, was eager to join the expedition, but was rejected because he was too young. However, he did not give up and secretly boarded the expedition ship Endurance. Later, the ship was trapped by ice and sunk, and the crew fell into extreme danger. They struggled to survive in the harsh environment. The text records this process through Percy’s diary entries. At the same time, show a picture of the Endurance and a photo of Shackleton and his crew, so that students can have a more intuitive understanding of the background of the story. Design Intention: The background of the text is closely related to the understanding of the plot and the characters’ behaviors. Briefly introducing the historical background and the main characters can help students understand why Percy secretly boarded the ship, why the expedition was in danger, and lay a foundation for understanding the characters’ qualities and the theme of the text. The pictures can make the background introduction more vivid and enhance students’ sense of substitution. Step 3: While-reading (In-depth Reading and Analysis) Activity 1: Skimming for Main Idea. Ask students to read the text quickly (skimming) and complete two tasks: 1. What kind of text is this? (Diary entries) 2. What is the main content of the text? After students finish reading, invite them to share their answers. The teacher summarizes: This text is three diary entries written by Percy Blackborow, recording his experience of joining the Antarctic expedition, the predicament of the expedition and the crew’s efforts to survive. Then, guide students to divide the text into three parts according to the time of the diary entries: October 31, 1914 (Percy joined the expedition secretly), November 21, 1915 (the Endurance was trapped and sunk, the crew abandoned the ship), and May 20, 1916 (the crew were trapped on Elephant Island, Shackleton went to seek rescue). Design Intention: Skimming is an important reading strategy. Through skimming, students can quickly grasp the genre and main content of the text, establish the overall framework of the text, and lay a foundation for in-depth reading. Dividing the text into parts according to the time clue can help students sort out the logical context of the text and improve their ability of text analysis and induction. Activity 2: Scanning for Key Information. Ask students to read the text again carefully (scanning), and complete the following table in groups of 4. The table includes four columns: Date, Main Events, Percy’s Feelings, and Key Details. The teacher gives an example in the first row (October 31, 1914): Main Events - Percy saw the advertisement of the expedition, applied but was rejected, then secretly boarded the Endurance and was found, finally got a job as a steward; Percy’s Feelings - enthusiastic, excited, proud; Key Details - "I am fit and full of vigour", "I secretly went aboard his ship, and hid in a small cupboard", "Shackleton offered me a job". Then, students work in groups to complete the other two rows (November 21, 1915 and May 20, 1916). After the groups finish, invite 2 groups to present their tables, and the teacher corrects and supplements them, emphasizing the key details that reflect the characters’ qualities and the theme, such as "Shackleton calmly called us together and told us to rescue our most essential supplies", "he threw away all his gold but allowed Hussey to keep his banjo", "Shackleton left to find help on South Georgia Island". Design Intention: Scanning can help students accurately extract key information from the text, improve their ability of information screening and sorting. Completing the table in groups can enhance students’ cooperative learning ability, and let students learn from each other and complement each other. Emphasizing key details can help students lay a foundation for the subsequent analysis of characters and themes, and let students realize that the expression of the theme is embodied in the details. Activity 3: Close Reading for Character Analysis. Guide students to read the text carefully again, focus on the descriptions of Percy Blackborow and Sir Ernest Shackleton, and analyze their characters. First, ask students to find the sentences in the text that describe Percy and Shackleton, and then discuss in groups: 1. What kind of person is Percy? (Enthusiastic, brave, persistent, optimistic) 2. What kind of person is Shackleton? (Calm, wise, responsible, selfless, caring for his teammates) For each character, ask students to give specific evidence from the text. For example, Percy’s enthusiasm is reflected in "I was so enthusiastic about the idea of going along with them that I secretly went aboard his ship"; Shackleton’s calmness is reflected in "Shackleton calmly called us together and told us to rescue our most essential supplies" when the ship was sinking. After the group discussion, invite students to share their views, and the teacher makes a summary, emphasizing that both Percy and Shackleton showed extraordinary courage and perseverance in the face of adversity, and Shackleton’s leadership and sense of responsibility played a key role in the crew’s survival. Design Intention: Close reading is the key link of in-depth understanding of the text. Analyzing the characters can help students deeply understand the theme of the text, because the characters’ behaviors and qualities are the embodiment of the theme. Group discussion can