Unit2 Looking into the Future教案

（Readingand Thinking：Smart Homes to Make LifeEasier）

文本简析

本单元的主题是“展望未来（Lookinginto the Future）”，阅读文本的话题是“智能家居使生活更加便利（SmartHomes to Make Life Easier）”。文中，作者介绍了未来家居的智能化水平，展示了科技发展能给生活带来很多便利，并引发读者思考这些变化可能产生的问题。在“未来”和“科技”的主题语境下，作者选择家居生活作为描写和说明的对象，缩短了读者与主题语境以及文本内容的距离，有利于引起阅读兴趣，引发读者共鸣。

本文是一篇科技小品文。全文五个段落呈现了说明类文本常见的BTEC的内容结构：第一段介绍了背景（Background）和主题（Topic），即在目前家居生活不够安全和节能等背景下，提出未来智能家居可以给我们提供更安全、更节能和更舒适的生活这一主题；第二至第四段用“智能控制、健康检查和防范灾害”三种功能解释了文本主题（Explanation）；第五段是总结（Conclusion），智能家居时代已经到来但其推广普及还需要一段时间。本文的写作目的是为了让读者了解未来家居的智能化水平及其为生活带来的便利，引导学生结合文章主题和内容形成对未来科技发展的积极期待和全面思考，形成对未来科技客观理性的态度。

在本文的阅读教学中，首先要关注文体特征，包括文本标题、小标题以及语篇标识语，并利用这些特征理解文本结构、写作目的和目标读者；其次，在了解未来家居智能化水平和给生活带来的便利时，可同时整理相关的话题语言；此外，文本用问句开头、多处运用对比和引证的写作手法，并用语法结构“will be doing”来表明态度，这些都是很好的使用写作技巧的范例，能提高学生运用合适的写作技巧来表情达意的意识和能力；最后，在对“智能家居有什么特征”和“为何智能家居一时还不能普及”等问题的探讨中，学生的深度思维能力尤其是批判性思维能力可以得到有效训练。

第1课时

一、教学内容

理解全文，明确文本的内容结构；细读前两段，以“smart”和“easier”为核心梳理文本，了解关于未来家居的智能化水平程度和对我们生活的影响，学习相关语言。

二、课时目标

1. 通过速读题目和小标题，提取文本的内容框架，了解写作目的和目标读者。

2. 通过细读前两段，了解未来家居的智能化水平以及它们给生活带来的便利，并学习相关语言，如：keep us secure, save usenergy, and provide a more comfortable environment to live in。

3. 通过分析用问句开头和对比等写作手法的作用，提升学生运用写作技巧表达意图的意识和能力。

4. 通过角色代入式复述，巩固内容和语言。

三、教学过程

Activity1: Warming-up

本活动为落实所有课时目标做铺垫。

Discuss thepossible differences between the household appliances of today and in thefuture.

The teacherinitiates the discussion by mentioning her experience of choosing householdappliances for her two houses, the old one twenty years ago and the new onelast year.

T: Greatchanges have taken place in household appliances. What will happen to them inthe future, e.g., another twenty years later?

【设计意图】通过讨论现在和二十年前家用电器的差异，学生了解科技发展给家居生活带来的变化，并展望二十年之后的情况。这个话题接近生活，每个学生都有话可讲，同时也为后续“智能家居让生活变得更加便利”作好思维的比较性铺垫。另外，用家电作为切入点引起有关智能家居的话题也可以为阅读解决一些词汇障碍，如：appliance，switch，knob，remotecontrol，automatic，voicecommand等。

Activity2: Reading for the writing purpose and the intended audience

本活动旨在实现课时目标1。

Read thetitle and the three subtitles.

Q1: What isthe purpose of the text? (To introduce smart homes.)

Q2: Who isthe intended audience of this text? (People who welcome smart homes / newtechnology.)

【设计意图】通过阅读文本题目及其三个小标题，了解文章的体裁和结构，推测写作目的和目标读者。

Activity 3: Reading Paragraph 1 for thetopic

本活动旨在落实课时目标2和3.

ReadParagraph 1 and answer the following questions:

Q1: Whatproblems do we have today?

Forget tolock ...; forget to switch off ...

Q2: What doyou think of living in a regular home today?

Annoying /high resource-consuming / dangerous /...

Q3: How willthese problems be solved in the not-too-distant future?

We will beliving smart homes that will lock…and switch off…

Q4: Whatdifference will smart homes make to our life?

