Reading – The Olympic Games

Teaching Aims:

1. Let students have the general idea about the Olympic Games’ history and relative information;

2. Train the students’ listening ability;

3. Improve the students’ reading ability by scanning (fast- reading) and intensive reading (blank- filling and main idea- getting);

4. Train the students’ ability of getting information quickly;

5. Discussion method to make the students take an active part in the teaching and learning activities;

6. Pay more attention to the Beijing Olympic Games and English study.

Teaching Aids:

1.a recorder

2.a computer (PPT)

Teaching Procedures:

Step1: Lead- in

(Before class show some pictures about sportsmen and sport events on the screen. At last, there is the picture of the Olympic rings.)

T: Good morning, boys and girls!

S: Good morning, teacher!

T: Sit down, please.

S: Thank you!

T: Just now we have seen some pictures about sportsmen and sport events on the screen. Now please look at this picture. What is it?

S: Five rings.

T: Yes. Once you see it, what will you think of?

S: The Olympic Games.

T: Yes, very good. So today we will talk something about the Olympic Games. Now here are some pictures on the screen. Can you name all of them? What event is this picture? And this one? … …

S: hurdles, cycling, swimming, judo, shooting, high- jump, long-jump, football, weightlifting, horse riding, basketball, diving.

T: Very good. You know so many sports games. Now we will play a game. Please guess “ What events are they?”

No.1 This is a very fast game. Each of the two teams has five players and the game is played for two periods of 20 minutes each. The players try to put the ball into a “ basket”. It is useful if you are very tall.

S: Basketball.

T: Yes, you are clever.

( Then show a picture of Jordan playing basketball.)

Do you know who he is?

S: Jordan.

T: Yes. I’m sure all of you know him. I think he is the greatest basketball player and I like him very much. And you?

S: Yes, we like him too.

T: Next event.

No. 2 The game is played by two teams of six players each. Each team can hit the ball up to 3 times, but not more than 3 times. Then the ball must land on the other side of the net.

S: Volleyball.

T: Yes, good.

(Then show a picture of Chinese Women Volleyball team.)

Do you know not long before, our Chinese Women Volleyball team just won a gold medal in …

S: The Volleyball World Cup.

T: Yes, you know it. Good. Now, next.

No. 3 This game must be played in water by several players. One who first reaches the finishing line is the winner.

S: Swimming.

T: Yes, you got it.

( Show a swimming picture.)

Next.

No. 4 Several players take turns to fire at something with a gun.

S: Shooting.

T: ( Show a picture of WangYifu.)

Right. And who is he?

S: WangYifu.

T: Yes. He is famous. Next.

No.5 The game is played by two strong people. One tries to get the other down on the floor.

S: Judo.

T: Good. ( Show a judo picture.)

Step 2: Listening and Scanning

T: Now we have talked a lot about sport events. And today we will go to see the greatest sports meeting, which include all of them-the Olympic Games. Now please turn to page 52. listen to the tape carefully. When you are listening, please pay attention to these numbers on the screen, and find out the relative information of them: 4years; 2 years; 776 BC; 393 AD; 2000; 27; 1984; 28; 2001; 2008.

(Play the tape.)

OK, the passage is over. Now look at the numbers. Please give me some information about them. First, 4 years? ( And 2 years?)

S1: The Olympic Games are held every 4 years.

S2: The Winter Olympic Games are usually held 2 years before the Summer Olympic Games.

S3: The ancient Olympic Games began around the year 776 BC.

S4: After about the year 393 AD the Olympic Games stopped.

S5:The first Olympic Games in modern times happened in 1896.

S6: In 2000, the 27th Olympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia.

S7: In the 1984 Olympic Games, Carl Lewis won four gold medals.

T: Do you know which four gold medals he won?

S: The 100- meter race; the 200- meter race; the 4×100-metre relay; the long jump.

T: Good, that’s right.

( Show Carl Lewis’ pictures on these 4 events.)

Now go on.

S8: In Sydney the Chinese team got 28 gold medals.

S9: In 2001, China won the competition to host the 29th Olympic Games.

