Unit 6 Space and Beyond-Starting out 教案-2025-2026学年高中英语外研版选择性必修第四册

Unit 6 Space and Beyond-Starting out 教学目标和重难点 1. 教学目标 Language Ability: Students master space-related vocabulary and simple expressions to describe space events. Cultural Awareness: They understand the global efforts in space exploration and respect the spirit of scientific exploration across cultures. Thinking Quality: They develop logical thinking through analyzing space timelines and critical thinking by discussing space exploration pros and cons. Learning Ability: They cultivate autonomous learning and cooperative inquiry skills through group activities and independent observation. 2. 教学重难点 Key Points: Mastering core vocabulary such as shuttle, crew, tragic, suspend and phrases like cast a shadow on, set foot on; understanding the main content of the space-related video and timeline; being able to express personal views on space exploration simply. Difficult Points: Using the target vocabulary and phrases correctly in oral expression; understanding the emotional connotation of space events and the spirit of exploration behind them; improving the ability of listening comprehension and oral communication in the context of space. 教学过程 Step 1: Lead-in (Lead-in Activity) Activity 1: Brainstorming and Warm-up The teacher starts the class by asking open-ended questions: “Have you ever looked up at the starry sky at night? What do you think is in the universe beyond the Earth? Do you know any famous space events or astronauts?” Then, the teacher writes down the students’ answers on the blackboard, such as “moon landing”, “space station”, “Yang Liwei”, “Challenger”, etc. After collecting 5-8 answers, the teacher shows a set of vivid pictures, including the Earth from space, the moon’s surface, a space shuttle launching, and astronauts working in space. While showing the pictures, the teacher uses simple and easy-to-understand English to briefly introduce each picture, such as “This is our beautiful Earth seen from space. It looks like a blue gem. This is the space shuttle, which can take astronauts into space.” Design Intention: The lead-in links students’ daily life experience with the theme of space exploration. The open-ended questions can stimulate students’ enthusiasm for speaking and arouse their existing knowledge reserve about space. The pictures can intuitively present the charm of the universe, attract students’ attention, and lay a emotional and cognitive foundation for the subsequent video watching and theme discussion. At the same time, it can naturally lead to the unit theme “Space and Beyond” and the Starting out section’s learning objectives. Activity 2: Vocabulary Preview Based on the answers and pictures in the brainstorming activity, the teacher introduces the core vocabulary of this section: shuttle, crew, tragic, suspend, hazardous, rekindle, cast a shadow on, set foot on. For each word and phrase, the teacher first pronounces it clearly and asks students to follow along, then explains the meaning with simple English and combines it with the pictures or students’ answers for illustration. For example, “A shuttle is a vehicle that can carry astronauts and goods into space, just like the one in the picture. The crew refers to the people who work on a shuttle or a plane. The Challenger disaster was a tragic event, which made many people sad. Cast a shadow on means to bring negative influence to something.” After explaining, the teacher asks students to make simple sentences with the words and phrases in pairs, such as “Astronauts set foot on the moon in 1969.” “The tragic accident cast a shadow on space exploration.” The teacher walks around the classroom to observe students’ performance and corrects their pronunciation and sentence structure errors in time. Design Intention: Previewing vocabulary in advance can reduce students’ difficulty in understanding the subsequent video and activities. Combining the vocabulary with pictures and real examples makes it easier for students to remember and understand the meaning and usage of the words and phrases. The pair work can provide students with more opportunities to practice speaking, help them consolidate the vocabulary they have just learned, and lay a solid language foundation for the next step of learning. Step 2: Video Watching and Comprehension (Core Activity) Activity 1: First Watching – Get the General Idea The teacher tells students: “Now we are going to watch a short video about space exploration. Please watch it carefully and try to figure out two questions: 1. What is the main topic of the video? 