Teaching Aims:
1) Learn about the USA
2) Practise describing places
Teaching Important Points:
1.Train Ss’ listening ability
2.Improve Ss’ speaking ability
Teaching Difficult Points
1. How to improve Ss’ listening ability
2.How to help Ss’ carry out the task of speaking
Teaching Methods:
1.Listening –and –answering activity to help Ss go through with the listening material
2. Discussion to help Ss learn about the USA
Teaching Aids:
1. the multimedia 2. the blackboard
Teaching Procedures:
Step1 Lead-in
The United States of America (Warming up, listening and speaking) The statue of Liberty
The White House The Gold Rush Steam ship on the Mississippi
Step 2 Decide whether the following sentences are True of False.
1. New York is the largest state in the Us. F
2. Most state names come from Spanish or English. F
3. Atlanta is known as the “Big Apple”. F
4. The Constitution was written in 1779. F
5. There are 52 stars on the American flag. F
6. George Washington was the first American President. T
7.George .W. Bush is the president in U.S now. T
8.Cambridge university is one of the famous university in America. F
9. The first settlers arrived in North America about 30,000 years ago. T
10.The Mississippi River is the longest river in the world. F
Step3 Facts and Figures
Official Name: The united states of America
Capital city : Washington DC (population:572,859)
Country population: 296,000,000
Major cities: New York. Los Angeles .Chicago. Houston…
Languages: English , Spanish
Atlanta is the business center of the southeastern United States. It is a major center for national conventions and trade
The largest river of North America, with its major tributaries draining an area of approximately 1,200,000 square miles (3,100,000 square kilometres), or about one-eighth of the entire continent. The Mississippi River lies entirely in the United States. Rising in Lake Itasca in Minnesota, it flows almost due south across the continental interior, collecting the waters of its major tributaries .
Manhattan city, seat (1857) of Riley county and partly in Pottawatomie county, northeastern Kansas, U.S. The city lies where the Big Blue and Kansas rivers meet, there dammed to form Tuttle Creek Lake, on the northern edge of the rolling Flint Hills. The village was founded in 1855 when the settlements of Poleska and Canton were consolidated as Boston, only to be renamed Manhattan the next year
Bird’s Eye View Of Capitol Hill The capital city of the USA. Significant buildings include the Capitol, White House, and Library of Congress. The Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, and Vietnam Veterans Memorial are among the most famous of the city's more than 300 memorials and statues. The Smithsonian Institution is in Washington, as are numerous other cultural and educational institutions and foreign embassies. The economy is based on national and international political activities, scientific research, and tourism.
The United States consists of 48 contiguous(接壤的) states and the noncontiguous states of Alaska and Hawaii. In addition, the United States includes a number of outlying areas, such as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands of the United States, which are located on the Caribbean Sea, and the islands of American Samoa and Guam, located in the Pacific Ocean. The national capital is Washington, D.C., located along the banks of the Potomac River between the states of Maryland and Virginia.
The 50 U.S. states vary widely in size and population. The largest states in area are Alaska at 1,593,438 sq km (615,230 sq mi), followed by Texas, and California. The smallest state is Rhode Island, with an area of 3,188 sq km (1,231 sq mi). The state with the largest population is California (34,501,130, 2001 estimate), followed by Texas, and New York. Only 494,423 people (2001 estimate) live on the plateaus and rugged mountains of Wyoming, the least populous state.
Step 5 History of American Flag
Today the flag consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, seven red alternating with 6 white. The stripes represent the original 13 colonies, the stars represent the 50 states of the Union. The colors of the flag are symbolic as well: Red symbolizes Hardiness and Valor, White symbolizes Purity and Innocence and Blue represents Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.
USA Stars And Stripes Historical Flags
13 Stars (1777-1795) 15 Stars (1795-1818) 20 Stars (1818-1819)
21 Stars (1819-1820) 23 Stars (1820-1822 24 Stars (1822-1836)
25 Stars (1836-1837) 26 Stars (1837-1845) 27 Stars (1845-1846)
28 Stars (1846-1847) 29 Stars (1847-1848) 30 Stars (1848-1851)
31 Stars (1851-1858) 32 Stars (1858-1859) 33 Stars (1859-1861)
34 Stars (1861-1863) 35 Stars (1863-1865) 36 Stars (1865-1867)
37 Stars (1867-1877) 38 Stars (1877-1890) 43 Stars (1890-1891)
44 Stars (1891-1896) 45 Stars (1896-1908) 46 Stars (1908-1912)
48 Stars (1912-1959) 49 Stars (1959-1960) 50 Stars (1960 - Present)
NY disc. by French(Italian) explorer,1524. Manhattan bought from Native Americans for $200 ($24 ). NY capital of USA for one year; Washington DC is the capital of the USA today. 1920(1820 ), NY became largest city in the USA. Central Park: zoo, museum, boating lake.
