BOOK I
UNIT 4 Fresh Start
Lesson Plan ( Outline)
Course: College English Level 1
Content: Unit 4
Time: Week 12&13
To (The Students): Undergraduates 2005 Level 1
Textbook and Edition: New College English (Second Edition)
Teaching Methods: Lectures, Presentations, Group discussions, Pair works and Practices in Listening Lab
Teaching Aims: In this unit, students are required to 1) get familiar with some useful language points appeared in the reading passages, 2) assume a positive attitude toward the fresh start so as to ease their apprehensions and smoothly adjust to their college life, 3) understand how to become a successful college student.
Content and Time Distribution:
1. Period 1-2 Part 1( Preparation) and Part 2 ( In-class Reading: Pre-Reading)
2. Period 3-4 Part 2 (In-class Reading: Fresh Start, Post-Reading)
3. Period 5-6 Part 2 ( After-class Reading), Part 3 and Part 4
4. Period 7-8 View, Listen and Speak ( in Listening Lab)
Key Teaching Points: In-class Reading: Fresh Start: Passage organization, the use of certain words and expressions, exercises in Post Reading; After-class Reading: students are expected to form their opinion as regards how to become a successful college student; Further Development: Ex.1.2.4.
Teaching Aided by: Online Courseware
Assignments:
1． Memorize several sentences and ask some students to recite in class
2． Dictation ：a. key words and useful phrases appeared in the reading passages
b. a short passage
3. Sentence translation
4. Writing
I. Teaching Aims: In this unit, students are required to 1) get familiar with some useful language points appeared in the reading passages, 2) assume a positive attitude toward the fresh start so as to ease their apprehensions and smoothly adjust to their college life, 3) understand how to become a successful college student.
II. Background Information
Fresh Start
As teachers, we all greet each new school year with feelings of anticipation (n. 期待, 希望), excitement, and even a bit of apprehension (n. 理解, 忧惧) as we wonder what our new groups of students will be like. Will they be ambitious (adj. 有雄心的，野心勃勃的) and interested learners ready to absorb new words and ideas to make them their own, or will we have to prod and push them to learn the new materials to which they are being introduced? Sometimes, in fact often, a class will have a mixture of both kinds of students.
In the teaching profession, unlike in many other professions, we have the opportunity to make a fresh start each year, indeed each semester. We have the leisure to consider what went right and what went wrong in the previous classes; we can also try slightly different methods of teaching, repeating them in the future if they work and discarding (v. 丢弃; 抛弃) them if they don't. In this respect teachers are fortunate indeed.
What about the students? If they are freshmen, they have many apprehensions and many tensions. They are having to make adjustments to dormitory life, no small thing for many of them. They also are now away from a secure base of family and friends and are hoping that they can make new friends with whom they can share their hopes and fears. Probably they are most apprehensive (adj. 有理解力的) about whether or not they can succeed in college, and they may be quite worried as to whether or not they will be able to succeed in this English class.
Actually the English classroom can be a place where students' apprehensions are eased. In small group discussions they can be encouraged to talk about themselves, their beliefs, and even their fears. The students in the small groups can be very supportive of one another if they are encouraged to be so. Often, praise from peers can mean more to students than praise from their teachers because they are insecure in their social relationships. Students can also express some of their concerns through writing assignments. Often just writing down something that is bothersome can make an individual feel better. It would be wonderful if we could make the English class a place that students look forward to entering. It is not impossible to have this happen, and we teachers can think about what we can do to make it so.
In a sense, each day is a new beginning for both students and teacher, a time when a fresh start can be made. We all have had class sessions that didn't go exactly as we would have liked. The beauty of teaching is that we can think about how we can keep that from happening again. To live and to be active means that we will all make mistakes. We can learn not to be crushed by our mistakes but to learn from them, and it is essential that we help our students to learn this, too. If we can find positive things to say to a student who has had a "bad day", we can help him to realize that he can make a fresh start during the next class and probably will do better. We teachers already know this, but sometimes it doesn't hurt that we remind ourselves of the fact. If students seek help from us, we can aid them in making their fresh starts, even though sometimes we wonder if we have the time to do so. Then, with their individual successes, we will feel and, indeed, be successful too.
Philosophers and poets have also recognized the importance of fresh starts, or beginnings. The 5th century B.C. Greek philosopher Plato stated that "the beginning is the most important part of the work." John Dryden, the 17th century British poet, reminded his readers of the importance of beginnings both in nature and in art, when he wrote:
"By viewing Nature, Nature's handmaid Art,
“Makes mighty things from small beginnings grow."
III. Period 1—2
A. Part One: Preparation (40 min. )
1. A Freshman’s Alphabet (25 min.)
i. Ask the Ss to finish the blanks dependently, then check on them together.
ii. Pair work: prepare a short passage entitled “A Freshman’s School Life”, using as many words from the Freshman’s Alphabet as possible. After 5 min., ask one or two Ss to give their presentations to the whole class.
2. A Letter from College (15 min.)
Step one: ask the Ss to discuss the following questions in pairs, then answer them.
1 Why did Susan write the letter? How do you know?
【dollar: $, Australian dollar: A$, Canadian dollar: Can$
pound(Britain):￡, Japanese Yen:￥, Renminbi Yuan: RMB
French Franc: FF, Deutsche Mark: DM, rouble: Rub/R, dong(Vietnam): D】
2 What’s her mother’s reply? Explain.
Step Two: Group work: talking about the times when they write or call home from college. Ask the Ss to use words and expressions like “when, whenever, often, usually, once, once/twice a week/month, as soon as”, etc. in their sentences. (5—8 min.)
