l Remember not to share too much too soon. Wait until someone knows you before you air your family problems and secrets.
l Use careful judgment when deciding how much information to share with a stranger. Always be cautious when it comes to revealing personal information.
The students are going to read the letter for information needed.
1. Through the text reading and their prediction comparing, in- divivually, the students are going, to read Anne’s letter and to pick out the things that she talked about in her letter and questions she raised already. Then they are going to have a class interaction to collect what thye pick.
2. They are going to have a discussion in pairs or in groups about what Anne didn’t refer to her letter and then to have a class interaction to collect their ideas.
3. They are going to have a further discussion in pairs or in groups about whether Anne’s letter is the first letter or not according to what they find she didn’t write.
4. They are going to work in groups to aware the precautions they might need to take while writing to a pen pal at the very beginning.
阅读本身是个信息输入的过程，应该是学生自主活动。教师的主要任务是搭建支架(如设计问题)提高学生阅读的效率，提供足够时间让学生自主阅读，设计话题诱发小组合作学习，同时教师提供必要的资源。因此这阶段活动主要以学生自主、合作为主，教师的责任以调控、评价、帮助等为主。学生的阅读活动从自己的预测(图式)与文本的互动开始，获取主要信息(Anne告知的和询问的)，并通过学生间互动(小组合作)，深入解读信息背后的文化知识(tips & warnings for a first letter)。
V. Post-reading tasks
Task one: a jigsaw puzzle
读后活动的主要目的是操练语言、拓展话题。为此，这里设计了三个任务，贯穿两条主线：语言和话题。
任务一主要通过完成jigsaw puzzle，让学生体验方位的表达。这一活动建立在文本理解的基础上，既要训练学生的scanning能力，又要引导他们关注有关语言的表达。活动以学生合作互动为主。
The teacher is going to help the students complete the jigsaw puzzle.
1. The teacher is going to give them the jigsaw puzzle and to organize the group work.
2. The teacher will go around the class to observe their group work, and help them if necessary.
3. The teacher will make some comment about their work.
The possible answers to the puzzle:
⑴ is the Teacher’s House
⑵ is the school
⑶ is the park
⑷ is the swimming pool
The students are going to complete the jigsaw puzzle according to the information from the reading text.
1. They are going to to scan for the information needed and to work in groups to complete the jigsaw puzzle. They are going to give the reason why they put each piece in the particular place.
2. Some groups will be chosen to present how they work out the puzzle and why they put the piece in the place before the whole class, with the help of the overhead projector and the computer.
Task two: a treasure hunting game
任务二是一个寻宝游戏。在游戏前，教师要搭建一个“支架”，提供一些图片、地图和相关情景，并通过师生互动，帮助学生正确理解、操练、使用有关词语，为游戏活动的有效开展打好基础。在寻宝游戏活动中，学生一方面要思考、猜测，另一方面要积极使用语言表达自己的思考和猜测。这个任务主题已经脱离了文本，但训练的还是文本中语言，因此是属于半控制型活动。这样的拓展有利于学生运用相同语言，表达更广的类似主题。活动以学生小组合作为主，教师适当参与一些互动。
The teacher is going to organize a treasure hunting game.
1. The teacher is going to present some pictures and maps as a scaffold to help the students learn the new language points, like “flat”, “cafe” and “in the … of …”. The teacher will help the students with the pronunciation if necessary.
2. The teacher is going to organize a tresure hunting game,
⑴ telling them how to work:
— Work in a treasure hunting group! Discuss in groups where the treasure is? Who might find it? Why?
(2) giving an example as a scaffold for their language if necessary:
— I think the treasure is in the south of the town. It might be in the swimming pool. I will find it, because I go swimming there every day.
(3) presenting a finished jigsaw puzzle on PPT:
— Jigsaw puzzle is helpful in treasure hunting. Anne has hidden some treasure somewhere on this map.
(4) preparing a box of chocolate with a large piece of paper “Write and tell me about your town and school.”, as well as four candies for the winners.
For reference:
The big treasure is hidden in the café.
The places are “café, flat, swimming pool, museum, factories, library”
The other places will have an encour- aging sentence and four candies for the group.
The students are going to hunt for treasure.
1. Before the game, they are going to learn some language points and to practise dscribing some maps with them.
2. They are going to work in groups to hunt for treasure in the jigsaw puzzle they have finished. And they will be encouraged to use the language points they have practised.
3. Some groups will be chosen to present before the whole class with the help of the overhead projector and the computer. If possible, team work is encouraged, that is, one student reports while another points out the place where they think the treasure is hidden.
