Unit 1　Festivals around the world
Warming Up and Reading
整体设计
教材分析
This is the first teaching period of this unit.At the beginning of the class，the teacher can lead in the topic of the unit by having a free talk with students about their winter holidays and the Spring Festival.
Warming Up is intended to have students start thinking about the variety of events and festivals that are celebrated in China，and connect them with seasons of the year and reasons for the celebrations.The teacher can use this part to introduce information that Chinese students should have about their country's cultural events.
Pre­reading is a continuation of Warming Up and it moves the discussion to a more personal level.It is intended to help students enter imaginatively into a discussion of festivals and their importance to the society.It also directs their attention to the variety of events and activities those festivals include.The teacher should let students discuss the questions and predict what kind of information will be introduced in Reading.
The reading passage titled FESTIVALS AND CELEBRATIONS briefly describes the earliest kinds of festivals with the reasons for them，and then four different kinds of festivals that occur in most parts of the world.Encourage students to look at the pictures and the heading of each section to guess what the text might be about.Then let them skim for the general idea for each section，and scan for further understanding.Because this passage introduces a lot of useful new words and expressions which are only used for festivals，in order not to let students feel much difficult，the teacher should deal with any language problems while they are reading. After reading，students are required to do the four exercises in Comprehending to see how much they have understood the reading passage.The teacher can first let them work in pairs or in groups to find the answers cooperatively，and then check their answers with the whole class.
To consolidate the contents of the reading passage，students should be required to talk about festivals in their own words at the end of the class.In order to arouse students' interest，the teacher can hold a competition between groups.
教学重点
1．Let students learn more about history and basic knowledge of festivals.
2．Get students to learn different reading skills.
教学难点
1．Develop students' reading ability.
2．Enable students to talk about festivals and celebrations.
三维目标
知识目标
1．Get students to learn the useful new words and expressions in this part：beauty，harvest，starve，origin，religious，ancestor，Mexico，feast，bone，belief，poet，arrival，gain，independence，gather，agriculture，award，rooster，admire，energetic，Easter，clothing，Christian，custom，take place，in memory of，dress up，play a trick on，look forward to，day and night，as though，have fun with
2．Let students learn about history and basic knowledge of festivals both in and out of China.
能力目标
1．Develop students' reading ability and let them learn different reading skills.
2．Enable students to talk about festivals and celebrations.

情感目标
1．Stimulate students' love for their own national culture and customs.
2．Develop students' sense of cooperative learning.
教学过程
Step 1 Leading­in
Have a free talk with students.Ask them the following questions：
Did you have a good time in your winter holidays?
When did you feel most happy and excited? Why?
（At the Spring Festival.Because it's the most important festival in our country...） 
Step 2 Warming up
1．Let students brainstorm some Chinese festivals.
（Lantern Festival，Pure Brightness Festival，Dragon Boat Festival，Mid­Autumn Festival，New Year's Day，Chung Yeung Festival...）
2．Let students read the information about Chinese festivals below and discuss Chinese festivals：
When does the festival come?
What do people celebrate?
What do people do？
Festivals
Dates
Festivals
Dates
New Year
January 1st
Teachers' Day
September 10th
International Women's Day
March 8th
National Day
October 1st
Arbour Day
March 12th
The Spring Festival
Lunar New Year
International Labour Day
May 1st
Dragon Boat Festival
the fifth day of the fifth lunar month
International Children's Day
June 1st
Mid­Autumn Festival
the 15th day of the eighth lunar month
Army Day
August 1st
Lantern Festival
the 15th day of the first lunar month
Chinese Youth Day
May 4th
Pure Brightness Day
April the fifth or so

3．Ask students to fill in the following form and ask some to share their opinions with the whole class.The first one is given as an example.
Festival
Time of year/date
What it celebrates
What people do
Mid­Autumn Festival
autumn/fall
the beauty of the full moon，harvest，time with family and friends
give/eat mooncakes and watch the full moon with family and friends

4．Talk about some foreign festivals with students.
（Christmas，April Fools' Day，Easter，Halloween，Valentine's Day，Thanksgiving Day，...）
Step 3 Pre­reading

