牛津版八年级英语Unit 1 教案
Friends
Language functions and focus
1. Use an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb to describe someone/ something
e.g.: She has short hair.
Her hair is short.
2. Use comparatives to compare two people /things
e.g.: Sandy’s hair is longer than Millie’s hair.
3. Use superlatives to compare three or more people things
e.g.: He is the tallest boy in my class.
4. Use ‘as’+ adjective+ ‘as’ to compare people / things
e.g.: Millie is as tall as Kitty.
5. Use adjectives to describe someone’s physical features and appearance
e.g.: Sandy is tall and has long hair.
Language skills
Listening
1. Identify main ideas to obtain information about a friend
2. Interpret information to obtain a general understanding of the people in a conversation
3. Identify specific and relevant information to complete letters about teenagers’ future plans
Speaking
1. Use questions and answers to talk about people’s appearance and personality
2. Use everyday expressions to show agreement and confirm information
Reading
1. Guess general meaning from keywords and context
2. Skim text for overall meaning and scan for details
3. Identify specific information about different people from their friends’ descriptions
Writing
1. Collect information and organize ideas to describe the appearance and personality of a friend
2. Produce a particular text-type for an audience using a given model
Study skills
Look for main points and keywords to help understand and remember a passage more easily
Background information
Book 8A continues the story about the lives and experiences of the six central characters introduced in Book 7A. Here, the characters are Grade 8 students. Your students will be able to identify with the different situations and contexts. Language is presented through real-life experiences, exposing students to real communication.
Overview of the unit
The main topic of this unit is describing the appearance and the qualities of a good friend. Students learn to talk about their friends and their future plans.
Unit opening
Background information
The opening page arouses students’ interest in the topic of the unit through the funny interactions of two cartoon characters (Eddie and Hobo). This opening page introduces the idea of friendship and sharing.
Warm-up activities
1. Read the conversation between Eddie and Hobo. Check understanding of ‘kind’ and ‘share’. Ask,
e.g.: What does Eddie give Hobo? (He gives him some cake and milk.)
Is there anything else in the fridge? (No, there isn’t.)
What does Hobo want? (He wants to share Eddie’s pizza in the bowl.)
2. Introduce the idea of sharing and friendship. Ask,
e.g.: Are Eddie and Hobo good friends? (Yes, they are. They share things.)
Who do you like more? Why? ( I like Eddie because he shares his food with Hobo.)
Ask two more able students to role-play the conversation in front of the class.
Welcome to the unit
Objectives
1. To revise vocabulary and expressions to describe people
2. To guess meaning from context
3. To generate ideas about people’s appearance and personalities
4. To categorize adjectives to describe important qualities of a friend according to personal preferences
Background information
This section introduces students to the unit topic about different personalities of friends. Students answer some questions in a magazine about the qualities of a best friend. It also preteaches some useful words and expressions.
Teaching procedures
1. Ask more able students
e.g.: Do you have a special friend? What makes him/her special?
Accept all reasonable answers. (He/She helps me with my homework. I can always talk to him/her about my problems, etc.)
2. Ask students to look at Part A and explain that they will be reading an advertisement in “Teenagers’ magazine. They have to match the qualities with the questions. For weaker classes, go through the words and phrases on the left. Then ask each question at a time and invite students to say the correct word or phrase. Then ask the class to write the correct letters on their own.
3. Go around the class to check that students have written the correct letters.
4. Ask more able students to think of other qualities of a good friend, e.g., generous, clever, kind, understands my problems, makes me laugh. Write the words and phrases on the board.
5. Read the list of words in Part B and chick that students understand their meanings. Check also understanding of ‘quite important’ and ‘very important’.
6. On the board, write ‘What qualities of a good friend are important to you?’. Ask the class to think carefully about what qualities they appreciate in friends and put ticks under the correct headings in the table. Encourage students to work on their own. Then ask them to compare their answers with a partner. Ask individual students to tell the rest of the class about their own choice and their partner’s choice of qualities. Write some structures on the board to enable students to focus on the choice of adjectives and to maintain a fluent oral performance.
Extension activity
You can copy the table. More able students can add more adjectives describing qualities of a good friend. Students can also interview several classmates using this table. They should write tally marks instead of ticks in the table. Then they can compare their results with a partner or in class to find out which qualities are the most popular.
Game
Ask each student to write three adjectives or phrases to describe a classmate on a piece of paper. Remind students to write his or her name as well. Encourage them to work on their own and not to show their choice of words to other students. Then collect the pieces of paper and put them together. Draw one at a time and read each description. Invite the class to guess whom it describes.
Reading
Objectives
1. To guess general meanings from keywords and context
2. To skim text for overall meanings and scan for details
3. To identify specific information about different people form their friends’ descriptions
4. To use adjectives to describe people’s appearance and characteristics
5. To recognize the use of comparatives and superlatives
Part A
Background information
This section presents three letters about ‘best friends’ for a writing competition held by ‘Teenagers’ magazine. The context invites students to think about qualities in their friends.
Teaching procedures
1. Review key vocabulary according to the general ability of the class. Tell the class about a friend or relative. If possible, show his/her photo. Say,
e.g.: My best friend is small and thin with long hair. She is very smart and helpful.
Then ask questions to check understanding. (Is my friend tall? Is her hair short or long? Is she willing to help?)
2. Divide the class into three groups and allocate one article to each group. While students skim the text on their own, ask them to underline the words they do not know. Then go through the words students have underlined.
3. On the board, write the headings ‘Appearance’ and ‘Personality’. Ask each group to go through their letter again and find words or expressions to match each heading. Invite students from each group to come forward and write their words and expressions under the correct heading.
4. Write the following questions on the board for students to copy in their books.
What does he/she look like? (For appearance)
What kind of person is he/she? (For personality)
What does he/she do or want to do in the future? (For future plan)
Invite students from each group to ask and answer these questions and describe the teenager in each article.
Part B
Teaching procedure
1. Explain the context and check that students understand what an editor of magazine or newspaper does. Then review the adjectives and nouns in the box in Part B1. Ask students to find the words in the articles on page4.
2. Ask students to do Part B1 on their own. Tell them that they need to look for specific details, which fit each of the persons described in the articles. Encourage students to check their answers with a partner. Then ask students to read out the completed captions one at a time.
3. Explain the context of Part B2 and ask students to find each description in the corresponding letter. Point to the photos in Part B2 and ask more able students to briefly describe each person. For weaker classes, read the sentences to the students and ask them to match them with the correct photos. Students could work individually or in pairs.
Game
1. Cut out some pictures of people of different height and appearance. Number the pictures or give familiar names to each person in the pictures (Mary, Tom, Peter, ect.). Stick the pictures on the board. Describe one of the people without pointing or even liking at his/her photo. Invite students to guess the person you have described. (That’s picture number five./ That’s Mary.) Then ask individual students to do the same while the rest of the class guess the person.
2. Alternatively, you can divide the class into three or four competing teams. Each team can work out description for the other teams to guess. Give a score only for the first correct guess.
Part C
Teaching procedures
1. Explain the context of Part C1 and read the six sentences for weaker classes. Depending on students’ abilities, set this activity either as an individual activity or as a quiz.
