Module 3 Unit 2 Language

Reading

Teaching Aims:

1. Have Ss enhance their reading abilities

2. Have Ss gain an overall understanding of the article and learn to adopt different reading strategies.

Teaching Focus:

1. Help Ss know some knowledge about English language and its history.

2. Help Ss learn some language items.

Teaching Process:

Step1. Lead-in

As we all know, we Chinese students learn English as our foreign language. Are you good at English?

What do you think is the most difficult part of studying English---pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary or something else?

Do you think English has always stayed the same? Give some examples. (Long time no see.)

Step2. Skimming

Now we know that English has not always stayed the same. I think everything develops in the history. So English has a developing history. In our text book there is a passage about it. Now let’s look at it. Please turn to page 22. Skim the passage and try to find answers to the three questions in Part A.

Check the answers as a class.

Step3.Listening

Listen to the tape and get more detailed information in the reading. Please look at Part C1 and answer these five questions.

Check the answers as a class.

More detailed questions. Look at C2 and fill in the blanks.

Check the answers as a class.

Step4.Looking at the Reading Strategy and answer the questions.

What should you notice? Why?

Answers: dates, years, e.g. the 5th century…help you understand a sequence or events and how pieces of information relate to the text.

What can you do when you read a history article?

Answers: Make a time chart, listening relevant information such as times, places and events…

Step5.Reread the reading and look at the following chart to list information such as times and events.

Time Events

Before the middle of the 5th century People in Britain all speak a language called Celtic.

At the end of the 9th century The Vikings invaded Britain and brought their language.

By the 10th century Old English was the official language of England

In 1066 The Normans conquered England and took control of the country.

By the latter half of the 14th century English was adopted by all classes in England.

In 1399 Henry IV became King of England and used English for all official occasions.

During the Renaissance in the 16th century Modern English began.

Step6.Now let’s look at some exercise about True or False.

1. Old English consisted of an Anglo-Saxon base plus words from the languages of French and Norway. F

2. In 1066, the Normans took control of the country and English was replaced with French. F

3. The words for most animals come from old English just because the animals were raised and cooked by English servants. T

4. English was used for all official occasions after the Norman Conquest. F

5. People from different places sometimes misunderstand each other though they both speak English. T

Step7.Discussion

1. Do you think it possible for Chinese to be the most widely used language some day? Why or why not?

2. Language borrows words from each other. Please list some of them.

Chinese words from English: 咖啡，沙發，模特兒，摩登，引擎，三明治，漢堡等

English words from Chinese: PingPong, Kongfu, tofu,etc.

Step8.Homework

1. Read the reading after class.

2. Do the exercise on Page98 of the workbook.