Teaching Steps for SEFC Book 1A
Unit 1 The summer holidays
Lesson 2
Step 1 Revision
1 Check the homework exercises.
2 Ask some Ss about their summer holidays, using the questions in SB Lesson 1, Part 2 as a guide.
Step 2 Preparation for reading
Say Today we are going to read about a letter. It is written by an American boy. He worked on a farm in the summer holidays. Teach the word vacation (Am. Eng. for holiday). Tell me: What do farmers grow on a farm? Collect as many answers as possible on the Bb (rice, wheat, vegetables, fruit, etc). Revise other farming vocabulary, such as harvest (What do we call the time when the farmers collect the food in the fields?) and tractor (What do we call the machine that farmers use in the fields?).
Step 3 Reading
SB Lesson 2. Tell the Ss This is a letter to Li Xiaojun from Charlie. Charlie is Li's American pen-friend. What does Charlie talk about in his letter? What's the difference between his home time area and ours? Read it fast to find out. Give the Ss a few moments for fast reading, then collect their answers orally (e.g. Working on the farm; a party at harvest time; time areas of the States, etc). Write these answers as topic headings on the Bb. Get the Ss to copy them into their exercise books. Then, as they read the letter more carefully, they should make some notes about each topic. Allow the Ss several minutes for the second reading. Check their answers orally. Discuss the differences between Charlie's description of the USA and your Ss' home area. Get the Ss to use as much English as possible.
Step 4 Intensive reading
Wb Lesson 2, Ex. 1. Go through the exercise with the Ss and make sure they know what to do. Then let them read the passage and answer the questions. They can check their answers with a partner, and then with the whole class. As you go through the answers, deal briefly with any difficult language points.
Step 5 Workbook
Wb Exx. 2 and 3. See the key to the exercises in the Appendix. Before doing Ex. 3, make sure that the Ss read over the letter. Do it orally in class and discuss about the different verb tenses used.
Step 6 Consolidation
Revise the contents of Charlie's letter. Ask the Ss questions to help them, such as Why is Charlie very tired? What do they grow on the farm? What do they do at a party? How many time areas are there in the USA ? etc. If you wish, tell the Ss to close their books before you ask the questions.
Homework
Finish the Workbook exercises. Read the letter again.
Notes:
a Right now: mainly American English or at the moment
b the time of year: no need to use an article before year
c from dawn until dark = from early morning until late evening
d working ... by the lights = We switch on the lights of the tractors so that we can work in the dark.
e has only two men working for him: The phrase working for him is used as Object Complement in the sentence.
f water the vegetable garden: The word water is used as a verb here.
g an open fire: The fire is not covered by anything.
h I don't: I don't drink beer.
i Laws in America are very strict about drinking and driving. The minimum age at which people can drink alcohol in the USA varies from state to state - it is either 18 or 21.
j five areas in the States: These are called rime zones. China has actually different time zones, but uses only one for the whole country. That is Beijing time.
k Best wishes: This is a friendly way to end a letter.