Period 1 Welcome to this unit

Teaching objectives:

u To introduce and develop the theme of growing pains.

u To develop speaking ability by talking about families and problems that happen between teenagers and parents.

u To know more about classmates and their families.

Important and difficult points:

u Get students to understand what growing pains means.

u Make students know the relationship between parents and their teenage children in the USA.

u Help students to form a positive attitude towards relationships between their parents and them.

Teaching procedures:

Step 1 lead-in

Present family albums:

In this part, Ss are encouraged to say something about their families by showing the class pictures with their parents.

Who may have growing pains?

What are Growing pains?

When do they probably have growing pains?

How do you solve this problem?

Growing pains aren't a disease. You probably won't have to go to the doctor for them. But they can hurt. Usually they happen when kids are between the ages of 3 and 5 or 8 and 12. Growing pains stop when kids stop growing. By the teen years, most kids don't get growing pains anymore.

Growing pains also mean the troubles and difficulties that teenagers meet when they grow up.

Step 2 Brainstorming

Do you love your parents?

Do you always show respect to your parents?

Have you ever quarreled with your parents?

What is your quarrel about?

Step 3 Picture discussion

Ask Ss to look at the pictures and discuss each picture in groups of four.

Picture 1

What does the boy do?

What is the mother doing? How is she probably feeling?

What feelings may the boy have?

Picture 2

What happens to the girl with a bag?

What did her parents ask her to do?

Can you guess what might have happened to her?

What will she do?

Picture 3

Why are the boys and girls around the pretty lady?

What does the boy want to do? Is he allowed to do so? Why or why not?

What feelings may the boy have?

Picture 4

What is the boy probably doing?

Did the boy do well in his exams?

How does his mother feel about the score?

What feelings may the boy have?

Step 4 Picture discription

Imagine the situations and try to describe each picture as fully as possible with their own words. Make sure that Ss have “when”, “where”, “who”, “what” in your descriptions.

Invite some Ss to report back their descriptions.

Sharing opinions (group work)

In this part, Ss discuss the following questions in groups of four. Each group chooses two of the four questions. Have Ss to report their opinions in class.

Step 4 Further Discussion

Discuss the following questions in groups of four.

What do you do when you have family arguments with your parents?

Do you think there is a generation gap between you and your parents? If so, what is the best way to solve the problem?

Homework

1 Preview the Reading part.

2 Describe an unpleasant experience with your friends/teachers.