1、Unit 4 JOURNEY ACROSS A VAST LANDReading and Thinking: SEEING THE TRUE NORTH VIA RAIL: VANCOUVER ANDTHE HEART OF CANADA文本简析文本简析本单元阅读文本的话题是两名中国学生坐火车从西到东横跨加拿大的旅途见闻。 文本旨在向学生介绍加拿大的一些基本情况，包括地理环境、自然风光、重要省市和地方等，从而开拓学生视野，加深其对加拿大的了解。本文是旅游类叙事文体，记述了李戴予和刘倩去加拿大看望表兄妹的旅途见闻。标题“Seeing the True North Via Rail: Vancou
2、ver and the Heart of Canada” 暗示文章体裁， 同时体现了文本的核心内容。全文共六段，篇章结构清晰。第一段为总起段，介绍了旅行的人物、缘由、起始地点、交通方式、感想等基本背景；第二段介绍了主人公在温哥华两天的行程和活动； 第三段描绘了主人公探访露易斯湖时所见的湖光山色； 第四段至第六段介绍了主人公在火车上一路向东经过加拿大多地最终到达多伦多的旅途所见和所感。在进行文本教学设计时， 需要理清旅行行程以及主人公在旅途中的所见所想， 同时帮助学生梳理旅行类话题语言，包括景色描写、“见”的各种表达、对所见的感想与评价。此外，文本中的话语标记语也值得梳理。 本文标题蕴含丰富信息
3、， 可以根据标题对文本进行多方位预测，提升思维能力，并根据标题对段落进行框架梳理，阅读后可进一步探讨标题，深入理解文本。 最终需要帮助学生掌握旅游类文章的写作基本要素和技巧， 运用所学语言进行主题意义的表达。教学设计（共教学设计（共 2 课时）课时）第第 1 课时课时一、教学内容一、教学内容理解全文，明确文本结构，理清旅行的基本信息和行程路线，归纳每处所见，梳理语篇标记词，积累“看”的丰富性表达语块。二、课时目标二、课时目标1. 围绕旅行主题，讨论并自主提问，根据标题和图片，预测文本内容，激活背景知识和相关话题语言。2. 通过略读、梳理、归纳等策略，结合标题，提取文本信息，梳理文本段落关系，理
4、清语篇结构，发展逻辑思维能力。3. 通过文本分析以及问题回答，理清旅行的基本信息和行程路线，归纳每处所见内容并根据上下文理解相关词义，整理和丰富相关语言，最后通过课文复述巩固所学。三、教学过程三、教学过程Activity 1: Talking about travelling本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标 1。Students work in groups of four and discuss the following questions.Q1: Why do a lot of people like to travel?S: Because people can broad
5、en their horizon / enrich their experience / sharpen theirpersonalities / find what they really want in the heart / when travelling.Q2: What aspects do you want to learn about if you are going to travel in a country?S: Area / population / scenery / industry / cities 【设计意图】 属于导入和热身环节。 学生对上述两个问题进行小组讨论
6、， 在真实情境下，激活背景知识，用已有的主题语言，讨论对旅行的喜好。第一个问题有助于引出部分话题语言，如 travel/trip/journey/visit 等，并能和单元卷首语“Travel for enough, you meet yourself”相呼应。 第二个问题激发学生谈谈他们如果出国旅行时会关注哪些方面， 表达他们的关注点，引出 scenery/industry/population/weather 等语言， 为预测课文内容以及自主阅读作好铺垫。Activity 2: Predicting the content of the text本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标
7、 1。Students look at the title of the text and the picture, and then answer the questions accordingto the title and the picture.Q1: What does the “True North” in the title refer to?S: Canada.Q2: What is the writing type?S: Travelling journey.Q3: What do you think the text is about?S: The text is abou
8、t a journey in Vancouver and the heart of Canada by train and what theysaw in the journey.Q4: What is the focus of the text?S: What was seen in this journey.【设计意图】引导学生根据标题和插图对课文进行多方位预测后再阅读，使他们更加积极主动且聚焦主题语境。在这个活动中，学生通过对关键词“true north”进行定位，确定了旅游地点，然后预测文本体裁和主要内容，并推断本文的重点旅途中的“所见”。Activity 3: Identifying
9、 the structure and dealing with the questions本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标 2。Students skim the text to identify the structure according to the title. In the meanwhile,students find answers for the questions they raised in Activity 1 and check whether the contentcovers what they want to know about Canada.Q1
10、: Which paragraphs are about Vancouver?S: Paragraph 2.Q2: Which paragraphs are about the heart of Canada?S: Paragraphs 3-6.Q3: What places did they visit in person?S: Vancouver and Lake Louise.Q4: What places did they view from the train?S: From Jasper to Toronto.Q5: What is the function of paragrap