2. If you use it as a quiz, divide the class into teams of 4-5 students. Set a time limit. The team who gets all the correct answers first is the winner.
3. Alternatively, you can ask students to close their books while you are reading each sentence. Give a score to the team who gives the first correct answer.
4. Ask students to correct the false sentences.
5. Ask more able students to do the extra sentences in Part C1. You can also ask them to correct the false sentences.
6. Explain the context of Part C2 and check that students understand the idea of voting for somebody or something. If time allows, organize a class vote. Name a job, e.g., a class monitor, a student representative, etc. ask stronger classes to make a list of qualities required for the job. Write all the qualities suggested by the students on the board. For weaker classes, provide this table with the adjectives.
Then ask the students to vote for each quality. Before each vote, invite more able students to explain why they will vote or not vote for that particular quality. Accept all reasonable answers, e.g.: I will vote for ‘clever’ because it’s important that a class monitor learns and understands things quickly.
7. For weaker classes, read the sentences in the speech bubbles before you ask the students to find out who each of the characters will vote for and fill in the blanks. Then ask ‘Who will Amy/ Simon/ Sandy vote for?’ to check the answers.
8. Divide students into pairs and ask them to vote for one of the ‘best friends’ described in the articles on page4. Write down the number of votes for each person on the board.
Extension activity
Organize a class vote for a ‘best friend’. On a piece of paper, ask students to write a brief description about a person they consider to be a best friend. Invite 6-7 students to put up their descriptions on the board. Then read the descriptions one at a time and ask the class to vote for one of them. Ask individual students why they have voted for that particular person.
Vocabulary
Objectives
1. To use adjectives to describe people’s physical features
2. To use adjectives to describe general appearance of people
3. To select and use adjectives that are appropriate to describe the appearance of boys and girls
Background information
This section develops the use of adjectives to describe people’s appearance. Students should be encouraged to develop their range of adjectives as much as possible using the tasks on the page as a starting point.
As students become more and more able to understand the subtle meanings of words, they will be able to develop ways of accessing imaginative and creative texts to foster genuine interest and pleasure in what they read. In turn, they will gradually be able to use adjectives to write more interesting and creative texts themselves.
Teaching procedures
1. Explain the context of the tasks. Ask students to study the pictures and words. For weaker classes, go through the words and preteach unknown words. Ask students to do Part A on their own first and then compare answers with a partner. Ask several students to read their answers to check correct use of adjectives.
2. Go through the words in the box in Part B. less able students are not likely to know the adjectives which are only suitable to describe males or females. You may need to give them some hints. Ask students to use the words in sentences to check that they understand the meanings and use of words. Then ask students to complete the lists in groups of 4-5. Check answers orally with the class.
Extension activities
1. Ask students to find more adjectives for each category of the adjectives used in Part A. draw this table on the board and brainstorm as many words as possible.
Go through the adjectives and ask students to draw simple illustrations of the adjectives on pieces of paper. Invite some students to show their illustrations to the rest of the class.
Provide pictures of people either pinned up on the board or cut out of magazines to groups of four students. Fay an adjective and ask students to find a picture illustrating it.
2. Ask students to select and write suitable adjectives to describe themselves on a piece of paper. Invite some students to come forward and read the adjectives. Make sure that the atmosphere is supportive and that the rest of the class do not make any unpleasant comments.
3. Ask students to describe their friends, classmates, relatives or pop/sports stars using the adjectives they have learned. For stronger classes, encourage them to use any adjectives.
Game
1. Bring some pictures of people into the classroom or ask students to being pictures. These can be magazine or newspaper cuttings or photos. Divide students into groups of five. Give a picture to only one student in each group and ask him/her not to show it to the other students. Give blank pieces of paper to the other students. The student with the picture describes the features of the person in the picture while the other students draw the person. On the board, display the drawings together with the original picture. For stronger classes, invite students to find out the mistakes. For weaker classes, ask students to vote for the best drawing which resembles the picture.
2. Alternatively, tell students who are drawing the pictures to ask as many questions as possible to get information about the person they are drawing, e.g., ‘Is your person a boy/ a man/ a woman/ tall /small /fat /thin? Is his/ her face square/ round?’ The student looking at the picture is only allowed to say ‘Yes.’ or ‘No.’.
Grammar
Objectives
1. To use an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb to describe someone/ something
2. To use comparatives to compare two people/ things
3. To use superlatives to compare three or more people/ things
4. To compare two people/ things using ‘(not) as’+ adjective+ ‘as’
Background information
This section further develops the use of adjectives already introduced in the reading and vocabulary sections. The story moves on from describing best friends for a magazine competition to describing classmates at Beijing Sunshine Secondary School. Daniel wants to write to his e-friends about his classmates. We already know some students’ features from earlier passages but we will learn more about their physical appearance and abilities in this section. Most adjectives are familiar so that students are able to focus on using them accurately in sentences. The use of ‘(not) as’+ adjective+ ‘as’ is introduced in the context of a survey about outdoor activities.
Part A
Teaching procedures
1. Tell students that we use adjectives to describe people and things. Explain that we can put an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb. Read the examples on the page and invite students to think of more examples. Prompt students by giving an example with an adjective, e.g., placed before a noun, and ask students to put the adjective, e.g., after a linking verb and make another sentence.
2. For weaker classes, read the linking verbs in the tip box and check understanding. For stronger lasses, elicit the verbs.
3. For less able students, go through the words in Part A to check understanding. Ask students to rearrange the words on their own. Then invite several students to read out their complete sentences to check the answers.
4. Give less able students some extra words to rearrange and form complete sentences. You can use the additional items on the page. For stronger classes, divide the students onto pairs and ask each student to think of some jumbled words for his/her partner to rearrange into a complete sentence. Make sure students include adjectives in their sentences. To make the activity meaningful, tell students to describe friends, classmates or other familiar people.
Part B
Teaching procedures
1. It is a good idea to use pictures of people, animals or things to teach comparatives and superlatives. For example, use pictures of two pop/sports stars, to elicit examples with comparative forms, e.g., ‘Jacky is taller than Andy. Andy is thinner than Jacky. Andy is more handsome than Jacky.’ Make sure you use both short and long adjectives. Write the comparative forms on the board in two columns (short and long adjectives) and try to elicit the rule form the students, e.g., we add ‘-er’ to short adjectives and use ‘more’ for long adjectives. Then we add ‘than’ after the comparatives.
2. Add one or two more pictures of pop/sports stars to elicit examples with superlative forms. Write the superlative forms on the board in two columns (short and long adjectives) and try to elicit the rule form students, e.g., we add ‘-est’ to short adjectives and use ‘most’ for long adjectives. Then we add ‘the’ before the superlatives.
3. For stronger classes, point out the exceptions, e.g., ‘more pleased’, ‘the most pleased’; ‘more real’, ‘the most real’.
4. The table shows the change of form of adjectives when ‘-er’/ ‘-est’ or ‘more’/ ‘most’ are added. It also includes some irregular forms. Go through it with students. Check understanding by asking students to form comparatives and superlatives with other adjectives. You can use the additional examples on the page. Invite students to write the examples on the board to check the correct spelling.
5. For stronger classes, ask students to close their books and elicit the spelling rules from the examples you have written on the board. Then ask them to look at the table to check if they have formulated the correct rules. Give more able students the irregular forms of ‘old’ and ‘far’.