stimulate students’ thinking, let students express their views freely, and improve their ability of text analysis and logical expression. Asking students to provide evidence from the text can cultivate their habit of seeking evidence from the text and avoid empty talk. Activity 4: Text Analysis and Theme Exploration. After analyzing the characters, guide students to explore the theme of the text. Ask students the following questions: 1. What difficulties did the expedition team encounter? (The ship was trapped by ice, crushed and sunk; lack of supplies; harsh living environment; no hope of rescue) 2. How did they face these difficulties? (They remained calm, rescued essential supplies, helped each other, kept a positive attitude, and Shackleton took the initiative to seek rescue) 3. What does the title "A Successful Failure" mean? (The expedition failed to reach the South Pole, which is a failure; but all the crew survived with courage and perseverance, and they showed extraordinary human glory in the face of adversity, which is a success) Then, organize students to have a free discussion on the theme: What can we learn from the story? How should we face adversity in our daily life? Invite students to share their views, and the teacher makes a summary: Adversity is an inevitable part of life. The courage to face adversity, the perseverance to overcome difficulties, and the spirit of mutual help are the keys to overcoming adversity. The story tells us that success is not only the realization of a goal, but also the growth and transcendence in the process of overcoming difficulties. Design Intention: Exploring the theme is the core of reading teaching. Through a series of guiding questions, students can gradually deepen their understanding of the theme, from the surface plot to the deep connotation. Free discussion can let students connect the text with their own life experiences, realize the practical significance of the theme, and achieve the goal of moral education. At the same time, it can improve students’ critical thinking and language expression ability. Activity 5: Language Points Analysis. Combine the text content to explain the key language points in detail, focusing on the usage of core vocabulary, phrases and complex sentences. 1. Vocabulary: Explain the usage of "enthusiastic" (adj. - enthusiasm n.), "abandon" (v. - abandonment n.), "essential" (adj. & n.), and let students make sentences with these words. 2. Phrases: Analyze the usage of "turn down", "go aboard", "keep one’s spirits up", "get stuck in", and explain their extended meanings and usage scenarios. For example, "turn down" can also mean "turn down the volume"; "keep one’s spirits up" is often used in the context of encouraging others. 3. Sentence patterns: Focus on explaining the it-form subject sentence ("it was considered a great honor to be part of his expeditions"), the time adverbial clause ("When I applied to join the expedition, Shackleton turned me down..."), and the result adverbial clause ("We saw the ship get crushed by the ice. And when the ship sank, our hearts sank with it."). Explain the structure and usage of these sentence patterns, and let students find similar sentences in the text and imitate them to make sentences. Design Intention: Language points are the key content of senior high school English teaching. Combining the text to explain language points can make students understand the usage of language in a specific context, avoid mechanical memory, and improve their ability of language application. Letting students imitate sentences can help them master the sentence patterns and apply them flexibly in their own expression. Step 4: Post-reading (Consolidation and Extension) Activity 1: Text Retelling. Ask students to retell the story according to the diary time and the key information in the table completed earlier. The retelling requirements: 1. Use the core vocabulary and phrases learned in the text; 2. Clearly express the main events and the characters’ feelings; 3. Keep the logic smooth. First, let students practice retelling in pairs for 5 minutes, then invite 2-3 students to retell in front of the class, and the teacher comments on their retelling, pointing out their advantages and deficiencies, and guiding them to improve their retelling content and language expression. Design Intention: Text retelling is an effective way to consolidate the text content and improve students’ language expression ability. Through retelling, students can review the main plot of the text, consolidate the core vocabulary and sentence patterns, and improve their oral expression ability and logical thinking ability. Pair practice can let students help each other and improve their participation. Activity 2: Group Discussion and Sharing. Organize students to discuss in groups of 4: "What qualities do we need to have to face adversity in our study and life? Please combine your own experiences to talk about how you overcame a difficulty." Each group selects a representative to share the group’s views and personal experiences after 10 minutes of discussion. The teacher listens carefully to the students’ sharing, gives positive comments and guidance, and emphasizes that everyone will encounter adversity in life. What is important is to have the courage to face it, the perseverance to overcome it, and the wisdom to find solutions. At the same time, guide students to learn