Warming up、Pre-reading、Reading、Comprehending第二课时 公开课

The First Period

Teaching goals 教学目标

1. Target language目标语言

a. 重点词汇和短语

explore, exploration, courtyard, balcony, distant, goods, conflict, anchor, tightly, container, restriction, fluency, shaving, thunderstorm, appeal to, date back to b. 重点句子

1. Collecting “exotic” plants, as they are called, dates back to the earliest times.

2．

An important group of collectors were French Catholic missionaries who, by the middle of the 18th century, were beginning to set themselves up in China.

3．

Sir Joseph Banks was a very famous British plant collector. Who accompanied James Cook on his first voyage from England to Oceania.

4．

The world of plant exploration was completely changed with Dr Nathaniel Ward’s invention of a tightly sealed portable glass container.

5．

This invention, called the Wardian case, allowed plants to be transported on long journeys. 2. Ability goals 能力目标

Learn about the history of plants exploration in the 18th and 19th century.

Learn the meanings or usages of the target words, expressions and sentences. 3. Learning ability goals

学能目标

Help the students learn how to sort out the historical events according to time sequence. Teaching important and difficult points

教学重难点

Help the students have a clear idea of the whole passage by summarizing the topic of each paragraph. Teaching methods

教学方法

Scanning, skimming, question-and-answer and group work. Teaching aids

教具准备

Projector, slide and tape recorder.

Teaching procedures && ways

教学过程与方式

Step Ⅰ

Lead-in T: As we always say, animals are humans’

good friends. While besides animals, humans also have other good friends —

plants. Don’t you think so? Can you believe a world without plants? No trees, no flowers, no grass ... You may have found that more and more people realize the importance of plants to us humans and our environment, and many measures have been taken to protect plants. But what on earth do plants benefit us? Or what are the important things plants provide? Make a list according to your understanding.

Teacher can guide the students to answer the question from the following aspects: Aesthetics (美学), Medicine, Food, Industrial products, Recreation, Air quality, Water quality, Climate, Fish and wildlife Habitat (栖息地), Ecosystem and so on.

This brainstorming activity will help the students get an overall knowledge of plants and their importance. Encourage the students to say something about each aspect. Step Ⅱ

Warming Up

Get students talk about what they know about plants and talk about the questions in Warming up. T: We can’t live without plants, right? We eat their fruits, use wood to build houses, grow beautiful flowers in our houses and most importantly, plants produce oxygen. But what do you know about plants? Now turn to Page 31. Read the questions in Warming up activity.

Give students several minutes to discuss these questions. Then let them report what they know about the plants mentioned.

Suggested answers to these questions: 1. Fern, algae(藻类植物), moss ... 2. Orchids, bromeliads, vine, ferns ... 3. Pitcher plant (猪笼草), sundew, bladderwort, Venus flytrap ... 4. Apple tree, sunflower, tulips, orchid, alfalfa (紫花苜蓿) etc.

5. Vine (藤本植物), Chinese dodder (菟丝子) ... 6. Plants are adapted to live in specific environment. For example, moss lives in moist and dark environment. Rose, peony, jasmine, Chinese plum, chrysanthemum grow well in sunshine. If you put them in damp and cold environment, they will not blossom or even die. 7. Yes.

8. Non-seed plants: 藻类(Algae)，地衣(Lichens)，真菌(Fungi)，苔纲(Hepaticae)，藓纲(Musci)，蕨类(Pteridophyte)，植物门(Pteridophyta) Step Ⅲ

Reading comprehending Let students answer the questions in Pre-reading to get prepared for the text.

T: We know that many families grow plants at their homes. Generally we call them pot plants because these plants are grown in pots. Where do most people put these pots? ... Yes, on the balcony where there is enough sunshine. As you know, only a few families have courtyard garden in China.

