The First Period Speaking

Teaching goals 教學目標

1. Target language目標語言

重點詞匯和短語

discovery, application, evaluate, presentation, alternative, messenger, get together, make a case for, add up

2. Ability goals能力目標

Enable the students to talk about inventions and discoveries.

3. Learning ability goals 學能目標

Help the students learn how to talk about inventions and discoveries.

Teaching important & difficult points教學重難點

How to talk about inventions and discoveries.

Teaching methods教學方法

Discussion.

Teaching aids教具準備

A computer and a projector.

Teaching procedures & ways教學過程與方式

Step Ⅰ Warming up

Talk about inventions and discoveries.

T: The importance of inventions to social progress can never be changed. Each invention carries the world a step forward and provides stimulation for later ones. With inventions turning up all the time, our world is always taking on a new look. But do you know what an invention is?

S1: The creation of something new.

S2: A creation (a new device or process) resulting from study and experimentation.

S3: The creation of new things.

…

Ask the students to talk about the pictures with the teacher’s help, and then discuss the first two questions.

T: And what is a discovery? What’s the difference between a discovery and an invention? Now look at the pictures on page 1. Work in pairs and talk about the three different things, telling them apart and giving reasons.

Show the following.

1. Which of these pictures show inventions? Does any of them show discoveries?

2. Work out two rules that will help you decide what is a discovery and what is an invention?

S1: I think the first two are inventions, i.e. the amphibious car and Stevenson’s “Rocket” while the last picture about the DNA is a kind of discovery. Because the first two products were quite new to people at that time and no one had ever seen or designed such kind of vehicles before though some others had made similar cars or machines which had less functions and advantages as these two. I think the picture about the DNA is a kind of scientific discovery in biology because such cells and their structure do exist in living creatures and they have been found out by a certain scientist and are made known to the public nowadays. So I think a discovery is something existing before but unknown while an invention is something unknown and not existing before.S2: I think the first two pictures show us great human inventions about the transportation because they were invented by people for certain purposes and they had special advantages and could satisfy people’s needs in some ways. On the other hand the third picture showing the formation of DNA is a kind of discovery because these special cells exist and function in the body of life all the time no matter who discovers it or when and where it is discovered. In my opinion a discovery is something found out or brought to view now but it was unknown before while an invention is something created or designed by people , which is completely new not only now but in the past.

…

T: Well, from these pictures we can see that there lies differences between a discovery and an invention. There are certain rules or questions you should pay attention to while distinguishing them. Did it exist in the past? Is it created or developed by people? An invention is something that is created by a human being, such as the lightning rod. To the contrary, a discovery merely makes known something that already existed in nature, such as the discovery on the New Continent by Columbia. OK. Let’s go on with some other questions of this part. You may talk with your partner first before we have a check five minutes later.  

Show the following.

What modern inventions do you know? Describe them to your partner and how useful they are in life today.

S1: Adidas 1 is the thinking shoes with a built-in microprocessor that decides how soft or firm the wearer needs the support. It has been chosen by Popular Science magazine as the best recreation invention of 2004. It is very comfortable to wear it all day without worrying about your toes being hurt and you can adjust the height and stiffness according to your demands whenever you want and wherever you go. Thus it is a very practical choice for both the young and the old when having exciting sports outdoors or resting at home during holidays.

S2: Camera phones have opened up a new way to communicate. Because many of them look like regular cell phones, you can snap pictures as discreetly as any spy and, with the push of a few buttons, pop them into an e-mail or upload them to the Web in less than a minute. No wires or computer hookups necessary. To be sure, most camera phones end up taking pictures of friends, family, babies and pets. But they have also been used to snap pictures of VIPs at private parties, copy recipes from cookbooks at bookstores and even document crimes in progress. But with an estimated 80 million camera phones sold in 2003, 6 million in the U.S. alone—the cat may already be out of the camera bag. Like it or not, these camera phones have been very popular and widely used by people even today.

S3: A kind of robot heart called AbioCor was invented in 2001. On July 2, 2001, the 59-year-old grandfather and retired librarian Robert Tools became the first human to get one. It’s been long since the operation, and Tools’ new heart is still beating. He can walk a city block without stopping and he’s even making plans for the future. Though not everybody needs a new heart, hundreds of thousands eventually may. Nor will an artificial heart rid the world of sickness or poverty or terror. But sometimes it really helps.

T: Very good! I am glad to see that all of you have known so many modern inventions both at home and abroad and you have thought a lot about them. It’s certain that modern discoveries and inventions do have great effects on people’s life and can always represent the advanced science and technology, so you should learn to distinguish them and make good use of them.

Step Ⅱ Talking

T: Suppose you are working for a mobile company. It is your job to suggest new ways of developing a mobile. In pairs discuss some new applications of a mobile. Make a list of the ones you like and that seem the most useful. Choose one you both like and think will be popular with other people. Now work in groups of four to discuss the question.

S1: I suggest the new applications of mobile should be: portable entertainment players, cameras, member-ship and loyalty cards, guidebooks, maps, tickets, watches, and devices for accessing everything from news to corporate databases. Among them, we like the applications of devices for accessing everything from news to corporate databases. We both think they are useful and will soon be popular with others in the near future because the ability will enable a whole class of workers to rely less on their memory and more on their company’s and even world’s knowledge maintenance, sales, construction, transportation, taxicab drivers, and many other workers spend a great deal of time from offices. Thus, when they need information, they must either have it in their heads or stop what they are doing and make a phone call.