11、h 1?S: To tell the background information.Q6: Can you identify the structure and finish the mind map?S:Q7: Can you find answers in the text to what you want to know about a country? Find outthe evidence.【设计意图】引导学生关注标题中关键词“Vancouver”和“the heart of Canada”，通过运用略读阅读策略，寻找课文哪些段落分别涵盖这两个部分，然后关注到一个“and”，提示分
12、段的并列关系，在弄清第一段的功能后，提示总分关系，为学生理清文本段落间的关系提供支架，在此基础上引导学生分段，整体把握文本结构。同时，寻找自己在活动 1 中提出的想要了解一个国度的哪些方面，自然过渡到游记的基本要素。Activity 4: Examining the basic information of the travelling.本活动旨在落实教学目标本活动旨在落实教学目标 3。Students read paragraph 1 and fill in the form.【设计意图】明晰结构后，学生再次阅读第一段，完成表格，定位本次旅行的基本信息：人物、时间、地点、交通方式等等，也为第
13、二课时写作做好部分铺垫。同时进一步提问为何旅行会有如此感受的原因，引出旅行的目的是为了看到更多、感受更多，呼应接下来的涉及“所看”和“所感”的环节 。Activity 5: Focusing on the route of the travel本活动旨在落实教学目标本活动旨在落实教学目标 3。1. Students read paragraphs 2-6 and finish the route.2. Students individually find out what was seen in each place and find the evidence from thetext. Me
14、anwhile, they answer the following questions:Paragraph 2:(They were able to take a boat ride out into the bay, and later visit an island that hadwonderful shops selling crafts and antiques.They were pleased to see the beautiful mountains looking out over the city.They took a pleasant hike in a fores
15、t just a short distance away.)Q1: What does “despite the weather” mean?S: It means that although the weather is not very good.Q2: What is the purpose of “despite”?S: To show contrast.The teacher guides the students to pay attention to the “discourse markers” that can showrelationships.Paragraph 3:(S
16、een from the train window, the mountains and forests of Canada look massive. They took ataxi to Lake Louise, where the blue water literally took their breath away with its exceptionalbeauty.Looking at the beautiful scenery, they both agreed that it was the most awesome journey theyhad ever taken.In
17、addition to seeing spectacular mountain peaks and forests, one highlight of their trip wasbeing able to see many different creatures, including deer, mountain goats, and even a grizzly bearand an eagle.)Q1: What did they like best in this journey?S: In addition to mountain peaks and forests, one hig
18、hlight of their trip was being able to seemany different creatures.Q2: What does “highlight” mean?S: The best or most exciting part.Q3: What is the purpose of “in addition to”?S: To add something.Paragraph 4:(Edmonton is home to many shopping malls.)Q1: Why is Edmonton home to many shopping malls?S:
19、 Since it can be too cold to go outdoors?Q2: What is the purpose of “since”?S: To explain a reason.Q3: What is the purpose of “in fact”?S: To emphasize.Paragraph 5:(However, they did not anticipate seeing such an open country, and were truly amazed.They went through two wheat-growing provinces, wher
20、e they saw a bunch of farms thatcovered a very large area.)Q1: What was out of their imagination in Canada?S: That it is such an open country.Q2: What is the purpose of “however”?S: To show contrast.Paragraph 6:(woke up in Ontarioa land of forests and lakes.The train thundered on, through the rollin
21、g hills.The bushes and maple trees outside their windows were red, gold, and orange, and there wasfrost on the ground, confirming that autumn had arrived in Canada.They could see the wide stretch of Lake Huronone of the four Great Lakes on Ontariossouthern border.)Q1: What discourse markers can desc
