I. Teaching focus
1.Realize the damage caused to the world and figure out the reasons.
2.Find ways to stop the earth from being polluted by discussing in groups.
II.Teaching approaches
Elicitation, Mutual Interaction
III.Teaching aid
Interactive multimedia teaching
IV.Teaching process
Step 1 Revision
1. Check note-making
Earth: not enough rain, too many cattle, cutting down trees, strong winds
Air: smoke from factories, power stations, cars, chemical rain, accidents at power stations and factories
Water: waste from factories and cities
Step 2 Presentation
1． Present a series of images depicting the natural beauty of the earth, then the pollution. Highlight the sharp contrast between them. Guide the students to the conclusion: The earth used to be much more beautiful than now; the earth is in danger due to the increasing pollution.
2． Study the map on the textbook, then scan the passages to figure out where on the world atlas the damage has happened. Encourage the students to give out their point of view toward the pollution issue.
Step 3 Audiovisual Learning
The students watch a video on the text, then do the following true or false questions.
1. Many parts of the world with large population and plenty of crops have become deserts. T
2. Land may become poor if farmers do not limit the numbers of their cattle. T
3. Good soil is gradually lost these days as trees are being cut down. T
4. Air pollution and water pollution are the two causes of the problem that many parts of the world have become deserts. F
5. Chemicals in the smoke from power stations can travel hundreds of miles in the wind before falling down to the ground in the rain. F
6. After a bad accident at a nuclear power station, 50% of the trees in Germany were damaged. F
7. The writer to explain how water is polluted uses the examples of the accidents in both India and Russian. F
8. Once oceans are polluted, they are not able to clean themselves. F
Step 4 Intensive Reading
Read the passages again for some detailed information
1.To say something about the damage that is caused to the world by pollution, using the information from the text. Try to present possible ways to help solve the problems.
Phenomena
Causes
Suggestions
E
A
R
T
H
The area of desert is growing every year.
Cattle eat grass.
Limit the number of the cattle.
Good soil is gradually lost.
Trees being cut down; strong winds blowing the valuable soil away.
Plant more trees and try to protect them.
AIR
Air is being polluted.
Factories, power stations and cars produce a lot of waste.
A lot of things have to be done to reduce pollution. New laws should be passed and people should realize how serious the problem is.
A lot of people died from polluted air in both Russia and India.
There were serious accidents that polluted the air.
Trees in the forest are destroyed and fish in the lakes are killed.
Chemical rain.
WATER
In some places it’s no longer safe for swimming, nor is it safe to eat the fish.
Factories and cities produce a lot of waste.
Same as above.
Lake Baikal, which used to be cleanest I the world, s now polluted.
Waste produced from a chemical factory.
2.to summarize the text by giving the main idea of each passage.
Earth:
The area of desert is growing and good soil is gradually lost.
Air:
Chemicals in the smoke cause a lot of damage and serious accidents took place from time to time.
Water:
Water pollution is caused by man’s waste. The waters of this great lake have been dirtied and 4800 square km of ocean were polluted by oil.
Step 5 Discussion
Appoint one student to host the discussion. The rest of the class fall into groups of 4, changing ideas on the following question.
(1)What kind of pollution can you think of?
(2)Why trees are important?
(3)What are the causes of water pollution?
(4) What can be done to stop land from becoming into desert?
(5) What else do we know about the problems that the earth is facing?
6) What steps should we take to save the earth?
Step 6 Role play
The students take turns to play the role of a newspaper reporter, making interviews with heads of factories (e.g. A papermaking factory) which are seriously polluting air and/or water. Record the interviews and compose a report.
Step 7 Assignment
（1）Read the additional materials about pollution and do the reading comprehension exercises.
（2）Finish the report.