一、Teaching procedures:

 

Step Ⅰ Revision (2 minutes)

Check the homework with the whole class.

Step Ⅱ Warming-up (3 minutes)

Ask the students to read the instructions and make sure they know what to do, and then have a discussion about the two pictures.

T: Today, before we begin our reading, I’d like to ask you a question, “what is the biggest sound you have heard in your life?”

S1: The sound of the wind that blew on a winter night when I was very young. It sounded like a ghost who was howling. I was very frightened at that time.

S2: The biggest noise was the one that I heard when my neighbor was quarrelling with his wife. Perhaps, they broke their TV set.

T: That’s too terrible.

S3: The noise when planes take off and land.

S4: The sound of trains.

T: Good! I agree that all of them are big sounds. But have you once heard the sound that the heaven falls and the earth cracks, in Chinese it is天崩地裂?

Ss: No, we have no chance to hear that.

T: If there is a sound like this, what is it?

S5: When someone hears a too sudden and too sad thing. For example, when one of his loved families dies, he will feel this sound.

T: Terrific! You are using a literary way to express the sound.

S6: When an earthquake happens.

T: Great! I have waited for this answer for a long time. Today we’ll learn something about earthquakes. I think most of us heard of earthquakes. Can you imagine how terrible it is?

S7: The earth is shaking. All the buildings will fall down.

S8: Many people will die. And perhaps many children will lose their parents.

T: Yeah, earthquakes are disasters to everybody. Now look at the two pictures of Tangshan and San Francisco. Can you describe what you see in the pictures?

S1: Tangshan is a beautiful city. It has beautiful gardens, broad roads and some tall buildings.

S2: From the picture of San Francisco, I can see that it is a very big city. There are many tall buildings thickly standing on the earth. I think the population of the city is very large.

T: Good! What will happen if there has been a big earthquake in these two cities? Work in pairs and discuss it. Then I’ll ask some of you to read out his/her description.

Two minutes later

S3: After the terrible quake, everything is destroyed. There is no wind, no sound. What we can see is fallen buildings and dead bodies. The policemen, the soldiers and some other volunteers are rescuing the people trapped in the ruins.

T: Maybe, that’s the true thing we may see after an earthquake. But can we avoid or at least reduce the loss caused by earthquakes?

S4: We may, because we can foretell it.

T: Really? How can we foretell an earthquake? Let’s look at Pre-reading, and decide which situation may happen before an earthquake.

Step Ⅲ Pre-reading (3 minutes)

There are two questions in this part. Both are very interesting. The first one can more or less reveal the students values; while the second one can enlarge their imagination. No matter what their answers are, as long as they have given careful thoughts to the situations, their answers should be good.

T: Now, let’s look at the pictures. What are the predictions of an earthquake?

S1: Before an earthquake, animals will become nervous. Cows, pigs, horses and dogs will be upset. And people can see mice running about. If the earthquake happens during winter, people can even see snakes.

T: Terrific! Where did you get this knowledge?

S1: From Geography. I like it.

T: Good! Sit down please.

S2: Madam, I don’t know the meaning of the picture with two women.

T: It doesn’t matter. You will know it soon after reading our text. OK. Imagine there is an earthquake now, and your home is shaking, at this moment you have no time to take any other things but one, what will it be?

S3: I’ll take all my money. People can’t live without money.

S4: I will take as much water as possible. Because it is said that people can keep alive for nearly 7 days by drinking without any food.

S5: In that case, I’d rather take some apples, so that I can not only drink, but also eat.

S6: I will carry my grandma. She is my most loved person in this world. It is she who brought me up.

T: What a dutiful child you are! I’m very glad to have a student like you. Sit down please! It seems that all of you know what you should do during an earthquake. OK. Let’s read our text, and see what it tells us.

Step Ⅳ Reading (20 minutes)

In this part, the teacher should ask the students to read the passage quickly and silently for the first time to get the general idea of the passage. Ask them to pay attention to the first sentence of each paragraph. This can help them finish Exercise 3 in Comprehending. It is about the main idea of each paragraph. Then ask them to read the text again carefully to obtain some details. Before reading for the second time, show some questions on the screen, and let the students read the questions first. These questions can guide them to have a good understanding about the text. They can also make preparations for Exercises1 and 2, which are about details.

Skimming (5 minutes)

T: At first I’d like you to read the text quickly and silently to get the general idea of the article. While reading, you should pay attention to the first sentence of each paragraph.