22、ribe the order of time?S: Eventually, when, finally.Q2: What would be the result without the listed discourse markers?S: The connection between sentences and paragraphs would be less obvious.3. Meanwhile, students learn about the words and create a word bank to enrich the ways ofdescribing “see”.【设计
23、意图】整理旅行行程并梳理内容，提炼和概括，根据上下文理解词义，归纳一路所见。在校对时，通过进一步提问，让学生深入理解内容亲眼所见和旅行中的活动，适当的推测都为“看”提供了方式。在内容理解中品读语言，提炼出涉及“看”的丰富性表达语块，为第二节课的写作任务做好语言准备。Assignment: Retelling the rail journey according to the route.本活动旨在落实课时教学目标 3。Retell the rail journey, covering the basic information and the route.Students are suppos
24、ed to pay attention to the structure and use the words and expressions inthe text.【设计意图】学生运用所学语言内容，结合文本结构和行程，整合结构、内容和语言，对文本进行复述，一方面巩固文章内容，强化主题语言，另一方面本作业也将成为第二课时的导入。第二课时第二课时一、教学内容一、教学内容学生推理判断主人公旅游过程中对每个地方的印象； 学生基于文本归纳游记的写作内容和技巧，迁移所学，完成相关类型的写作。二、课时目标二、课时目标1. 通过文本分析和推理判断，总结归纳主人公旅游过程中对每个地方的印象。2. 通过上下文语境
25、理解，学习与主题相关的以下词汇：pleasant, take ones breath away,spectacular, awesome, literally, a bunch of, a wide stretch of，并体会和感悟形容词在情感表达中的作用。3. 学生通过讨论，总结归纳旅游类叙事文体的写作技巧，并借助创造性思维，运用所学语言进行主题意义的表达。三、教学过程三、教学过程Activity 1: Reviewing what has been learnt本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标 1 做铺垫。做铺垫。Students retell the rail journe
26、y according to the route.设计意图借助课文复述，回顾文本内容、巩固和内化语言。核心素养提升点语言能力：运用所学进行话题表达。Activity 2: Figuring out the feelings about each place本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标 1 和课时目标和课时目标 2。1.Students get to know that feelings can be either told or shown through some examples.2.Students read paragraphs 2-6 again and indivi
27、dually find out Li Daiyu and Liu Qiansfeelings about each place, identifying whether their feelings are told or shown.3.Students share their opinions by reasoning themselves using the information from the text.Meanwhile, they answer the following questions:Paragraph 2 VancouverQ1: How did they feel
28、when they were travelling in Vancouver?S: Pleased/ happy (words with positive emotion are accepted)The teacher guides the students to pay attention to the positive adjectives to help show theirimpression on Vancouver: wonderful, beautiful and pleasant.Q2：What does “pleasant” mean?S: It means nice, e
29、njoyable or attractive.Paragraph 3 Lake Louise and Canadian RockiesQ1: What was their impression of Lake Louise?S: The blue water literally took their breath away with its exceptional beauty.Q2: What does “take ones breath away” suggest?S: The lake is extremely beautiful.Q3: What does “exceptional”
30、mean?S: Very unusual.Q4: What does “literally” mean?S: Actually/ indeed.Q5: What did they think of the journey through the Canadian Rockies?S: They both agreed it was the most awesome journey they had ever takenQ6: What does “awesome” mean?S: Impressive/ amazing.Q7: What made it awesome?S: The spect
31、acular mountain peaks and forests, and many different creatures.(The teacher leaves out the adjectives mentioned above in paragraphs 2-3 and asks thestudents to compare the paragraphs with the original ones. The teacher highlights the function thatadjectives can show feelings and summarizes it: Adje
32、ctives help to tell feelings, and moreimportantly, they help to show feelings.)Paragraph 4 EdmontonQ1: What was their impression of Edmonton?S: Cold.Q2: How does the writer describe the cold weather? Any detail?S: Freezing cold. It has a daily temperature averaging -10.Paragraph 5 Canadian PrairieQ1
