1、Period 3 A sample lesson plan for Using Language (JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG )IntroductionYou are advised to lead in by talking about Tibet which is a wonder for a travel trip. Then help students with their reading of Journey down the Mekong. Translation of the text into Chinese is proposed. Objectives
2、 To help students make use of what they learned in this unit in communication To help students use the language by reading, listening, speaking and writing Procedures1. Warming up by talking about Tibet Have you ever been to Tibet? Do you want to travel in Tibet? Can you tell me something about Tibe
3、t?Tibet lies on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of the southwest border of China. The average height of the whole region is more than 4,000 meters above sea level, for which Tibet is known as “Roof of the World”. The highest peak of Tibet, also the highest in Himalayas and in the whole world, is Everest P
4、eak, which is as high as 8,846.27 meters above sea level. Although a part of China, Tibet has a unique culture of all its own. It is mainly inhabited by Tibetans, a minority nationality of old and mysterious people. Tourist attractions include the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Jokhang Temple, and a number
5、 of Buddhist sacred places.Tibet (Xi Zang in Chinese) is to the south of Xin Jiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qing Hai Province, to the west of Sichuan, to the northwest of Yunnan and to the north of India and Nepal. Its population of 2.3 million people come from a variety of ethnic groups includin
6、g Tibetan, Han, Monba and Lhota. Its capital city is Lhasa.Northwest Tibet, mainly Qing Hai plateau, is home to a variety of unusual and unique animals. Across the northern expanse of Tibet, you can see vast grasslands where horses, yak and sheep roam freely. The worlds lowest valley, the Grand Yarl
7、un-tzanpo River Valley lies in east Tibet.It is freezing cold in most time of the year. Most tourists come to visit Tibet only in the warmest seasons, June, July, August and early September.2. Reading and underliningNow lets go on with JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG with Wang Wei and Wang Kun. They are in
8、Tibet now. Please turn to Page 22. Read the passage quickly and underline all the useful expressions and collocations in it. Copy them to your notebook after class as homework.Collocations from JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG (II)ride bicycles, climb the mountain，be great fun, reach a valley, stop to do sth
9、., make camp, put up, after supper, go to sleep, stay awake, at midnight, become clear, so that, the sound of the fire, travel so far, join sb., hardly wait to see, change ones attitude.The Mekong River1. It begins at a glacier on a Tibetan mountain which is at an altitude of more than 5000 meters.
10、2. It is small and the water is clean and cold at first. Then it moves quickly and passes through deep valley.3. Half of it is in China and it is called Lancang River in China.4. As it enters Southeast Asia , it travels slowly through hills and low valleys, and the plains where rice grow.3. Reading
11、and translatingNext you are going to read the text JOURNEY DOWN THE MEKONG and translate it into Chinese.4. Speaking EnglishRead the passage again and find the answers to the questions:1) How does Wang Kun feel about the trip? (He is starting to like the trip.)2) What do you think has changed his at
12、titude? (seeing the beautiful land)3) Is it natural for Wang Kun not to feel lonely? (Yes. Because the scene Wang Kun saw is beautiful. The sky was clear and the stars were bright. Also their cousins are waiting for him.) 4) Would you feel the same way in this situation? Why or why not? (You may hav
13、e different opinions about this. Just speak it out and let us share your idea, will you?)Imagine that the dialogue happens the next morning before Wang Kun and Wang Wei leave their camp. Write a short dialogue between them with your partner. Wei: You look so tired Kun: Yes, I stayed up late last nig
14、ht.Wei: Really? What did you do? Kun: I watched the clear sky and the bright stars.Wei: Thats nice. They must be pretty. Kun: Yes, they were.5. ListeningLets turn to page 23 and do the listening text. Before listening to the tape, please read the words fast, and then tick the words you hear on the t
15、ape. After that Ill play the tape for the second time and then finish the chart. You should look through the chart and find out the listening points. The following questions can help you understand the listening text.Where is the girl from? What do people in Laos use the river for? Why do people in
16、Laos call the river “the sea of Laos”? What is the river called in Tibet and Vietnam? What other beautiful sights along the Mekong River in Laos?6. Guided writingWriting a short emailNow lets do a writing practice. Imagine that you are a friend of Wang Wei. Write a short email to her and ask her to
17、describe: how she feels, what she is doing, and some place you want to know about. Then wish her well on her journey by using at least two of these expressions:Have a nice/good time. Have a nice/good trip. Take care.Good luck on your journey. Say “Hello” to . Write to me.Give my best/love wishes to
18、. Have fun.You can refer to the following steps.In pairs choose the details from the journey that are most interesting. Think of what else you would like to know about the journey. Write these ideas down as questions.Now choose two or three of the best questions for your letter. Each question should
19、 have another sentence explaining why you want to know this information.Put them in an order that makes sense.Begin your letter as shown in the textbook and add your questions for Wang Wei. Your writing should not be more than one paragraph.Finish your letter as shown in the textbook.A sample piece
20、of writingHi, brave little Wei,How I worry about you and Wang Kun! Do you have a good time now? I hope so. What are you doing now? Are you still in Laos? Can you tell me something about peoples life there? When are you leaving for Cambodia? When you get there, tell me about the Buddhist temples ther
21、e. Please send some photos with your next letter! Well, Have a good trip and dont forget to write to me! Give my best wishes to Wang Kun. Good luck on your journey.Take care!Yours,Wang Lin7. Closing down by writing a letterSuppose you want to travel to Yunnan Province, write a letter to one of your friends in Yunnan and ask him/her what preparations you should make and which places are worth visiting.