Help students understand the meanings of courtyard and balcony by showing them some pictures or give some explanations.

courtyard: an open space that is completely or partly surrounded by buildings. balcony: a structure that you can stand on, that is attached to the outside wall of a building, above ground level. T: Has your house got a balcony? Do you have some pot plants on your balcony? What are they? S: Yes, my house has got a big balcony. My mother grows kaffir lily (君子兰), azalea (杜鹃), cactus (仙人掌), Chlorophytum comosum (吊兰).

S: My mother grows peony（牡丹）, asparagus fern (文竹) and sago cycas（铁树）. T: Where do these plants come from? Are they Chinese plants or do they come from other countrties? Have you thought about that? Ask students the questions one by one to arouse their interest in the origin of plants.

T: Now turn to Page 32. Scan the title of the passage and pictures. Can you tell what the passage is about? S: I think it tells us about some botanists in history.

S: I think it tells about the travel of some plants in the 18th and 19th centuries. Or in another word, how some plants travel from one country to another.

T: Yes. Here “exploration”

means the act of travelling through a place in order to find out about it or find something such as oil or gold in it. Obviously the passage tells about exploration of plants. Now let’s read the passage and check out your predictions. While reading, summarize the main idea of each paragraph and write it down. You are given eight minutes.

8 minutes later, ask 9 students to tell the topic of each paragraph, one for each.

Suggested main idea for each paragraph: Para. 1 The history of bringing back plants from other countries dates back to the earliest times.

Para. 2 In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, plant exploration began on a large scale as some European countries moved into other parts of the world.

Para. 3 In the middle of the 18th century, missionary Father d’Incarville sent some seeds of trees and bushes he collected in Beijing to England.

Para. 4 British plant collector Sir Joseph Banks traveled from England to Oceania and collected a large number of plants in Australia.

Para. 5 How to keep plants alive during the long trip is a big challenge for plants collectors.

Para. 6 The invention of the Wardian case helped plants to survive long journeys.

Para. 7 Robert Fortune, as one of the earliest plant collector to use Wardian cases, not only introduced many plants from China to Western gardens.

Para. 8 In the second half of the nineteenth century, many French Catholic missionaries collected plants in China and sent them back to France.

Para. 9 European botanists were very excited to know that China had a large number of plants, so they went to China for plants collecting.

T: In this passage, many historic events are mentioned. Look at the dates in Exercise 2. Then scan the Reading passage and find what happened in these years. Don’t read the whole text, just do a scanning.

About 3 to 5 minutes later, check the answers.

This exercise can also be designed into a chart as following, which will help students have a better knowledge of these plant collectors and their contributions to botany. Name Queen of the Egypt Father d’ Incarville Sir Joseph Banks Dr. Nathaniel Ward Nationality Egypt When Around What did he do Sent ships away to gather plants, animals, and 1500BC other goods. 1740s Collected and sent seeds of trees and bushes including those of the Tree of Heaven. Collected examples of plants and animals whenever they went onto dry land. Invented a tightly sealed portable glass container. Introduced over 120 species of plants to Western French British 1769 British 1833 Robert Fortune British 1843-185gardens but also shipped 20,000 tea plants from 9 Shanghai to India, where a successful tea industry was established. Father Fages E H Wilson French French 1890s 1899 Collected 37 seeds from a tree Collected a large quantity of seeds of the Dove Tree. Then let students work in groups and discuss the questions in Exercise 3.

T: Now turn to Page 34 please. Read the questions in Exercise 3 and discuss them in groups of four. Five minutes later, I will ask some groups to report your answers orally. You can make some notes while discussing.

Five minutes later, check the answers. Suggested answers: 1. Because in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many European nations moved into other parts of the world like Asia and Australia where new plants were discovered.

2. They valued the study of the natural sciences and many of them knew a lot about plants and animals. So they became plant collectors as they traveled from one country to another.

3. The plant collectors often faced many dangers including disease, near-starvation, severe environment and conflicts with the local people.