2. What key space event is mentioned in the video?” Then, the teacher plays the video (the video is selected from the textbook supporting resources, focusing on the Challenger space shuttle disaster and the spirit of space exploration). After playing the video once, the teacher invites 2-3 students to answer the two questions. The teacher guides students to summarize the main idea: The video mainly talks about human space exploration, especially the tragic Challenger disaster and people’s continued pursuit of space exploration despite the setbacks. For the key event, students should be able to point out the Challenger disaster. If students have difficulty answering, the teacher can play the video again briefly and give appropriate hints, such as “The video mentions a space shuttle that exploded shortly after launching. What is its name?” Design Intention: The first watching focuses on training students’ ability to get the general idea of the listening material, which is in line with the listening training principle of “from overall to local”. The two guiding questions can help students focus on the key information of the video and avoid aimless watching. For students who have difficulty understanding, playing the video again and giving hints can help them build confidence and ensure that most students can grasp the main content of the video. Activity 2: Second Watching – Catch Key Details The teacher distributes a detail comprehension worksheet to each student. The worksheet includes the following questions (all in English): 1. When did the Challenger space shuttle disaster happen? 2. How many crew members were there on the Challenger? 3. What caused the disaster? 4. What did people do after the disaster? 5. What does the video tell us about the spirit of space exploration? Then, the teacher plays the video again, and students fill in the worksheet while watching. After the video is played, students check their answers in groups of four. Each group selects a representative to report the answers, and the teacher corrects and supplements them. For the question about the cause of the disaster, the teacher can briefly explain it in simple English, such as “A technical problem caused the shuttle to explode shortly after launching.” For the question about the spirit of exploration, the teacher guides students to summarize: Although there are risks and setbacks in space exploration, people will not give up, and they will continue to explore the unknown universe with courage and perseverance. Design Intention: The second watching focuses on training students’ ability to catch key details, which is an important part of improving students’ listening comprehension ability. The worksheet can guide students to watch the video with purpose and improve their listening efficiency. Group discussion can help students exchange ideas, complement each other’s answers, and cultivate their cooperative learning ability. The teacher’s correction and supplement can help students clarify the key information and deepen their understanding of the video content. Activity 3: Third Watching – Emotional Experience and Language Extraction The teacher tells students: “Now we will watch the video for the third time. This time, please pay attention to the words and sentences used in the video to describe people’s feelings and the spirit of exploration. At the same time, try to extract the sentences that impress you the most.” After playing the video, the teacher invites students to share the words, sentences and their feelings. For example, students may extract sentences like “The whole nation was shocked by the tragic accident.” “Despite the loss, we will continue to reach for the stars.” The teacher writes these sentences on the blackboard and analyzes the emotional connotation of the words and sentences, such as “shocked” shows people’s sadness and surprise, “continue to reach for the stars” shows people’s perseverance in space exploration. Then, the teacher guides students to read these sentences aloud, requiring them to read with appropriate emotion, so as to experience the emotional color of the language in the video. Design Intention: The third watching focuses on the emotional experience and language extraction, which not only helps students deepen their understanding of the video content, but also enables them to accumulate useful language expressions. Reading aloud with emotion can help students feel the charm of English language, improve their oral expression ability, and at the same time, let them deeply understand the spirit of space exploration contained in the video, which is conducive to the cultivation of their cultural awareness and thinking quality. Step 3: Timeline Analysis and Discussion (Extension Activity) Activity 1: Timeline Observation and Analysis The teacher shows a timeline of major space exploration events (made into a PPT), including key events such as “1961: Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space”, “1969: Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to set foot on the moon”, “1986: The Challenger space shuttle disaster”, “2003: Yang Liwei becomes the first Chinese astronaut in space”, “2021: The Tianhe core module of China’s space station is launched”. The teacher asks students to observe the timeline carefully and discuss the following questions in groups: 1. What do these events have in common? 2. What changes have taken place in space exploration from the 1960s to the present? 