山东省莱芜市钢城新兴路学校高中英语Module4TheFifthPeriodExtensiveRea

The Fifth Period Extensive Reading

Teaching goals 教学目标

1. Target language 目标语言

a. 重点词汇和短语

an international multicultural experie nce, take ... by force, hold their own carnival celebrations, bring good luck, abolish, take over, a celebration of freedom, join the fun

b. 重点句子

①With the passing of time, the white inhabitants of the island began to take part in the carnival, too ... and they were welcomed by their former slaves.

②Carnival became a way to unite different communities, as people forgot their everyday problems and enjoyed themselves eating, drinking, and dancing.

③Cards are a good way of keeping in touch with family and friends who live far away.

2. Ability goals 能力目标

Enable the Ss to talk about the development of carnival and get to know that people in different countries and in different times may celebrate similar festivals in different ways.

3. Learning ability goals学能目标

Help the Ss learn how to get more information about festivals all over the world by offering extra reading material.

Teaching important points教学重点

How to talk about the development of carnival.

Teaching methods 教学方法

Fast-reading and discussion.

Teaching aids 教具准备

A multiple-media computer & a blackboard.

Teaching procedures & ways教学过程与方式

Step I Revision

Check homework.

T: Last period we listened to some material about Carnivals in different places. Now I would like you to talk about the food and vegetables at Chinese festivals. Volunteer!

S1: At Spring Festival, we mainly eat a traditional food called Jiaozi, which is similar to the dumpling in western countries. There are a variety of Jiaozi in our country, and it’s made of flour and pork mixed with different kinds of vegetables. It not only tastes delicious but also looks pretty. I enjoy it very much.

S2: I prefer sweet dumplings called yuanxiao to jiaozi, and I’d like to eat all kinds of candy.

S3: At festivals I like vegetables best that contain lots of vitamins. It’s said that too much fat and sugar will do harm to our health.

S4: I agree with you. At festivals we usually have more fat than what we need, such as chicken, pork, beef and cookies. I think it’s a waste of money. Now, as the living conditions are getting better, we can eat what we want in everyday life, so I don’t

like the food at festivals.

T: You all have done excellent jobs. Thank you for you opinions.

Step II Reading (1)

T: As we all know, there are different kinds of carnivals around the world. Today we are going to read a passage, which is to introduce the development of carnival. Please look through the passage on page 39 and then answer the following questions:

1. What’s the meaning of carnival?

2. How did carnival become more colorful and more exciting after 1838?

F ive minutes for the students to read the passage and then two minutes for them to discuss the questions with their partners.

T: Time is up. Have you found the answers to the questions? Who’d like to have a try?

S5: In my personal opinion, the meaning of carnival today is a celebration of life itself.

T: Do you agree with him?

Ss: Yes. But carnival had different meanings in different periods.

T: That’s true. Who would like to answer the other question?

S6: Let me try. I think when the slaves took over the carniv al, they developed it in their own way so that it was quietly different from their former slave owners. As a result carnival changed a lot and became a celebration of freedom.

T: What you said is quite right! Now please read the passage once more to underline the important sentences and phrases. At the same time, pay attention to the development of carnival.

Four minutes for the students to read the passage and then discuss some important sentences and phrases, dealing with some long and complex sentences.

1. an international multicultural experience;

2. take… by force;

3. hold their own carnival celebrations;

4. take over;

5. a celebration of freedom;

6. join the fun

7. With the passing of time, the white inhabitants of the island began to take part in the carnival, too ... and they were welcomed by their former slaves.

8. Carnival became a way to unite different communities, as people forgot their everyday problems and enjoyed themselves eating, drinking, and dancing.

T: That’s all for the important phrases and sentences. Who’d like to talk about the development of carnival in this passage? You can refer to your notes, with your books closed.

S7: Carnival has something to do with the history of America and the meeting of European and African cultures. It was the white slave owners who first celebrated Carnival, who came from Europe where carnival began. When the slave trade was abolished, the former slaves took over the festival and made it more colorful and more exciting than ever. With the passing of time, the former slave owners began to take part in the carnival and were welcomed by their former slaves. Today, visitors

from all over the world come to join the fun of carnival, which has become a celebration of life itself.

S8: Yes. I can’t agree with you more. The festival developed with the development of society. What you said is the very three steps of carnival’s development. T: Both of you did quite well. Now let’s read one more passage about Christmas traditions.

Step III Reading (2)

T: Please turn to page 87. First, look through the headlines of the passage, and then match the headlines with the paragraphs. Five minutes for you to read and match them. Take up your pens and underline the phrases and sentences that are important or hard to understand. Five minutes is given to the students for them to read and think. And then the teacher can check the answers with the whole class. This task is quite easy, so just checking the answers is enough.

T: I think you have got the general idea of the passage. Now please read the passage once more to choose the correct answers and answer the questions on page 88.

The exercises are based on the passage and quite easy, so the teacher can just check the answers with the whole class.

While dealing with the extensive reading material, teachers should pay attention to those long and complex sentences that are hard to understand. Guide the students to analyze them to get rid of the difficulty in reading and understanding.

Step IV Extra Reading

T: Boys and girls, what’s the topic of this module?