…keep ussecure, save us energy, and provide a more comfortable environment to live in…

Q5: How doesthe writer introduce the topic?

Bycontrasting.

Q6: Why doesthe author use two questions at the very beginning of Paragraph 1?

To getreaders attention or raise their interest.

【设计意图】在“Smart Homes to MakeLife Easier”统领下，引起对家居生活现状和存在问题的共鸣，接着了解智能家居能给生活带来的变化，呈现主题；同时，学生感知在文本开头设问引起读者兴趣和用比较凸显主题意义的写作手法，提高用写作手法表情达意的意识和能力。

Activity4：Predicting about Paragraphs 2-5 andthen confirming the predictions

本活动旨在落实课时目标2和目标3。

1.Make aprediction about the contents in the following parts.

Q: What doyou think will be talked about in the following parts?

Possiblepredictions:

- anintroduction to the technology which makes future homes smart;

- someexample functions of smart homes;

- theexpense of smart homes;

- therelationship between smart technology and humans;

...

2. ReadParagraphs 2-5 inpidually to confirm the predictions.

3. Sharereading experience with other readers.

Q: Whatimpressed you most while reading? Why does it impress you? Or do you have anyquestions? If yes, what are they?

【设计意图】学生预测文本内容，形成“想知内容”，接着去文本中验证自己的预测。这种带着任务的阅读可以帮助学生自然地走进文本，不仅满足了学生的好奇心，也厘清了文本的基本脉络。另外，在验证预测后再跟进阅读体验分享，学生在聚焦、分享自己的兴趣点或探讨问题的同时可以进一步熟悉文本，思维深度也逐渐增加。

Activity5: Reading Paragraph 2 for its connection to the topic

本活动旨在落实课时目标2和3。

1. ReadParagraph 2 carefully and try to find out its link to the topic.

Q1: Whatproblems do we have today?

Today, we have to use… for …

Q2: What doyou think of living in a regular home today?

Answers mayvary.

Q3: How willthese problems be solved in the future?

In thefuture, we will be using advanced technology every day for automatic control ofjust about everything in our home.

Q4: Whatdifference will smart homes make to our life?

*What cansmart homes do?

*Whatdifference will they make?

*Whattechnological support do they need?

Theinformation of Q4 can be sorted out like this:

Q5: How doyou understand the word “intelligent”? Why?

Answers mayvary. For example:

Multifunctional.Because it can function in many ways, even at the same time.

【设计意图】在第一段即主题段的统领下阅读第二段，并建立第二段和主题之间的联系。第一个联系点是文段的建构方法，作者继续用今天和未来作比较的方法建构第二段，以此凸显“智能控制”给生活带来的便利；第二个联系点是所有“智能控制”的功能和便利之处都是围绕主题展开的，即“安全、环保和舒适”。在此基础上，学生开始探索智能家居的技术支持，透过表象看本质，为最终把思维的落脚点放在科技上做好准备。最后，学生对intelligent 一词进行多维理解，并用文本中的信息来支撑自己的理解，拓宽主题范围。

Activity6: Talking about the topic and using its language

本活动旨在落实课时目标4。

If you aretaking part in an English speech contest about future life, please give aspeech titled “Smart Homes, Easier Life”. You are supposed to include:

1. a basicintroduction to our present life,

2. thefunctions of future smart homes, and ...

3. thedifference smart homes will make to our life.

Ifnecessary, you may as well use questions at the beginning to interest yourreaders.

【设计意图】该任务是巩固话题内容和语言的活动。根据“目前问题—解决方法—产生变化”的思路，学生再次回顾文本，比较现在和未来的家居生活差异，凸显智能家居给生活带来的变化，加深对智能家居功能和作用的印象，从而深刻理解高科技对人类生活产生的积极意义。

Assignment:

1.Polishyour writing of speech—“Smart Homes, Easier Life”, and prepare for a classpresentation in the next period;

2.Build alanguage bank related to smart homes.