6. Ask students to complete the table in Part B1 on their own. Remind less able students to refer to the table at the top of the page. Then invite students to compare answers in pairs. Go through the exercise again with the whole class.
7. Ask students to complete ‘Work out the rule!’ at the top of page 10. For less able students, ask them to refer to the rules on page8 and the table on page9.
Part B2
Background information
Part B2 is a problem-solving task. Students must work out the answers form the information given in the table. Although this is a cognitively demanding task, as it requires comparing numbers, the vocabulary and language structures used in the activity are within students’ linguistic abilities.
Teaching procedures
1. For more able students, ask them to complete the sentences on their own and compare answers with a partner.
2. For less able students, go through the words and numbers in the table and ask questions. revise the adjectives in brackets before starting this task.
3. Check answers orally with the class.
Extension activity
Divide students into groups of 5-6. ask students to collect information about their own group and present it in a similar table. Students can include ‘Height’, ‘Weight’, ‘Running’, ‘Maths test’, etc. Tell students not to worry about the accuracy of their scores but to include approximate figures. Then ask them to write a group profile using sentences 1-9 as models.
Part C
Teaching procedures
1. Use the information collected by students to introduce the new structures in Part C. If you have not done the extension activity, use the information in the table in Part B2. prompt the students to complete the sentence to elicit the new structure.
2. Invite students to make their own sentences based on the information in their table or the table on the page. Write the sentences on the board. Elicit the rule form more able students. For less able students, read the explanation at the bottom of the page.
3. Before starting Part C1, revise the meaning of the nouns used in this activity ---- ‘hiking’, ‘swimming’, ‘camping’, ‘cycling’, ‘diving’ and ‘skiing’. Elicit the nouns by pointing at the pictures in the table. Invite students to think of other outdoor activities.
4. Elicit the meanings of the two key adjectives ---- ‘interesting’ and ‘dangerous’. List things, people, phenomena or activities and ask whether they can be dangerous or interesting, e.g., a fire, a favourite book, a lesson, a typhoon, ice-skating, etc.
5. Explain the context to students. Point out that the table in Part C1 is another way of presenting information of a survey. Encourage students to use this as a model for presenting survey results about their own classmates.
6. Give students enough time to study the table carefully. Encourage students to ask questions to clarify or confirm meanings of specific details.
7. For weaker classes, read the conversation together with the students and explain any unfamiliar words/phrases first. Remind students not to use comparatives and superlatives, but only ‘(not) as…as’.
8. Remind students that they need to pay attention to who is speaking in the conversation in order to refer to the correct column in the table for information.
9. Ask students to work in pairs to complete the conversation. As this is a problem-solving task engaging students’ general knowledge as well as linguistic knowledge, you must allocate sufficient time to do this task. Check answers orally with the whole class.
10. If time allows, role-play the conversation. Check for correct pronunciation.
11. In part C2, ask students to complete the last column of Part C1 expressing their own opinions about the different outdoor activities included in the table.
12. In pairs, invite students to compare their answers and talk about what they think about the activities using ‘(not) as… as’. For less able students, tell them to use the conversation on the page as a model. Ask pairs of more able students to come forward and talk about what they think about the activities.
Extension activity
If there is time and interest, divide students into groups of 5-6 and ask them to do a similar survey of the classmates in their group using the table on the page as a model. Encourage more able students to include other activities in the survey and compare the activities using other criteria, e.g., popular, exciting, ect. Then make a display of the group surveys.
You can also draw the table without the information about Millie, Sandy, Daniel and Simon for students’ use. Students can add the names of the students in their group to the table.
Integrated skills
Part A
Objectives
1. To listen for and identify specific information
2. To interpret information and obtain a general understanding of the people involved in a conversation.
3. To respond to written text and information obtained from listening.
4. To select specific and relevant details, to consolidate information and complete two letters to the editor of a magazine.
Background information
In this section, Millie and Sandy are each writing about their own hopes for the future to Mr. Zhou, the editor of ‘Teenagers’ magazine. Before writing their respective letters, they discuss their future plans with their friends, Amy and Kitty.
Teaching procedures
1. Ask less able students to read the list of future plans before playing the recording. Check understanding. Encourage more able students to guess the meaning of phrases.
2. Invite students to talk about their own and their partners’ future hopes.
3. Play the recording. Students listen to the recording and put a tick next to each correct phrase as they hear it. Ask them to read the phrases they have ticked to check the correct answers.
4. If many students have got wrong answers, play the recording again. Stop the recording after each phrase listed in Part A1 if necessary.
5. For stronger classes, ask students to read Millie’s letter addressed to Mr. Zhou, the editor, on their own. For weaker classes, read the letter together with the students. Check general understanding of the letter and explain words and phrases if necessary. Ask students to read the list of phrases in Part A1 again and use the information to complete the letter.
6. Read the completed letter or ask a student to read it to check the correct answers.
7. For stronger classes, play the recording for Part A3 and ask students to complete Sandy’s letter on page 13 on their own. For weaker classes, go through the list of phrases in the table on page 12 again before playing the recording. Read the incomplete letter and check that students understand all the words.
8. For weaker classes, you may want to ask students to close their books and listen to the recording. Then check general comprehension of the conversation by asking questions such as “Are Sandy and Kitty going shopping this weekend? Why not? What’s Sandy doing to do next month? What does she love doing? What does she hope to become when she grows up?” Then play the recording again and ask students to complete Sandy’s letter. Allow less able students to check spelling of words in the table on page 12.
9. Read the completed letter or ask a student to read it to check the correct answers.
Extension activities
1. Divide students into pairs and invite them to talk about their own future hopes and/ or plans. Write down some useful questions for students to ask each other, e.g., ‘What would you like to be/do?’, ‘What do you hope to become when you grow up?’, ‘What kind of person would you like to be?, ect.
2. If time allows, ask students to write a letter about their own future hopes and/ or plans using one of the letters as a model. Add the letters to the display of group survey.
Pat B
Objectives
1. To use adjectives to describe friends and young people
2. To formulate questions about people’s personalities
3. To respond to questions about people’s appearance and personalities
4. To show agreement and confirm information
5. To interact with others in a familiar context
Background information
Explain the common context of introducing and describing friends to other people while showing their photos. Sandy and her cousin Helen are looking at Sandy’s photo album with photos of her friends. Helen is asking Sandy questions about her friends and Sandy is describing them.
Teaching procedures
1. For stronger classes, tell students to close their books and listen to you while you read the conversation. For weaker classes, allow students to follow the conversation in the book. Read the conversation line by line focusing on intonation and sentence stress. Ask students to underline words that are stressed.
2. Ask students to repeat the sentences as thy hear them. Make sure they so not sound monotonous or mechanical. If they have problems pronouncing particular words, practice the words separately first.
3. Ask students to practice the conversation in pairs and then change roles. Ask more able students to role-play the conversation in front of the class.
4. Ask students to bring photos of their friends. Invite more able students to show their photos while you ask them questions such as ‘Who is the boy/ girl on the left/ right/ in the middle/ next to…? What’s he/ she like? What would he/ she like to be when he/ she grows up?’ Students who do not have any photos to show can draw simple pictures to their friends.
