Unit 3 More Than a Meal-Section 3 Using English in Context 教案-2025-2026学年高中英语冀教版选择性必修第一册

It focuses on improving students’ language ability in context-based communication, cultivating cultural awareness of food cultures at home and abroad, developing logical and critical thinking through discussion, and fostering autonomous and cooperative learning abilities in language practice.

Key points: Master context-appropriate expressions about food and meals, and use them flexibly in listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Difficult points: Apply target language accurately in real scenarios and analyze the cultural connotation behind food-related expressions.

Lead-in: Activate Prior Knowledge and Guide Context Entry

The teacher starts the class with a question-and-answer activity: “What do you usually eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Do you think a meal is just for satisfying hunger?” Then, the teacher shows some pictures of different food cultures, such as Chinese family dinners, Western buffets and Japanese tea ceremonies, and asks students to discuss in pairs: “What does a meal mean to people in these pictures?” After 3 minutes of discussion, invite 2-3 groups to share their opinions. Finally, the teacher summarizes: “A meal is more than just food; it carries emotions, culture and communication. Today, we will learn to use English in the context of meals and food cultures.”

Design Intention: This lead-in activity is closely linked to the unit theme “More Than a Meal” and the section focus “Using English in Context”. By asking daily life-related questions, it activates students’ prior knowledge about food and meals, reducing their learning pressure. The pictures of different food cultures help students initially perceive the cultural connotation behind meals, laying a foundation for the subsequent context-based language practice. Pair discussion also encourages students to express their ideas in simple English, laying a foundation for oral expression in the following links.

Pre-context Practice: Master Core Vocabulary and Sentence Patterns

First, the teacher presents the core vocabulary and sentence patterns related to the section, including nouns (buffet, barbecue, dessert, tradition), verbs (gather, share, prepare, celebrate), adjectives (delicious, traditional, meaningful, casual) and key sentence patterns such as “It’s a tradition for us to...”, “We usually gather to share...”, “A meal is more than just...; it’s also a way to...”. For each vocabulary and sentence pattern, the teacher provides context-based examples, such as “It’s a tradition for Chinese families to gather and have dumplings on Spring Festival Eve.” “When we have a barbecue with friends, we not only enjoy delicious food but also share our daily stories.”

Then, organize a “sentence making competition” activity. Divide students into 4 groups, and each group is given a scene (family dinner, friend gathering, school canteen, Western restaurant). The group members work together to make sentences using the core vocabulary and sentence patterns, and each sentence must be closely related to the given scene. After 5 minutes, each group sends a representative to present their sentences, and the teacher comments and corrects them, focusing on the accuracy and appropriateness of the sentences in the context.

Design Intention: Core vocabulary and sentence patterns are the basis for using English in context. By presenting examples combined with specific scenes, students can understand the usage of vocabulary and sentence patterns in real situations, avoiding mechanical memorization. The sentence making competition not only stimulates students’ learning enthusiasm but also enables them to initially apply the target language in specific contexts, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent in-depth context practice. Group cooperation also cultivates students’ cooperative learning ability.

In-context Practice: Integrate Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing to Improve Comprehensive Language

Ability

Listening Practice: Understand Context-based Conversations

The teacher plays a listening material twice. The material is a conversation between two students, Li Hua and Tom, talking about their weekend meal plans: Li Hua invites Tom to his home for a traditional Chinese family dinner, and they discuss the food to prepare, the customs of family dinners and their feelings about meals. Before playing the listening material, the teacher puts forward two guiding questions: 1. What does Li Hua invite Tom to do? 2. What do they talk about besides the food? After the first listening, ask students to answer the two questions independently. After the second listening, let students fill in the blanks in the listening script (the blanks are the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned earlier), and then check the answers together. Finally, invite students to read the listening script in roles, imitating the intonation and emotion of the speakers.

Design Intention: Listening practice is an important part of context-based language use. The listening material is closely related to the theme of meals and uses the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned, which helps students consolidate their knowledge while improving their listening comprehension ability. The guiding questions help students focus on the key points of the listening material, and the blank-filling activity strengthens their memory and application of core language points. Role reading enables students to experience the language in the context more intuitively and improve their oral expression fluency.

Reading Practice: Analyze Context and Extract Key Information

The teacher distributes a short passage titled “Meals Around the World”, which introduces the characteristics of meals in different countries (China, the United States, France and Japan), including the food types, dining customs and the cultural meaning of meals. First, ask students to read the passage quickly and match each country with its corresponding dining characteristics (a matching exercise). Then, ask students to read the passage carefully and answer the following questions: 1. What is the main idea of the passage? 2. What is the cultural meaning of meals in China? 3. How is the dining style in Western countries different from that in China? After students finish answering, organize a class discussion to share their answers and opinions. The teacher guides students to analyze the context of the passage, such as the connection between sentences and the use of transitional words, and helps students understand how the author expresses the cultural connotation of meals through specific examples.

Design Intention: Reading practice helps students improve their ability to understand context and extract key information. The passage selects food cultures of different countries, which is in line with the unit theme and helps students expand their cultural horizons and cultivate cultural awareness. The fast reading and careful reading tasks are designed hierarchically, which can meet the needs of students with different English levels. Class discussion encourages students to express their views, develops their logical thinking ability, and enables them to deeply understand the cultural differences reflected in meals.

 Speaking Practice: Conduct Context-based Communication

Organize a “role-play” activity. Divide students into groups of 3-4, and each group is assigned a specific scene related to meals: Scene 1: Inviting a foreign classmate to taste traditional Chinese food; Scene 2: Discussing the school canteen’s meal menu and putting forward suggestions; Scene 3: Planning a birthday meal for a friend; Scene 4: Talking about the dining customs in their hometown with a foreign tourist. Each group needs to design a 3-5 minute conversation based on the scene, using the core vocabulary and sentence patterns learned, and reflecting the cultural connotation of meals. Before the role-play, the teacher gives a few tips: pay attention to the appropriateness of the language in the context, use polite expressions, and reflect the emotions in the conversation. After each group finishes their performance, the teacher and other students comment, focusing on the accuracy of the language, the appropriateness of the context and the fluency of the conversation. Finally, the teacher summarizes the advantages and deficiencies of each group and puts forward suggestions for