S10: In 2008, the 29th Olympic Games will be held in Beijing.

T: Very good. You have done a good job. You can get the information quickly. So here we will have another practice: True or False.

No. 1 In the early Olympic Games, only men were allowed to compete and watch the Games.

S: True.

T: Right. NO.2 The ancient Olympic Games began around the year 776 BC in Rome. Most of the games were quite different from they are today, for example, running, jumping and wrestling.

S: False.

T: How to correct it?

S: In Greece; the same as.

T: Good. No. 3 Several hundreds of years later, the Olympic Games were stopped, so people forget them. Over 1500 years later, the Olympic Games were held again in Greece. Competitors from 311 countries took part in the games.

S: F. People never forgot them. And 311competitors from 13countries took part in the games.

T: Good. No. 4 The motto of the Olympic Games is “ Faster, Higher, Further”.

S: F. Stronger.

T: No. 5 The 27th Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles.

S: F. In Sydney.

Step 3: Intensive Reading

T: OK, we have talked something about this passage. Now, here is a video material. Please look at it carefully and there will be more questions.

( show the video)

OK, it stops here. Let’s see the passage again. Please get the main idea of the first paragraph.

S: How often are the Olympic Games held?

T: Right. Are the Summer Olympic Games and the Winter Olympic Games held in the same year.

S: No.

T: Which one is first, Summer or Winter?

S: Winter.

T: Yes. The Winter Olympic Games are usually held two years before the Summer Olympic Games. Now second paragraph, the main idea?

S: Something about the ancient Olympic Games.

T: Yes. Were the women allowed to take part in the Games in the ancient Olympic Games?

S: No.

T: Right, they were not allowed. Here we will have a blank- filling. It is about the women’s role in the ancient Olympics and in the modern times. Please go through it and do it quickly. ( P129)

( Let students do it quickly.)

T: OK, very good. Now let’s go to paragraph 3. The main idea?

S: Something about the modern Olympics and the 27th Olympics.

T: Are the ancient Olympics the same as the modern Olympics.

S: No. There are more competitors, more countries and more events now.

T: The fourth paragraph, main idea?

S: The Olympic motto and something about Carl Lewis and the Chinese team in Sydney Olympics.

T: Yes. Chinese team got 28 gold medals in Sydney. Many of them were won in diving, gymnastics, weightlifting and shooting. Can you give me some names who won the gold medals?

S: Diving- Tian Liang; gymnastics- Liu Xuan; weightlifting- Zhan Xugang; shooting- Tao Luna…

T: Now the last paragraph. What’s it about?

S: Beijing will host and is making preparations for the 29th Olympic Games.

T: Good. What will happen after we succeeded in biding for the host?

S1: More trees will be planted and new roads will be built.

S2: New buildings and sports venues will be built…

T: Yes, there will be some new buildings. Please look some of them.

( Show the pictures of the main stadium, and the stadium of football, baseball, volleyball and weightlifting.)

Step 4: Discussion

T: After our building success, we will have a new Beijing and all of us expect the Great Olympics. But as we know, our China had a difficult way to bid for the host. At first for the 2000, but because of some reasons, we failed. Later for the 2008, then we succeeded. During the course, I think most of us support it. But there are also some people against it, because they think that being the host of the Olympics will not only have good effects but also bad effects on the host city. So here we have a discussion. In your opinion,

Is it important and necessary to host the Olympic Games in China? Why or why not?

When you are discussing in your group, you can list some good effects and bad effects. Now begin your group discussion.

(After some minutes, let some group give their discussing results. Then list some good effects and bad effects on the screen.)

Step 5: Summary and Homework

T: After your discussion, which effects are greater, the good effects or the bad effects?

S: The good effects!

T: Yes, we all see the good effects are greater. So we all expect an excellent ever 2008 Olympic Games. And we should do our best to support it. So here is our homework:

What can we do for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games?

You can discuss with your classmates after class, and please write a passage about this topic on your exercise books, about 150 words, clear?

S: Yes.

T: OK, today we will stop here. Thank you!