TOPIC
:
INTRODUCTION OF
AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY
- DEATH VALLEY
THE SUJECT OF CURRICULUM OUTLINE :
INTEGRATED FOUR ENGLISH SKILLS
TEACHER： Jennifer Lai
賴惠真
(台中市新民高中)
Abstract
America is a popular country to go further studying for those
who feel like learning “English”, however the geographical location
is the basic knowledge for an alien to get involved in a foreign country.
So, I tried to take this article as the teaching material and plan it in a
comparative way by charts, aiming at attracting the students to
have a better idea on American not only in Humane Geography by means of
several designed activities of groups working and groups checking to upgrade
their reading, speaking, listening and writing skills, but also in inspiring their
thinking ability by comparing the similarly geographic regions in other
countries.
It’s the work I did from the short period workshop learning in
ALI of University of San Francisco.
I hope it is beneficial to our teaching
ecosystem and I would like to share with anyone who is interested in.
Thanks for attention.
Topic: Death Valley
Students’ Background: Intermediate, 1st year of senior high
Total Student Number: 45
Time Period: 50 minutes
Materials: hand-outs, blackboard, chalks, visual aids (pc and projector)
Objective of this Lesson: Reinforce the thinking skill with 4 skills integrated
Overall Teaching Goals:
1. Understand the whole idea of content
2. Be familiar with the meaning and usages of vocabularies and
Phrases and apply them to real life.
3. Know how to use superlative grammar structure
4. Provide geographic knowledge and extensive reading
Teaching Methods: Interactive and communicative approach by
working in pairs/group of 5
5. Motivate students to think & compare the differences and similarities in
geography by chart teaching
Suggestions: The teachers are supposed to supply the complete information
on “Death Valley” including location, conditions of humane geography.
Lesson Plan
(I)
Pre-reading
(10 min)
Procedures:
A. Work a pair and ask them 3 questions relating to the content
Q1: Have you ever been to any desert place?
Q2: What features of desert would be like?
Q3: What valuable things could be found in a desert except for
drought and heat?
Each group presents their answers and peer check
B. Form a group of 5, then have them discuss the English definition of the
given vocabulary & phrase list by brainstorming. The writer takes notes
C. Teacher writes the words and phrases on the blackboard, then ask each
group to write the English definition on board.
The word & phrase list given as follows:
Vocabulary List
1. valley
(n)
2. survivors (n)
3. monument (n)
4. surrounding (adj.)
5. hemisphere (n)
6. temperature (n)
7. exceed
(v)
8. rainfall
(n)
9. borax
(n)
10. Fahrenheit (n) vs. Celsius (n)
(II)
During-reading
(30 min)
Phrase List
1. short cut
2 the gold fields
3. sea level
4. less than
5. as well as
Procedures:
(Divided into content & grammar – focused )
1. Content – focused ( 15 min)
A. Demo the colorful map location of Dead Valley by projector, so the
students can get the clear
picture of it.
The colored picture 1: (The location)
The colored picture 2: (The look of Dead Valley)
B. Give the article of Dead Valley and work in pairs to read 1st & last
paragraph, then summarize to each one.
C. Have pairs read fast the whole article and summarize
D. Have pairs read slowly the whole article ad underline any new words
unknown and superlative grammar,
then discuss the meaning and usages. After that,
the teacher explains the rules.
E. Give each pair a paper geographic setting chart and
ask them to fill in by pair work, then pair check
Chart of Death Valley as follows:
Area
length width climate The highest
Square
temperature
miles
Average
rainfall
The greatest
Discovered
mineral
F. The teacher asks the students some questions
to make sure they fully understand the content.
Q1: In 1849, how many people died from trying to find the gold fields
in Death Valley?
Q2: Where is the lowest level in the western hemisphere?
Q3: Where is the hottest and driest area in USA?
Q4: What mineral is the greatest discovery in Death Valley?
2. Grammar-focused (15 min)
Activity 1 to whole class work
A. Hold a TPR activity by reading 10 mixed superlative and comparative
sentences. When the class hear the superlative adjectives, they stand
up. Lest them should fall asleep during the class.
10 sentence examples:
1. The hottest area in USA is Death Valley.
2. I don’t have more money than he.
3. L.A. is the second largest city in California.
4. His idea is much better.
5. Run faster, so you can catch the bus.
6. The campus is the most beautiful.
7. Tom is the youngest one in the family.
8. Tim is taller than Jack.
9. Te biggest horse was stolen.
10. He is getting richer and richer.
Activity 2- a group of 5 to practice the superlative
Grammar
1 person ask : Who is the tallest in our class?
2nd person reply: Tom is.
3rd person repeat: Tom is the tallest in our class.
4th person ask again: Who is the shortest in our class?
5th person reply: Shelly is.
‘’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
The Q& A repeats and group takes turns until five rounds
are done and they are familiar with the grammar rule.
st
(III)
Post – reading
(10 min)
Procedures:
A. pair work to fill in the cloze reading, then pair check
( just a small quiz to assess their comprehension)
Cloze filling: (choose from the word list)
survivors / received / short cut / died / one
Death Valley ________ its name in 1849 when twelve people from a party
of thirty ______ there. The group was trying to find a __________ to the gold
fields in California. ______ of the eighteen _________ gave the area the name.
B. Raise 2 questions to help them express their opinions
about “desert “ after reading this article.
Q1: Would you choose to live in the desert area?
Why or why not?
Q2: What benefits we can take advantage from the
desert?
C. Assignment & Assessment announcement
C-1. Ask them to fill out a geographic comparison list among The Dead
Sea, The Sahara Desert and Death Valley by offering the websites, then
they report next class (Try to extend their reading outside class)
References: www. En. Wikiedia.org /. www. Danheller. com
The Geographic Comparison List
Dead Sea
Sahara
Death Valley
Population
Sea level
Square miles
The highest
temperature
climate
rainfall
vegetation
Mineral found
C-2 Assign them to memorize the content and recite the
new words, then inform them the content dictation and vocabulary test
next class.
*********** The End *************
The
Text
of
Death
Valley
Death Valley received its name in 1849 when twelve people from a party of
thirty died there.
The group was trying to find a short cut to the gold fields in
California. One of the eighteen survivors gave the area the name.
Death Valley National Monument is about 3,230 square miles in area and
includes the surrounding mountains. The valley is about 140 miles long and ranges
in width from four to sixteen miles. Much of Death Valley is below sea level.
At
one point, near Badwater, it is the lowest level in the western hemisphere.
The summer temperatures exceed 125 degree F. It is one of the hottest regions
known. In 1913, the National Weather Service recorded 134 degree in Death Valley,
one of the highest temperatures ever recorded in the United States. Average rainfall
is less than two inches per year and sand and dust storms are common.
Gold has been discovered in Death Valley, as well as silver and copper, but the
greatest discovery was borax.
Borax was first mined in Death Valley in the 1880s.