5. Divide students in to pairs and invite them to ask each other questions about the people in their photos. Ask students to make up their own conversations based on the model. For less able students, allow them to write down their conversations first before role-playing them.
6. While students are practicing the conversation in pairs, move around the classroom providing help with correct pronunciation and fluency.
Study skills
Objectives
1. To find the main points of a passage in order to understand and memorize it more easily
2. To identify keywords in order to develop general understanding of a passage
3. To guess meaning and generate mental pictures
Background information
This section focuses on encouraging students to look for the main points and keywords in a passage so that they can understand and remember it more easily. The passage which students are required to read and understand in this section is a problem letter by a teenager in ‘Teenagers’ magazine. You need to introduce the genre of problem letters in magazines and newspapers. Arouse students’ interest in the topic by bringing some magazines or newspapers with such letters or replies to them.
Teaching procedures
1. Ask more able students what they want to find out when they read a passage. Write ‘What is it about?’ on the board and try to elicit the other questions listed on the page. Underline the ‘Wh-’ words.
2. For weaker classes, read the questions on the page together with the students and explain that answering these questions will help them find the main points or ideas in a passage. Tell students that not all the words in a passage are important and that they should always look for keywords (words of great importance) in a passage.
3. Read the letter to the whole class. You can ask more able students to close their books while you read. Then ask some open questions, e.g., ‘Who is Cindy? Why is Cindy unhappy? What is Cindy’s problem?’ Elicit a list of the details which describe Cindy and her problems. Explain difficult or unfamiliar words.
4. Briefly explain to students that they can understand information more quickly if they identify main points and keywords first. It is a good idea if students remember the questions listed on page 14 so that they can use them when reading through other texts. Ask students to study the questions for one minute, then close their books and say them to their partners to check if they have memorized them.
5. Ask students to read the letter carefully and underline the main points on their own suing a pencil initially. Remind them to refer to the ‘Wh-’ questions at the top of the page. Divide the class into groups of four and ask students to compare the main points they have underlined. Go through the letter again sentence by sentence and check the answers.
6. Now ask students to read the letter again and circle the other keywords using a pencil. Invite students to compare their answers in their groups. Then check the answers orally with the whole class.
7. You can ask more able students to underline main points and circle keywords at the same time.
8. Tell students to read the main points and keywords again, and answer the ‘Wh-’ questions. Students can work in pairs or groups of four. Then ask some of the pairs or groups to answer the questions in class.
Extension activities
1. For stronger classes, cut out or photocopy problem letters from magazines and newspapers. Give them out to groups of students. Ask students to go through their letters and identify the main points and keywords, invite a representative form each group to talk about the group’s letter in class.
2. Ask more able students to write a problem letter to a teenage magazine or newspaper using Cindy’s letter as a model. Tell students to write down the keywords describing their problems and the main points of their letters first. Then ask them to formulate complete sentences using the main points and keywords. Encourage students to read their letters in class.
Main task
Objectives
1. To plan ideas for personal writing
2. To write a description of the appearance and personality of a friend
3. To write for an audience
4. To write for a newspaper competition using appropriate register
5. To develop an understanding of the structure of the letter: introduction, main body and conclusion
Background information
Each main task requires students to use a range of skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) in order to produce a final product. It also further develops the main theme of the unit―writing an article about a friend for a newspaper competition. Students have a chance to look at Daniel’s notes and his article about his best friend. Explain that this is a specific genre which is different form ordinary letters or stories. Students need to understand the purpose of the article and the audience they are writing for. Emphasize the fact that this article is for a competition in a magazine and will be read by the teenage readers of the magazine who will make their choice of the ‘best friend’ based on the qualities described in the article.
Teaching procedures
1. Explain the context of entering a writing competition of a teenage magazine. If possible, find out about similar writing or drawing competitions in magazines or newspapers, and show them to the students.
2. Ask students to look at Daniel’s notes in Part A. for weaker classes, read the words students and explain the meanings of difficult words. Ask some students to read the words to check for correct pronunciation.
3. Remind students that when we take notes we do not need to write in complete sentences―we just need to write down the keywords.
4. For less able students, tell them to look back at Daniel’s list and underline the adjectives which can be included in their own writing to describe their best friends.
5. Encourage students to use a variety of adjectives to avoid repetition. Remind them of the adjectives they have learned in this unit. Allow them to go through the pages of the unit to look for suitable vocabulary. Go around the classroom to offer help with spelling.
6. Ask students to read Daniel’s article in Part C on their own. Then ask general questions to check comprehension, e.g., ‘Who is Daniel’s best friend? Where does she live? What does she look like? What’s she like? What would she like to be when she grows up?
7. Ask students to underline the adjectives in the article.
8. Ask students to identify the four paragraphs in the article. Help them identify the purpose of each paragraph. Then focus on the layout of the article, e.g., introduction, main body and conclusion. Ask stronger classes to write a heading for each paragraph.
9. Make sure that students are aware of the use of pronouns, which help link different ideas and sentences together and avoid repetition of names.
10. Ask students to write a rough draft using their notes in Part B, Daniel’s article as a model and the plan in Part D.
11. In pairs, students read, check and correct their partners’ drafts. Encourage more able students to comment on their partners’ drafts. Go around the class to correct spelling and grammatical mistakes and to suggest improvements in the use of words and structures.
12. Ask students to rewrite their articles on a separate sheet of paper. Encourage students to add illustrations or photos of their best friends to make their articles more attractive.
13. Ask volunteers to read out their articles in class. Display the articles in the classroom.
Additional exercise
Ask more able students to make new sentences replacing Daniel’s adjectives with their own adjectives to describe a real or imaginary friend.
Game
Display only the photos or show only the illustrations on the board. Invite volunteers to read their articles or other students’ articles while the rest of the class try to match each description with a photo or an illustration.
Check out
Objectives
1. To assess students’ understanding and correct use of adjectives, comparatives and superlatives in a new context.
2. To assess students’ ability to transfer information from graphical presentation into writing.
3. To assess students’ understanding of a range of adjectives and set phrases to describe people’s appearance and personalities
4. To use noun and adjective collocations to describe people’s appearance and personalities
Background information
This section encourages students to find out how much they have learned and how well their learning strategies are working. In Part A of the Checkout section, students have a chance to meet Daniel’s best friend Kate. In Part B, they read a diary entry written by Daniel.
Teaching procedures
1. Tell students that they will be able to check their use of adjectives, comparatives and superlatives in the structures they have learned earlier in the unit by doing Part A.
2. Ask students to read through the table and complete the conversation. Set a time limit.
3. For stronger classes, ask students to correct themselves, or divide the class into pairs. Students correct each other’s work and write the score in the ‘paw’.
4. Tell students that they need to select the correct adjectives and noun phrases to fit the context of the sentences in the diary entry in Part B. set a time limit.
5. Ask more able students to work in pairs and check each other’s work. Remind them to write the score in the ‘paw’. For less able students, check answers with the whole class. Explain strategies on how to improve if students have problems. Suggest that they try to learn the adjective and the noun as a unit wherever possible.
6. For weaker classes, go through the diary entry and check that they understand all the words and phrases. Ask more able students to think of other adjectives or nouns to fit the context of the sentences. Write the appropriate suggestions on the board.
