Listening and vocabulary教学目标

The First Period Introduction Teaching goals

教学目标

1. Target language目标语言

a. 重点词汇和短语 small talk, informal, conversation, unimportant, topic, leave out b. 交际用语 Wonderful, aren’t they? Been here before? Language course? Staying long? Going anywhere nice? 2. Ability goals能力目标

Enable the students to know what small talk is and how to make small talk. 3. Learning ability goals

学能目标

Help the students learn how to talk about small talk. Teaching important points教学重点

Let the students learn to talk about small talk. Teaching difficult points

教学难点

How to make small talk. Teaching methods教学方法

Cooperative learning and task’based activities. Teaching aids教具准备

A computer and a projector. Teaching procedures & ways教学过程与方式

Step I Lead-in and Warming Up T: Good morning/afternoon, everybody. Glad to meet you. Ss: Good morning/afternoon, Sir/Madam. T: Very glad to see you again. Welcome to continue you senior English study. After finishing the required courses, today we’ll begin the elective

courses. But why choose the elective, can you tell me? S1: Yes. I’ve been good at English since the beginning. I feel interested in English. I’ve really learned a lot about both language and cultures. And I want to learn more.

S2: Yes. I’ve decided to further my English study for future use. Though I’m not interested in it, I have to improve it. Because I prefer computer science and it is necessary for me to know more English.

T: Great. Hope you all can make it. For further English study, you should work harder and try to practice more. By the way, do you find it interesting to communicate with others in English? S3: Yes. Very interesting. We can learn a lot from each other. T: Who do you often talk with? S3: I often talk with my deskmate. She speaks English very well. I enjoy talking with her. S4: Thank you. And I enjoy talking with you too. T: And what do you often talk about? S4: Usually about English study, math or physics problems, etc. S3: Sometimes clothes and sports.

T: Do you find nervous when talking with your class-mates? S5: Of course not. T: Do you often make plans before your talking with someone? S6: No, never. We talk freely. S7: Sometimes just for fun. ... Step Ⅱ Speaking Task 1: Talk about small talk

T: Now here comes a question — Is the conversation between us serious? Ss: No. T: What kind of conversation do you think is serious then? S1: Conversations on politics. S2: Conversations on examinations, careers. T: We do often talk with each other every day. Well, what’s the difference? Do you think conversations can be classified as small or big, serious or free or anything else? S: It’s true that conversations are different in different occasions or events. T: Good. We do have different kinds of conversations, formal or informal, serious or free, small or big, etc. Today we’ll talk about small talk. But what does small talk really mean? Now please read the explanations given in different famous English dictionaries on page 1. Answer the questions in Activity 1. S3: I think the definition given in the Longman Dictionary sounds like a positive thing. Because it says small talk is polite friendly conversation about unimportant subjects. S4: The definitions given by Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary refer to places where small talk might take place: “at social occasions” and “usually at a social event”. S5: I think it is difficult for him to communicate and make friends with others. At the same time it shows that he lacks confidence. S6: I think it can be translated as “闲谈” or “聊天”. Task 2: Ask the students to answer the questions in Activity 2 T: Now I think you have understood what small talk means. Small talk is a kind of informal conversa-tion about unimportant topics at social occasions. So it is not about serious subjects. Now let’s do Activity 2. In this Activity ten topics are given. Some of them are serious and some are suitable for small talk. Now prepare and then answer the following questions. S1: I think careers, examinations, politics are serious topics and the others can be small talk.

T: That’s right. When people make small talk in different occasions, they can choose many topics including some of the given topics. In English-speaking countries people usually agree about the weather, so it is a safe topic for small talk. Sports news is a very common topic, too. Entertainment news, such as a celebrity who is in town, is another good topic. But personal affairs such as salaries or a recent divorce, religion or politics are not suitable topics for small talk in English. So when you are talking to a foreigner, you should choose proper topics. Or you may cause discomfort or embarrass-ment. Next question. S2: We often talk about film stars and sports stars because my friends and I are fond of seeing films and sports. For example, I like watching NBA games, especially games in which Yao Ming plays. After the games my friends and I will be together talking about the games and Yao’s performance. T: I also like NBA games and Yao Ming. He is considered to be a superstar. Thank you. OK. Next question? S3: You know my parents are very strict with me in my studies. So I cannot but talk about my studies and examinations with my parents. Even though I like music very much, I cannot talk about it with them. Every time I talk about music with them, they will scold me and tell me to spend time on my studies. T: I can understand you and your parents. But it is lucky that you can talk about it with your classmates or friends. You’ll soon have such a chance to talk about music. Till then, OK? S3: Thanks. T: Next question. S4: I am not good at English and I want to improve it and get good marks in English exams. But I don’t know what to do. So I want to talk about my English study with you. T: It is a big question. I can’t give you a perfect answer. But if you want to improve your English, first you must work hard at it and then try to find a good way that is suitable for you. For more details, we’ll talk about it later. S4: Thank you very much.

