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Period 4 Reading and Writing
The General Idea of This Period
In this period the teaching and learning will center on reading and writing.As usual, the
teacher can begin the teaching with reviewing the former knowledge.The following part is the
lead-in—talking about some scientists, because this unit talks about great scientists and this
passage is about Nicolaus Copernicus and his theory.
As to reading training, the teacher should still develop the students’ ability of scanning and
skimming.So at the beginning, get the students to prepare some knowledge for reading. For that
purpose, the teacher will firstly ask for information about Copernicus according to what the
students already know.
Then the teacher can have the students listen to the tape and find out whether the statements
are true or false.It is designed to train the students’ listening and to check whether the students
have previewed the passage well.Later, the teacher will ask the students to skim it and find out the
main idea for each part.The purpose of doing these is to help the students to form the good habit of
reading with some strategy.When reading a passage, we had better first read it as a whole, that is,
understand the structure of the passage and catch the main idea with the help of the structure and
title.
The following step is to read the passage for the details.The teacher can design some teaching
activities to help the students to know about more and more information by taking part in the
reading activities.As a result, the teacher should be careful, cautious and creative when designing
the reading activities.The reading activities had better be various, which can catch more students’
attention.
At the end of reading, some activities should be designed to check the students’
understanding by saying something about Copernicus and making up a dialogue between
Copernicus and his friend.The practicing helps the students improve their speaking and arouse
their creativity.The competition is held to make the students take part in the class activities
actively.At the same time, let the students consider the writing purpose.
Besides reading, the students are also expected to learn and practise their writing skill.By
studying the passage, the students should learn to do persuasive writing to change someone else’s
decision.The teacher should give the students some advice on how to plan the writing and develop
the writing—beginning, body and conclusion.
Teaching Important Points
Help the students know about Copernicus and his theory.
Develop the students’ reading ability.
Improve the students’ writing ability.
Teaching Difficulty
Develop the students’ reading ability.
Teaching Aids
Multi-media classroom and other normal teaching tools.
Three Dimensional Teaching Aims
Knowledge Aims
Get the students to know about Copernicus and his theory.
Learn about persuasive writing.
Ability Aims
1Master the skill of gist reading.
Develop the students’ reading ability, such as skimming and scanning.
Improve the students’ writing ability.
Emotional Aims
Arouse the students’ interest in science and devotion to science.
Teaching Procedure
Step 1 Greeting
T: Hello, everyone.
Ss: Hello, Miss Wang.
Step 2 Reviewing
T: Last class we talked about Qian Xuesen and Carl Linnaeus.Can you say something about
them?
S: Qian Xuesen is a famous Chinese physicist.
S: Qian Xuesen once studied in the USA and then returned to China.
S: Qian Xuesen made great contributions to space research.
S: Carl Linnaeus developed a system to classify plant species according to the male and
female organs in the followers.
S: Carl Linnaeus earned the title“Father of classification”.
Ss: ...
Step 3 Pre-reading
T: You have done a good job.So we have learned about a lot about great scientists, such as
John Snow and Qian Xuesen.Who else would you like to learn about?Why?
S: I’d like to know something about Madame Curie, because she was one of the great
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women scientists.
S: I’d like to know about Albert Einstein, because he plays an important part in the
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development of Physics.
S: Stephen Hawking because he has made great achievements although he is disabled.
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Ss: ...
T: I find you are interested in science and scientists.But today we are going to read about
Copernicus.Do you know something about him?
S: He was born in Poland.
1
S: He believed the earth moves around the sun.
2
S: It was said that he was burned to death because of his theory.
3
Ss: ...
T: Do you want to know more about him?
Ss: Of course.
T: So let’s come to the passage Copernicus’ revolutionary theory.
Step 4 Listening
T: First I’d like you to listen to the tape and find out whether the statements are T or
F.(Give the students one minute to read the statements and then play the tape.)
( ) 1.When Copernicus found that the earth was not the center of the solar system,
he was very excited.