Extension activity
Friends
Language functions and focus
1. Use an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb to describe someone/ something
e.g.: She has short hair.
Her hair is short.
2. Use comparatives to compare two people /things
e.g.: Sandy’s hair is longer than Millie’s hair.
3. Use superlatives to compare three or more people things
e.g.: He is the tallest boy in my class.
4. Use ‘as’+ adjective+ ‘as’ to compare people / things
e.g.: Millie is as tall as Kitty.
5. Use adjectives to describe someone’s physical features and appearance
e.g.: Sandy is tall and has long hair.
Language skills
Listening
1. Identify main ideas to obtain information about a friend
2. Interpret information to obtain a general understanding of the people in a conversation
3. Identify specific and relevant information to complete letters about teenagers’ future plans
Speaking
1. Use questions and answers to talk about people’s appearance and personality
2. Use everyday expressions to show agreement and confirm information
Reading
1. Guess general meaning from keywords and context
2. Skim text for overall meaning and scan for details
3. Identify specific information about different people from their friends’ descriptions
Writing
1. Collect information and organize ideas to describe the appearance and personality of a friend
2. Produce a particular text-type for an audience using a given model
Study skills
Look for main points and keywords to help understand and remember a passage more easily
Background information
Book 8A continues the story about the lives and experiences of the six central characters introduced in Book 7A. Here, the characters are Grade 8 students. Your students will be able to identify with the different situations and contexts. Language is presented through real-life experiences, exposing students to real communication.
Overview of the unit
The main topic of this unit is describing the appearance and the qualities of a good friend. Students learn to talk about their friends and their future plans.
Unit opening
Background information
The opening page arouses students’ interest in the topic of the unit through the funny interactions of two cartoon characters (Eddie and Hobo). This opening page introduces the idea of friendship and sharing.
Warm-up activities
1. Read the conversation between Eddie and Hobo. Check understanding of ‘kind’ and ‘share’. Ask,
e.g.: What does Eddie give Hobo? (He gives him some cake and milk.)
Is there anything else in the fridge? (No, there isn’t.)
What does Hobo want? (He wants to share Eddie’s pizza in the bowl.)
2. Introduce the idea of sharing and friendship. Ask,
e.g.: Are Eddie and Hobo good friends? (Yes, they are. They share things.)
Who do you like more? Why? ( I like Eddie because he shares his food with Hobo.)
Ask two more able students to role-play the conversation in front of the class.
Welcome to the unit
Objectives
1. To revise vocabulary and expressions to describe people
2. To guess meaning from context
3. To generate ideas about people’s appearance and personalities
4. To categorize adjectives to describe important qualities of a friend according to personal preferences
Background information
This section introduces students to the unit topic about different personalities of friends. Students answer some questions in a magazine about the qualities of a best friend. It also preteaches some useful words and expressions.
Teaching procedures
1. Ask more able students
e.g.: Do you have a special friend? What makes him/her special?
Accept all reasonable answers. (He/She helps me with my homework. I can always talk to him/her about my problems, etc.)
2. Ask students to look at Part A and explain that they will be reading an advertisement in “Teenagers’ magazine. They have to match the qualities with the questions. For weaker classes, go through the words and phrases on the left. Then ask each question at a time and invite students to say the correct word or phrase. Then ask the class to write the correct letters on their own.
3. Go around the class to check that students have written the correct letters.
4. Ask more able students to think of other qualities of a good friend, e.g., generous, clever, kind, understands my problems, makes me laugh. Write the words and phrases on the board.
5. Read the list of words in Part B and chick that students understand their meanings. Check also understanding of ‘quite important’ and ‘very important’.
6. On the board, write ‘What qualities of a good friend are important to you?’. Ask the class to think carefully about what qualities they appreciate in friends and put ticks under the correct headings in the table. Encourage students to work on their own. Then ask them to compare their answers with a partner. Ask individual students to tell the rest of the class about their own choice and their partner’s choice of qualities. Write some structures on the board to enable students to focus on the choice of adjectives and to maintain a fluent oral performance.
Extension activity
You can copy the table. More able students can add more adjectives describing qualities of a good friend. Students can also interview several classmates using this table. They should write tally marks instead of ticks in the table. Then they can compare their results with a partner or in class to find out which qualities are the most popular.
Game
Ask each student to write three adjectives or phrases to describe a classmate on a piece of paper. Remind students to write his or her name as well. Encourage them to work on their own and not to show their choice of words to other students. Then collect the pieces of paper and put them together. Draw one at a time and read each description. Invite the class to guess whom it describes.
Reading
Objectives
1. To guess general meanings from keywords and context
2. To skim text for overall meanings and scan for details
3. To identify specific information about different people form their friends’ descriptions
4. To use adjectives to describe people’s appearance and characteristics
5. To recognize the use of comparatives and superlatives
Part A
Background information
This section presents three letters about ‘best friends’ for a writing competition held by ‘Teenagers’ magazine. The context invites students to think about qualities in their friends.
Teaching procedures
1. Review key vocabulary according to the general ability of the class. Tell the class about a friend or relative. If possible, show his/her photo. Say,
e.g.: My best friend is small and thin with long hair. She is very smart and helpful.
Then ask questions to check understanding. (Is my friend tall? Is her hair short or long? Is she willing to help?)
2. Divide the class into three groups and allocate one article to each group. While students skim the text on their own, ask them to underline the words they do not know. Then go through the words students have underlined.
3. On the board, write the headings ‘Appearance’ and ‘Personality’. Ask each group to go through their letter again and find words or expressions to match each heading. Invite students from each group to come forward and write their words and expressions under the correct heading.
4. Write the following questions on the board for students to copy in their books.
What does he/she look like? (For appearance)
What kind of person is he/she? (For personality)
What does he/she do or want to do in the future? (For future plan)
Invite students from each group to ask and answer these questions and describe the teenager in each article.
Part B
Teaching procedure
1. Explain the context and check that students understand what an editor of magazine or newspaper does. Then review the adjectives and nouns in the box in Part B1. Ask students to find the words in the articles on page4.
2. Ask students to do Part B1 on their own. Tell them that they need to look for specific details, which fit each of the persons described in the articles. Encourage students to check their answers with a partner. Then ask students to read out the completed captions one at a time.
3. Explain the context of Part B2 and ask students to find each description in the corresponding letter. Point to the photos in Part B2 and ask more able students to briefly describe each person. For weaker classes, read the sentences to the students and ask them to match them with the correct photos. Students could work individually or in pairs.
Game
1. Cut out some pictures of people of different height and appearance. Number the pictures or give familiar names to each person in the pictures (Mary, Tom, Peter, ect.). Stick the pictures on the board. Describe one of the people without pointing or even liking at his/her photo. Invite students to guess the person you have described. (That’s picture number five./ That’s Mary.) Then ask individual students to do the same while the rest of the class guess the person.
2. Alternatively, you can divide the class into three or four competing teams. Each team can work out description for the other teams to guess. Give a score only for the first correct guess.
Part C
Teaching procedures
1. Explain the context of Part C1 and read the six sentences for weaker classes. Depending on students’ abilities, set this activity either as an individual activity or as a quiz.
2. If you use it as a quiz, divide the class into teams of 4-5 students. Set a time limit. The team who gets all the correct answers first is the winner.
