111 Unit 2The United KingdomBrief Statements Based on This UnitThis unit centers on the United Kingdom, including its geography, especially the historical influence on geography, historical attractions and traditional festivals.The students should be encouraged to practice talking about countries.The whole unit can be divided into seven parts: warming up, reading, listening and speaking, language focusing, reading and writing, grammar, and assessment.In Warming up, there is a quiz for the students to do, which will arouse the students interest in knowing about the detailed information about the United Kingdom.While checking the answers, the teacher can add more knowledge about the UK, to prepare the students for the following processes.In this part, the teacher should also help the students to deal with the new words and expressions that will appear in the Reading passage.Group discussion and brainstorming will be used in this period to help the students to communicate with each other using their previous knowledge.In Pre-reading, the students are provided with three questions related to the UK, which can act as an introduction to the Reading passage.In the Reading passage, the students will learn about the historical influence upon geography in the UK and get a general idea about the process of the combination of the UK.They will also learn about the historical attractions left by the invaders in England and London.In reading the passage the students should also pay special attention to the techniques of writing a passage of human geography.In Post-reading part, the students will do three activities.The first one is to answer three questions according to the Reading passage.Secondly, the students are asked to divide England into three districts on a map, which is based on the deeper understanding of the passage.Thirdly, after getting the general idea of the passage, the students should write a summary of the passage in about 50 words.In Learning about language, the students are encouraged to learn some important words and expressions in the passage and try to use them in the specific contexts.In this unit the students will learn to use the past participle as the object complement, through some examples and exercises.While practising using the language, the students will learn about Sightseeing in London. And their skills of reading, speaking, listening and writing will be improved.In Listening and Speaking, more chances will be given to the students to learn about some famous kings and queens in the history of the UK, and their achievements.The students are encouraged to get more information about the country in order to understand it as a whole.The topic of Speaking is about the historical attractions in the UK.The students should learn to introduce to visitors one tourist attraction in his or her own hometown.While speaking, the students should try to use some useful expressions while you cannot follow others.Then in Writing part, the students will be asked to make a poster to introduce the chosen tourist attraction to attract more visitors.While writing, the students should pay special attention to the words, especially some verbs and adjectives.This task is helpful for the students creativity and imagination.It can also improve their writing skills.Assessment will help the students to look back what they have learned and focus on the difficult and important points.So, this unit will be divided into seven periods as follows: Period 1Welcome to the UnitPeriod 2ReadingPeriod 3Reading and WritingPeriod 4Language FocusingPeriod 5 GrammarPeriod 6Reading and WritingPeriod 7AssessmentKnowledge aims: Key words in this unit: unite, kingdom, consist, divide, puzzle, debate, clarify, relation, educational, legal, convenience, roughly, industrial, historical, attraction, collection, construct, influence, project, arrange, wedding, fold, sightseeing, available, site, delight, tower, royal, occasion, uniform, splendid, statue, longitude, navigation, communism, original, thrill, pot, unfair, smart, suggestion, tense, consistent, error Key phrases in this unit: consist of, divide.into, break away from, leave out, take the place of, break down, be linked to, to ones surprise, look around, keep ones eyes open, on special occasions, in memory of, have a photo taken, on show, be proud of, as well as, be known as, on the other side of, make a list of, be worried about, leave sp.for sp., be rude to sb., be at war with, be friendly to sb., change ones mind, take flight, hear about, keep ones promise, feel sympathy for, feel strongly aboutKey sentence patterns: 1.There is no need to do sth.2.You must keep your eyes open if you are going to make your trip to the United Kingdom worthwhile.3.It seemed strange that the man who had developed communism should have lived