( ) 2.Some astronomers found it strange that some planets appeared brighter at
sometimes.
2( ) 3.Copernicus worked out the theory by observation and calculation.
( ) 4.Copernicus didn’t publish his ideas until he died in 1543.
( ) 5.According to the Christian idea of gravity, things fell to the ground
because the earth is the center of the universe.
(A few minutes later.)
T: Are you ready?Who’d like to have a try.If the sentence is true, please read it.If it is false,
correct it.
S: The first sentence is false.When Copernicus found that the earth was not the center of the
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solar system, he was frightened.
S: The second statement is true.
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S: The third statement is also true.
3
S: The fourth statement is false.Copernicus didn’t publish his ideas until he lay dying in
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1543.
S: The fifth statement is true.
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Suggested answers:
1.F; 2.T; 3.T; 4.F; 5.T
Step 5 Gist Reading
T: You have done a good job.In think you previewed the passage well.To understand the
passage better, I divide the passage into four parts.Read the passage quickly and find out the main
idea of each part.
(After three minutes.)
T: Have you got it?Generally speaking, if we want to introduce something, first, we usually
give a brief introduction.What about the main ideas of other parts?
(Ask the students to give their opinions and in the end the teacher gives them the answer.)
Suggested answers:
Para 1 Brief introduction
Para 2 The cause of Copernicus’ theory
Paras 3-4 The process of Copernicus’ theory
Para 5 The significance of Copernicus’ theory
Step 6 Detailed reading
T: This passage mainly talks about Copernicus’ theory.So let’s compare
his theory and the theory before him.Work in pairs.Read the passage again and
fill in the following form.
Before Copernicus’ theory Copernicus’ theory
1.God made the earth. 1.The sun is the center of the solar system and the
2.The earth was the center of the solar system. planets go around it except the moon.
2.The earth is spinning as it goes round the sun.
(Two minutes later.)
T: Have you found out the different theories?Who’d like to have a try?
S: Before Copernicus’ theory, they believed God had made the earth, so it was the center of
the solar system.
T: Very good.What about Copernicus’ theory?
S: Copernicus found that the sun is the center of the solar system and the planets go round it
except the moon.
T: That’s right!Anything else?
3S: He also found the earth is spinning as it goes round the sun.
T: Great!(Show the complete form to the students and let them read it.) Just now, we knew
Copernicus didn’t publish his theory immediately he found it.Can you tell me why?
S: Because he didn’t want to be attacked by the Christian Church.He published it many years
later.
T: Yes.At that time, anyone who wanted to challenge the theory of the Christian Church
would be punished, even sometimes be sentenced to death.If you were Copernicus, would you
have hidden your theory so for many years?Please give a reason.
(Two minutes later.)
T: I’d like to know about your ideas.Are you ready?Any volunteers?
S: If I were Copernicus, I would have done the same, because at that time, people didn’t
enjoy the freedom of speech.Whoever challenged the Christian Church would be punished.While
there is life, there is hope.There would be more chance for me to make my theory known to the
public.
T: It sounds reasonable.Thank you.Anyone else?
S: If I were Copernicus, I would have published my ideas as soon as I found them.Since I
found my ideas were right, I would make them known to more people, regardless of danger. As a
scientist, I should be brave to challenge and devote myself to science.
Ss: ...
T: You have done a very good job.I appreciate your good ideas and opinions.
Step 7 Practising
T: Since we have learned the whole passage, I’d like you to do some practice.
(Show the following on the screen.)
1.Say something about Copernicus.
Copernicus____________________.
2.Make up a dialogue between Copernicus and one of his friends.Copernicus showed his
ideas privately to his friend and his friend encouraged him to publish his ideas.
T: First please say something about Copernicus.Give as much information as possible about
him by making sentences beginning with Copernicus.
S: Copernicus is a Poland astronomer.
1
S: Copernicus found the earth is not the center of the solar system.