Step 6 Listening
Listen to part 1 again and answer the following questions
1.Why do you think early settlers chose New York as a place for a new city?
New York is located on the coast, at a place where several rivers flow into the ocean. This makes New York a good place to build a city because ships can reach it and the rivers connect the city with the inland.
2.What are Native Americans angry about?
Native American are angry about the unfair treatment they receive in the past.Or the unfair business deal (buying Manhattan for $24)
Listen to part 2 and choose the best answers.
Listen to part 1 and part 2 again and try to finish the following table according to what you hear.
Year What happened in the year
1524 An Indian explorer discovered these islands.
1626 Manhattan was bought from local Indians.
1789-90 New York became the capital of the USA.
1820 New York became the biggest city in the USA.
1858 Central Park was created.
1892 The age of mass arrivals began.
Step 7 Speaking
There are four topics:
1.what does your hometown look like?
2.Describe a city in your province ,what does it look like?
3.Describe different parts of your province?
4.Whatdoes the landscape look like?Are there any hill,mountains,rivers,lakes,forests…?
A: Could you tell me where your hometown?
B: My hometown lies in xunwu country,Jiangxi province.
A: Could you describe it?
B: Yes,my hometown isn’t very large.it is located next to a river ,there is a middle school in the north of my hometown.
A:How wide is the liver?
B: It’s about 20 metres.
A: Is your hometown beautiful?
B: Yes, I think that my hometown is pretty.There are lots of trees and the buildings have different colours. In the morning,my hometown is very quiet and peaceful ,it looks like a paradise.
A:Very beautiful!could you take me to visit your hometown?
B:Of course,I’m glad to act as your guide.
Useful expressions
What does it look like? It looks like …How long /high/wide/tall is the…?It’s…meters long/wide/high/tall.There is…in the north.Where does it lie?
It lies in the east/west/north/west of…
Reading
Teaching Aims:
1.Learn and master the phrases
2.Train Ss’ reading ability
3.Help Ss learn about the American South
Teaching Important Points:
1.Improve Ss’ reading ability
2.Master the useful phrases appearing in the reading passage correctly
Teaching Difficult Points:
1.How to help Ss understand the reading material better
2.How to make Ss finish the concerned exercises after reading
Teaching Methods:
1.Fast-reading to help Ss get the general idea of the text
2.Careful-reading to get some detailed information about the passage
3. Discussion to help Ss finish the concerned exercises
4. Individual, pair or group work
Teaching Aids:
1.the multimedia 2. the blackboard
Teaching Procedures:
Step 1 Fill in the blanks with new words:
1. Clinton is the former president of the USA.
2. He tried to save his son from drowning, but in vain
3. The city was destroyed and there was no money for reconstruction.
4. Some people are greedy for money and some for power.
5. The failure caused his depression.
6. Parents often make sacrifices for their children.
7. We got up before dacrifices. It’s still dark outside.
Step 2 Lead-in
How much do you know about the USA? Check your knowledge with this quiz.
( F )1.There are 51 states in the USA.
( F )2.The White House is located in New York.
( F )3.Atlanta is known as the “Big Apple”.
( F )4.The two major parties are the Democrats and the Socialists.
( T )5.The symbol of the Republican Party is an elephant.
(T )6.The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of American democracy.
Step 3 Pre-reading
Match the events below with the time:
1.The American Civil War 1930s
2.The Great Depression 1960s
3.The Civil Rights Movements 30,000 years ago
4.The Arrival of Native Americans 1600
5.The Arrival of European settlers 1861
Step 4 Listen and answer:
Which part of the USA is more developed, the South or the North?
The North.
Step 5 Fast-reading
1.What was Atlanta like after the Civil War?And what is it like now?
Atlanta was burnt down in the Civil War. the city was destroyed and there was no
money for reconstruction.Modern Atlanta is a centre for business and culture where, as is the case in many cities in the South, faith and hope have replaced fear and doubt.
2.What did Atlanta suffer from in the Civil War?
Atlanta was burnt down and destroyed.
3 What is Modern Atlanta like?
Modern Atlanta is a booming business center and the home of some of the largest and most
successful companies in America.