and died in London.Grammar in this unit: Past participle used as the object complementAbility aims: 1.To talk about geography, historical attractions and traditional festivals of a country.2.To guess what will be talked about in the listening materials.3.To improve their reading skills.4.To learn to use past participle as the object complement.Emotion aims: To encourage the students to learn about some traditions of a country.To learn to treasure the traditions of a country.To learn to analyze things based on facts.Period 1Welcome to the UnitThe General Idea of This PeriodThis is the first period of this unit.It includes Warming-up, Quiz, Listening and New Words.In this period, students should get the first impression of the United Kingdom, including some famous attractions and some famous leaders in history and so on.At the beginning, the students enjoy some beautiful pictures of tourist attractions in the United Kingdom.In this way, they will feel more interested in the topic.Then the students do a quiz of five questions about some specific information about the UK.While checking the answers, the teacher can refer to some related information about the UK by showing some pictures or descriptions.After this step the students would have a general idea about the UK.This lays a solid foundation for the Reading passage.Also this step provides the students with enough chance to practice speaking.The teacher should stimulate the students to express themselves using English.Then in the Listening part, the students will listen to the introduction to some kings and queens in history.Then they will answer some questions according to what they have heard.After finishing the tasks in the textbooks, the teacher can provide some information about Queen Elizabeth and current Prime Minister Tony Blair.Next the teacher will explain some new words and expressions that would appear in the Reading passage.The teacher will pick out some important and difficult verb.First the students are asked to match the words with their explanations.Then they will use these words to finish ten sentences.In this way, the teacher can check if the students have mastered these words and expressions or not.After class students should learn the new words and expressions by heart.This period lays emphasis on speaking and listening.The teacher should try his or her best to encourage the students to say something.Dont always correct the mistakes that the students might make while speaking.Otherwise, the students would feel reluctant to orally tell their opinions.Teaching Important PointsGet a general idea of the United Kingdom.Train the students speaking ability by describing, talking and discussing.Teaching DifficultiesMaster some important words and phrases in this unit.Train the students listening ability.Teaching Aidsa tape recordera projectorthe blackboard Three Dimensional Teaching AimsKnowledge aims: Help Ss to get a general idea of the United Kingdom.Have Ss master some important words and expressions in this unit.Ability Aims: Train the students speaking ability by describing, talking and discussing.Train the students listening ability.Train Ss to search the Internet for some useful information.Emotional Aims: Appreciate some beautiful attractions in the United Kingdom.Cultivate Sss team spirit in group work.Teaching ProcedureStep 1 GreetingsTeacher (T): Good morning/afternoon, class!Students (Ss): Good morning/afternoon, sir.Step 2 Quiz(At the beginning of the class, T shows Ss some beautiful pictures of the UK.)Windsor CastleSt Pauls Cathedral from the Millennium FootbridgeBuckingham PalaceLondon BridgeBig Ben through autumn trees by Victoria embankmentFlight on the London eye view towards the Houses of ParliamentT: Did you enjoy these pictures?Ss: Yes.T: Do you know where these sceneries are?S: They are in England.S: I think they are in the Great Britain.T: Yes.Actually, we say all of them are in the United Kingdom.Many people find the geography of the UK difficult to understand.In this unit, we will learn something about the United Kingdom, including its geography, historical attractions and traditions.First, lets do a quiz to find out how much you already know about the UK.(Ss look at Warming Up on Page 9 and do the quiz.)(After several minutes, T checks the answers with the whole class.)S: The UK consists of four countries.T: You are right.Look at the map below and find out the four countries.