B. Part Two Reading-Centered Activities: In-Class Reading (60 min.)
1. New Words & Useful Expressions (30min.)
⑴ Give the Ss 5min. to read them loud, including explanations and examples.
⑵ Dictate some words and expressions by giving the English explanations or synonyms or antonyms.
⑶ Translate some sentences(C-E), using the expressions learned. (Sentences are picked up from the examples of the expressions concerned.)
⑷ Ask the Ss to point out the collocations and collaborations that they think are important or wonderful. Teacher gives the necessary sum-up.
2. Vocabulary exercises (20min.) P116
Ex.1: The given words have different meanings in different contexts. Use them to complete the incomplete sentences.
Ex.2: Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words from the box.
Ask the Ss to finish them right in class and then check together (translate the whole sentence into Chinese).
3. Text: Pre-reading Questions (5 min.)
You’ve been a freshman for almost 2 months. Have you made any embarrassing mistake during this time? How did you feel about it? And why did you get that kind of feeling?
IV. Periods 3—4
1. In-class Reading (70min.) Fresh Start
⑴ Read the Text
Ask Ss to read the text in class. Others should try to follow and point out mistakes, if any, in the reading.
(2) Main Idea & Structure
Work in pairs to complete the outline of the text. P114
(3) Details (in question form)
Ask Ss to answer the questions (P115) concerning the details.
(4) Language Points: Group Work
Each group is assigned part of the passage to study. After 5 min, they are supposed to share their work with the whole class.
1 … keep my ears open and my mouth shut … (ll. 4—5)
keep sb./ sth. adj./ done
e.g. There are toys to keep the kids amused.
It’s hard to keep the house clean with three kids.
2 … how nice it would be if no one had noticed. (ll. 21—22)
Subjunctive mood in “if” Clause.
3 So off to the cafeteria I went. (ll. 29—30)
Inverted sentence to emphasize “ the cafeteria”.
4 He got up, hands held high above his head in a victory clasp, grinning from ear to ear. (ll.36—37)
Absolute structure refer to Unit 1 (Note 10, Page 8)
“grin from ear to ear” means “ grin very widely”.
5 … but instead he turned around and began preparing another tray. (ll. 37—38)
The word “instead” means “in place of someone or something else that has been mentioned”.
e.g. We didn’t have enough money for a movie, so we went to the park instead.
Jim didn’t join the navy. Instead, he decided to become an actor.
The phrase “ instead of” means “ in place of”.
e.g. I should be at school instead of lying here in bed.
6 Translation (extended meanings of the words)
Referring to the knowledge of translation in Part Four (Page 136—137), translate some sentences.
ⅰ I first began to wonder what I was doing on a college campus when my parents drove off, leaving me standing pitifully in a parking lot.
ⅱ Perhaps three days was long enough for the campus population to have forgotten me.
ⅲ I looked up to find that another poor soul had met the same fate as I had.
ⅳ I gave up trying to act my way through college and began not acting at all.
ⅴ So I used the opportunity to make all the ones I thought I’d ever make.
(5) What Can We Get From the Text?
In a sense, each day is a new beginning for each one of us, a time when a fresh start can be made. To live and to be active means that we will all make mistakes. After all, to err is human, to forgive, divine. But what is important is that we can learn not to be crushed by our mistakes but to learn from them.
2. Translation Exercises (15 min.) P117.
Ask some Ss to write their translation on the blackboard and some to correct the mistakes.
3. Further Development (10 min.)
Check Ex.2 Vocabulary Review. P134
For reference: Teacher’s Book P63.
4. Homework
Oral Work: How can one become a successful college student？Try to find some suggestions in this unit.
IV. Periods 5—6
1. After-class Reading (30 min.)
Passage One: ① How does one become a successful college student?
② Inverted sentences beginning with “only, so, not only, hardly, scarcely, etc.” Note 2, Page 123.
③ Subjunctive mood in “It is + adj.+ that clause”
Note 3, Page 123.
Passage Two: Read the text in class (10min.) and answer the following questions.
1 What’s most people’s impression on freshmen?
2 What’s Charlotte’s attitude toward freshmen?
3 Does she give any tips to freshmen?
2. Part Three: Further Development
Grammar Review: Check the work in class.
3. Dictation (20 min.)
If you are a freshman interestedin interacting with more students on campus, try making plans to study in a group and join some campus organizations. First of all, at the beginning of the semester, arrange to study with a group of students in one of your classes. You can do this by asking the teacher to announce to the class a group study opportunity. After that, you can meet with other interested students to decide on the day, time, and place of your regular meetings. When you meet, you can review vocabulary, discuss ideas and assignments, and prepare for exams. Secondly, you can join some campus organizations. Very often these organizations are related to various major fields and subject areas. They can give you the opportunity to learn more about a subject while getting to know more people. In these two ways you are very likely to form friendships as well as broaden your mind.
4. Discussion & Writing (20 min.)
⑴ Discussion: College vs. High School
Ask the Ss to work in groups and discuss the differences between college life and life in high school. They may talk about every aspect of their life, such as the role of parents, teachers, classmates, friends, the environment, courses, homework and exams.
⑵ Homework:
Write a passage entitled College --- A New Beginning based on the discussion. It should be written in 150—200 words. Some useful words and expressions are listed on P136.
(This assignment shall be graded and filed as a basis of the accumulated marks.)
V. Periods 7--8 View, Listen and Speak in Listening Lab
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