33、: What was their impression of the great Canadian Prairie?S: They were truly amazed.Q2: What were they amazed at?S: Open countryQ3: How does the writer describe the open country?S: They went through two wheat-growing provinces, where they saw a bunch of farms thatcovered a very large area.Q4: What d
34、oes “a bunch of” mean?S: A large number of.Paragraph 6 OntarioQ1: What was their impression of Ontario?S: A land of forests and lakes.Q2: What was their impression of the forests?S: ColorfulQ3: Why are they colorful?S: The bushes and maple trees outside their windows were red, gold, and orange.Q4: W
35、hat was their impression on Lake Huron? How do you know that?S: Huge/great. We can infer that from the phrase “the wide stretch of”.设计意图 引导学生理解文本内容、分析人物在旅游过程中的情感，体会和感知形容词的使用对感情表达的作用，关注语境中的词汇学习和活动中的思维训练。Activity 3: Exploring the title1.Students give a title to the text by themselves and compare it wi
36、th the original one to seewhich one is better, and give their reasons.2.Students discuss about the title and answer the following questions:Q1: What figure of speech is used when using “the heart of Canada”? What does it refer to?Why?S: Metaphor. It refers to Canadian Rockies, Edmonton, Canadian Pra
37、irie and Ontario. Theyare all important places in Canada.Q2: Can “Vancouver and the heart of Canada” in the title be left out? Why or why not?S: No. It gives more information about the content of the text but not all, thus becoming moreeye-catching.设计意图 引导学生基于文本信息，探索标题意义和作用。Activity 4: Summarizing t
38、he writing techniques本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标 3。Students discuss and share their opinions about the writing techniques learned from the textabout writing a travel journal based on the following questions:Q1: What should be written in a travel journal?S: Who made the journey? When was the journey made?
39、 What was the destination? How didhe/ she/ they travel around? What did he/ she/ they see/ do / hear? How did he/ she/ they feel?Q2: In what order can a travel journal be written?S: In order of time or place.Q3: How can you express your feelings about the journey?S: By describing with adjectives.Q4:
40、 What do you think are the useful words and expressions from the text that can be used inother travel journals?S: . (Students answers may vary. The teacher guides the students to pay attention to theuseful words and phrases newly learnt in the text.)(The teacher helps the students summarize it:1.Inc
41、luding the basic information (Who, when, where, how, what) of a journal.2.Writing it according to the change of places or in time sequence.3.Showing feelings by describing with adjectives.4.Word bank: pleasant, take ones breath away, exceptional beauty, awesome, highlight, abunch of, the wide stretc
42、h of.)设计意图 引导学生总结归纳旅游类叙事文体的写作技巧，包括内容选择、结构框架和语言特点，为写作作准备。Activity 5: Sharing a travelling experience本活动旨在落实课时目标本活动旨在落实课时目标 3。Students write and share their own travelling experience, using the writing techniquessummarized above.设计意图 从文本内容延伸到学生实际，引导学生进行迁移创新，并运用所学语言表达主题意义。Activity 6: AssignmentFinish and polish your travel journal.设计意图 引导学生更充分地巩固所学语言和内容，通过活学活用进一步创新迁移。