1．Let students discuss the following questions：
What festivals or celebrations do you have in your city or town? What part of a festival do you like best—the activities，the music，the sights，the food or the people who visit?
2．Ask students to look at the pictures and the title of the passage in Reading.Discuss in pairs what kind of information will be introduced in the passage.
Step 4 Reading
1．Fast reading
Ask students to skim the reading passage and then fill in the following chart.
Kinds of Festivals
Names of Festivals
CountriesFestivals of the Dead
Festivals to Honour People
Harvest Festivals
Spring Festivals

（Let students look through the chart and then read the text silently.Three minutes later，check the answers with the whole class.Show the suggested answers on the screen.） 
2．Intensive reading
Allow students to read carefully this time to understand the main idea of each paragraph and the important details，and then finish the following.
1）Choose the best answer to each question according to the text.
（1）Why do Japanese people light lamps during the Festival of the Dead?
A．Because they want to make the festival colourful.
B．Because they want to light up their rooms.
C．Because they want to light up their way.
D．Because they want to lead their ancestors to return to earth.
（2）Which of the following is not mentioned as a famous person in the text?
A．Mohandas Gandi.　　　　B．Christopher Columbus.
C．Abraham Lincoln.        D．Qu Yuan.
（3）The place where people will usually decorate churches and town halls with flowers and fruits is ______.
A．India         B．America
C．Europe       D．China
（4）Easter is held in memory of the return of Jesus for Christians and also celebrates ______.
A．the coming of spring         B．the autumn harvest
C．the Lunar New Year      D．the end of a year
Suggested answers：（1）D　（2）C　（3）C　（4）A
2）Use the information from the reading passage to answer the following questions.
（1）What are festivals of the dead usually for?
（2）What makes autumn festivals happy events?
（3）What do people usually do at spring festivals?
（4）What is one important reason to have festivals and celebrations?
（5）Compare the festivals of the dead in Mexico，Japan and China.What things are similar? What things are different?
3．Reading and discussion
Read the text a third time and then work in pairs to do the following.
1）Based on the reading passage，what do most festivals seem to have in common？Why do you think these things might be important to people everywhere? Talk with your partner and fill in the chart below.
Three common things
Reasons why they are important to people everywhere
1．
2．
3．

2）Discuss in pairs which festivals you think are the most important and which are the most 

fun.Then fill in the chart with your ideas.
Type of festival
Example of festival
Reasons for your choice
Most important
Most fun

（Let students have enough time to read the passage carefully and discuss the questions and chart with their partners.Encourage them to expand their answers according to their own experiences.）
4．Explanation 
Help students analyze some difficult，long and complex sentences and guess the meanings of some new words.Encourage them to try to deal with the language points in the context.
Discuss the following important sentences and phrases in the passage.
1）Some festivals are held to honour the dead，or to satisfy the ancestors，who might return either to help or to do harm.
2）in memory of
3）India has a national festival on October 2 to honour Mohandas Gandhi，the leader who helped gain India's independence from Britain.
4）People are grateful because their food is gathered for the winter and the agricultural work is over.
5）The most energetic and important festivals are the ones that look forward to the end of winter and to the coming of spring.
6）The country，covered with cherry tree flowers，looks as though it is covered with pink snow.
Suggested explanations：
1）The sentence contains a non­restrictive attributive clause who might return either to help or to do harm.It means people hold some festivals either to show respect to the dead or to make their ancestors happy in case they might come back to do harm.
2）in memory of：serving to recall sb.，to keep him fresh in people's minds
He wrote a poem in memory of his dearest wife，who died in an accident.
3）the leader who helped gain India's independence from Britain：a noun phrase followed by an attributive clause as the appositive
4）two clauses for reason
5）energy n．→ energetic adj.：full of or done with energy
look forward to：“to” is a preposition here.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
be devoted to；be/get used to；get down to；stick to...
6）covered with cherry tree flowers：a past participle phrase，equal to “which is covered with cherry tree flowers”
as though：as if
He talks as though he knew all about it.
5．Reading aloud and underlining
Ask students to read the passage aloud to the tape and let them pay attention to the pronunciation of each new word and the pauses within each sentence.Tell them to pick out all the useful expressions or collocations from the passage while reading and copy them to the notebook after class as homework.
Step 5 Consolidation
Ask students to talk about festivals in their own words according to the text.Then let them complete the following passage with proper words or phrases.
There are all kinds of festivals and ______around the world，which are held for different ______.The ancient festivals were mainly held at three times a year—the end of the cold ______，planting in spring and ______in autumn.Some festivals are held to ______the dead or ______the ancestors，who might return either to help or ______，while other festivals are held to honour famous people or to the ______，such as Dragon Boat Festival，Columbus Day，and so on.Harvest and ______festivals are happy events because their food is ______for the winter