3. Alternatively, you can ask students to close their books while you are reading each sentence. Give a score to the team who gives the first correct answer.
4. Ask students to correct the false sentences.
5. Ask more able students to do the extra sentences in Part C1. You can also ask them to correct the false sentences.
6. Explain the context of Part C2 and check that students understand the idea of voting for somebody or something. If time allows, organize a class vote. Name a job, e.g., a class monitor, a student representative, etc. ask stronger classes to make a list of qualities required for the job. Write all the qualities suggested by the students on the board. For weaker classes, provide this table with the adjectives.
Then ask the students to vote for each quality. Before each vote, invite more able students to explain why they will vote or not vote for that particular quality. Accept all reasonable answers, e.g.: I will vote for ‘clever’ because it’s important that a class monitor learns and understands things quickly.
7. For weaker classes, read the sentences in the speech bubbles before you ask the students to find out who each of the characters will vote for and fill in the blanks. Then ask ‘Who will Amy/ Simon/ Sandy vote for?’ to check the answers.
8. Divide students into pairs and ask them to vote for one of the ‘best friends’ described in the articles on page4. Write down the number of votes for each person on the board.
Extension activity
Organize a class vote for a ‘best friend’. On a piece of paper, ask students to write a brief description about a person they consider to be a best friend. Invite 6-7 students to put up their descriptions on the board. Then read the descriptions one at a time and ask the class to vote for one of them. Ask individual students why they have voted for that particular person.
Vocabulary
Objectives
1. To use adjectives to describe people’s physical features
2. To use adjectives to describe general appearance of people
3. To select and use adjectives that are appropriate to describe the appearance of boys and girls
Background information
This section develops the use of adjectives to describe people’s appearance. Students should be encouraged to develop their range of adjectives as much as possible using the tasks on the page as a starting point.
As students become more and more able to understand the subtle meanings of words, they will be able to develop ways of accessing imaginative and creative texts to foster genuine interest and pleasure in what they read. In turn, they will gradually be able to use adjectives to write more interesting and creative texts themselves.
Teaching procedures
1. Explain the context of the tasks. Ask students to study the pictures and words. For weaker classes, go through the words and preteach unknown words. Ask students to do Part A on their own first and then compare answers with a partner. Ask several students to read their answers to check correct use of adjectives.
2. Go through the words in the box in Part B. less able students are not likely to know the adjectives which are only suitable to describe males or females. You may need to give them some hints. Ask students to use the words in sentences to check that they understand the meanings and use of words. Then ask students to complete the lists in groups of 4-5. Check answers orally with the class.
Extension activities
1. Ask students to find more adjectives for each category of the adjectives used in Part A. draw this table on the board and brainstorm as many words as possible.
Go through the adjectives and ask students to draw simple illustrations of the adjectives on pieces of paper. Invite some students to show their illustrations to the rest of the class.
Provide pictures of people either pinned up on the board or cut out of magazines to groups of four students. Fay an adjective and ask students to find a picture illustrating it.
2. Ask students to select and write suitable adjectives to describe themselves on a piece of paper. Invite some students to come forward and read the adjectives. Make sure that the atmosphere is supportive and that the rest of the class do not make any unpleasant comments.
3. Ask students to describe their friends, classmates, relatives or pop/sports stars using the adjectives they have learned. For stronger classes, encourage them to use any adjectives.
Game
1. Bring some pictures of people into the classroom or ask students to being pictures. These can be magazine or newspaper cuttings or photos. Divide students into groups of five. Give a picture to only one student in each group and ask him/her not to show it to the other students. Give blank pieces of paper to the other students. The student with the picture describes the features of the person in the picture while the other students draw the person. On the board, display the drawings together with the original picture. For stronger classes, invite students to find out the mistakes. For weaker classes, ask students to vote for the best drawing which resembles the picture.
2. Alternatively, tell students who are drawing the pictures to ask as many questions as possible to get information about the person they are drawing, e.g., ‘Is your person a boy/ a man/ a woman/ tall /small /fat /thin? Is his/ her face square/ round?’ The student looking at the picture is only allowed to say ‘Yes.’ or ‘No.’.
Grammar
Objectives
1. To use an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb to describe someone/ something
2. To use comparatives to compare two people/ things
3. To use superlatives to compare three or more people/ things
4. To compare two people/ things using ‘(not) as’+ adjective+ ‘as’
Background information
This section further develops the use of adjectives already introduced in the reading and vocabulary sections. The story moves on from describing best friends for a magazine competition to describing classmates at Beijing Sunshine Secondary School. Daniel wants to write to his e-friends about his classmates. We already know some students’ features from earlier passages but we will learn more about their physical appearance and abilities in this section. Most adjectives are familiar so that students are able to focus on using them accurately in sentences. The use of ‘(not) as’+ adjective+ ‘as’ is introduced in the context of a survey about outdoor activities.
Part A
Teaching procedures
1. Tell students that we use adjectives to describe people and things. Explain that we can put an adjective before a noun or after a linking verb. Read the examples on the page and invite students to think of more examples. Prompt students by giving an example with an adjective, e.g., placed before a noun, and ask students to put the adjective, e.g., after a linking verb and make another sentence.
2. For weaker classes, read the linking verbs in the tip box and check understanding. For stronger lasses, elicit the verbs.
3. For less able students, go through the words in Part A to check understanding. Ask students to rearrange the words on their own. Then invite several students to read out their complete sentences to check the answers.
4. Give less able students some extra words to rearrange and form complete sentences. You can use the additional items on the page. For stronger classes, divide the students onto pairs and ask each student to think of some jumbled words for his/her partner to rearrange into a complete sentence. Make sure students include adjectives in their sentences. To make the activity meaningful, tell students to describe friends, classmates or other familiar people.
Part B
Teaching procedures
1. It is a good idea to use pictures of people, animals or things to teach comparatives and superlatives. For example, use pictures of two pop/sports stars, to elicit examples with comparative forms, e.g., ‘Jacky is taller than Andy. Andy is thinner than Jacky. Andy is more handsome than Jacky.’ Make sure you use both short and long adjectives. Write the comparative forms on the board in two columns (short and long adjectives) and try to elicit the rule form the students, e.g., we add ‘-er’ to short adjectives and use ‘more’ for long adjectives. Then we add ‘than’ after the comparatives.
2. Add one or two more pictures of pop/sports stars to elicit examples with superlative forms. Write the superlative forms on the board in two columns (short and long adjectives) and try to elicit the rule form students, e.g., we add ‘-est’ to short adjectives and use ‘most’ for long adjectives. Then we add ‘the’ before the superlatives.
3. For stronger classes, point out the exceptions, e.g., ‘more pleased’, ‘the most pleased’; ‘more real’, ‘the most real’.
4. The table shows the change of form of adjectives when ‘-er’/ ‘-est’ or ‘more’/ ‘most’ are added. It also includes some irregular forms. Go through it with students. Check understanding by asking students to form comparatives and superlatives with other adjectives. You can use the additional examples on the page. Invite students to write the examples on the board to check the correct spelling.
5. For stronger classes, ask students to close their books and elicit the spelling rules from the examples you have written on the board. Then ask them to look at the table to check if they have formulated the correct rules. Give more able students the irregular forms of ‘old’ and ‘far’.