from the characters in the text and apply the spirit of courage and perseverance to their own study and life. Design Intention: Group discussion and sharing can let students connect the text with their own life experiences, deepen their understanding of the theme, and realize the practical significance of the text. Sharing personal experiences can enhance students’ sense of substitution, stimulate their emotional resonance, and achieve the goal of moral education. At the same time, it can improve students’ cooperative learning ability and oral expression ability. Activity 3: Writing Practice. Ask students to write a short passage (about 100 words) with the title "My Experience of Overcoming Adversity". The writing requirements: 1. Briefly describe the adversity you encountered; 2. Describe how you overcame it; 3. Express your feelings and gains after overcoming the adversity; 4. Use at least 3 core vocabulary and 2 phrases learned in the text. Before writing, the teacher gives a sample passage to guide students’ writing ideas. After students finish writing, invite 2-3 students to read their passages in front of the class, and the teacher comments on their writing, focusing on the use of vocabulary and phrases, the logic of the passage and the expression of feelings, and guides students to revise their passages. Design Intention: Writing practice is an important link to consolidate the language knowledge and improve the language application ability. Combining the theme of the text to design the writing task can let students apply the learned vocabulary, phrases and sentence patterns to practical writing, and improve their writing ability. The sample passage can guide students’ writing ideas, help them master the writing structure and methods. Commenting and revising can help students find their own deficiencies and improve their writing level. Activity 4: Summary and Extension. The teacher makes a brief summary of the lesson: In this lesson, we read Percy Blackborow’s diary entries, understood the difficult experience of the Antarctic expedition team, analyzed the characters’ qualities, explored the theme of adversity and courage, and mastered the core vocabulary and language points. We learned that courage and perseverance are the keys to overcoming adversity, and that we should keep a positive attitude when facing difficulties. Then, extend the theme: Recommend students to read related books or watch related documentaries about Antarctic exploration, such as "Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure", to further understand the spirit of exploration and courage. At the same time, ask students to think about: What other stories about overcoming adversity do you know? Share them in the next class. Design Intention: The summary can help students sort out the key content of the lesson, consolidate the knowledge learned, and form a systematic understanding. The extension activity can expand students’ horizons, deepen their understanding of the theme, and stimulate their interest in learning. Asking students to share related stories in the next class can lay a foundation for the subsequent teaching and enhance the continuity of teaching. Step 5: Homework Arrangement 1. Review the text and recite the core vocabulary, phrases and key sentences learned in the lesson. 2. Revise the short passage written in class and hand it in the next day. 3. Read the extended materials about Antarctic exploration recommended by the teacher and write a short reading report (about 50 words). 4. Think about your own attitude towards adversity and make a plan to improve your ability to face adversity. Design Intention: Homework is an important way to consolidate the knowledge learned in class and extend the teaching effect. Reviewing and reciting can help students consolidate the language knowledge; revising the passage can improve their writing ability; reading extended materials can expand their horizons; making a plan can help students apply the theme of the lesson to their own life and achieve the goal of moral education. Teaching Design Reflection (Supplementary) This teaching process takes the student as the main body, takes the reading text as the carrier, and closely focuses on the four-dimensional core literacy. Through lead-in, pre-reading, while-reading and post-reading activities, it gradually guides students to understand the text, master the language knowledge, explore the theme, and connect with their own life experiences. The design of group activities, discussions and sharing can fully mobilize students’ enthusiasm and participation, and improve their cooperative learning ability and language expression ability. The combination of language teaching and moral education can not only improve students’ English ability, but also cultivate their positive life attitude and the spirit of courage and perseverance. However, in the teaching process, we should pay attention to the differences of students’ English level, give more guidance and help to students with poor foundation, and ensure that every student can gain something in the lesson. At the same time, we can appropriately increase the diversity of teaching activities, such as role-playing (letting students play the roles of Percy and Shackleton to perform the key plots of the text), to further stimulate students’ interest in learning. 1 / 1 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 $