and the ______work is over，to which Mid Autumn Festival belongs.And the most ______and important festivals are the ones that ______the end of winter and to the coming of ______such as the Lunar New Year，at which people have a very ______.
Suggested answers：celebrations；reasons；weather；harvest；honour；to satisfy；to do harm；gods；Thanksgiving；gathered；agricultural；energetic；look forward to；spring；good time
Step 6 Homework
1．Learn the useful new words and expressions in this part by heart.
2．Read the reading passage again and again and try to talk about festivals both in and out of China.
备课资料
The Spring Festival

The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together，just like Christmas in the West.All people living away from home go back，becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month during the Spring Festival.Airports，railway stations and long­distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees.
The Spring Festival falls on the 1st day of the 1st lunar month，often one month later than the Gregorian calendar.It originated in the Shang Dynasty （1600 BC­1100 BC） from the people's sacrifice to gods and ancestors at the end of an old year and the beginning of a new one.
Strictly speaking，the Spring Festival starts every year in the early days of the 12th lunar month and will last till the mid 1st lunar month of the next year.Of them，the most important days are Spring Festival Eve and the first three days.The Chinese government now stipulates people have seven days off for the Chinese Lunar New Year.
Many customs accompany the Spring Festival.Some are still followed today，but others have weakened.On the 8th day of the 12th lunar month，many families make laba porridge，a delicious kind of porridge made with glutinous rice，millet，seeds of Job's tears，jujube berries，lotus seeds，beans，longan and gingko.
The 23rd day of the 12th lunar month is called the Preliminary Eve.At this time，people offer sacrifice to the kitchen god.Now however，most families make delicious food to enjoy themselves.
After the Preliminary Eve，people begin preparing for the coming New Year.This is called “Seeing the New Year in”．
Store owners are busy then as everybody goes out to purchase necessities for the New Year.Materials not only include edible oil，rice，flour，chicken，duck，fish and meat，but also fruit，candies and kinds of nuts.What's more，various decorations，new clothes and shoes for the children as well as gifts for the elderly，friends and relatives，are all on the list of purchasing.
Before the New Year comes，the people completely clean the indoors and outdoors of their homes as well as their clothes，bedclothes and all their utensils.
Then people begin decorating their clean rooms featuring an atmosphere of rejoicing and festivity.All the door panels will be pasted with Spring Festival couplets，highlighting Chinese calligraphy with black characters on red paper.The content varies from house owners' wishes for a bright future to good luck for the New Year.Also，pictures of the god of doors and wealth will be posted on front doors to ward off evil spirits and welcome peace and abundance.
The Chinese character “fu” （meaning blessing or happiness） is a must.The character put on paper can be pasted normally or upside down，for in Chinese the “reversed fu” is 

