Unit 2 Legends and Tales-Exploring the Theme 教案-2025-2026学年高中英语人教版选修第二册

Unit 2 Legends and Tales-Exploring the Theme 内容导航 This section centers on legends and tales worldwide, guiding students to appreciate typical works, analyze their themes, characters and plots, master related vocabulary and expressions, and explore the cultural connotations and spiritual values behind these stories. It lays a foundation for in-depth theme exploration and language application. 教学目标和重难点 1. 教学目标 Language Competence: Students will master core vocabulary and sentence patterns related to legends and tales, improve their ability to read, understand and express themed contents. Cultural Awareness: They will understand the cultural background of different legends and tales, respect cultural diversity, and enhance cross-cultural communication awareness. Thinking Quality: They will develop logical thinking through analyzing plots and characters, and critical thinking through evaluating story themes. Learning Ability: They will form effective learning strategies such as cooperative exploration and independent thinking, and cultivate the habit of autonomous learning. 2. 教学重难点 Key Points: Mastering core vocabulary (e.g., legend, tale, hero, adventure) and sentence patterns about character description and plot development; understanding the structure and theme of typical legends and tales; being able to express personal views on stories in simple English. Difficult Points: Analyzing the implied cultural connotations and spiritual meanings in legends and tales; using appropriate language to describe characters and retell plots accurately; forming critical views on different cultural stories and expressing them fluently. 教学过程 Step 1: Lead-in (Warm-up and Activation) Activity 1: Brainstorming and Discussion. The teacher starts the class by asking open questions: “Do you know any legends or tales? What are they about? Who is your favorite character in these stories?” Then, the teacher shows pictures or short video clips of well-known legends and tales at home and abroad, such as “Hou Yi Shoots the Suns” (a Chinese legend) and “King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table” (a Western legend). Students are invited to share their prior knowledge and feelings about these stories in pairs. After 5 minutes of pair discussion, several groups are invited to present their ideas to the whole class. The teacher gives positive comments and supplements relevant background information briefly. Design Intention: This activity aims to activate students’ prior knowledge and life experience, arouse their interest in the theme of legends and tales. By showing familiar stories and pictures, students can quickly enter the learning state and reduce their learning anxiety. Pair discussion and class presentation can not only exercise students’ oral expression ability but also create a positive and interactive classroom atmosphere, laying a good foundation for the subsequent teaching links. Activity 2: Vocabulary Preview. The teacher presents core vocabulary of this section on the blackboard or multimedia, including nouns (legend, tale, hero, villain, adventure, magic), verbs (defeat, rescue, protect, admire), adjectives (brave, wise, cruel, kind-hearted) and phrases (in addition, as a result, in order to, be famous for). The teacher pronounces each word and phrase clearly, explains their basic meanings and usage with simple English and examples related to legends and tales. For example, when explaining “hero”, the teacher can say: “A hero is a person who is brave and helps others. In ‘Hou Yi Shoots the Suns’, Hou Yi is a hero because he saves people from the hot sun.” Then, students read the words and phrases after the teacher twice, and do a quick matching exercise (matching words with their meanings) to consolidate the preview effect. Design Intention: Vocabulary is the foundation of language learning. Previewing core vocabulary in advance can help students reduce difficulties in subsequent reading and expression. Using simple English and story-related examples to explain vocabulary can help students understand and remember words more easily, and lay a solid language foundation for the in-depth exploration of the theme. Step 2: Theme Exploration (Reading and Analysis) Activity 1: Fast Reading. The teacher distributes the reading materials of Exploring the Theme (selected typical legends and tales, such as a short version of “The Legend of Mulan” and “The Tale of Aladdin”). Students are asked to read the materials quickly and finish two tasks: 1. Underline the main characters in each story; 2. Summarize the main plot of each story in one sentence. After reading, students exchange their answers in groups of four, and the teacher checks the answers randomly, guiding students to sort out the main ideas of the reading materials. Design Intention: Fast reading is an important reading skill. Through this activity, students can practice their ability to grasp the main information quickly, understand the basic structure of legends and tales (characters + plot), and lay a foundation for in-depth reading. Group exchange can help students learn from each other, correct their mistakes, and improve their ability to summarize and express. Activity 2: Intensive Reading. On the basis of fast reading, students are asked to read the materials carefully and complete the following tasks: 1. Analyze the characteristics of the main characters (e.g., What kind of person is Mulan? Is Aladdin brave or greedy?); 2. Find out the key sentences that reflect the theme of each story and explain their meanings; 3. Discuss the similarities and differences between the two stories (e.g., Are the heroes’ experiences similar? What cultural characteristics do they reflect?). During the reading process, students can ask questions about the words, sentences or plots they don’t understand, and the teacher answers them in time. After reading, each group selects a representative to share their analysis results, and the teacher makes comments and supplements, guiding students to deeply understand the characters and themes of the stories. Design Intention: Intensive reading is the key link to explore the theme. By analyzing characters