3. What role do these events play in the development of human space exploration? After discussing for 5 minutes, each group sends a representative to share their views. The teacher summarizes and comments on the students’ answers, emphasizing that these events reflect the continuous progress of human space exploration, from the first man in space to the construction of space stations, and human beings have been making unremitting efforts to explore the universe. At the same time, the teacher connects the timeline with the Challenger disaster mentioned in the video, guiding students to realize that setbacks are an inevitable part of exploration, but they can never stop human beings’ pace of pursuing the unknown. Design Intention: The timeline can help students sort out the context of human space exploration, form a systematic understanding of the development of space exploration, and cultivate their logical thinking ability. Group discussion can stimulate students’ thinking, let them express their views freely, and improve their cooperative inquiry ability and oral communication ability. Connecting the timeline with the video content can help students form a coherent cognitive system and deepen their understanding of the theme of space exploration. Activity 2: Theme Discussion – Pros and Cons of Space Exploration The teacher puts forward the discussion topic: “Space exploration is a great cause, but it also has many risks and costs. Do you think space exploration is worth it? Why or why not?” The teacher divides students into two groups: Group A holds the view that “space exploration is worth it”, and Group B holds the view that “space exploration is not worth it”. Each group discusses the reasons for their own views in detail, and collects relevant supporting materials. During the discussion, the teacher walks around the classroom to guide students, reminding them to use the vocabulary and expressions learned in this section, such as “hazardous”, “rekindle hope”, “cast a shadow on”, “make progress”, etc. After discussing for 7 minutes, the two groups hold a debate. Each group sends 2-3 representatives to state their views and reasons, and they can refute the views of the other group. For example, Group A may say: “Space exploration helps us understand the universe better, find new resources, and promote the development of science and technology. Although there are risks, the gains are far greater than the losses.” Group B may say: “Space exploration costs a lot of money and manpower, and there are great risks. The money used for space exploration can be used to solve problems such as poverty and environmental pollution on Earth.” After the debate, the teacher makes a summary, affirming the rationality of both sides’ views, and guiding students to form a dialectical view: Space exploration has both advantages and disadvantages, but human beings’ pursuit of the unknown and the spirit of exploration are worthy of recognition. We should view space exploration from an objective and comprehensive perspective, and strive to make space exploration better serve human beings. Design Intention: The debate activity can stimulate students’ critical thinking ability, let them think about the theme of space exploration from multiple perspectives, and avoid one-sided understanding. The debate also provides students with a platform to practice oral English, enabling them to use the learned vocabulary and expressions flexibly in real communication scenarios. The teacher’s summary can help students form a correct view, cultivate their dialectical thinking ability, and at the same time, further enhance their understanding of the spirit of space exploration, which is conducive to the cultivation of their thinking quality and cultural awareness. Step 4: Language Consolidation and Application (Practice Activity) Activity 1: Vocabulary and Phrase Practice The teacher designs two types of exercises to help students consolidate the vocabulary and phrases learned in this section. Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the given words and phrases. The words and phrases include shuttle, crew, tragic, suspend, cast a shadow on, set foot on, rekindle. The sentences are closely related to the theme of space exploration, such as “The space _______ will launch tomorrow, carrying three astronauts. “The _______ of the Challenger disaster _______ on the whole space exploration field. “Exercise 2: Translate the following sentences into English. The sentences are designed according to the key points of this section, such as “宇航员们成功踏上了月球表面。” “这场悲惨的事故并没有熄灭人们探索太空的希望。” Students complete the exercises independently, and then check their answers in pairs. The teacher collects the common errors and explains them to the whole class, focusing on the correct usage of the words and phrases, such as the collocation of “cast a shadow on”, the past tense of “suspend” and “rekindle”, etc. Design Intention: The exercises are designed to help students consolidate the vocabulary and phrases learned in this section, and improve their ability to use the language correctly. The sentences closely related to the theme of space exploration can make the practice more targeted and help students connect the language learning with the theme understanding. Independent completion and pair checking can cultivate students’ autonomous learning ability and cooperative learning ability. The teacher’s explanation of common errors can help students correct their mistakes in time and avoid repeating the same errors. Activity 2: Sentence Making and Situation Dialogue The teacher divides students into groups of three. Each group is given a situation: “Suppose you are three astronauts who are going to carry out a space mission. Please make a dialogue about your mission, your feelings and your expectations for space exploration.” The teacher requires students to use at least 5 words and phrases learned in this section in the dialogue. Students discuss and prepare the dialogue in groups, and the teacher walks around to guide them, helping them solve the problems encountered