Teaching aims:

(1) Students can learn some words, phrases and the structure: present perfect tense with “just”, “already” and “yet”.

(2) Students can talk about the universe and space exploration freely.

(3) Students can improve the abilities of reading, speaking and processing the related information.

(4) Students will have more interest in learning English.

(5) Trough learning some knowledge about the universe and Chinese spaceships, students will develop the sense of loving science and enhance the sense of national pride.

Teaching key points:

(1) Key words and phrases: environment, solar system, group, universe, impossible, out, communicate, in the universe...

(2) Key structure: present perfect tense with “just”, “already” and “yet”.

(3) Fostering students’ reading skills.

Teaching difficult points:

(1) How to understand the passage about space and the universe involving present perfect tense.

(2) How to retell the story according to some key words or clues.

(3) How to develop reading skills and language competence.

Teaching procedures:

Step 1: Warming up and lead-in

(1) Greetings.

(2) Present some pictures about the universe, (Chinese) spaceships and international space stations. Ask students what they know about the universe and space exploration.

(3) Ask students what they will think of when talking about the universe and have a discussion in groups.

Step 2: Pre-reading

(1) Ask students to brainstorm some space and the universe legends or knowledge.

(2) Present some pictures to lead in the words.

Step 3: While-reading

1. Fast reading

Read the passage quickly and choose the best title for it.

A. Anyone out there?

B. Life on the earth

C. The sun and other stars

D. The stars at night

2. Careful reading

(1) Work in pairs: Ask students to scan the passage again and order the words or phrases from small to large.

(2) Let students read the passage after the tape, and then read together. Then, ask students to underline and try to understand the present perfect tense with “just”, “already” and “yet”.

(3) After careful reading, finish the task of True or False:

( ) The earth is a star.

( ) The sun is a star.

( ) There is more than one galaxy in the universe.

( ) The light from the stars in other galaxies has travelled for a long time to reach us.

( ) Scientists have received many messages from space.

( ) Spaceships have visited most of the universe.

(4) Summarize each paragraph and main idea of the passage.

Step 4: Post-reading

(1) Complete the passage.

Scientists think that there ________ life on the Earth for ________ years. However, we ________ life on any other planets.

The earth is a ________ and it ________ the sun. Seven other planets also ________ the sun. ________ has an environment like that of the earth.

Scientists ________ many other galaxies ________.They are very far away and their light ________ travel for many years to ________ us.

Scientists ________ spaceships to the planet Mars to take photos.________ spaceships to travel outside the solar system. However, no spaceship ________ far enough to reach other stars ________.

(2) Retell the passage according to some key words or clues.

Step 5: Summary and homework

(1) Summary: Ask students to review what they’ve learnt today, and then make a conclusion.

(2) Homework:

Free talk: Do you hope there are any living beings in outer space? Why?