言知识和技能训练作了系统的安排，循序渐进，循环反复，有利于学生构建知识系统；注意培养创新精神，提高实践能力。但新教材也应与学生的实际相结合，我们不能全盘照搬。同时在教学过程中，为了对教学有个即使的反馈和有效的改进，我们还进行了“形成性评价”。 本单元的语言技能和语言知识几乎都围绕“The science of the stars”这一中心话题设计的。我们根据本单元实际情况对教材的课时安排作了一些调整，尤其是学生用书(Student’s Book)和作业本(Workbook)有机结合。整个单元的备课思路是这样的： 从天文学谈到地球（地球上生命的起源，如何去保护地球）----其他星球及太空物质（月球及黑洞）----去太空旅行的目的，可能会碰到哪些困难，需要做哪些准备---科学家进行探索需要准备什么以及需要怎样的素质。因此，具体安排是这样的： Period one: Warming up and reading Period two: Using language and reading(wb)
Period three: Listening, talking, listening and writing Period four: Grammar Period five: Language Point
这样要说明的是我们在第二三课时教学中，特别穿插了对写作的辅导，符合了先输入后输出的教学理念。
五、教学步骤 (Teaching procedures)
Period 1 Warming up & Reading
Step 1 Warming up & lead in 1. Talk about science subjects
T: Good morning/afternoon, everyone. What class do you have today? S1: Maths, English, Chinese, physics, history, and geology. T: What other subjects do you have in school?
S2: Computer, chemistry, biology, music, PE, and politics. T: Which is your favourite? Why?
S3: My favourite one is …because it’s very interesting/exciting/instructive/… S4: I like …best because …
T: Which ones are science subjects?
S5: Physics, chemistry, biology, geology and mathematics.
T: All these subjects play an important role in the study of science. What subjects are used to study medicine? How about biochemistry? What about geophysics? What subjects are part of astronomy?
S6: … S7: … S8: … S9: … T: What does astronomy deal with?
S10: Astronomy is the scientific study of the universe and the heaven bodies (such as the sun, moon, and stars), gas, and dust within it.
T: What do we call people who study astronomy? S11: Astronomer.
2. Talk about universe and solar system
T: Let’s follow this astronomer to learn about universe. How did the universe come into being? S12: After the “Big Bang”, the universe came into being.
T: Do you know the solar system in the universe? What is it made up of?
S13: The solar system contains eight planets and many comets and other objects.
(Note：According to the present day scientific study, there are only eight planets, with the Pluto excluded.)
T: Can you name the eight planets?
S14: The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. T: Which planet do we live on? Can you describe what it looks like?
S15: Earth. It supports a variety of life and 70% of the earth is covered with seas or oceans. T: Is there life on other planets? S16: Not yet.
T: Why does life only exist on the earth?
S17: Because there is air and water on the earth.
T: Right, there is a famous saying “Water is the headspring of life”. But how did the water appear on the earth? If you want to get the correct answer, please read the passage on P25. It will tell you.
Step 2 Reading
1. Get the Ss to go through Paragraph 1 on P 25 and find the answers to the following questions Qs: ① What did the earth look like after the “Big Bang”? (a cloud of energetic dust) ② How did the earth change afterwards? (…combine into a solid ball) ③ What happened to the ball? (explode…make the earth’s atmosphere) ④ How did the water begin to appear? （cool down）
⑤ Did water stay on the other planets or satellites? (disappear)
⑥ Water was important for the beginning of life. How did water make life develop? (dissolve
harmful gases into …)
T: With water, life began and developed on the earth. How did life develop through history? 2. Make the Ss read paragraphs 2-3 and finish the following chart.
A cloud of dust →a solid ball →presence of water →small plants grow on the water→ shellfish and other fish appear →plants begin to grow on dry land→ insects and amphibians appear→ retiles appear →dinosaurs appear→ mammals appear Q: Why was it necessary for plants to grow before animals? (Plants provided oxygen for animals to breathe.) 3. Retell
Suppose you are Dr. … who studies astronomy. You are invited to give a speech to the school students about the development of life on “Earth Day” (April 22nd). Good morning/afternoon. I am Dr…. I am greatly honored to be here to give you a speech about the development of life”. … 4. Let the Ss read paragraph 4 and think over the problems caused by humans to the earth.