(After several minutes.)S: They are England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.T: Attention here.Not the whole Ireland, but only Northern Ireland.T: Then can you find out the capital cities of these countries?S: The capital of England is London.S: The capital of Wales is Cardiff.S: The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh.S: The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.T: You did a very good job.What about the second question?S: It takes about 16/13 to fly from Beijing/Shanghai to London Heathrow Airport.T: Yes.Here is a flight schedule (BeijingLondon).DepartArriveCarrier/FlightEquipFreq1: 20 am PEK10: 05 amHU 0481/BA 0865763/3201Stop/ConnexTrip TimeBUD 2: 50 hrs.15: 45 hrs.T: Then who rules the country: the Prime Minster or the Queen or both?S: The Queen rules the country.T: Yes.And do you know any Queen of the UK?S: Queen Elizabeth .T: Here is a picture of her.T: Elizabeth , born on April 21, 1926, is the eldest daughter of George and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon.She married Philip Mountbatten, a distant cousin, in 1947; the pair have four children: Charles, Prince of Wales, Anne, Andrew and Edward.She has reigned for forty-six years, and appears capable of remaining on the throne for quite some time.T: Then who is the current Prime Minister in the UK?S: Blair.T: Yes.Tony Blair.Do you know anything about him?Here is a picture of him.T: Blair was Labor Member of Parliament for Sedgefield and Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons until the May 1, 1997 elections, at which time, as head of the new majority party, he became Prime Minister.T: What are the provinces called in England, counties, departments or states?S: Counties.T: England has been divided into counties for hundreds of years.The divisions originated as administrative areas, but have been adopted for geographic purposes.A series of local government reforms from the 19th century onwards has left the exact definition of the term county slightly ambiguous(不明確的).T: Do you know how many counties there are in England?S: Over thirty.T: Yes.There are 36 counties in England.T: Which is the longest river in England, the River Avon, the River Thames or the River Severn?S: The River Thames.T: The River Thames is actually very famous in the UK.Whenever people talk about the UK, they will think of this river.It has nearly become one of the landmarks of the United Kingdom.Here is a picture of it.T: Do you know anything about the other two rivers?S: I know nothing about them, except that they are in the UK.T: Look at the pictures below.T: On the left is the River Avon and on the right is the River Severn.Do you know the lengths of these rivers?Ss: We have no idea.T: The River Thames is about 211 miles, the River Avon is only about 4 miles, and the River Severn is about 220 miles.So the longest river in England is the River Severn.T: Of the five questions, how many of them did you get right?If you got all five questions right, you know a lot already.But even you got all of them wrong, dont be worried.We are going to learn more about the UK in this unit.Step 3 ListeningT: Now we are going to do some listening test about some English kings and queens.First listen to the tape and tick the ones that you hear about from the list.(T plays the tape for the students to listen and finish the task.)(Then T checks the answers with the whole class.)T: I will play the tape again, and this time please answer the questions in Part 2.(After listening to the tape twice.)T: Now check your answers with your partner.T: Do you have any questions?If yes, lets listen to tape again and then check your answers.Step 4 New WordsT: There are a lot of new words and phrases in this unit.Here are some important verbs and their explanations.Please match the words in Column A with their explanations in Column B.ABarrangeto make something clearer and easier to understand thrillto have an effect on sb.or sth.puzzleto build a large buildingdelightto bend sth.by laying or pressing one part over anotherdebateto separate something into two or more partsclarifyto make someone feel excited and happyconstructto organize or make plans for somethinginfluenceto discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decisionfoldto give someone great satisfaction and enjoymentdivideto think about something because you cannot understand or solve it(After a few minutes.)T: Now lets check your answers.S: “arrange” means “to organize or make plans for something”.S: “thrill” means “to make someone feel excited and happy”.S: “puzzle” means “to think about something because you cannot understand or solve it”S: “delight” means “to give someone great satisfaction and enjoyment”.S: “debate” means “to discuss a subject formally when you are trying to make a decision”.S: “clarify” means “to make something clearer and easier to understand”.S: “construct” means “to build a large building”.S: “influence” means “to have an effect on sb.or sth.”