Unit 4¡¡Earthquakes

This is the fourth teaching period of this unit. As usual, the teacher will first get the students to review what they learned in the last period, and then lead in the new lesson.

The emphasis of this period should be placed on developing students’ listening ability. Listening on Page 62 in the Workbook provides many facts and describes cause and effect relationships. The teacher can lead in the topic by discussing some questions, such as “Why do earthquakes happen? ”“Can we avoid or at least reduce the loss caused by earthquakes? ”, and so on. First, let the students guess the listening text may be about. Play the tape for the first time for students to listen and decide whether their guessing is right. Second, ask them to listen for the second time to tell whether the sentences in Exercise 1 are true or false. Third, let them listen again to answer the questions and complete the table in Exercise 2. While they are listening, the teacher should pause and repeat the key sentences to help students understand. When checking the answers, explain some difficult listening points if necessary. In the end, show them the listening text and let them read and retell it. This step can help students understand and grasp the listening material far further.