Two or three minutes later

T: Have you found the general idea of the text?

Ss: Yes.

T: What is it?

S1: There is not a quick answer to this question. Are you suggesting us that the general idea is the mixture of the first sentences of each paragraph?

T: Sure.

S1: OK. That’s easy. The main idea of the passage is that: it tells us some signs of the earthquake, and what happened during the quake.

T: Anything else?

S2: The text also tells us that all hope was not lost.

T: You mean the text tells us something that happened after the earthquake?

S2: Yes.

T: Good, sit down please. In fact, while we are answering the questions, we have involved the sequence, the functional item for this unit. (The teacher writes the word on the blackboard) Do you understand the meaning of the word?

Ss: No.

T: Sequence means the order of the events. It can tell us which event happens first, and which happens later. Do you know the sequence that is used in our text?

S3: Yes. At first, the text tells us something that happened before the quake, then it tells us the things that happened during the quake and at last it tells us the things that happened after the earthquake.

T: Quite right! Now please look at the screen, these are the first sentences of each paragraph. Read them and think if they are the main idea of the text. If necessary, you may make some changes to make them more exact.

The teacher shows the screen and gives them a little time to think over.

1 Strange things were happening in the countryside of northeast Hebei. 2 The disaster happened. 3 Nearly everything was destroyed. 4 All hope was not lost.

Careful reading (15 minutes)

T: Now, it’s time for us to read the text carefully. But before reading you should read some questions first. These questions may help you get some information quickly and easily. Now look at the screen, and read the questions.

Show on the screen.

1. What natural signs of a coming disaster were there? 2. Can you think of some reasons why these signs weren’t noticed? 3. What events probably made the disaster worse? 4. What situations probably made the disaster worse? 5. How were the survivors helped?

Give the students 8 minutes to read the text and then to think over or discuss the questions. The teacher should walk in the classroom to help those who need help.

T: OK. Everyone, have you finished your task?

Ss: Yes.

S1: I found Question 2 difficult to answer. I don’t know why they didn’t notice the signs. The signs were so clear!

S2: I think it is easy to answer. At that time people didn’t have knowledge of an earthquake. Am I right, Madam?

T: Maybe. So far as I know the center government made country wide propaganda after the terrible disaster. Nearly every village in China had the paintings about earthquakes, which told people what the signs of a quake were and what they should do during and after the earthquake.

S3: Madam, I just can’t tell the differences between Question 3 and Question 4.

T: You mean you can’t decide what an event is and what a situation is?

S3: Yes.

T: Who can help him?

S4: It’s difficult for me to tell the differences between an event and a situation. But I know that the answer to Question 3 is: “… later that afternoon, another big quake shook Tangshan.” And the answer to Question 4 is: “Some of the rescue workers and doctors were trapped under the ruins. More buildings fell down. Water, food, and electricity were hard to get. People began to wonder how long the disaster would last.”

T: Right! In my opinion, an event is about what has happened; while a situation is about the influence caused by the event. Are you clear?

S3: Yes, Madam. Thank you.

Step Ⅴ Extension (8 minutes)

T: All of you did very well. Now I still have some questions to let you think over. Please look at the questions on the screen:

1. From whose point of view are events described? How do you know? 2. What is the mood of this passage? How is it created? 3. Why do you think the writer chooses to express his feelings about the quake rather than simply reporting what happened? 4. Why is the title A NIGHT THE EARTH DIDN’T SLEEP? 5. What does the sentence “Slowly, the city began to breathe again” mean?

The teacher can ask the students to have a discussion in groups of four at first and then ask some of them to show their ideas.

Suggested answers:

S1: He uses a third-person’s way to describe the quake. His description is very objective. For example, the second sentence in the third paragraph. The writer says, “Everywhere they looked nearly everything was destroyed.” The writer uses they instead of we.

S2: The mood is serious and a bit sad. It is created by giving details of how many people and animals were killed or injured, and how many buildings were destroyed.

S3: Although the writer was not there, he felt sad for the people of Tangshan. He knows that some personal feelings will make the reading more interesting.

S4: I think the reason is that, as usual, night is the time to sleep, and usually night should be safe and quiet. But that night everything changed. The writer uses A NIGHT THE EARTH DIDN’T SLEEP as a title is to show how terrible and how unusual the night was.

S5: Here we can see that the writer compared the city to a person who suffered a lot in the disaster. He felt her pain, and he worried about her. So when he said that people came to help her, we can feel his feelings to the city. The city will not die, she has hope and she can recover from the pain.