and key sentences, students can deeply understand the connotation of the stories and improve their ability to analyze and interpret texts. Discussing the similarities and differences between different stories can help students develop comparative thinking and lay a foundation for understanding cultural diversity. Answering students’ questions in time can solve their learning difficulties and ensure the smooth progress of teaching. Activity 3: Cultural Exploration. The teacher guides students to discuss the cultural background and connotations of the two stories: “What cultural values do ‘The Legend of Mulan’ reflect? (e.g., filial piety, loyalty, courage) What cultural characteristics can we find in ‘The Tale of Aladdin’? (e.g., the pursuit of happiness, the power of kindness) Do you know any other legends or tales from different countries? What cultural meanings do they carry?” Students are invited to share their views freely, and the teacher supplements relevant cultural knowledge, such as the origin and cultural influence of the two stories. Finally, the teacher summarizes: Legends and tales are the crystallization of human culture, reflecting the values, beliefs and life customs of different nations. We should respect and appreciate the cultural diversity embodied in these stories. Design Intention: This activity aims to cultivate students’ cultural awareness. By exploring the cultural connotations of legends and tales, students can understand the connection between language and culture, enhance their respect for different cultures, and improve their cross-cultural communication ability. It also helps students form a global perspective and lay a foundation for the subsequent language application. Step 3: Language Consolidation (Practice and Application) Activity 1: Vocabulary and Sentence Pattern Practice. The teacher designs targeted exercises to help students consolidate the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned: 1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the given words (e.g., The hero ________ (defeat) the villain and saved the people. (defeated)); 2. Rewrite the sentences using the given phrases (e.g., He worked hard. He wanted to save his family. → He worked hard in order to save his family.); 3. Make sentences with the given words and phrases (e.g., use “brave” and “rescue” to make a sentence: The brave soldier rescued the child from the fire.). Students complete the exercises independently first, then check the answers with their deskmates. The teacher explains the key and difficult points in the exercises, especially the usage of irregular verbs and common phrases. Design Intention: Language practice is an important link to master vocabulary and sentence patterns. Through targeted exercises, students can consolidate the knowledge they have learned, improve their ability to use language flexibly, and lay a solid foundation for oral and written expression. Independent completion and peer checking can help students develop the habit of autonomous learning and cooperative learning. Activity 2: Plot Retelling. Students are divided into groups of four. Each group chooses one of the reading stories (“The Legend of Mulan” or “The Tale of Aladdin”) and retells the plot in their own words. The requirements are: 1. Use the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned; 2. The retelling is complete and logical; 3. Speak clearly and fluently. Each group prepares for 10 minutes, then invites one representative to retell the story to the whole class. The teacher evaluates the retelling from the aspects of content completeness, language accuracy and fluency, and gives suggestions for improvement. Design Intention: Plot retelling can not only consolidate students’ understanding of the story but also exercise their oral expression ability and logical thinking ability. Using the learned vocabulary and sentence patterns to retell the story can help students apply the language knowledge flexibly, improve their language competence. Group preparation can cultivate students’ cooperative learning ability and communication ability, and class presentation can enhance their confidence in speaking English. Activity 3: Role-play. On the basis of plot retelling, students are invited to carry out role-play activities. Each group assigns roles according to the characters in the story (e.g., Mulan, Mulan’s father, the emperor in “The Legend of Mulan”; Aladdin, the genie, the princess in “The Tale of Aladdin”). Students need to design dialogues according to the plot, use the learned vocabulary and sentence patterns, and show the characteristics of the characters through their tone and actions. After 15 minutes of preparation, several groups are invited to perform their role-play in front of the class. The teacher and other students evaluate the performance from the aspects of dialogue design, character expression and language usage, and give positive comments and suggestions. Design Intention: Role-play is a vivid and interesting language practice activity. It can make students immerse themselves in the story scene, better understand the characters’ emotions and language characteristics, and improve their oral communication ability and ability to use language in real situations. It also can arouse students’ learning interest, enhance their participation in the class, and cultivate their cooperative spirit and creative thinking. Step 4: Theme Extension (Exploration and Creation) Activity 1: Theme Discussion. The teacher puts forward a discussion topic: “What makes a legend or tale enduring? What can we learn from the heroes in the stories?” Students are invited to discuss this topic in groups of six. During the discussion, students need to combine the reading materials and their own life experience, express their views, and support their views with specific examples. For example, some students may say: “Legends and tales are enduring because they reflect the beautiful wishes and values of human beings. We can learn bravery and kindness from the heroes.” After the discussion, each group selects a representative to report the group’s views to the whole class. The teacher makes a summary, emphasizing that legends and tales are not only interesting