4. Large numbers of seeds failed to grow after long sea voyages or trips across land between Asia and Europe.

5. Other possible reasons: different climate, lack of water, ruin of the roots.

6. The use of the Wardian cases. Step Ⅳ

Groupwork Get students into groups of four and do role play according to the instructions of Exercise 4.

T: Now it’s time for group work. Suppose three botanists have just completed their plants exploration in China. Each has explored a special plant to take back home. But the captain of the ship along with them said that only one plant could be carried home. So each botanist must give as many reasons as possible to persuade the captain to take their plant home. Now get into groups of four. Decide who will be the botanists and who will be the captain. Then the botanists should finish the chart with notes. Then make a conversation according to the notes. Remember, the captain must make a decision and give reasons at the end.

Sample notes: Peach trees: 1. very sweet fruit. 2. nutritious and medicinal fruit. 3. beautiful and fragrant flowers Chrysanthemum: 1. travels well. 2. fragrant smell. 3. makes good medicine. 4. looks beautiful. Red date trees: 1. medicinal plant. 2. very delicious and nutritious fruit. 3. can adapt to different environments. 4. economic value

A sample conversation (B=Botanist, C=captain):

B1: We should take peach trees back home. As you know, peaches are so sweet and people will love eating them. They are also nutritious and medicinal fruits. Besides,

peach flowers are very beautiful and fragrant.

B2: I think chrysanthemum should be taken home. Firstly, it travels well. It is small and easy to carry. It can survive the long journey. Secondly, it will attract people with its fragrant smell and beautiful appearance. Thirdly, as we all know, chrysanthemum makes good medicine.

B3: Compared with peach trees and chrysanthemum, I think red date trees have more advantages for trade. Red dates are delicious and nutritious fruits, and red date trees are important medicinal plants. So they have great economic value. On the other hand, red date trees can adapt to various tough environments. So I think they will grow well in our country.

C: You all present good reasons. They are all important plants. But since we can only carry one home, I would choose chrysanthemum because we have a long way to go and we don’t have proper equipment to carry large plants like peach trees and red date trees. I think we can successfully transport chrysanthemum home with the help of Wardian case. So let’s take chrysanthemum.

After the students’ preparation, ask two groups to act out their conversations before the whole class.

Meanwhile, the teacher can encourage the students to search information about the three plants after class to have a better understanding of them. Step Ⅴ

Language points Deal with the key words and expressions in the passage.

date back to: have existed since ... Our partnership dates back to (ie We have partners since) 1960.

distant: far away in space or time Egypt: a country in northeast Africa; capital: Cairo goods: things that are produced in order to be sold conflict: 1. a state of disagreement or argument between people, groups, countries etc conflict over conflicts over wage settlements conflict between

the conflict between tradition and innovation in conflict (with somebody) normal kids who are in conflict with their parents 2. fighting or a war anchor: n. a piece of heavy metal that is lowered to the bottom of the sea, lake etc. to prevent a ship or boat moving at anchor The ship was at anchor. v. to lower the anchor on a ship or boat to hold it in one place Three ships were anchored in the harbor. container: n. (contain v.) something such as a box or bowl that you use to keep things in restriction: a rule or law that limits or controls what people can do trade / travel restrictions restriction on restrictions on immigration a 50 mph speed restriction shave: v. to cut off hair very close to the skin, especially from the face shave your head / legs / armpits etc appeal to: if someone or something appeals to you, they seem attractive and interesting The programme appeals especially to young children. The idea of working abroad really appeals to me. Step Ⅵ

Homework T: Today we learned the history of plants exploration in western world. We learned how plants travel from one country to another. During the exploration, some Chinese plants and seeds were collected and transported to the west such as Tree of Heaven and Dove Tree. After class, find some information about these trees. From the passage, we also learned some new words and phrases. Please make sentences with the following words and phrases and write them on your exercise book: date back to,

distant, conflict, tightly, fluency, appeal to.