Step Ⅵ Comprehending (5 minutes)

By now, the students have had a further understanding about the text. So it’s time to have a summary about what they have learned in this class. The comprehending part on Page 27 gives them a good chance to do this. Exercise 1 is about the details in the text, which is easy to finish. Exercise 2 is about the important functional item of this unit—sequence. Exercise 3 asks the students to write a summary. At the first glance, it seems difficult, and some students may feel that it is impossible for them to write it. In fact, this exercise gives them the way to write a summary. In other words, what they should do is to write down the main idea of each paragraph. And in the course of skimming, the teacher has guided them to find these main ideas. So this exercise shouldn’t be a difficult one. The teacher should explain this to the students. Give the students two minutes to finish the exercises, and then check the answers with the whole class.

Step Ⅶ Translation (2 minutes)

The purpose of this step is to let students know the meanings of some complex sentences, and let them learn the sentences by heart. If time permits, do this at once, or leave it as homework.

1. Farmers noticed that the well walls had deep cracks in them.

2. The number of the people who were killed or injured reached more than 400,000

3. It seemed as if the world was at an end.

4. It was a city whose hospitals, 75% of its factories and buildings and 90% of its homes were gone.

5. Then, later that afternoon, another big quake which was almost as strong as the first one shook Tangshan.

6. The army organized teams to dig out those who were trapped and to bury the dead.

7. Workers built shelters for survivors whose homes had been destroyed.

Step Ⅷ Homework (1 minute)

T: Now, it’s time for assignment. Today we have two tasks to finish after class. The first one is Exercises 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Learning about language on Page 28. These exercises give us a chance to practice the words and expressions we’ve just learned. The second one is Exercises 1, 2 and 3 in the Using language on Page 30. For the writing, we have two things to consider while we are writing: 1. Who is the audience? 2. How can we express ourselves clearly? OK. That’s all for today. See you tomorrow!

附：

Ⅰ. Text retelling

Notes:

1. The main idea of each paragraph.

2. The main details of each paragraph.

3. The feelings of the writer.

4. Some new words and expressions.

Strange things happened in Tangshan. For a few days, water in the wells rose and fell. From the cracks of wells smelly gas came out. Mice, chicken, pigs and even fish became nervous. At 3 am, everything began to shake. It seemed that the world was at an end. One-third of the nation felt it. A huge crack cut across the city. The city lay in ruins. Two-thirds of the people died or were injured. Then later that afternoon, another big quake shook Tangshan. People began to wonder how long the disaster would last. But all hope was not lost. Soldiers came to help those survivors. Slowly the city began to breathe again.

Ⅱ. Moral education

Small events foretell big events

It’s better to be safe than sorry

People can find hope for a brighter future even after a bad earthquake.

Ⅲ. Writing style and Writing characteristics

这是一篇记叙文，用第三人称的形式讲述了1976年唐山大地震。分前兆、经过、结果三个段落来叙述。在行文中体现了作者对地震这一灾害所造成的危害的震惊和对唐山人民的同情。

本篇以事情发生的先后顺序为线索来写作，运用了大量的细节来描述地震带来的可怕后果。如：One-third of the nation felt it. A huge crack …cut across…. Steam…burst…. Hard hills… 生动而清晰地反映了地震这一自然灾害, 表达了对灾区人民的同情心。同时作者还运用比喻、拟人等手法。如:

Bricks covered the ground like red autumn leaves. (比喻) P26

A night the earth didn’t sleep. Slowly, the city began to breathe again. (拟人) P26

这些修辞手法的运用使得文章生动而富有感染力。

This reading passage recounts the terrible earthquake that nearly destroyed the city of Tangshan. A sequence of events is presented to introduce students to this functional item in the whole article.

The use of literary devices (exaggerated, simile and personification) adds to the drama of the event. Small events and details in the first paragraph are intended to build suspense. And in the last paragraph the writer uses personification to form a vivid image in the reader’s mind.

Ⅳ. Main idea

通过对地震的预兆、过程、结果和对救灾过程的描述，告诉我们地震的可怕性，并提醒人们注意震前预兆，鼓励人们要正确面对灾难，迎接光明未来。

Natural disasters occur throughout the world, and China has a particular problem with earthquakes. So the article describes the cause, the course and the result of Tangshan earthquake in 1976. It shows us the terrible image of earthquakes. At the same time it hints us that we must realize that we can do some things to minimize the damage caused by quakes.