2
S: Copernicus didn’t publish his theory until 1543.
3
S: Copernicus made a great contribution to astronomy.
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Ss: ...
T: I’m deeply impressed by your sentences.You are excellent.From the passage we know
Copernicus showed his theory to his friends and his friends encouraged him to publish his
theory.Please make up a dialogue in pairs based on this situation.We will hold a competition to see
which group acts the best.
(After a few minutes, the teacher gets several pairs to act it out and decides which group is
the best one.)
Step 8 Writing
T: Just now we learned that Copernicus didn’t publish his ideas as soon as he found his
theory.We also talked about what you would have done if you were Copernicus.Now write a short
letter asking Copernicus to publish his ideas so everyone can read them.First you need to collect
4your ideas.There are some suggested information on Page 7.Then you need to arrange these
ideas.There is a plan for it.
Beginning: Tell Copernicus who you are and why you want him to publish his ideas.
Paragraph 2: Reason 1 and evidence.
Paragraph 3: Reason 2 and evidence.
Summing up: Ask him to think again about publishing his ideas.
(Give Ss some time to do it.Ask them to draw an outline first, and it will help them to
develop their writing skill.The passage will be clear.If they have finished writing, get them to
exchange with their desk mates.Finally ask some to read their writings to the whole class.While
doing this, the teacher can design a competition to arouse their excitement.)
Step 9 Homework
T: You did very well in class.There’s the homework for you.
1.Preview the reading passage and underline the phrases you think important and useful.
2.Finish the writing if you haven’t finished and improve it if you have.
The Design of the Writing on the Blackboard
Unit 1 Great scientists
Period 4 Reading and Writing
Copernicus’ revolutionary work
Main idea of each part:
Para 1 Brief introduction
Para 2 The cause of
Copernicus’ theory
Paras 3-4 The process of
Copernicus’theory
Para 5 The significance of
Copernicus’ theory
Before Copernicus’ theory Copernicus’ theory
1.God made the earth. 1.The sun is the center of the solar system and the
2.The earth was the center of the solar system. planets go around it except the moon.
2.The earth is spinning as it goes round the sun.
Research and Activities
The theme of the activity is“a great scientist in our eyes”.Get the students to work in groups
and introduce a great scientist in their minds.First, they need to decide which scientist they think is
the greatest.Then, collect as much information as possible about the scientist, such as his/her life,
achievements, and so on.In the end, each group presents it to the whole class.The activity is
designed to arouse the students’ interest in science, cultivate their team spirit and learn something
from these great scientists.It also helps them learn to search for information and organize it well.
Reference for Teaching
Nicolaus Copernicus
5Born on Feb.19, 1473, in Thorn (Torun), Poland, Nicolaus Copernicus was destined to
become, through the publication of his heliocentric theory 70 years later, one of the seminal
figures in the history of scientific thought.The son of a prosperous merchant, he was raised after
his father’s death by a maternal uncle, who enabled him to enter the University of Krakow, then
famous for its mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy curriculum.This experience stimulated the
young Copernicus to study further liberal arts at Bologna (1496-1501), medicine at Padua, and law
at the University of Ferrara, from which he emerged in 1503 with the doctorate in canon
law.Shortly afterward he returned to Poland and eventually settled permanently at the cathedral in
Frauenberg (Frombork), less than 100 miles from his birthplace.Through his uncle’s influence he
had been elected a canon of the church even before his journey to Italy.Copernicus not only
faithfully performed his ecclesiastical duties, but also practiced medicine, wrote a treatise on
monetary reform, and turned his attention to a subject in which he had long been interested-
astronomy.
By May 1514 Copernicus had written De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the
Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, 1543).This classic work challenged the geocentric
cosmology that had been accepted since the time of Aristotle.Copernicus proposed that the earth
goes round the sun with the other planets.
