UnitIWaysofLearning

1、Unit I Ways of Learning Teaching Objectives Students will be able to: Grasp the main idea and structure of the text; Appreciate the difference between comparison and contrast, as well as different ways to compare and contrast; Master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text; Co

2、nduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related.Teaching Set-up Text A Pre-reading: Warm-up activities Unit I Ways of Learning.ppt Background information Text prediction While-reading: Text organization Writing strategies Language points Related exercises Post reading:

3、Useful expressions Questions for discussion Text B Background information Language points Assignments Warm-up activities I.An interesting class activity-a practical experiment Suppose two children are given hula hoops-a toy they are unfamiliar with. Hula hoop Angela is given a hula hoop with instruc

4、tions on how to use it. Jonathan is given a hula hoop but no instructions.Question 1: What kind of outcomes do you expect?Result: Angela learns to keep the hula hoop in motion by keeping her body in certain ways. Jonathan explores the hoop and invents some ways to play it. For example, he may find t

5、hat the hoop is big enough to step through. He then balances the hoop between two objects and practices kicking a ball through the hoop.Question 2: How do you comment on these two outcomes?suggested answer: Both outcomes are good. Angela learns a useful play skill. Jonathan uses his hoop in a differ

6、ent, yet equally playful way.Question 3: Which one do you think is better in developing childrens creativity?And what conclusion can you draw from this experiment? In fact, we cant arrive at a definite conclusion about which is better. Angela, followed the directions given, will have a skill that sh

7、e can use anytime she wants to move her body in that specific way. But the outcome is limited to having followed directions and mastered a particular skill. Jonathan, on the other hand, had the experience of exploring and discovering an item he was unfamiliar with. He used what he learned about this

8、 circular-shaped object to solve a problem of his own and incorporated the hula hoop as an innovative solution to help him do something that he wanted to do-kick a ball through a target. Jonathan learned he could use his observation and exploration to learn about new objects. II. A survey: Do you ag

9、ree with the following statements? 1. Play is the best way to learn. 2. Children are naturally curious, inspired, motivated learners, but sometimes the enjoyment of learning can get lost in the pressure to “succeed” in formal education. 4. Parents are the most important instructors to the children,

10、so they should give as much guidance as possible.Background information: Western education: It is generally true that western methods are more student-centered, expecting students to discover things for themselves rather than relying on their teachers to tell them. An extreme version of the student-

11、centered approach can be seen at Summerhill, a school in England established by the educationalist A.S.Neill. There children have complete freedom to decide what theyre going to learn and which lessons theyll attend. If they wish they need not attend any at all. Mainstream education in England is fa

12、r more strict, demanding that children attend lessons and follow a national curriculum. This curriculum and the importance of achieving good exam results tend to reinforce a more teacher-centered approach, as both teachers and students find the pressure of time leaves less opportunity for an explora

13、tory approach to learning.Text prediction: With the activities weve done, can you predict what the text is mainly about and what does the author start his writing with?While-reading: I. Text organization: An essay is usually divided into 3 parts, and how many parts are there in this text?Structure o

14、f the text:Introduction of the topic by an incident/anecdote Elaboration by comparison and contrast Conclusion by a suggestion Partslines Main IdeaI1-32An anecdote: the Chinese staff helped Benjamin to place the key.II33-97The authors thoughts about different approaches to learning in China and the

15、west. III98-102In the form of a question, the author gives a suggestion of a more rational approach. Text analysis:Q: Therere several ways to introduce a theme. What are they?A beginning is where the topic is introduced, so it can be a. a directly stated sentence；b. a story or an anecdote；c. a quest

16、ion or a series of questions；d. a quotation from a person or a magazine etc.；e. a surprising fact or statistic；f. An idea or situation opposite to the thesis.Q: How does the author introduce the topic in this text?In this text, the author introduces the topic by the key-slot anecdote.Look through th

17、e first 5 paragraphs to answer the following questions: Where and when did the incident take place? Jinling Hotel in Nanjing, Spring 1987. Who are the main characters in this incident? The author, his wife Ellen, their son Benjamin, hotel staff. Whats the incident mainly about? What can we see from

18、their different attitudes towards Benjamins action? People in the western countries and in China have different ways of learning. Western way Chinese wayQuestion for part I: Please sum up the contrast between the attitude of the couple and that of the hotel staff toward Benjamins efforts in insertin

19、g the key into the slot. 1)the couple: let him explore and enjoy himself. 2)the hotel staff: held his hand and taught him how to insert the key correctly. Part II The body is where the topic is developed and therere many ways to develop it, such as cause and effect, comparison and contrast etc. You

20、can organize comparison and contrast through 2 major ways:a. One-side-at-a-time method/linear method b. Point-by-point method/zigzag method Q: scan the first sentence of both para. 6 and para. 7 to decide on what method of comparison and contrast is used here? One-side-at-a-time method. Q: Sum up th

21、e contrast between Chinese western ways to learn to fulfill a task. The Chinese: show a child how to do sth., or teach by holding his hand. The westerners: teach a child to rely on himself for solutions to problems. Question: Read from para. 11 to para. 13 and decide which method of comparison and c

22、ontrast is used? Point-by-point method. What are Chinese and westerners attitudes toward creativity and basic skills? Chinese: giving priority to developing skills at an early age, believing creativity can be promoted over time. Westerners: putting more emphasis on fostering creativity in your child

23、ren, thinking that skills can be picked up later. Part III conclusion Therere many ways to conclude an essay: A. restating the main points previously mentioned; B. proposing a solution; C. quoting from some book or person; D. predicting future developments; E. making a suggestion in the form of a qu

24、estion. Q: How does the author end this text? The author ends this text by making a suggestion in the form of a question. (Can we gather, from the Chinese and American extremes, a superior way to approach education, perhaps striking a better balance between the poles of creativity and basic skills?)