6. Ask students to complete the table in Part B1 on their own. Remind less able students to refer to the table at the top of the page. Then invite students to compare answers in pairs. Go through the exercise again with the whole class.
7. Ask students to complete ‘Work out the rule!’ at the top of page 10. For less able students, ask them to refer to the rules on page8 and the table on page9.
Part B2
Background information
Part B2 is a problem-solving task. Students must work out the answers form the information given in the table. Although this is a cognitively demanding task, as it requires comparing numbers, the vocabulary and language structures used in the activity are within students’ linguistic abilities.
Teaching procedures
1. For more able students, ask them to complete the sentences on their own and compare answers with a partner.
2. For less able students, go through the words and numbers in the table and ask questions. revise the adjectives in brackets before starting this task.
3. Check answers orally with the class.
Extension activity
Divide students into groups of 5-6. ask students to collect information about their own group and present it in a similar table. Students can include ‘Height’, ‘Weight’, ‘Running’, ‘Maths test’, etc. Tell students not to worry about the accuracy of their scores but to include approximate figures. Then ask them to write a group profile using sentences 1-9 as models.
Part C
Teaching procedures
1. Use the information collected by students to introduce the new structures in Part C. If you have not done the extension activity, use the information in the table in Part B2. prompt the students to complete the sentence to elicit the new structure.
2. Invite students to make their own sentences based on the information in their table or the table on the page. Write the sentences on the board. Elicit the rule form more able students. For less able students, read the explanation at the bottom of the page.
3. Before starting Part C1, revise the meaning of the nouns used in this activity ---- ‘hiking’, ‘swimming’, ‘camping’, ‘cycling’, ‘diving’ and ‘skiing’. Elicit the nouns by pointing at the pictures in the table. Invite students to think of other outdoor activities.
4. Elicit the meanings of the two key adjectives ---- ‘interesting’ and ‘dangerous’. List things, people, phenomena or activities and ask whether they can be dangerous or interesting, e.g., a fire, a favourite book, a lesson, a typhoon, ice-skating, etc.
5. Explain the context to students. Point out that the table in Part C1 is another way of presenting information of a survey. Encourage students to use this as a model for presenting survey results about their own classmates.
6. Give students enough time to study the table carefully. Encourage students to ask questions to clarify or confirm meanings of specific details.
7. For weaker classes, read the conversation together with the students and explain any unfamiliar words/phrases first. Remind students not to use comparatives and superlatives, but only ‘(not) as…as’.
8. Remind students that they need to pay attention to who is speaking in the conversation in order to refer to the correct column in the table for information.
9. Ask students to work in pairs to complete the conversation. As this is a problem-solving task engaging students’ general knowledge as well as linguistic knowledge, you must allocate sufficient time to do this task. Check answers orally with the whole class.
10. If time allows, role-play the conversation. Check for correct pronunciation.
11. In part C2, ask students to complete the last column of Part C1 expressing their own opinions about the different outdoor activities included in the table.
12. In pairs, invite students to compare their answers and talk about what they think about the activities using ‘(not) as… as’. For less able students, tell them to use the conversation on the page as a model. Ask pairs of more able students to come forward and talk about what they think about the activities.
Extension activity
If there is time and interest, divide students into groups of 5-6 and ask them to do a similar survey of the classmates in their group using the table on the page as a model. Encourage more able students to include other activities in the survey and compare the activities using other criteria, e.g., popular, exciting, ect. Then make a display of the group surveys.
You can also draw the table without the information about Millie, Sandy, Daniel and Simon for students’ use. Students can add the names of the students in their group to the table.
Integrated skills
Part A
Objectives
1. To listen for and identify specific information
2. To interpret information and obtain a general understanding of the people involved in a conversation.
3. To respond to written text and information obtained from listening.
4. To select specific and relevant details, to consolidate information and complete two letters to the editor of a magazine.
Background information
In this section, Millie and Sandy are each writing about their own hopes for the future to Mr. Zhou, the editor of ‘Teenagers’ magazine. Before writing their respective letters, they discuss their future plans with their friends, Amy and Kitty.
Teaching procedures
1. Ask less able students to read the list of future plans before playing the recording. Check understanding. Encourage more able students to guess the meaning of phrases.
2. Invite students to talk about their own and their partners’ future hopes.
3. Play the recording. Students listen to the recording and put a tick next to each correct phrase as they hear it. Ask them to read the phrases they have ticked to check the correct answers.
4. If many students have got wrong answers, play the recording again. Stop the recording after each phrase listed in Part A1 if necessary.
5. For stronger classes, ask students to read Millie’s letter addressed to Mr. Zhou, the editor, on their own. For weaker classes, read the letter together with the students. Check general understanding of the letter and explain words and phrases if necessary. Ask students to read the list of phrases in Part A1 again and use the information to complete the letter.
6. Read the completed letter or ask a student to read it to check the correct answers.
7. For stronger classes, play the recording for Part A3 and ask students to complete Sandy’s letter on page 13 on their own. For weaker classes, go through the list of phrases in the table on page 12 again before playing the recording. Read the incomplete letter and check that students understand all the words.
8. For weaker classes, you may want to ask students to close their books and listen to the recording. Then check general comprehension of the conversation by asking questions such as “Are Sandy and Kitty going shopping this weekend? Why not? What’s Sandy doing to do next month? What does she love doing? What does she hope to become when she grows up?” Then play the recording again and ask students to complete Sandy’s letter. Allow less able students to check spelling of words in the table on page 12.
9. Read the completed letter or ask a student to read it to check the correct answers.
Extension activities
1. Divide students into pairs and invite them to talk about their own future hopes and/ or plans. Write down some useful questions for students to ask each other, e.g., ‘What would you like to be/do?’, ‘What do you hope to become when you grow up?’, ‘What kind of person would you like to be?, ect.
2. If time allows, ask students to write a letter about their own future hopes and/ or plans using one of the letters as a model. Add the letters to the display of group survey.
Pat B
Objectives
1. To use adjectives to describe friends and young people
2. To formulate questions about people’s personalities
3. To respond to questions about people’s appearance and personalities
4. To show agreement and confirm information
5. To interact with others in a familiar context
Background information
Explain the common context of introducing and describing friends to other people while showing their photos. Sandy and her cousin Helen are looking at Sandy’s photo album with photos of her friends. Helen is asking Sandy questions about her friends and Sandy is describing them.
Teaching procedures
1. For stronger classes, tell students to close their books and listen to you while you read the conversation. For weaker classes, allow students to follow the conversation in the book. Read the conversation line by line focusing on intonation and sentence stress. Ask students to underline words that are stressed.
2. Ask students to repeat the sentences as thy hear them. Make sure they so not sound monotonous or mechanical. If they have problems pronouncing particular words, practice the words separately first.
3. Ask students to practice the conversation in pairs and then change roles. Ask more able students to role-play the conversation in front of the class.
4. Ask students to bring photos of their friends. Invite more able students to show their photos while you ask them questions such as ‘Who is the boy/ girl on the left/ right/ in the middle/ next to…? What’s he/ she like? What would he/ she like to be when he/ she grows up?’ Students who do not have any photos to show can draw simple pictures to their friends.