homophonic with “fu comes”，both being pronounced as “fudaole”．What's more，two big red lanterns can be raised on both sides of the front door.Red paper­cuttings can be seen on window glass and brightly colored New Year paintings with auspicious meanings may be put on the wall.
People attach great importance to the Spring Festival Eve.At that time，all family members eat dinner together.The meal is more luxurious than usual.Dishes such as chicken，fish and bean curd cannot be excluded，for in Chinese，their pronunciations，respectively “ji”，“yu” and “doufu” mean auspiciousness，abundance and richness.After the dinner，the whole family will sit together，chatting and watching TV.In recent years，the Spring Festival Party broadcast on China Central Television Station （CCTV） is essential entertainment for the Chinese both at home and abroad.According to the custom，each family will stay up to see the New Year in.
Waking up on the New Year，everybody dresses up.First they extend greetings to their parents.Then each child will get money as a New Year gift，wrapped up in red paper.People in northern China will eat jiaozi，or dumplings，for breakfast，as they think “jiaozi” in sound means “bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new”．Also，the shape of the dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China.So people eat them and wish for money and treasure.
Southern Chinese eat niangao （New Year cake made of glutinous rice flour） on this occasion，because as a homophone，niangao means “higher and higher，one year after another”．The first five days after the Spring Festival are a good time for relatives，friends，and classmates as well as colleagues to exchange greetings，gifts and chat leisurely.
Burning fireworks was once the most typical custom on the Spring Festival.People thought the spluttering sound could help drive away evil spirits.However，such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities once the government took security，noise and pollution factors into consideration.As a replacement，some buy tapes with firecracker sounds to listen to，some break little balloons to get the sound too，while others buy firecracker handicrafts to hang in the living room.
The lively atmosphere not only fills every household，but permeates to streets and lanes.A series of activities such as lion dancing，dragon lantern dancing，lantern festivals and temple fairs will be held for days.The Spring Festival then comes to an end when the Lantern Festival is finished.
Reading
过雨晴，浙江省湖州市第二中学教师。
本教学设计为浙江省教学设计大赛获奖作品。
教学设计思想
《普通高中英语课程标准（实验）》中指出：“教师要善于结合教学实际的需要，灵活地和有创造性地使用教材，对教材的内容、编排顺序和教学方法等方面进行适当的取舍或调整。”本单元以节日为话题，内容比较贴近生活，比较容易被学生接受。根据这个特点，笔者把阅读和写作整合在一起，采用任务型教学方法，引导学生通过观察、归纳、对比和总结等方法了解文章内容，并结合实际为学生提供运用语言知识的机会。活动从整体入手，由易到难，步步推进，为学生的语言输入作了充分准备，从而使语言的输出水到渠成。
教材内容分析
根据《学科教学指导意见》的要求，教师在教学中应以单元话题为核心，以结构和功能项目为主线，组织和安排听、说、读、写的活动，通过“任务型”活动来实现教学目标，使学生能够通过亲身参与和实践，感悟和体验英语，发展语言技能，进而逐步获得综合语言运用能力。本单元话题围绕世界不同节日以及节日所传递的意义展开，第一篇阅读材料是几个典型节日的介绍，第二篇阅读材料是一个发生在情人节的爱情故事，单元的写作任务为续写爱情故事的结局。笔者认为，本单元的写作任务离学生的生活比较远，因而决定

