Unit Five
Problems and advice
(Reading: What should I do?)
Teaching Objectives :
1. To get students familiar with the new words and phrases in the text: smash, high-rise,
tease, bully, have a guilty conscience, etc.
2. To help students understand the problems and dilemmas the writers faced.
3. To improve students’ reading skills, including predicting, scanning and retelling through
various activities.
4. To instill students with the awareness of the problems they are faced with and the positive
view on life.
Teaching Procedure:
Stages Activities Purposes
Pre-reading Ask Ss if they have any problems and who
they will turn to for help.
Let Ss make predictions based on the pictures
from the text.
Elicit the title.
Improve Ss’ ability
of predicting and
arouse their
interest in reading
the text.
W
h
i
l
e
-
r
e
a
d
i
n
g
Step
1
1. Ask Ss to scan the first letter and find out
what the first story is about with the help
of a table.(when/ where/ who/ what)
Help Ss get the
general idea of the
first letter.
(high-rise, smash)
2. Ask Ss the following questions: Help Ss get the
details of the first
Q1: What would happen if the flowerpot did
not narrowly miss the children?
Q2: How did the writer feel?
Q3: Why?
letter and
understand this
dilemma.
(have a guilty
conscience)
Step
2
1. Ask Ss to listen to the second letter and
then retell the story.
Improve Ss’ ability
of retelling.
(tease, bully)
2. Ask Ss the following questions:
Q1: How did the writer feel?
Q2: If you were him, what would you do on
the train?
Help Ss
understand the
dilemma the writer
faced.
Help Ss how to
give advice.
Step
3
Let Ss read the third letter and ask them one
question :
Q: What are the differences between the third
and previous two letters?
Help Ss
summarize the
problem and
further understand
the three letters.
Post-reading Divide Ss into groups and ask Ss to act out one
story from the three letters. Ss may change the
ending of the story.
Help Ss review the
content and
integrate facts
from the text with
their own thoughts.
Assignments Finish Exercise D&E (P66-67).
Write our school counselor a short letter (a
letter of 120-150 words) about one problem
you are faced with these days.”
Encourage Ss to
express their own
opinion.