5. Divide students in to pairs and invite them to ask each other questions about the people in their photos. Ask students to make up their own conversations based on the model. For less able students, allow them to write down their conversations first before role-playing them.
6. While students are practicing the conversation in pairs, move around the classroom providing help with correct pronunciation and fluency.
Study skills
Objectives
1. To find the main points of a passage in order to understand and memorize it more easily
2. To identify keywords in order to develop general understanding of a passage
3. To guess meaning and generate mental pictures
Background information
This section focuses on encouraging students to look for the main points and keywords in a passage so that they can understand and remember it more easily. The passage which students are required to read and understand in this section is a problem letter by a teenager in ‘Teenagers’ magazine. You need to introduce the genre of problem letters in magazines and newspapers. Arouse students’ interest in the topic by bringing some magazines or newspapers with such letters or replies to them.
Teaching procedures
1. Ask more able students what they want to find out when they read a passage. Write ‘What is it about?’ on the board and try to elicit the other questions listed on the page. Underline the ‘Wh-’ words.
2. For weaker classes, read the questions on the page together with the students and explain that answering these questions will help them find the main points or ideas in a passage. Tell students that not all the words in a passage are important and that they should always look for keywords (words of great importance) in a passage.
3. Read the letter to the whole class. You can ask more able students to close their books while you read. Then ask some open questions, e.g., ‘Who is Cindy? Why is Cindy unhappy? What is Cindy’s problem?’ Elicit a list of the details which describe Cindy and her problems. Explain difficult or unfamiliar words.
4. Briefly explain to students that they can understand information more quickly if they identify main points and keywords first. It is a good idea if students remember the questions listed on page 14 so that they can use them when reading through other texts. Ask students to study the questions for one minute, then close their books and say them to their partners to check if they have memorized them.
5. Ask students to read the letter carefully and underline the main points on their own suing a pencil initially. Remind them to refer to the ‘Wh-’ questions at the top of the page. Divide the class into groups of four and ask students to compare the main points they have underlined. Go through the letter again sentence by sentence and check the answers.
6. Now ask students to read the letter again and circle the other keywords using a pencil. Invite students to compare their answers in their groups. Then check the answers orally with the whole class.
7. You can ask more able students to underline main points and circle keywords at the same time.
8. Tell students to read the main points and keywords again, and answer the ‘Wh-’ questions. Students can work in pairs or groups of four. Then ask some of the pairs or groups to answer the questions in class.
Extension activities
1. For stronger classes, cut out or photocopy problem letters from magazines and newspapers. Give them out to groups of students. Ask students to go through their letters and identify the main points and keywords, invite a representative form each group to talk about the group’s letter in class.
2. Ask more able students to write a problem letter to a teenage magazine or newspaper using Cindy’s letter as a model. Tell students to write down the keywords describing their problems and the main points of their letters first. Then ask them to formulate complete sentences using the main points and keywords. Encourage students to read their letters in class.
Main task
Objectives
1. To plan ideas for personal writing
2. To write a description of the appearance and personality of a friend
3. To write for an audience
4. To write for a newspaper competition using appropriate register
5. To develop an understanding of the structure of the letter: introduction, main body and conclusion
Background information
Each main task requires students to use a range of skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) in order to produce a final product. It also further develops the main theme of the unit―writing an article about a friend for a newspaper competition. Students have a chance to look at Daniel’s notes and his article about his best friend. Explain that this is a specific genre which is different form ordinary letters or stories. Students need to understand the purpose of the article and the audience they are writing for. Emphasize the fact that this article is for a competition in a magazine and will be read by the teenage readers of the magazine who will make their choice of the ‘best friend’ based on the qualities described in the article.
Teaching procedures
1. Explain the context of entering a writing competition of a teenage magazine. If possible, find out about similar writing or drawing competitions in magazines or newspapers, and show them to the students.
2. Ask students to look at Daniel’s notes in Part A. for weaker classes, read the words students and explain the meanings of difficult words. Ask some students to read the words to check for correct pronunciation.
3. Remind students that when we take notes we do not need to write in complete sentences―we just need to write down the keywords.
4. For less able students, tell them to look back at Daniel’s list and underline the adjectives which can be included in their own writing to describe their best friends.
5. Encourage students to use a variety of adjectives to avoid repetition. Remind them of the adjectives they have learned in this unit. Allow them to go through the pages of the unit to look for suitable vocabulary. Go around the classroom to offer help with spelling.
6. Ask students to read Daniel’s article in Part C on their own. Then ask general questions to check comprehension, e.g., ‘Who is Daniel’s best friend? Where does she live? What does she look like? What’s she like? What would she like to be when she grows up?
7. Ask students to underline the adjectives in the article.
8. Ask students to identify the four paragraphs in the article. Help them identify the purpose of each paragraph. Then focus on the layout of the article, e.g., introduction, main body and conclusion. Ask stronger classes to write a heading for each paragraph.
9. Make sure that students are aware of the use of pronouns, which help link different ideas and sentences together and avoid repetition of names.
10. Ask students to write a rough draft using their notes in Part B, Daniel’s article as a model and the plan in Part D.
11. In pairs, students read, check and correct their partners’ drafts. Encourage more able students to comment on their partners’ drafts. Go around the class to correct spelling and grammatical mistakes and to suggest improvements in the use of words and structures.
12. Ask students to rewrite their articles on a separate sheet of paper. Encourage students to add illustrations or photos of their best friends to make their articles more attractive.
13. Ask volunteers to read out their articles in class. Display the articles in the classroom.
Additional exercise
Ask more able students to make new sentences replacing Daniel’s adjectives with their own adjectives to describe a real or imaginary friend.
Game
Display only the photos or show only the illustrations on the board. Invite volunteers to read their articles or other students’ articles while the rest of the class try to match each description with a photo or an illustration.
Check out
Objectives
1. To assess students’ understanding and correct use of adjectives, comparatives and superlatives in a new context.
2. To assess students’ ability to transfer information from graphical presentation into writing.
3. To assess students’ understanding of a range of adjectives and set phrases to describe people’s appearance and personalities
4. To use noun and adjective collocations to describe people’s appearance and personalities
Background information
This section encourages students to find out how much they have learned and how well their learning strategies are working. In Part A of the Checkout section, students have a chance to meet Daniel’s best friend Kate. In Part B, they read a diary entry written by Daniel.
Teaching procedures
1. Tell students that they will be able to check their use of adjectives, comparatives and superlatives in the structures they have learned earlier in the unit by doing Part A.
2. Ask students to read through the table and complete the conversation. Set a time limit.
3. For stronger classes, ask students to correct themselves, or divide the class into pairs. Students correct each other’s work and write the score in the ‘paw’.
4. Tell students that they need to select the correct adjectives and noun phrases to fit the context of the sentences in the diary entry in Part B. set a time limit.
5. Ask more able students to work in pairs and check each other’s work. Remind them to write the score in the ‘paw’. For less able students, check answers with the whole class. Explain strategies on how to improve if students have problems. Suggest that they try to learn the adjective and the noun as a unit wherever possible.
6. For weaker classes, go through the diary entry and check that they understand all the words and phrases. Ask more able students to think of other adjectives or nouns to fit the context of the sentences. Write the appropriate suggestions on the board.
Extension activity
