Warm-up activities

1 Before looking at the comic strip, revise some of the adj.used to describe personalities focusing particularly on ‘smart’. Also revise comparatives and the structure ‘there be’. Preteach structures (‘What is …like?, It’s like…’) out of context.

2 Ask students to study the page for a few minutes. Encourage them to ask any questions about the conversation. Invite more able students to give comments about the last sentence.

3 After students have grasped the amusing message of the page, use it as a starting point for brainstorming on ‘What is school like?’ Ask students make comments, write everything on the Bb.

4 Do a mini survey of students’ opinions.

Presentation (Welcome to this Unit)

1 Introduce the idea of the main language spoken in different countries around the world. Start with Chinese then move on to English. English is used as a main language in the following countries: Britain, Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Talk to students briefly about different varieties of English used around the world.

2 Ask students to read the list of words in Part A. Check for pronunciation and explain any unfamiliar words. Give them more British and American words to match.

Language points

Why don’t dogs…? What is school like? Be like watching TV, fewer advertisements, autumn-fall, American football-football, football-soccer, film-movie, secondary school-high school, etc.

Homework

1 Learn the language points by heart.

2 一課三練 P.13

3 Preview the Reading Part.

Presentation (Reading A)

1 Talk about different countries to introduce the idea that there are different kinds of schools around the world.

2 On the Bb, write the headings ‘Life in a Chinese School’. Brainstorm quickly students’ ideas about what they want to tell people in other countries about their school life. Focus on enjoyable and special aspects of school.

3 Write ‘Life in a British school’ and Life in an American School’ on the Bb. As a pre-reading activity, ask students what they think lives in these schools are like. Elicit subjects, different class activities, extra-curricular activities and clubs.

4 Ask students to read the text. Explain any difficult words.

5 Divide the class into two groups. Allocate one of the letters to each group. In pairs, ask students to underline the main points . Then ask them to circle all the keywords in the text. Ask students to make a gird with the different ‘Wh-‘ questions.

Presentation (Reading B)

1Ask students to do Part B1 on their own.Encourage students to check their answer with a partner. Invite less able students to find and underline the words in the text on page 20. Check answers orally with the whole class.

2 Divide the class into pairs. Students read the conversation in Part B2 first without filling the blanks. Check whether they understand the conversation.

3 Ask a pair of more able students to read the conversation to the class, pay attention to fluency, pronunciation and stress. Provide feedback on the correct choice of words for each blank.

Presentation (Reading C)

1 Do the class feedback as a quiz. Divide the class into eight groups. Students check their answers with members of their group. Ask students to close their books while I read the sentences and tell me whether the sentences are true or not.

2 Ask students to correct the false sentences.

3 Explain and read the words in the box in Part C2 .Ask students to look at the pictures on the page and complete the task on their own. Students select the correct phrases for each picture.

4 Ask students to check in the text on page 20 to find out whether each picture is from John or Nancy.

5 Write some questions about the reading passage.

* What are the names of the two students?

* What are the names of their towns?

* Why does John love Home Economics most?

* How old are students when they learn to drive in American?

* What do older students do at the buddy club?

* What is the name of Nancy’s buddy?

Language points (Part A)

Year 8, a mixed school, have lessons together, Home Economics, how to cook and sew, how to do things for myself, cook healthy and tasty meals, a reading week, have to, the end of each class, as well, in 9th grade, driving lessons, drive me to school, it’s faster than taking a bus, twice a week, spend a lot of time practicing, go to a bubby club, help me with my homework, my hero, have a great time doing

Language points (Part B)

A close friend, with a pleasant taste, an article by a girl from the USA, be called, someone you admire very much

Homework

1 Learn the language points by heart.

2 一課三練 P.14-15

3 Preview the Vocabulary Part.

Presentation （Vocabulary）

1 This section helps students expand their active vocabulary about school subjects. Ask students to read the words in the box and match pictures with correct subjects on their own.

2 Check answers with class as a whole.

3 Point out that two adj. are introduced, one using the prefix ‘un-‘ and the other using the suffix ‘-less’. Give them more examples.

Unhappy, unhealthy, uncomfortable, careless

Read all the adj. Students should be able to recognize all the words. Ask them to do the task on their own first and then compare with a partner.

Language points

Want to learn more about the subjects that British students study, attach to, unimportant, unpopular

Homework

1 Learn the language points by heart.

2 一課三練 P.1

3 Preview the Grammar Part.

Presentation （Grammar Part A）

1 Use the context in Part A1 to arouse students’ interest. Talk to students about how many hours they spend doing various things.Write down the results in a table on the Bb. Introduce the idea of ‘more than’ ,’fewer than’ and ‘less than’.

2 Ask students to study the sample sentences at the top of the page.Read each sentence. Invite students to make one more sentence about each picture.

3 Review the difference between countable and uncountable nouns. Elicit 6-7 nouns to illustrate the differences.

4 Ask students to read and complete ‘Work out the rule!’

5 Ask students to study the table in Part A1 carefully. Work out the correct information and complete sentences 1-4. Complete the table with their own information to arouse their interest. Ask them abouttheir results comparing with Nancy’s and John’s.

Presentation （Grammar Part B）

1 Ask students to look at the pictures at the top of the pageand read the sentences under each picture. Explain that we use ‘the most’ for the largest amount and ‘the fewest/the least’ for the smallest amount.