stories but also carry the spiritual wealth of human beings, and we should learn the positive qualities from the heroes. Design Intention: Theme discussion can help students deeply understand the spiritual value of legends and tales, develop their critical thinking and logical expression ability. Combining the reading materials and life experience can make the discussion more in-depth and practical, help students connect the theme with their own life, and realize the educational significance of the stories. Group discussion can cultivate students’ cooperative learning ability and ability to exchange and share views. Activity 2: Story Creation. Students are asked to create a short legend or tale on their own. The requirements are: 1. Have clear main characters and plot (beginning, development, climax, ending); 2. Use the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned; 3. Reflect positive themes (e.g., bravery, kindness, honesty); 4. The length is about 80-100 words. Students create the story independently first, then exchange their stories with their deskmates, and put forward suggestions for revision. After revision, several students are invited to share their stories with the whole class. The teacher gives comments and praise, affirming the advantages of their stories and putting forward appropriate revision suggestions. Design Intention: Story creation is a higher-level language application activity. It can not only consolidate the language knowledge learned by students but also cultivate their creative thinking and writing ability. Setting clear requirements can help students carry out creation in a targeted way, and peer revision can help students learn from each other and improve their writing level. Sharing stories can enhance students’ confidence in creation and arouse their interest in English writing. Activity 3: Cross-Cultural Exchange. The teacher invites students to share the legends and tales of their own regions or ethnic groups, introduce their main contents and cultural connotations, and compare them with the stories learned in class. For example, students from ethnic minorities can share the legends of their own ethnic groups, and students from different regions can share local folk tales. Then, the teacher guides students to discuss: “What are the common points of legends and tales from different cultures? What are the differences? Why are there these differences?” Through discussion, students can further understand cultural diversity and enhance their cross-cultural communication awareness and ability. Design Intention: This activity aims to extend the theme, let students connect the classroom learning with their own life and cultural background, and deepen their understanding of cultural diversity. Sharing local legends and tales can not only enrich the classroom content but also enhance students’ sense of identity and pride in their own culture. Comparing different cultural stories can help students develop a comparative perspective and improve their cross-cultural communication ability. Step 5: Summary and Reflection (Consolidation and Improvement) Activity 1: Class Summary. The teacher leads students to summarize the key contents of this class: 1. Core vocabulary and sentence patterns related to legends and tales; 2. The structure and theme of legends and tales; 3. The cultural connotations and spiritual values of legends and tales; 4. The language skills and thinking abilities exercised in this class. The teacher emphasizes that learning legends and tales is not only to master language knowledge but also to understand different cultures, learn positive qualities, and improve their language application ability and cultural awareness. Design Intention: Class summary can help students sort out the knowledge learned in this class, form a systematic knowledge framework, and consolidate the learning effect. Emphasizing the significance of theme learning can help students establish a correct learning concept and understand the value of learning this section. Activity 2: Self-Reflection. Students are asked to reflect on their own learning in this class, answer the following questions: 1. What have I learned in this class? 2. What are my strengths in this class? (e.g., active participation in discussion, accurate use of vocabulary) 3. What are my shortcomings? (e.g., poor oral expression, difficulty in understanding cultural connotations) 4. What should I do to improve my shortcomings? Students write down their reflections in their notebooks, and then exchange their reflections with their deskmates. The teacher randomly checks some students’ reflections and gives guidance and encouragement. Design Intention: Self-reflection is an important part of learning ability cultivation. Through self-reflection, students can clearly understand their own learning situation, find their strengths and shortcomings, and put forward targeted improvement measures. Peer exchange can help students learn from each other’s experiences and promote common progress. Teacher’s guidance and encouragement can enhance students’ confidence in learning and help them form a good learning habit of continuous reflection and improvement. Activity 3: Homework Arrangement. The teacher assigns after-class homework: 1. Review the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned in this class, and make a vocabulary card; 2. Polish the short story created in class and hand it in the next class; 3. Collect one legend or tale from a foreign country, and write a short introduction (about 50 words) to it; 4. Discuss the story collected with family members or friends, and share the discussion results in the next class. Design Intention: After-class homework is an extension of classroom learning. Reviewing vocabulary and polishing stories can help students consolidate the knowledge and skills learned in class. Collecting foreign legends and tales can expand students’ horizons, enhance their understanding of cultural diversity, and lay a foundation for the next class. Discussing with family members or friends can enhance students’ language application ability and arouse their interest in learning legends and tales. 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 $