Step 6 Careful-reading
Decide how many parts can it be divided into, and summarize the main idea of each part
Parts Paragraphs Main ideas
Part One Para 1 The suffering of the South in the past
Part Two Para 2--5 Hope and success of the South
Part Three Para 6 A new beginning of the South
Step 7 Find out what suffering or hardship the following events caused.
Events sufferings
The arrival of European Settlers Native American’s being killed or driven off
The slave trades Pains of slaves
The Civil War Death & poverty
The Great Depression Unemployment
The Civil Rights movement Sacrifices
Step 8 Choose the best answer:
C 1. Hundreds of years ago, which of the following countries probably killed the native Americans?
A. Korea. B. Egypt. C. England. D. Canada.
A 2. The phrase “in vain” in Paragraph 2 probably means ____.
A. without success B. in trouble C. put into practice D. dangerous
D 3. In the last paragraph, the writer tries to support the point that ____.
A. the story of the South is about hope and success
B. it is hard for the South to develop further
C. Atlanta, Birmingham, Miami and Little Rock are Southern cities which develop very fast
D. there is no trouble with the development of the South
D 4. Which of the following is wrong according to the passage?
A.The South has overcome many difficulties ever since the Civil War.
B. The fights between blacks and whites in the 1960’s were fierce.
C. There is no doubt that Atlanta is a typical Southern city in many ways.
D. Today the South has developed far better than the North.
B 5.The text is mainly about ___________
A.The sufferings in the history of the South
B.the quick development of the South after the civil war
C. the Civil Rights Movement of the black people
D. the famous cities of the South
C 6. The phrase “ in vain “ in Paragraph 2 probably means ________________.
A put onto practice B. in trouble C. without success D. dangerous
A 7. In the last paragraph, the writer tries to support the point that ________
A. the story of the South is about hope and success
B. It is hard for the South to develop further
C. Atlanta, Birmingham, Miami and Little Rock are southern cites which develop very fast
D. There is no trouble with the development of the South
C 8. Hundreds of years ago, which of the following countries probably killed the native Americans?
A.Korea B. Egypt C. England D. Canada
A 9. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Today the South has developed far better than the North.
B.The fights between blacks and whites in the 1960’s were fierce.
C.there is no doubt that Atlanta is a typical southern city in many ways.
D.the south has overcome many difficulties ever since the Civil war.
A 10.____brought the pains of slaves.
A. Slave traders B. Slave themselves C. The leaders D. No one
D11. What kind of part is the South far behind the rest of the USA ?
A. education B. economic development C. music D. A&B
B 12. What do you know about Atlanta in the past ?
A. The post-war years were easy B. People worked hard to rebuild the city
C. The city was very rich D. The city was very rich in the war
A 13. What is the non-violent demonstration led by Dr.King for ?
A. ending segregation B. taking power C. rebuilding the city D. making the city rich
D 14. Which city is not in the south of the USA ?
A. Miami B. Little Reek C. Atlanta D. Washington
B 15.What’s the main idea of the passage ?
A. The Civil War in the United States has a bad effect on the South
B. The south has greatly developed after the war
C. Atlanta succeeded in hosting the Olympic Games
D. America is proud of Atlanta
D16. Which of the following statements about the South is NOT true ?
A.The South is developing fast
B.The South is now ahead of the rest of the United States in areas like education and economic development
C. The South still has many problems to deal with
D. The South is full of failure and hopelessness
C 17. What’s the difference between the former Atlanta and the new Atlanta ?
A. There were no white people in this new city
B. Atlanta’s Indian America community grew in the new city
C. Atlanta’s black businesses became more successful
D. The new city was worse than the old one
A 18.Why did Dr.King organize non-violent demonstrations ?
A. Because he wanted to end segregation
B. Because he wanted to end slavery
C. Because he wanted to be famous
D. Because he wanted to became the mayor of Atlanta
B 19. Which Olympic Games did Atlanta host ?
A. The 25th summer Olympic Games
B. The 26th summer Olympic Games
C. The 27th summer Olympic Games
D. The 28th summer Olympic Games
Step 9 Examples of hope and success of the South
1.The people of Atlanta struggled to rebuild the city and create a new South
2.Atlanta’s African-American community grew and black businesses became more successful.
3.Segregation disappeared and Atlanta was a successful city proud of its cultural diversity.
4.Atlanta becomes a place where hope and faith have replaced fear and doubt.
Atlanta lies in the South. It was burnt down inthe Civil War_. The post-war years were hard And the people of Atlanta struggled torebuild The city and create anew South _. In 1996, Atlanta Hostedthe Olympic Games
Step 10 The suffering of the South in the past:
1.The suffering of the Native Americans who were killed or driven off their land by European settlers.