T: You are welcome. The last question. S5: I never talk about politics. Because I don’t like it. In the news, the politicians often tell lies to the public for their own sake. S6: I never talk about cars. I don’t have a knowledge of cars. So I don’t know what to say when talking about it. T: It doesn’t matter. Everybody has his / her own interests, likes and dislikes. When we talk with others, try to find something in common. Task 3: Discussion T: But do you know 80% of all conversations in English are small talk? Now let’s come to the Speaking part. Discuss the questions and give reasons for your answers in Activity 1. Sample answers: S1: Of course it is very important. Because small talk gets friendships started and ‘breaks the ice’ before important meetings and other events. I like collecting stamps and I often go to the stamp market. If I want to pick up stamps or exchange stamps with others, small talk with other people seems necessary. I’ll try to get acquainted with them first and then make the deal. It makes things easier. What’s more, I have made a lot of friends from whom I can learn a lot about stamps. And I am a member of a stamp collecting society. So I think small talk is very important in my society. T: Stamp-collecting is a very rewarding hobby. And small talk seems beneficial to your hobby. Good. Next question. S2: I think it is as important as ‘real’ conversation. Sometimes small talk can lay a basic foundation for real conversation. When you show your concern, friendship, politeness in small talk, you can make good impressions on your listeners. And then you will get along well with them in the communication. So I think small talk is also important even though it is always about unimportant subjects. T: I agree. From what you have learnt in this module, would you say it was more or less important in English than in Chinese? S3: I think it is as important in English as in Chinese. As long as communication

between each other exists, small talk is there. It is very important in daily life. However, every nation has its own customs and the standard of good manners, so when you are making small talk, especially in foreign countries, you should follow their customs and manners and try to find proper topics to talk about. Or you will cause some trouble. T: Excellent. This shows that there is much more to learn when we learn a language than just the vocabulary and the grammar of the language. We also have to learn the social behaviors in it. Step Ⅲ Everyday English T: Now we know that small talk is informal conversa-tion with informal language. So we should use spoken English when making small talk. Most of the time the sentence is not complete as long as talkers can understand each other. Now please look at the sentences in EVERYDAY ENGLISH. Read and find the complete form of these sentences. Sample answers: Language course? (= Have you taken a language course? / Are you going to take a language course?) Staying long? (= Are you staying long?) Going anywhere nice? (= Are you going anywhere nice (for your holidays)? Lovely place. (= It is a lovely place. / What a lovely place it is.) Go there a lot. (= I go there a lot.) Never been there. (= I have never been there.) Step Ⅳ Conversation T: From EVERYDAY ENGLISH we learned how to use the incomplete sentences in a conversation. Now, there’s a little time left. Let’s come to Activity 2 in SPEAKING. Please work in pairs and choose one of the short conversations in READING AND LISTENING Activity 1 to continue the small talk. Sample conversation 1: ... A: But why not? I can’t understand.

B: Because I was born and brought up in the plain. You know I have never seen mountains. I have only seen little hills. Every time I see high and thick mountains on TV or in films, I feel great and splendid. A: So interested in mountains? B: Yes. But not much. When I see mountains, I have a strong desire to get over. Do you know how I envy the mountaineers? A: But why? B: I think it can strengthen myself. If I reach the top of grand mountains, not only will I get close to nature but also have a feeling of conquering. So wonderful, isn’t it? Maybe after many times of such experiences I will be able to manage life or work easily. A: I agree. But this is only in words. Take a try. B: I will if I have a chance. Sample conversation 2: …

A: Now let’s get down to business. B: OK. For the goods that you will sell us, I would offer $60 per package. A: It is too low. If so, we will not be in pocket. I suggest $80. Please consider it. B: It’s impossible. This is not a fair deal. A: What about $75? B: No. $65. A: 70. It’s really a bargain. B: I can only give 68 at most. No more. A: That’s that. T: What a good negotiation. In the future maybe you will be successful businessmen. OK. Today we have learnt what small talk is and how to do small talk. And you must know the importance of small talk in communication. It can help us get along well with others. Step Ⅴ Homework

1. Review what small talk is and try to find more information. 2. Prepare a small talk English phrasebook for use. Ⅰ. 模块教学目标

技能目标Skill Goals ▲Talk about small talk ▲Learn some small talk skills ▲Learn to use informal or body language ▲Learn something about social skills ▲Learn to talk about obligation or lack of obligation ▲Learn to write an e-mail to a pen friend Ⅱ.

目标语言

Talking about obligation or lack of obligation You must ... You have to ... 功能句式

You mustn’t ... You don’t have to ... You don’t need to ... You needn’t have ... You didn’t need to ...