重新设计写作任务，从阅读课的第一课时延伸出去要求学生给一位外国笔友回信介绍中外两大重要节日，目的是让学生能结合实践更好地运用阅读获取的信息。
教学目标
Ⅰ．知识技能 
a）培养学生把握文章脉络和进行整体阅读的能力；
b）学习掌握一些常用的描绘节日的词句和表达法；
如：honour the dead，on the feast day，in memory of，dress up，play a trick，national festival，decorate，religious and social festival，lucky money in red paper，etc.
Some festivals are held to...　It is the custom to...
c）培养和提高英语表达能力，形成用英语获得信息、处理信息以及用英语思维和表达相关话题，运用所学知识解决实际问题。
Ⅱ．情感态度
a）通过了解各国典型节日的庆祝方式，帮助学生更好地了解节日的起源和寓意，激发学生热爱生活、热爱生命的情感。
b）通过开展小组活动，指导学生积极与人合作，相互学习，相互帮助，培养其团队精神。
Ⅲ．学习策略
a）认知策略：能在语境中熟悉重点词汇的用法，并加以运用。在运用中不断加深对词汇的理解。
b）交际策略：充分利用小组讨论的机会提高运用英语的能力，克服羞怯感，学会和伙伴分享自己的观点。
重点难点
a）培养学生的阅读策略以及获取信息的方法，能完成所设置的相关阅读与写作任务，提高运用语言的综合能力。
b）如何使学生积极参与课堂，有效完成课堂学习任务。
教学策略与手段
在课前充分准备好与课文有关和教学需要的素材，将材料制成多媒体课件。在教学过程中运用情境法和交际法等教学方法。力求使课堂生动活泼，知识容量大，从而激发学生学习兴趣，使学生乐学好学。把“寓思想教育于语言教学之中”的教学思想贯彻在教学中，激发学生带着问题去思考并分析整理形成自己的观点。
课前准备
课前指导学生做好充分的词汇和课文预习工作，要求学生通过多种手段了解与节日相关的知识。教师做好信息收集和多媒体制作，并对学生在讨论话题中可能出现的创造性答案进行预测，以便教师在课堂中可以更好地引导学生和组织课堂。
教学过程
Step 1 Warming up
Activity 1：Have a discussion among students.
a）Show a calendar，and let students guess why some of the days are printed in red.（possible answer：festival，red­letter days，etc.）
b）Festivals are meant to celebrate important events.Different countries have different festivals.List five festivals that you know.
c）Which is your favourite holiday of the year？Why?
【设计说明】
1）用几页日历来展开课堂是激发学生学习兴趣的一种有效手段。以日历上的“红日子”为话题，并以抢答形式调动讨论的气氛，在讨论过程中话题层层深入，让学生的回答从单词到短语到句子，降低了学生的开口紧张度。
2）通过回忆有关描述节日的词汇，可帮助学生复习所学的词汇，也能让老师借机引入新词汇，为课文的阅读作好铺垫。
Activity 2：Present one e­mail from an e­pal from England and talk about how to organize a reply to the e­mail.
（信的部分内容为：I hear Chinese people also celebrate Christmas these years and I 

wonder how you celebrate it.Besides，which is more important to you now，Christmas or the Spring Festival？）
【设计说明】
邮件中涉及的内容是与节日相关的话题，在导入的第二步呈现这封邮件，为课堂提供了一个写作任务。运用这封信来导课，更能激发学生通过阅读寻求应答的强烈欲望。
Step 2 Fast reading
Skimming：Skim the passage to find out how many types of festivals are mentioned.（whole class）
Scanning：Match the festivals with the purposes of celebrating.（individual work）
①Obon　　　　　　　　　　a．a festival to honour ancestors
②Dragon Boat Festival 　　 b．a religious festival to celebrate the coming of spring
③Halloween  　　　　　　　c．a children's festival to ask for sweets or play a trick
④Thanksgiving Day 　　　　 d．a traditional festival for Chinese to admire the moon
⑤Easter 　　　　　　　　　e．a festival in memory of a famous ancient poet—Qu Yuan
⑥Mid­Autumn Festival　　　 f．a festival to be grateful because food is gathered
【设计说明】
在快速阅读阶段设计简单问题能抓住学生的注意力，让全班齐答也是因为任务较简单。第二个扫读任务锻炼了学生快速搜索信息的能力。
Step 3 Further comprehension
Present 4 pictures for students to describe the festivals with the useful words in the reading material.
Picture 1（Spring Festival）
Spring_Festival is one of the most important festivals in China.It's a time to enjoy 

each other's company and have_fun_with_our friends.People eat dumplings，fish and meat，

and children may get lucky_money in red

paper.
Picture 2（Easter）
Easter is an important religious and social festival in Christian countries.It usually comes

in February.They might include parades，dancing in the streets day_and_night，loud music

and colorful clothing of all

 kinds.
Picture 3（Obon）
Obon is a festival held in Japan.People should go to clean_the_graves and

light incense_in_memory_of their ancestors.People light_lamps and play music because they think

that this will lead_the ancestors back to

 earth.
Picture 4（Thanksgiving festival）
Thanksgiving festival is a very happy event.It is the custom to decorate churches and

town halls with flowers and fruit，and people get together to have meals.Some people might

 win_awards for their animals，flowers，fruit and vegetables，like the biggest watermelon or

the most handsome rooster.
【设计说明】
本教学环节用看图填词方式来处理，教具的直观激发了学生的参与热情。所设置的活动包括对课文词句的理解，难易有梯度，词汇的填写练习丰富了学生的词汇体系，体现了新课程背景下词汇教学的新理念，为学生的语言输出提供了平台。
Step 4 Group work
Ask students to work in groups and pick out three things that most festivals seem to have in common.
（possible answers：①Festivals let us enjoy life，be proud of our customs and forget our daily life for a little while.②Most celebrations of festivals involved some special food.③Festivals remind us of the true meaning of life and let us value what we have had.）
【设计说明】
通过学生们的合作学习，让他们共同去发现节日创设的意义以及对我们生活的影响。要找出不同节日的共性，在文章中并没有现成的答案，这需要学生认真体会文章的潜在内