2 Ask students to read the sentences on their own and then ask questions to elicit the rule in the introduction.

3 Ask students to read and complete ‘work out the rule!’

4 Part B1 is a problem-solving task and they have to use deductive skills to work out the information from the table on page 24.

5 Ask students to read out the sentences to check the answers..

Presentation （Grammar Part C）

1 Point to the picture and read the sample sentences. Ask students to identify the nouns in each sentence. Tell them that the two sentences have the same meaning. Elicit the different usage of words depending on the position of the noun.

2 Divide students into pairs and ask them to do Part C1. Read the worked example and point out the word order.

3 students to look at the contents of their school bags. Ask them to show and name the things in it.

4 Ask students to work in pairs to do Part C2. Ask each pair to tell the rest of the class about the similar objects they have in their school bags.

Presentation （Grammar Part D）

1 Point at the pictures at the top of the page and read the sentences. Explain when we use ‘the same as’ and ‘different from’.

2 Use the topic of the school uniform to arouse students’ interest and help students refocus on the task more easily.

3 Point at the pictures in Part D1 and explain that Millie and Simon go to Beijing Sunshine Secondary School and Tina and John go to Woodland School. Ask students to complete the sentences on their own and then read out the answers in class.

4 Encourage more able students to make more comparisons on their own. Ask them to make a summary of their findings using the ideas given in Part D2.

Language points

More than, fewer than, less than, compare…with, the most…, the fewest/the least, a large/small amount of, like---alike, the same as, different from, a uniform

Homework

1 Learn the language points by heart.

2 一課三練 P.17-18

3 Preview the Integrated skills, Speak up & pronunciation Part.

Presentation （Integrated skills A）

1 Read the list of future plans before playing the recording.

2 Invite students to talk about their own and their partner’s future hopes.

3 Play the recording. Students listen carefully and put a tick next to each correct phrase as they hear it. Stop the recording after each phrase listed in Part A1 if necessary.

4 Ask students to read Millie’s letter addressed to Mr Zhou, the editor, on their own. Read the completed letter to check the correct answers.

5 Play the recording for Part A3 and ask students to complete Sandy’s letter on their own. Go through the list of phrases in the table on page 12 again. Read the completed letter.

Presentation （Integrated skills B）

1 Close the books and listen to me while I read the conversation. Ask students to repeat the sentences as they hear them.

2 Ask students to practice the conversation in pairs and then change roles.

3 Ask students to bring photos of their friends. Divide them into pairs and invite them to ask each other questions about the people in the photos. E.g., Who is the boy on your left? What’s he like? What would he like to be when he grows up?

Language points

Popular, help people solve problems, make friends, make people happy, editor, try to do---try to be kind to people, try my best to help them, a social worker, I’m really happy to do, future plans, It is great to do, become a famous singer, agree/agree with, one of the nicest boys

Homework

1 Learn the language points by heart.

2 一課三練 P.19-20

3 Preview the Main task & Checkout Part.

Presentation （Study skills）

1 Ask more able students what they want to find out when they read a passage. Write ‘What’s it about?’ on the Bb and try to elicit the other questions listed on the page. Underline the ‘Wh-‘ words.

2 Read the letter to the whole class. Ask more able students to close the books while I read. Ask some open questions, e.g. , Who is Cindy? Why is Cindy unhappy? What is Cindy’s problem? Explain difficult or unfamiliar words.

3 Ask students to read the letter carefully and underline the main points on their own using a pencil initially. Remind them to refer to the ‘Wh-‘ questions at the top of the page. Divid the class into groups of four and ask students to compare the main points they have underlined. Go through the letter again sentence by sentence and check the answers.

4 Ask more able students to underline main points and circle keywords.

5 Tell students to read them again, and answer the ‘Wh-‘questions. Students work in pairs.

Language points （Study skills）

Smiling, general appearance, pleasant, ability

Presentation （Main task）

1 Explain the context of entering a writing competition of a teenagers’ magazine. If possible, find out about similar writing.

2 sk students to look at Daniel’s notes in Part A.

3 Remind students that when we take notes, we don’t need to write in complete sentences--- we just need to write down the keywords.

4 Encourage students to use a variety of adj. to avoid repetition. Remind them of the adj. they’ve learned in this unit.

5 Ask students to read Daniel’s article in Part C on their own. Then ask general questions to check comprehension.

6 Ask students to underline the adj. in the article.

7 Ask students to identify the four paragraphs in the article. Help them identify the purpose of each paragraph. Then focus on the layout of the article, e.g., introduction, main body and conclusion.

8 Make sure that students are aware of the use of pronouns, which help link different ideas and sentences together and avoid repetition of names.

9 Ask students to write a rough draft using their notes in Part B, Daniel’s article as a model and the plan in Part D.

Language points （Main task）

Live next door, have been friends for almost 10 years, wear a smile on her face

Presentation （Checkout）

1 Tell students that they will be able to check their use of adj., comparatives and superlatives in the structures they have learned in the unit by doing Part A.

2 Ask students to read through the table and complete the conversation.

3 Tell students that they need to select the correct adj. and noun phrases to fit the context of the sentences in the diary entry in Part B. Set a time limit.

Language points （Checkout）

Climbing, what about playing football?, a friend like Alan, answer questions correctly

Homework

1 Learn the language points by heart.

2 一課三練 P.21-22

3 Preview Unit 3