Unit1 Tales of the unexplained-Welcome to the Unit教案
Description
In this section, students will be asked to talk about the following phenomena, including traces of UFO, real existences of Yeti and the Loch Ness monster, reasons for building Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid and disappearances of ships and planes in the Bermuda. All these have a common characteristic, that is, no evidences or proofs have been provided to explain the mysterious phenomena. Students are expected to make full use of resources and share their imaginative ideas with each other by participating in all the activities.
Suggested teaching procedures
Brainstorming
1 ( before taking up the task)
The teacher assigns students a task, that is, all of them are required to surf the net or refer to some reference books, in English or in Chinese to get some information about UFO, Yeti, the Loch Monster, Bermuda, Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid. The activity can be conducted like this:
The topics we are going to deal with in our next period are not only very interesting and attractive, but a bit mysterious as well. They are beyond our knowledge. Even the advanced science and technology of today cannot offer satisfactory answers, so I recommend if we’d like to discuss these topics, it is best for all of us to make preparations first, either by searching for information on the Internet or looking up background information in some books. Besides collecting information, you have to note down your answers. It’ll be more convenient for you to report back your answers if you do so.
2 ( focusing on the pictures )
a Ask students to read the instructions and focus on the six pictures and illustrations individually first. The teacher can arouse their interest by asking them the following questions:
Do the six pictures have something in common? What is it?
(unexplained; no satisfactory answers; mysterious; no evidences…)
Can scientists explain these phenomena?
How do you feel about them? Are you a bit curious?
b Ask students to think of as many expressions as possible to answer the above questions, encourage them to make up sentences and report back their answers. The teacher can share the following sentences with students.
They are mysterious because no satisfactory answers have been offered to explain their reasons.
Though these mysteries have puzzled people for a long time, people show great interest in them.
People feel puzzled due to their mysteries.
c Ask students to report back the information they have collected. As students have been required to prepare for the topics, their answers might be various. The teacher can vary the activities according to students’ responses. If possible, some answers students provide can be used as a prompt for a class discussion. For example:
Teacher: What information have you got about UFO?
Student A: ... … …
Teacher: Do you think student A’s introduction interesting? What about the information you’ve got? Is there something different?
Student B: ………
This activity can be conducted flexibly.
d Ask students to have a discussion about the topics by exploring some other activities. In order to conduct them more conveniently, the teacher can arrange numbers from left to right, from top to bottom first. For example:
(Picture 1) Have you ever read some reports about UFO in Chinese? Are you interested in it?
Is it really from another planet? What does UFO stand for?
For what reasons do you think UFO visits our planet?
(Picture 2) Where is Himalayas? What’s the weather like there?
Why do some people make great efforts to climb it? (hobby; dream; challenge themselves; make discoveries; overcome …)
Yeti is reported to be half-man and half-beast, have you heard of it?
Do you think some climbers’ disappearance have some connections with Yeti?
(Pictures3, 4 and 6) Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid of Egypt are both cultural relics.
Where is the Great Pyramid built, on the east coast of the Nile or on the west of it? What are its reasons?
Do you think the Great Pyramid a wonder in the human history? How was the Great Pyramid built?
I haven’t heard of Stonehenge or the Ness Monster. They are a bit new to me. What about you? Will you be interested in making discoveries about them when you grow up?
(Picture 5) While talking about picture 4, the teacher can show a map to the students and point to them clearly where Florida and the Bermuda Florida are on the map.
Are there any monsters in these areas?
Why do ships or planes disappear in this area? Do you think it is too mysterious?
Suppose there is a ship equipped with the latest scientific equipment and it can make contact with scientists on land at any time, do you think it will be possible to solve the mysteries?
Sharing information
1 Pair students up first. Let different pairs focus on different questions. If possible, the first question can be adapted easily like this:
Do you believe in UFOs? What may be the explanations of UFOs?
—— Aliens from space without a doubt —— Military test craft without a doubt ——Some UFOs are alien, some are test craft —— UFOs are evidence of human space travel —— UFOs are neither alien nor test craft —— UFOs don't exist
Encourage students to express their agreements or disagreements about it.
2 Ask different pairs to summarize their answers and then report them back.
Sample answers
1 Like any other intelligent and rationale person, I have a firm belief in UFOs. In fact, I have seen a few myself. UFO stands for Unidentified Flying Object, that is, an object, apparently moving in the sky, that we cannot identify. However, if you ask me whether I believe spacecraft carrying visitors from outer space, I would say ‘no’. I do not believe it.
2 The continent of Antarctica was discovered in 1818. A map known as the 'Piri Reis' Map, a genuine document made in Constantinople in 1513, clearly shows the continent of Antarctica. How could this have been possible if Antarctica was not discovered until 300 years later? Antarctica was supposed to have been covered by ice for the last million or so years, but samples taken from sediment deep beneath Antarctica in 1949 revealed that great rivers had once flowed in Antarctica until about 6000 years ago.
3 I’m always interested in the stories of UFOs and aliens. And I hope I will have the chance to meet one some day. If it really happens to me, I will ask questions such as ‘who or what are you?’ ‘Where are you from?’ ‘How long does it take to travel from your place to our planet?’ I will try my best to communicate with them, discovering what their life is like and why they come to the earth.
Resources
(Picture 1) The following is a description from a witness: The light was travelling west to northeast. They were saying it then changed direction from west to southeast. There was no colour, just bright light like a large spotlight. At first my husband thought it was a helicopter with a spotlight, but there was no noise. It seemed to move in a slow, steady speed. From my perspective it changed direction at the last moment.’ For more information, you can surf the following web-site:
http://www.qtm.net/~geibdan/framemst.html
(Picture 2) The Yeti has lived in the Himalayas as a mystery for many years. Known as "the rock living animal" in Sherpa, and as "the abominable snowman" in the west, the sightings of Yeti have been reported since the late 1800s. The following website gives you more information http://www.legendofyeti.com/
(Picture 3) Loch Ness is a vast and beautiful body of water. Although Nessie was sighted as far back as the 6th century AD, it is the modern day sightings that have attracted the public imagination. For more information you can surf the following website : http://www.lochness.co.uk/livecam/
(Picture 4) The huge three-sided section of the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Bermuda, Puerto Rico and Florida, did not receive its famous nickname until 1964, but reports of strange happenings there, or nearby, have been recorded for centuries. The following website tells you more: http://octopus.gma.org/Tidings/myths/bermuda.html
(Picture 5) Stonehenge is surely Britain's greatest national icon, standing for mystery, power and endurance. Its original purpose is unclear to us, but some have guessed that it was a temple made for the worship of ancient earth god or goddess. For more information, you can surf the following website: http://witcombe.sbc.edu/earthmysteries/EMStonehenge.html
(Picture 6) The Great Pyramid of Khufu is a typical example of the knowledge and experience of all previous pyramids, and it is the only surviving member of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. The following website tells you more: http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Great_Pyramid.html
【点此下载】