25、II. Language points: Difficult sentences: 1.Because of his tender age and incomplete understanding of the need to position the key just so, he would usually fail. Because of his younger age and incomplete understanding of the need to position the key carefully to fit into the narrow key slot, he wou

26、ld usually fail. 2. In the best Chinese tradition, they were ba zhe shou jiao so much so that he would happily come back for more. In the best Chinese tradition, they were ba zhe shou jiao- to such an extent that he would happily come back to learn more. Words and phrases: attach not in the least cr

27、itical in retrospect apply priority evolve valid1. attach: fasten or join (one thing to another)attach sth. to sth.Scientists discovered they could measure wind speed by attaching a wind meter to a kite and sending it up.Attached to this letter you will find a copy of the document you asked for.To a

28、ttach great importance to sth.a school attached to Shandong University2. not in the least: not at all I am not in the least touched by the Marilyn Monroe kind of beauty. Ann did not seem in the least concerned about her study.3.critical: 1) very important Environmentalists say a critical factor in t

29、he citys pollution is its population. Your decision is critical to your future. 2) very serious or dangerous In the car accident yesterday, ten people were killed and five people are still in a critical condition. be critical of sth.: find fault with4. In retrospect: on evaluating the past; upon ref

30、lection The young man knew in retrospect that he should have married his first love. In retrospect, I wish that I had chosen biology as my major.5.apply: 1) be relevant (to sb. / sth.); have an effect apply to sb. / sth.The new pension arrangements wont apply to people born before 1960. The advice g

31、iven by the professor only applies to some of the college students. 2) write a letter or fill in a form in order to ask formally for sth. apply for sth. / apply to do sth. How many jobs had you applied for before you were offered this one? We went to the sports clubs so often that we decided that we

32、 might as well apply to join.6.priority: 1) sth. that one must do before anything else -Being a qualified teacher is her first priority. -Earning enough money to maintain his family is a high priority. 2) sth. that holds a high place among competing claims -The school will give priority to English a

33、nd computer studies. -The proposals deserve support as they give priority to the needs of children. *prior to: before 7. evolve: (cause to) develop graduallyevolve into / fromThe story evolves into a violent tragedy.Popular music evolved from folk songs.8. valid: based on truth or sound reasoning-It

34、 is valid to consider memory the oldest mental skill. -Scientific theories must be backed up with valid evidence. invalidPost Reading Useful expressions: 1.被系在。上 be attached to 2. 探索行为 exploratory behavior 3. 偶尔 on occasion 4. 父母的责任 parental duties 5. 揭示，阐明 throw light on 6. 最终目的 an ultimate purpose

35、 7. 要做得动作 desired action 8. 所希望的结果 a desirable outcome 9. 关键 critical point 10. 育儿观 a value of child rearing 11. 弥补某种错误行为 making up for a misdeed 12. 回想起来 in retrospect 13. 善意的 well-intentioned 14. 前来帮助某人 come to sbs rescue 15. 极其熟练地，温和地 with extreme facility and gentleness 16. 使用于 apply to 17. 发展到

36、evolve to 18. 发展创造力 promote creativity 19. 值得追求的目标 worthwhile goals Proverbs and quotations: 1. Theres no end to learning. 学无止境。 2. Whats learned in the cradle is carried to the grave. 摇篮里学到的东西终身受用。 3. Questioning is the door to knowledge. 提问为通向知识之门。 4. No man ever yet became great by imitation. - S

37、amuel Johnson, British lexicographer and writer 模仿不成大器。 -英国词典编纂者，作家塞缪尔。约翰逊Exercises:Please decide whether the following statements are true or false.1. Benjamin was worried that he couldnt put the key into the slot. ( )2. In the Chinese staffs opinion, the parents should guide Benjamin to insert the

38、 key. ( )3. The author and his wife didnt care whether Benjamin succeeded in inserting the key into the slot. ( )4. For the westerners, learning should take place by continual careful shaping and molding. ( )5. Chinese teachers hold the opinion that skills should be acquired as early as possible, wh

39、ile American educators think that creativity should be acquired early. ( )Reference answers:1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. T Questions for discussion: 1. What do you think is more important, creativity or basic skills? 2. How do you comment on the learning methods you used in high school? 3. Are you employi

40、ng new learning methods helpful to the study of college course?Text B Children and Money Background Information Students all around the world think it great to have some money in their pocket. But how much do they get?American kids and pocket money In the US, a little pre-school kid may get a dollar

41、 or two, but older children get more. A lot of American parents give pocket money to their children, but their children have to do chores. Most American children think having pocket money will help them to understand money better. British children and pocket money In Britain, kids in primary school

42、get 4 or 5 pounds each week. When they enter middle school, they get about 9 pounds. In London, children get 10 pounds every week, children in Scotland get 8 pounds, and children in Wales get the most, about 13.5 pounds! Also, British boys get a little more pocket money than girls. Like kids in the

43、US, British children do chores to earn their pocket money. Thats why British children know a lot about spending money. 7% of them spend less than 1 each week, 22% spend between 1 and 5, and 20% spend over 5 each week. What do they buy with their money? Most of them spend it on sweets, crisps and chocolate.Words and phrases:1. account: 1) arrangement made with a bank to pay in or take out money; e.g. open an account in a bank 2) description e.g. Your account of the story is different from your friends. take into account