Unit 4 Space Exploration
Listening and Speaking & Listening and Talking
Teaching Aims
1. Students can get detailed information about how Yang Liwei became an astronaut and Max’s space life.
2. Students learn to proper listening strategy to get detailed information—listening for numbers and taking notes.
3. Students can learn related sentences or phrases to express their curiosity like “I wish to know...” “I’d love to know...”
4. Students can learn more about the space and astronauts, even be interested in working hard to be an astronaut.
Important Points and Difficult Points
1. Students can get detailed information about how Yang Liwei became an astronaut and Max’s space life.
2. Students learn to proper listening strategy to get detailed information—listening for numbers and taking notes.
3. Students can learn related sentences or phrases to express their curiosity like “I wish to know...” “I’d love to know...”
Teaching Procedures
Part A Listening and Speaking—Talk about how to become an astronaut
Step 1 Lead in—Small talk
Look at the picture on Page 38 and tell your classmates what you can see. Get some students to talk about it.
Step 2 Before-listening
1. As for the space exploration, what do you think about?
Answers: space, shuttle, astronaut, spaceship, rocket, space suit, solar system...
2. Can you name any famous astronauts from China or abroad? Have Ss name some.
3. Do you know anything about the selection procedure for astronauts? Make a list of the possible requirements.
Step 3 While-listening—Task 1
Listen to the interview and tick the correct statements in Activity 2.
Then check the answers in class.
Step 4 While-listening—Task 2
Listen again and fill in the blanks with the correct numbers in Activity 3.
Before listening, go through “Listen for numbers”. Then get some Ss to check their answers.
Step 5 While-listening—Task 3
Listen to the interview again and make a list of the requirements for becoming an astronaut.
lEducation background: college degree
lExperience: rich experience of fighter
lHealth condition: perfect physical and mental health and body shape; proper height and weight
lCourses: English, science and astronomy
lSpecial training: using space equipment; physical and mental training
Step 6 Post-listening—Speaking
Work in pairs. Discuss whether you would like to be an astronaut in the future and give your reasons. Use what you have learnt from the interview to help you.
Go through the example first then practice with your partners.
Then Get some pairs to share the dialogues.
Step 7 Pronunciation
1. Read the poem. Mark the stressed syllables with O and unstressed syllables with o.
2. Then try reading the poem to each other with rhythm. Then get some Ss to read the poem.
3. Listen and repeat after the recording. Check whether Ss’ mark-ups are correct.
Part B Listening and Talking—Talk about life in space
Step 1 Before-listening
Before you listen, look at the pictures in Activity 1 and guess whether they would be useful for astronauts in space. Have Ss discuss and share.
Step 2 While-listening
Max is interviewing Captain Brown about his life in space. Listen to the interview and answer the questions.
1. What did Captain Brown usually wear inside the station?
2. How did he prepare his food in space?
3. How did he keep himself clean in space?
4. How did he spend most of his time in space?
5. What did he do during his free time?
6. What did he look forward to most during his stay in space?
Then check the answers with the class.
Step 3 Talking
Work in groups. Imagine you are going to a space camp and Captain Brown has been invited to give a talk. Discus the questions you would like to ask him and then make a list. Go through the example dialogue first.
Expressing curiosity
●I’d love to know... ●I wonder how/what/why/...
●Well, I’d really like to find out... ●I’d particularly like to know...
●I’m most curious about... ●I’m most interested to discover...
●I’m very keen to know... ●I wish to know...
●I hope you won’t mind me asking about...
Step 4 Homework
Finish the exercises in Workbook.