in the dialogue design, such as how to use the vocabulary and phrases correctly, how to make the dialogue natural and logical. After 10 minutes of preparation, each group performs their dialogue in front of the class. The teacher evaluates the students’ performance from the aspects of vocabulary usage, sentence structure, dialogue fluency and emotional expression, and gives positive comments and suggestions for improvement. For example, “Your dialogue is very natural, and you have used many words and phrases we learned today, such as ‘space shuttle’ and ‘rekindle hope’. If you can add more details about your mission, it will be better.” Design Intention: The situation dialogue activity combines language learning with practical communication, enabling students to use the learned vocabulary and expressions flexibly in real scenarios, which is conducive to improving their oral communication ability. The group preparation can cultivate students’ cooperative learning ability and innovative thinking ability. The teacher’s evaluation and suggestions can help students find their own advantages and disadvantages, and further improve their oral expression ability. Step 5: Summary and Extension (Closing Activity) Activity 1: Class Summary The teacher invites students to summarize what they have learned in this class. Students can share their gains from the aspects of vocabulary, listening, speaking and theme understanding. For example, “I have learned many space-related words and phrases, such as ‘shuttle’ and ‘cast a shadow on’. I have watched a video about the Challenger disaster and understood the spirit of space exploration. I have also participated in a debate and learned to view space exploration from different perspectives.” After students share, the teacher makes a comprehensive summary: In this class, we have learned the core vocabulary and phrases related to space exploration, watched a video about space exploration and mastered the key information of the video, analyzed the timeline of space exploration events, discussed the pros and cons of space exploration, and practiced our oral English through dialogue. Through this class, we not only improved our language ability, but also deeply understood the spirit of human exploration of the unknown universe—courage, perseverance and never giving up in the face of setbacks. Design Intention: Letting students summarize the class content can help them sort out the knowledge they have learned, strengthen their memory and understanding, and cultivate their ability to summarize and sort out information. The teacher’s comprehensive summary can help students form a systematic understanding of the class content, highlight the key points and difficulties, and deepen their understanding of the theme and the spirit of exploration. Activity 2: Homework Extension The teacher assigns three types of homework, which are hierarchical and targeted, to meet the needs of different students. Homework 1 (Basic): Review the vocabulary and phrases learned in this class, copy each word and phrase 3 times and make 1 sentence for each. Write a short summary of the video (about 50 words). Homework 2 (Improvement): Write a short passage about your views on space exploration (about 100 words), using at least 6 words and phrases learned in this class. Homework 3 (Extension): Surf the Internet to collect information about a famous space event or an astronaut, and prepare a 2-minute oral report for the next class. The teacher reminds students to pay attention to the correct use of language when completing the homework, and encourages students to actively collect relevant information and expand their knowledge about space exploration. Design Intention: The hierarchical homework can meet the learning needs of different students. The basic homework helps students consolidate the knowledge learned in class, the improvement homework helps students improve their writing ability and the ability to use language comprehensively, and the extension homework helps students expand their horizons, cultivate their autonomous learning ability and information collection ability. The oral report preparation can also lay a foundation for the oral communication activities of the next class. Activity 3: Emotional Enlightenment At the end of the class, the teacher shows a sentence on the PPT: “The universe is vast, and exploration is endless. It is the courage to explore that makes human beings move forward.” The teacher reads the sentence aloud, and asks students to read it together. Then, the teacher says: “Space exploration is a long and arduous journey, full of risks and setbacks, but it also carries human beings’ yearning for the unknown and the pursuit of progress. I hope that through this class, you can not only master the language knowledge, but also learn the spirit of exploration—courage, perseverance and curiosity. May you always keep the desire to explore and pursue your dreams bravely.” Design Intention: The emotional enlightenment can升华 the theme of the class, let students deeply understand the significance of space exploration and the spirit of exploration, and stimulate their enthusiasm for pursuing dreams and exploring the unknown. It can also cultivate students’ positive values and feelings, and realize the educational function of English teaching. 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 $