容，对某些学生具有一定挑战性。对于这样的问题也没有一个统一的答案，这样更能激发学生的创造性思维。在小组共同完成任务的过程中也培养了学生之间互相聆听、互相补充的良好学习习惯。
Step 5 Discussion
Present the e­mail again and discuss how to give a reply.
Q1：How do we Chinese celebrate Spring Festival?
Q2：What do you think of Christmas in China?
（The teacher should write the key points on the blackboard.For example：get together，set off fireworks，traditional holiday，pay New Year visits to relatives and friends，have fun with，lucky money in red paper，a time to enjoy ourselves，exchange gifts，Christmas cards，etc.）
【设计说明】
利用文中所学并结合实际生活，让学生积极探讨回信中必须涉及的两个要点，这样的设计既为学生灵活运用文中信息提供了契机又为进一步写作作了充分的准备。在这样的教学活动中学生的语言表达能力有了很好的锻炼。
Step 6 Homework
Ask students to write a reply letter to the e­mail.（within 120 words）
【设计说明】
作业设计要求完成本课开始提到的来信，首尾呼应，有了前面课文的介绍和课中的讨论作铺垫在某种意义上来讲也为学生顺利完成作业作了准备。把作业设计与课堂内容联系起来也是检测学生掌握所学内容的一种有效手段，体现了语言从输入到输出的自然过渡。
参考资料：
1．黄远振《新课程英语教与学》，福建教育出版社2003年版 
2．《新课标教案》人民教育出版社 延边教育出版社2006年版
3．教育部：《高中英语课程标准》（实验），人民教育出版社2003年版
4．《中小学外语教学》2006年第7期，《高中课型课例交流与研究》
Reading
罗卫东，浙江省丽水中学教师。
本教学设计获浙江省教学设计大赛一等奖。
课前准备
课前教师研读教材和新课程标准，设计教案和任务型作业，上网收集相关资料，准备中外节日图片，制作课件；准备一些鸡蛋和各种颜料及亮粉。
从学生方面了解他们已经对西方的节日有哪些了解以及了解的程度，为上课时能够掌控课堂节奏作准备。
教学过程：
（课前播放“Jingle Bells”音乐，营造快乐的节日气氛，为本堂课创造情境，也为呈现主题作铺垫。）
Step 1 Greetings
How are you feeling these days?
（通过老师和学生的交流，使他们能够很快进入课堂。）
Step 2 Warming up
教师展示相关节日的图片，让学生猜测这些图片分别表现了哪些节日，引导他们小组讨论这些节日的来源以及庆祝的情况。再通过一副表格把学生讨论的结果归纳起来。
Festival
Time of year/date
What it celebrates
What people do



（通过对这些节日的讨论，学生能够加深对中国传统文化的了解。）
Step 3 Brainstorming
Chinese public holidays
Festival
Date
The Spring Festival
Lunar January 1
The Lantern Festival
Lunar January 15
The Tree­planting Day
March 12
The Qingming Festival
April 5 or so
The Dragon Boat Festival
Lunar May 5
The Double Seventh Festival
Lunar July 7
Teachers' Day
September 10
The Double Ninth Festival
Lunar September 9
The National Day
October 1

Festivals in foreign countries or in the world：
Festival
Date
New Year's Day
January 1
Valentine's Day
February 14
April Fool's Day
April 1
Labour's Day
May 1
Children's Day
June 1
Halloween
October 31
Thanksgiving Day
The fourth Thursday of November
Christmas Day
December 25