2.The pains of slaves brought from Africa by greedy slave traders.
3.The hardships of unemployment and civil unrest in the post-war years and the Great Depression.
4.The many sacrifices of the Civil Rights Movements.
Step 11 Match the examples with the statements that they support or illustrate:
Statements Examples
1.The people of Atlanta rebuilt A. Some southern cities are becoming
the city almost from nothing. financial and cultural centers of the US
2.The fights between blacks and B. The new mayor of Atlanta had only
whites in the 1960s were fierce. $1.64 to rebuild the city in1864.
3.The fight against segregation C. Dr King was shot in 1968.
was widely supported. D. People marched through Atlanta in
4.The South has taken the chance honor of Dr King.
to display its new image to the E. In 1996,Atlanta hosted the Olympic
whole world. Games.
5.The story of the South is also
about hope and success.
B C D E A
Step 12 Discuss the following questions in pairs :
1.Why is Atlanta in many ways a typical southern city?
It experienced the hardship of slavery, the Civil War, the post-war years and the Great Depression
2.People of many different backgrounds live and work together in People with different background Atlanta .What are the advantages of living together with people who are different with people from you? Are there any disadvantages?
Advantages: People with different background have different ideas and knowledge,which makes the population more creative.
It is good for people to learn about other cultures.
Life is more interesting if people are different.
Disadvantages: People from different cultures may misunderstand each other.
People from different cultures may treat each other badly.
Life can be more difficult if people are different.
Integrating Skills
Teaching Aims:
1. Master the phrases
2. Review Non-finite Verbs and words used to describe a place
3. Train Ss’ integrating skills ,especially writing skill
Teaching Important Points:
1.Master the phrases
2.Learn to write a comparison essay
Teaching Difficult Points:
1.How to help Ss understand the passage better
2. How to help Ss finish the task of writing
Teaching methods:
1.Revision to consolidate what we’ve learnt in the unit
2.Fast and careful reading to help Ss understand the passage better
3. Discussion to help Ss prepare for writing
Teaching Aids:
1.the multimedia 2. the blackboard
Teaching Procedures:
Step 1 Lead-in
Massive head and forequarters covered with long, dark brown woolly hair. Short broad forehead, short neck, and high humped shoulders, with tufted tail. Long hairs of chin form long beard. Hips and hindquarters are much smaller and without long hair thus forming a distinct slope from hump to tail. Some stand six feet at the shoulder and weigh as much as a ton. Have short, sharp, upcurved horns. Shaggy winter coat falls off in patches in spring; color is dark brown in winter, lighter in summer.
Step 2 Discussion
1.What other animals are in danger?
2.Why are so many animals in danger?
Step 3 Skimming
1.Main information about the bison.
A type of cattle which once lived on the plains of America in huge numbers.
2. What happened to the bison ?
The population of the bison have fallen from 60 million to a few hundred.
3.What caused the situation?
The killing of the bison became widespread after the European settlers’ arrival.
Step 4 Listen to the tape and try to find the answers to these two questions:
1.In what ways did the settlers treat the Native Americans?
The settlers killed them, forced them to leave their hunting grounds,broke agreements, forced them onto poor land and killed most of the bison on which Native Americans had relied for food.
2. What caused a big change in the wildlife on the plains?
The killing of large numbers of bison changed the whole wildlife chain on the plains.
Step 5 Careful reading
Read the passage carefully and tick the sentences that are true and correct the false ones:
1.( F )The first settlers arrived more than 30,000years ago by water.
2.( T )The first settlers were farmers.
3.( T )Native Americans lived in harmony with nature.
4.( F )Native Americans willingly gave up land to the settlers.
5.( T )The settlers didn’t deal honestly with the native Americans.
6.( T )Later settlers ended up with better land than the native Americans.
7.( F)Later settlers made use of the bison in the same way as the native Americans.
8.(T)The sharp decrease of bison had a serious effect on the nature balance on the plains of America.
9.( F ) The first settlers on the plains were farmers. Native Americans.
10.( F ) Native Americans willingly gave up land to the settlers.
Were forced to give up
11.(T) The settlers did not deal honestly with the Native Americans.
12.( T ) Settlers ended up with better land than the Native Americans.
13.( F) Later settlers made use of the bison in the same way as the Native Americans.
later settlers
How was the whole wildlife chain of the plains changed?