S2: I think the new mobiles can be developed better with 4G to listen to the radio, watch TV, play games, do shopping, chat on the QQ,, surf the internet, control the electrical equipment at home in the distance, give off harmless rays and be used as computers with special operating systems which can do business, have fun and work as intelligent P4 computers. Among them, we like the new application of surfing the internet and doing shopping and we both think they are useful and will soon be popular among youngsters because it is very convenient for people to find various useful information whenever and wherever possible. As there are different kinds of goods to choose from online and it’s very funny and exciting to make choices and buy what we need at a reasonable price without going out and bargain with sellers in the markets.

…

T: Very good. Now get together with another pair to discuss whether your suggestion is a good one. Make a case for your idea. Let the other pair evaluate it. Then swap so that you evaluate their idea. Decide which idea you like better and prepare to explain it. Then present it to the class.

S1: I think the first classmate’s expectation that the mobile phones can do so much, maybe more than they can offer. The mobile phones usually have limited size and capacity. So I think it will take time before the mobiles are designed to meet his needs.

S2: I think it’s practical and meaningful for the second classmate to develop the mobiles in that way. Though it has been used in some ways but we can do better because every day we have much information to look for and different types of things to do and the smart mobile can make it more convenient for us to achieve our goals in life.

…

T: Now, I’d like you to discuss in groups and try to tell the others about your ideas and the others who act as the leaders of the company may ask some questions for him or her to answer. Then I’d like some of you to report your group work.

Five minutes later.

(L=Leader of the company)

S: I think the new mobiles can be developed better with 4G to watch TV and do shopping on the internet.

L1: Well, have you thought about the cost of this kind of new mobile which has a large capacity and such functions?

S: Yes. I’ll make a good survey of the international electronic markets in advance and try to reduce the cost as much as possible.

L2: Are you sure of the security measures of using these mobiles, especially when they are used to shop on the internet?

S: Sure. I’ll keep the new mobiles designed so in order that they will give warning messages whenever there is misleading information or dishonesty in selling and buying things on the internet.

L3: I think it would be difficult for the new mobile of limited size to be used to watch live broadcast and pick out all sorts of goods on the internet. Have you taken these into consideration?

S: Yes. Now, I come to realize that I have to design the mobiles with larger screens, which can make it more convenient and comfortable for the users. Thank you!

T: Very good! I can see all of you have done a good job in the presentation. Next I want you to evaluate the ideas using the following criteria. First, do you know about the words, such as originality and quality argument?

S: Yes, originality just means the quality of being new and interesting and quality argument just means different opinions about the quality of the product.

T: Quite right! Now let’s look at the criteria and go on with the next step.

Show the following

After each group has taken part, add up the scores and award the contract to the winner!

T: Next, I’d like to divide you into four teams and the leader of the company will write down the scores according to the criteria while helping everyone present the ideas. At last the winner will be awarded in class.

Step Ⅲ SPEAKING TASK (若時間不足，可改為作業)

T: Leonardo da Vinci was not only a painter, but a true inventor. Now look at the picture in 1 on page 68. I’d like you to work in pairs and discuss what this invention of Leonardo da Vinci was. Several alternative explanations are provided, but only one is correct. Be prepared to give your ideas to the class with your reasons.

S: I think it’s a kind of water slide because we can clearly see the long slide way connecting the water tower, equipment on the roof of the building and the base on the ground. If there is a lack of water down on the ground, the working machine will be used to carry water from the tower above to the ground along the slide way. Just so, this specially fixed machine can also carry water up to store in the tower if the water on the ground is more than needed. This kind of invention is really useful especially in some dry or mountainous areas.

T: Good! You are very creative in thinking about the use of the machine in different cases and from this we can see Leonard da Vinci is really a great inventor. He contributed to people’s everyday life besides painting wonderful pictures. Well, let’s go on with Activity 2. Please look at the pictures and read the instructions below, discuss in groups and finish the exercises.

Sample answers:

Step Ⅳ Project

T: “Creativity is the soul of a nation and an inexhaustible source of a country’s prosperity.” Chinese former President Jiang Zemin said in the speech delivered on November 24 to the scientific and technological community in the Science City of Novosibirsk. As a young generation, every one of us should be creative and inventive in order to contribute more to make our country richer and more beautiful. Now, please look at the project exercise on page 69. I’d like you first read the introductions and then discuss in pairs about the pictures and solutions to the problems. Finally I’d like someone to present your work.

One possible solution:

S: In this kind of situation, I will have to use the sticks and ropes to make a fishing rod with the nails made in shape of hooks. I will cut the pumpkin or the nuts on the trees into halves so as to make a water container. And as for the shelter I’d use the piece of cloth combined with sticks, ropes and nails. I will have to need a magnifying glass found on the island to focus the heat on the leaves and wood so that there will be much smoke rising from the fire caused by the strong light and heat from the sun. If I’m not lucky enough to be saved by someone, I would have to use the ropes cut by the knife to link the pieces of wood together so as to make a raft as means of escape.

T: Good! You all have good imaginations and you have known much about how to design and make effective inventions especially in emergency. I am very proud of you and I’m sure you will do more research about the inventions after class until you make them perfect.

Step Ⅴ Homework

Ask the students to do the following.

1．Search for more information about mobiles on the Internet.  

2．Prepare for the listening part on page 26.