（头脑风暴部分使学生对本节课的话题——世界各地的节日有所了解，而且学生感兴趣，能够充分展示自己。）
Step 4 While­reading
1．Prediction
Look at the title and the subtitles.What do you guess the writer will tell us in the passage？（这样可以培养学生的预测能力。）
Look at the pictures.What are the pictures about?
Good！People are celebrating festivals.Please describe the pictures.（学生通过口头描述这些图片，能够运用英语来表达自己的想法。现在的高考有很多这种看图写话的文体，只要平时经常进行训练，高考作答时就不会很困难了。）
2．Skimming
Go through the whole passage and find out the festivals mentioned here：
What festivals are mentioned in the text?

（引导学生使用略读策略，找出文章各段中提到的节日。）
3．Scanning
1）What did ancient festivals celebrate?
2）What are festivals of the dead for?
3）Why are autumn festivals happy events?
4）Name three things people do at spring festivals?

4．Intensive reading
Read the passage paragraph by paragraph and find out the main idea of each paragraph. 
Paragraph 1：All kinds of celebrations in ancient time.
Paragraph 2：The purpose to honour the dead and three examples.
Festivals
Time
Things people do
Obon
Day of the Dead
Halloween

Paragraph 3：The reasons why we honour people.
Festival
Who does it celebrate？
Dragon Boat Festival
Columbus Day
Indian National Festival

Paragraph 4：Autumn festivals are happy events.
Paragraph 5：How people celebrate in spring festivals.
（精读部分向来是阅读的重点，在这一部分的教学中，教师应精心设计阅读任务，指导学生运用听读，寻读等阅读技巧去抓住课文要点，获取主要信息，理解文章内涵，从上下文猜测不熟悉的语言现象等。）
Step 5 Post reading
Discuss with your partner and pick out three things that most festivals seem to have in common.Write down these three things，and why you think they might be important to people everywhere.Then fill in the chart on Page 3.
（组织学生进行小组合作讨论以便能够更深层次理解课文。）
Step 6 Game
制作复活节彩蛋。把学生分成几个小组，在老师的指导下，进行复活节彩蛋的制作。各个小组制作完毕后，让他们展示自己的作品。（此举既可以加强小组合作，又可以提高学生的学习兴趣并体验不同的文化。）
Step 7 Activities
情景：Nowadays，Chinese，especially young people，become so keen on western festivals such as Christmas and Thanksgiving Day.People around celebrate Christmas probably because they want more festivals.
A festival should not only be a day that we get together and enjoy ourselves，but more a day that is full of meanings.
任务：Work in groups.Imagine that you are going to set and celebrate a new holiday together.
1．What kind of day will you set to celebrate?
2．When and why do you decide to celebrate the day?
3．What will you do on that day?
Examples：
1．Peace Day：No fighting or conflicts are allowed.People learn and talk about peace.
2．Happiness Day：People must only do things that will make others happy.People learn about happiness.
3．Friendship Day：No arguments or fights are allowed.People learn about friendship.
4．Nature Day：No pollution or destruction of nature is allowed.People learn and talk about nature.
最后，每组选派代表陈述讨论结果：I think that the new holiday should be a Peace Day.On this day，no fighting or conflicts are allowed.People will learn and talk about peace.The holiday will celebrate on ______and people will celebrate it by______.I think this is the best idea because ______.
（在活动阶段，教师可以通过各种练习和活动，创设情景，设计任务，促使知识尽快转化为技能，以提高学生将知识和技能转化为实际运用英语的能力，真正达到信息输出的目的。）
Step 8 Homework

1．Read the text further and finish comprehending exercises and language exercises after it.
2．Write down your new festival.
3．Find more information on the Internet about the festivals you have learnt in the text today.
（课后作业是课堂教学的延续、深化和补充。）
参考资料：
1．《普通高中英语课程标准》（实验版）2003，人民教育出版社。
2．《浙江省普通高中新课程学科教学指导意见》，2006，浙江教育出版社。
3．葛文山：《关于提高阅读训练效率的几点建议》，《中小学外语教学》2001年第1期。
4．陈芳：《英语教学目标设计中存在的问题及对策》，《中小学外语教学》2006年第8期。