Settlers Kill bison No bison waste falls on the grass The soil became poorer
Bison Stop eating the grass The grass grows less well
Fewer wolves Fewer birds Fewer prairie Fewer insects Fewer plants
Step 6 Structure of the passage:
The Bison on the Plains of America situation for the bisonbefore European settlers’ coming
Situation For the bison after European settlers’ coming
The result of killing the bison
Step 7 Choose the best answers
D 1.The settlers treated the native Americans in the following unfairly ways EXCEPT____________
A. They killed them
B .they forced them to leave their hunting grounds.
C .they broke their agreements
D. they fought for food against native Americans.
A 2. ________ caused a big change in the wildlife on the plains?
A the killing of large numbers of bison
B. The building of railways
C. The war between native Americans and European settlers
D. Native Americans hunting many animals for good
B 3. Which of the following is right according to the passage?
A.Native Americans willingly gave up land to the settlers
B.settlers took possession of better land than the native Americans
C.the first settlers on the plains were Europeans.
D. the bison had the same use to the settlers as to native Americans
C 4. It can be inferred from the text__________
A.Native Americans should have raised more bison
B.the killing of bison was stopped by building railways.
C.we should keep the balance of nature
D.the bison is the most important part of the whole wildlife chain
D 5. The text is ____________
A.An animal story
B. an old tale
C.a historical story
D. an animal story as well as a historical story
Step 8 Discussion
How do you think of the relationship between human and nature?
a. Human destroys nature. b. Human creates nature.
c. Human depends on nature. d. Nature depends human.
e. Human and nature depends on each other. f. Human should be responsible for nature.
g. Human is part of nature. h. Human lives in harmony with nature.
i. Nature may control the development of human.
Choose one of them to discuss with your partners to find some support reasons or some solutions.
1.Find a story about the relationship between Human and animal or nature.
2. Find main information about your hometown.
Grammar
Step 1 Revision of word formation
Noun formation
drive driver amaze amazement fasten fastener
develop development open opener pay payment
teach teacher retire retirement admire admiration
happy happiness examine -ation examination dark darkness
kind -ness kindness organize organization
Adjective formation
dirt -y dirty hair hairy smell smelly
pain -ful painful hope hopeful care careful
opposites
un- happy unhappy fortunate unfortunate block unblock
in- efficient inefficient
im- possible impossible
il- liberate illiberate
ir- regular irregular
dis- agree disagree
non- payment nonpayment
Step 2 Exercises:
1.Add dis-, un-, in-, im-, to the following words :
agree disagree complete incomplete healthy unhealthy
important unimportant able unable cover discover/uncover
known unknown practical impractical selfish unselfish
perfect imperfect visible invisible touched untouched
dress undress appear disappear comfort discomfort
2.Write the correct form of the following words:
adj. n. v. n. adj. adv.
hard hardship suffer suffering social socially
willing willingness begin beginning economic economically
greedy greed destroy destruction rapid rapidly
poor poverty depress depression slow slowly
commercial commerce reconstruct reconstruction sure surely
3..Pick out one word from each line that is different from the others and explain why it is different:
settler trader heater westerner explorer
reconstruction respect recover replace rebuild
development government unemployment movement moment
non-violent understand unrest unpleasant injustice
greedy hungry entry windy smoky
display disappear disagree dissatisfied disadvantage
Grammar:
1.It is impossible for lost time to be made up.
2.He is asked for the letter to be sent at once.
3.To be punished is something unpleasant.
4.There are a lot of things to be done.
5.The novel is said to have been translated into several languages.
6.I thought it an honor to have been invited to the party.
( to be done /to have been done)
1.I don’t mind his being invited.
2.She enjoyed being interviewed.
3.Being punished by my parents is terrible.
4.The book being translated will come out by the end of this year.
5. Having been given such a good chance, how could you let it slip away.
(being done /having been done)
Exercises:
Rewrite the following sentences using the correct nonfinite passive form:
Example: I hope that I will be chosen. I hope to be chosen.
1.I expect that more about the south is told.
I expect more about the South to be told.
2.I don’t want anyone to bother me.
I don’t want to be bothered.
3.I don’t mind him saying bad things about me.
I don’t mind bad things being said about me.
4.I want other people to leave me alone.
I want to be left alone.
5.He insisted on us showing hin respect.
He insists on being shown respect.
Look at the picture of a city .Think how it can be made a better place to live in. Make suggestions to the local government.
Examples: They would like /advise/hope/expect more trees to be planted.
My suggestion is to clean up he river.
Suggestions made by others:
plant more trees /move away the heavily polluting factories
protect buildings that date back to ancient times /build a new road
broaden old roads / build a park in the city centre
Your suggestions: ____________