Ss: Carnival. It’s a festival celebrated in different places in different ways. T: That’s right. Would you like to know other festivals all over the world? Ss: We are curious about them.

T: Ok. Are there any similarities among them?

Sa: I don’t think there are similarities. As we all know, the social customs are different from country to country.

Sb: I’m sorry, but I can’t agree with you. I think some of the festivals must be similar in some way. After all, we are all human beings and live on one planate. T: Both of you sound reasonable. So let’s read one more passage about festivals and celebrations. After reading it you will find the answer to my question. Now, please read through the passage and discuss the following questions:

1. How many types festivals are mentioned in the passage? What are they?

2. Can you give an example of Chinese festivals belonging to each type of them?

3. When did ancient people celebrate?

4. What are festivals of the dead for?

5. Why does India have a national festival on October 2?

6. Why are autumn festivals happy events?

7. What is one important reason to have festivals and celebrations?

Show the passage on the screen.

Festivals and Celebrations

Ancient Festivals

Festivals and celebrations of all kinds are held everywhere. The most ancient

festivals would celebrate the end of the cold weather, planting in spring and harvest in autumn. Other celebrations were held when hunters could catch animals. They would starve if food was difficult to find, so they celebrated when they had food. They lit fires and made music because they thought these festivals would bring a year of plenty.

Festivals of the Dead

Some festivals are held to honor the dead, or satisfy and please the ancestors, who could return either to help or to do harm. In Japan the festival is called Obon, when people should go to clean the graves and light incense in memory of their ancestors. They light lamps and play music because they think that this will lead the ancestors back to earth. The festival of Halloween had its origin as an event in memory of the dead. It’s now the children’s festival, when they can go to their neighbors’ homes and ask for sweets. They dress up and try to frighten people. If they are not given anything, the children might play a trick.

Festivals to Honor People

Festivals can be held as an honor to famous people or to the gods. One of these is the Dragon Boat Festival in China, which honors the famous ancient poet, Qu Yuan. Another is Columbus Day in the USA, in memory of the arrival of Christopher Columbus in America. In India there is a national festival on October 2 to honour Mahatma Gandhi, the leader who helped gain India’s independence from Britain.

Harvest Festivals

Harvest and Thanksgiving festivals can be very happy events. People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter, and because a season of agricultural work is over. In European countries it is the custom to decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruit, and people get together to have meals. Some people might win awards for their animals, flowers, fruit and vegetables, like the biggest watermelon or the most handsome rooster. In China and Japan there are mid-autumn festivals, when people admire the moon and give gifts of moon cakes.

Spring Festivals

The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring. At the Spring Festival in China, people eat dumplings, fish and meat, and may give children lucky money in red paper. There are dragon dances and carnivals, and families celebrate the lunar New Year together. In some western countries there are very exciting carnivals, which take place forty days before Easter, usually in February. They might include parades, dancing in the streets day and night, loud music and colorful clothing of all kinds. Easter is an important religious and social festival in Christian countries. It celebrates the return of Jesus for Christians and it also celebrates the coming of spring. In Japan, the Cherry Blossom Festival happens a little later. The country is covered with cherry tree flowers so t hat it looks as though it might be covered with pink snow. People love to get together to eat, drink and have fun with each other. Festivals let us enjoy life, be proud of our customs and forget our daily life for a little while.

Let the Ss discuss the questions and then show the suggested answers:

1. Five types festivals are mentioned in the passage. They are ancient festivals, festivals of the dead, festivals to honor people, harvest festivals and spring festivals.

2. Pure Brightness Day belongs to festivals of the dead; Dragon Boat Festival belongs to festivals to honor people; Mid-Autumn Festival belongs to harvest festivals and the Lunar New Year belongs to spring festivals.

3. They celebrated at the end of winter / when good weather returned / when they had a good harvest / when the hunters caught animals for food / when they had enough food / when they wanted a year of plenty.

4. They are to honour our ancestor / to make our ancestors happy so they won’t harm us / to satisfy our ancestors / to celebrate life in the presence of death.

5. To honour the memory of Mahatma Gandhi / to honour / remember the man who helped gain India’s independence from Britain.

6. People are grateful for the harvest / for the end of the agricultural work / the end of the hard work on the farms. People are happy that they will have food for the year.

7. To have a break from daily life, to celebrate our customs / our history / our heroes, to enjoy meeting family and friends, to eat special food, to have fun with each other, to make our community closer, to show that we are thankful.

T: Read the text loudly for a second time and then try to tell if these sentences are True or False.

1. The ancient people needn’t worry about their food. ( )

2. Halloween used to be a festival intended to honor the dead. ( )

3. Pure Brightness Day in China is a festive of harvest. ( )

4. Mid-autumn Festival is held to celebrate the end of autumn. ( )

5. Easter celebrates the birth of Jesus. ( )

The suggested answers: 1.F 2.T 3.F 4.T 5.F

Step V Summing up and homework

T: In this class we have read three passages about festivals, two of which are about carnival and Christams and the last one is about festivals all over the world. All right, boys and girls, that’s all for today. Here is your homework:

Go over the texts after class and try to preview Reading and writing task on page 38.