The new theory that Copernicus espoused in De revolutionibus exhibits a peculiar mixture of
both radical and conservative elements.In the midst of his radical reordering of the structure of the
universe, Copernicus still adhered to the ancient Aristotelian doctrines of solid celestial spheres
and perfect circular motion of heavenly bodies, and he held essentially intact the entire
Aristotelian physics of motion.Moreover, with significant innovations, he clung to the Ptolemaic
representation of planetary motion by means of complicated combinations of circles called
epicycles.Although Copernicus realized that his theory implied an enormous increase in the size
of the universe, he declined to pronounce it infinite.
These aspects of the Copernican treatise do not mitigate the novelty or the impact of the final
theory, or the author’s firm conviction that his system was an accurate representation of physical
reality.Rather, they indicate the scope of the work that lay ahead and that was effectively
addressed in the next century when Kepler determined the ellipticity of planetary orbits, Galileo
formulated his new concept of motion, and Newton espoused his theory of universal gravitation.
The enunciation of the heliocentric theory by Copernicus marked the beginning of the
scientific revolution, and of a new view of a greatly enlarged universe.It was a shift away from the
comfortable anthropocentrism of the ancient and medieval world.A scientific theory that reflected
so profoundly on humanity was not welcomed by the church, and it was only after the publication
(1540) of Narratio prima (A First Account), by an enthusiastic supporter named Rheticus, that the
aged Copernicus agreed to commit to print the theory already outlined in 1514.An undocumented,
6but often repeated, story holds that Copernicus received a printed copy of his treatise on his
deathbed.He died on May 24, 1543.
Shenzhou Ⅵ touches down
BEIJING, Oct.17 (Xinhua/chinadaily.com.cn)—The return module of China’s second
manned spacecraft Shenzhou Ⅵ has returned to the Earth, and the astronauts are safe.
The module and astronauts touched down in the main landing field in Central Inner Mongolia
Autonomous Region at 4: 33 A.M.Monday after a five-day flight.
Fei Junlong got out of the return module by himself first, followed by Nie Haisheng.
The two said they were in good condition when answering questions from journalists.
The two People’s Liberation Army colonels received a hero’s welcome.Jubilant residents in
Nie’s home town in central Hubei province set off firecrackers and performed traditional lion
dances.
Fei’s mother wept on learning of his safe return, and his father declared, “The motherland is
so great!”
State television showed the astronauts emerging from Shenzhou Ⅵ unaided, pausing atop the
charred reentry craft to wave to the recovery team.
Chen Bingde, chief of China’s manned space project, declares the mission a complete
success.
The return moduel landed one kilometer away from the target, and six kilometers from the
Shenzhou V’s landing site.
The two men are expected to be taken by a helicopter to a local airport to board a flight to
Beijing.Both will be in isolation for observation for 14 days after the mission, but family members
will be allowed to visit, the Beijing Youth Daily newspaper said Sunday.
Fei and Nie blasted off Wednesday on China’s second manned space mission.It came almost
exactly two years after China’s first manned space flight.
China is only the third country to send humans into orbit on its own, after Russia and the
United States.
State television showed scores of technicians monitoring the landing at computer screens at a
Beijing control center.They showed no reaction when an announcer said the capsule had landed
but broke into cheers after word came that the astronauts were safe, the Associated Press reported.
7Chinese leaders including the top legislator Wu Bangguo were shown on television
watching the landing from the control center.
The mission had“accomplished the planned experiments and accumulated valuable technical
data, ”Xinhua said Sunday.
“We feel good, our work is going smoothly and our life is happy, ”Fei was quoted as saying
Sunday evening before the craft began its re-entry maneuvers.“We will do our utmost to fulfill the
mission.”
“We’re grateful for the deep love and concern by all Chinese people, the Hong Kong, Macao
and Taiwan compatriots, ”Nie said.
Shenzhou 6 orbited the Earth 76 times and traveled more than 1.9 million miles.The mission
was substantially longer and more complex than the 2003 flight, when astronaut Yang Liwei
orbited for 21 1/2 hours before his capsule landed by parachute.
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