.S: “fold” means “to bend sth.by laying or pressing one part over another”.S: “divide” means “to separate something into two or more parts”.Step 5 ConsolidationT: Next, I will give you ten sentences. Please use some verbs to fill in the blanks.1.Hitler and Stalin_Poland between them.2.James is_a big surprise party for Helens birthday.3.The magic of his music continues to_audiences.4.The Golden Gate Bridge was_in 1933-1937.5.We are_whether to go to the mountains or to the seaside.6.What _me is how the burglar got into the house without setting off the alarm.7.The report aims to_ how these conclusions were reached.8.Dont let me_your decision.You should decide it yourself.9.He_them with his charm and sparkling wit.10.The woman_the tickets in two and tore them in half.(Give the students several minutes to finish the task.Then check the answers.)1.divided2.arranging3.thrill4.constructed5.debating6.puzzles7.clarify8.influence9.delighted10.foldedStep 6 Homework1.Read the passage “PUZZLES IN GEOGRAPHY”, and answer the questions on Page 10.2.Learn the new words and phrases in this unit by heart.The Design of the Writing on the BlackboardUnit 2The United KingdomPeriod 1Welcome to the Unit.Quiz1.The UK2.Queen Elizabeth Prime Minister Tony Blair3.The River Avon: 4 milesThe River Thames: 211 milesThe River Severn: 220 miles .New Wordsarrange; thrill; puzzle; delight; debate;clarify; construct; influence; fold; divideResearch and ActivitiesPoster-making: 1.Divide the whole class into five groups.2.Ask the students to look for information about some great buildings in the United Kingdom /their hometown.They should find the pictures as well as some explanations to them.The students can go to the library or use the Internet to search for information.The following websites might be helpful.http: /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Londonhttp: /thesalmons.org/lynn/wh-england.htmlhttp: /www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Merseyside/Liver pool-309600/Things_To_Do-Liverpool-Liver_Buildings-BR-1.html.3.After searching for the information, each group should make a poster, informing people of the great buildings in the United Kingdom.Reference for TeachingPrime Minister of the United KingdomIn the United Kingdom, the Prime Minister is the head of government, exercising many of the executive functions nominally vested in the Sovereign(君主), who is head of state.According to custom, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet (which he or she heads) are responsible for their actions to Parliament, of which they are members by (modern) convention（慣例）.The current Prime Minister is Tony Blair (of the Labour Party), who has been in office since 1997.Prime Minister is the monarchs(君主的) principal advisor.Historically, the monarchs chief minister (if, as was not always the case, any one person could be singled out as such) might have held any of a number of offices: Lord Chancellor, Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord High Steward, Chancellor of the Exchequer（財(cái)務(wù)大臣）, Lord Privy Seal, or secretary of State among others.With the emergence, in the eighteenth century, of government by a cabinet of these ministers, its head came in time to be called the“Prime Minister”(sometimes also “Premier” or “First Minister”); to this day the Prime Minister always also holds one of the more specific ministerial positions, if only in a nominal sensethe official title of the Prime Ministers ministerial position is First Lord of the Treasury.Sir Robert Walpole is generally regarded as the first Prime Minister in the modern sense.The Prime Minister is appointed by the Sovereign, who is bound by constitutional convention to choose the individual most likely to command the support of the House of Commons (normally, the leader of the party with a majority in that body).Should the Prime Minister lose the confidence of the House of Commons (indicated, for example, by the passage of a no confidence motion), he or she is morally obliged by similar conventions either to resign (in which case the Sovereign can try to find another Prime Minister who has the Houses confidence) or to request the monarch to call a general election.Since the premiership is in some small sense still a de facto position, the offices powers are mainly a matter of custom rather than law, deriving from the incumbents ability to appoint (through the Sovereign) his or her Cabinet colleagues, as well as from certain uses of the royal prerogative which may be exercised directly by the Prime Minister, or by the Monarch on the Prime Ministers advice.Some commentators have pointed out that, in practice, the powers of the office are subject to very few checks, especially in an era when Parliament and the Cabinet are seen as unwilling to challenge dominant Prime Ministers whose attention is increasingly turned not toward Parliament but toward the news media.The UK under the leadership of the Current Prime Minister Tony BlairEighteen years of Conservative rule ended in May