【设计意图】通过润色演讲稿，学生可以再次复习话题内容和语言，提高语言输出需要精致的意识和习惯；通过自己动手整理话题词汇，学生积累语言知识，增加语料库，促进主动学习的意识和能力。

第2课时

一、教学内容

细读文本第三至第五段，继续以“smart”和“easier”为核心理解和评价文本信息，理解文本主题，形成对科技发展的个性化理解和态度。

二、课时目标

1.通过细读、分析第三、四两段，了解“定期健康检查”和“防范灾难”两种功能及相关话题语言，关注文段结构和语篇标识语in addition，并学习使用例证的说明方法。

2.细读第五段，了解智能家居的普及程度，分析其尚未普及的原因，了解智能家居可能存在的隐患。

3.结合智能家居的功能和特点，探讨名人名言“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”，挖掘文本的深层价值，引导学生客观看待科技发展。

4.用小组讨论的形式表达自己对科技发展的态度，迁移使用文本内容和话题语言，促进思维能力发展。

三、教学过程

Activity 1: Making a presentation

本活动为所有课时目标作铺垫。

Activate theknowledge of the text topic and key information about Paragraphs 1-2

1. Presentthe prepared speech — “Smart Homes, Easier Life”.

2. Reviewthe topic of the text.

Q: Whatdifference can smart homes make to our life?

Keep ussecure, save us energy, and provide a more comfortable environment to live in.

【设计意图】通过演讲活动，激活对文本主题和第一、二两段核心信息的记忆，回忆文本内容，使用相关话题语言；同时，通过分享，学生之间可以相互学习、取长补短。这部分也是本节课的热身活动，最后的关注点落到文本主题上。

Activity2: Reading Paragraphs 3-4 for their connection to the topic

本活动旨在落实课时目标1。

ReadParagraphs 3-4 carefully and find their link to the topic.

Q1: What cansmart homes do for us according to Paragraphs 3-4?

Monitor ourhealth and prevent disasters from happening.

Q2: How willsmart homes monitor our health and prevent disasters from happening?

Q3: How doesthe writer organize information in Paragraphs 3-4?

Paragraph 3:

Paragraph 4:

Q4: Whatdifference will smart homes make to life in terms of these two paragraphs?

Keeping ussecure.

Q5: How doesthe writer connect these two paragraphs to the former parts?

By using “inaddition”.

Q6: What’sthe writer’s attitude to smart homes?

Answers mayvary here. In addition to other possible ideas, the teacher mentions that thewriter uses “will be doing” to show his favor to smart homes. “Will be using”is often used when something is happening with certainty. Besides, peopleusually use it to show their favor to the thing that is about to happen.

【设计意图】结合主题意义，学生细读第三、四两段，了解智能家居在未来如何保证我们的安全。在理解内容、习得话题语言的基础上，学生学习说明类段落的建构方法，关注语篇标识语in addition的用法，并学习willbe doing在表达作者态度方面的作用，了解结构、语篇标识语和语法结构在表情达意方面的作用，提高这方面的意识和能力。

Activity3: Reading Paragraph 5 for the conclusion of the topic

本活动旨在落实课时目标2和目标3。

ReadParagraph 5 to transfer focus from advantages to disadvantages.

Q1: Arethese smart homes only a fantasy?

It is not afantasy.

Q2: Whatdoes “in this sense” in the third sentence mean?

Many of these new innovations are alreadyavailable and being used in some homes.

Q3: Can youparaphrase the sentence “The home tomorrow is already the home of today”?

The era ofsmart homes has already come.

Q4: Are theyenjoying their popularity?

Not yet. Itwill take some years before most new homes begin to use this new technology.

Q5: Why willit take some years before most new homes begin to use this new technology?

Some possibledisadvantages:

high cost;imperfect technology; risk of leaking personal information; unpopularity amongsome people, e.g. senior citizens; ...

Q6: Willsmart technology outsmart humans one day?

Answers mayvary.

Q7: Why dohumans create high-tech products like smart homes since smart technology poseschallenges to us?

Answers mayvary. In addition to other possible answers, the teacher shares herunderstanding of the sentence —The best way to predict the future is to createit.

【设计意图】通过思考“智能家居是否只是一个幻想”，学生了解智能家居目前的发展情况，并探究其尚未普及的原因，批判性思考智能家居潜在的缺点；在此基础上，学生思考并表达智能家居和人类的关系，理解人类发展科技是为了给自己创造更好的生活，提升对文本主题意义的理解。随后，教师提问引导，师生共同探讨德鲁克的名言“The best way to predictthe future is to create it.”，明确人类发展科技是为了给自己创造更美好的生活，而科技的发展前景由人类自己决定，培养学生对科技发展的客观和理性的态度。

Activity4. Voicing your opinions about the topic and using its language

本活动旨在落实课时目标4。