T: Earth is home to us the living things. We ought to take good care of it. Do we human beings look after the earth well? What problems have been caused by humans to the earth? (air/water/earth pollution, global warming, desertification, endangered wildlife…)
Step 3 Activities
1. Activity 1: We make our home earth in danger. If we still keep doing damage to the earth, we will be homeless one day. It is time we took action and protected it. Discuss in groups “ How to protect our earth and make it a better place to live on?”
2. Activity 2: Suppose you are to design an activity for your school on Earth Day, which is
intended to call on teachers and students to protect the earth. Work in groups and choose a reporter of your group to report your work. The following points should be included in the report of your activity.
? What the activity is about ? Why the activity is designed
? When and where to do the activity ? Who takes part in the activity ? What to be done in the activity ? …
Step4 Homework:
1. Search the Internet for the information of the development of life. 2. Read and learn good words, phrases or structures from Reading.
Period 2 Using language $ Reading task
Step1. Lead in
T: We have learnt a lot about astronomy, have you got interested in it? If you are going to study astronomy, what problem will you face most? S2:Gravity.
T: What is gravity?
S3: Everything will fall back to the earth if it is dropped or thrown away. The pull of the earth is called gravity.
T: Quite right. Who first got the idea of gravity? S4: Isaac Newton.
T: How did he get the idea?
S5: One day he was sitting under the tree. He saw an apple fall, which made him get the idea. Besides Newton, are there any other scientists who made a great contribution to the idea of gravity?
S6: Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking.
T: How did each of them think of gravity? Or did they share the same idea of gravity? Come on, the tape will tell you.
Step 2 Listening
1. Listen to the tape and choose the best main idea of the listening passage (Ex.2 P30).
Main idea: ① I heard about how three men made mistakes when they tried to describe gravity. ② I heard about how three men wanted to find out about the beginning of the
universe.
③ I heard about how the idea of gravity has developed over a long period of time.
④ I heard about three scientists and their work. The best answer : ③
2. Listen to the tape again and fill in the chart in Ex. 1 on P30. Dates Idea Isaac Newton 1642-1727 Albert Einstein 1879-1955 Stephen Hawking 1942- Everything is affected by a Gravity is connected “Black holes” “eat” force called gravity to time and space objects but also “spit” them out It was only about the earth It was about the It was about things universe found in the universe called “black holes” Other information (Note: Astronomers and scientists think that a black hole is a region of space (not a thing) into which matter has fallen and from which nothing can escape — not even light. So we can’t see a black hole. A black hole exerts a strong gravitational pull and yet it has no matter. It is only space - or so we think.)
Step3.Reading 1. Fast reading
T: All the three great scientists Newton, Einstein and Hawking played an important role in the development of ideas of gravity. Would you like to know more about gravity? Ss: Yes.
T: Is the moon’s gravity the same as that of the earth? S1: No.
T: Read fast to see how many times would the force of gravity change? S2: Three.
2.Careful reading
T: What are the three times? How would the force of gravity change? And how did our weight change? Leave the earth In space On the moon Very strong Disappeared Very light Very heavy Floated weightlessly The mass will be less 3.Summary T: Good! I am sure you must know more about the gravity. Suppose you are asked to make a summary about the trip, will you try? You only need to fill the blacks and the first word has been given.
Last month I visited the moon with my friend. Before we left, I was told the force of gravity____ would change three times on our journey. Then we took off. As we left the earth, I became very heavy__. Gradually the weight lessened_. When I was in space, it disappeared___. We floated__ weightlessly in the cabin and I cheered up__. When I was on the moon, I was surprised to find out even walking needs lots of practice now that_ gravity changed. The returning of the earth was very frightening__. We were amazed to watch fire break out__ on the outside of the ship.
Step4. Reading task
T：Great! But just imagine that the moon has great gravity, then what will happen?