Task three (main task): introduction of our school
任务三要求通过写信形式介绍学生自己学校的设施布局。这是一个“follow-in”活动，其主题内容进一步拓展，让学生有更多的自主、合作的空间。但是书信写作对于刚刚进入初二学习的学生来说有有一定难度，尤其是整个语篇的构建。为此，教师要搭建“支架”，提供给学生一个不完整的书信，帮助学生把注意点定位在方位的描述(这是本节课的重点)，同时为课后的书写回信提供一个样本，降低难度。另外，教师要有意识规范小组活动，明确小组分工，提高合作活动的效率。这样除了能够培养学生合作学习的能力，也能降低任务的难度。第三个降低难度的措施是提供足够的活动时间。活动以合作学习为主。
The teacher is going to guide the students in letter writing.
1. The teacher is going to present a map of Hangzhou Foreign Languages School.
2. The teacher is going to tell the students how to group and what to do in the group work.
3. The teacher is going to provide an imcomplete letter to set up a scaffold to make the writing easier, if necessary.
The scaffolding pattern:
Dear Anne,
We live in Hangzhou! It is a … city in the … of …! …
… is in the … of the school. We like … there. Near the … is …. We …
… is in the … of the school. We often …there. There are …. Near the … is … We …
Write and tell us more about your _________.
Love _________
4. The teacher will leave students time to write a letter, go around the class to monitor their work, and offer any necesaary help.
5. The teacher will make some comment on Ss’ letters.
The students are going to write a letter back to Anne about their own school.
1. The students are going to group themselves and to have different roles in each group activity.
Student A: a map designer
Student B: a secretary
Student C: a presenter
Student D: a commentator
2. They are going to read the map of their school and the map designer is going to mark the names of some places in English.
3. They are going to describe the locations of different buildings on campous and what they do there and decide what to write in the letter. The secretary is going to take some notes and to complete the letter together with partners in the group.
4. The presenter of the group chosen is going to read their letter to the whole class.
5. Some commentators are going to make some assessment on the letter.
VI. Homework
A letter writing task: The students will write a letter to Anne individually about their own town.
1. Draw an English map;
2. Write a letter and try to use the patterns and words learned in this class;
3. Polish the letter and put it into the computer;
4. Send the letter to our blog sayyourgrace.tianyablog.com, which Anne is going to read them.
课题作业是一个“further-up”任务，比读后活动中的任务开放。经过课堂的一系列任务活动，学生应该有能力完成这个任务。作业设计中的详细步骤目的在于降低任务的难度，培养学生良好的写作习惯。博客的建立不但建立了一个互动平台，而且也增加了时代的生活气息，拓展了学生的学习资源。
Blackboard Design
What Anne might write What Anne might ask
… …
板书设计力求重点突出，简洁明了，以吸引学生的注意力。
给Anne的回信
—— 第七届全国中学(初中)英语教学观摩课说课
杭州外国语学校 谢慧萍
《剑桥中学英语》采用全新任务型教学与生动的交互式学习模式;注重多学科的融通与多元文化的融合;注重学生听、说、读、写能力全面提高。这些特色都很好地体现了国家《英语课程标准》所倡导的诸多最新理念。第一册第三单元的教材设计充分体现了这些特点。它以“Around Our School”为话题，通过书信这个形式，帮助学生学习、掌握用英语表达方位的能力。
本节课的教学对象是刚刚进入初二阶段的学生。他们已经具备理解简单语篇、表达简单内容的能力，在英语语言知识方面，他们已经掌握大约500的词汇，也能使用完整的简单句和一般现在时态。但他们的认知能力、语言能力、语用能力等尚处于初一下水平。
基于上述教材与学生的特点，本节课设计的中心任务是给Anne回信。这个任务涉及的语言、技能、策略、情感、文化等五个方面教学内容贯穿整个课堂教学活动。学生在教师的引导下，通过自主、合作等学习活动，综合操练、实践体验、真实运用，最终达到以下教学目标：
1.语言目标
这阶段的学生基本具备用简单的英语词汇与句型描述周边环境的能力。但是，对于某些具体方位的正确描述，仍存在一定困难。 因此，本节课的语言目标定位在两个方面： 一是学生学会在具体的语言环境下使用“in the north/south/east/west of…、flat、cafe”等词语;二是综合使用此类功能语言，准确描述自己学校校园的环境。这个目标是完成中心任务的语言保证。
2.技能目标
本堂课的语言技能定位在阅读技能的培养。初二上的学生已经能够读懂一些简单语篇的主要信息。在此基础上，本课进一步强化学生read for information的能力。这种能力将会直接影响到本课中心任务的完成质量。因为写回信首先要读懂来信。
3.策略目标
学习策略的培养是提高学习效果的前提，又是需要在学习活动中得到体验的。有意识的在学生的学习活动中培养学习策略是本课的教学目标之一，具体通过阅读和写作活动分别训练他们的推测能力(认知策略)和合作能力(情感策略)。前者旨在提供信息获取资料，后者降低信息输出的难度，以确保中心任务的有效完成。
4. 情感目标
初二阶段应该培养学生的学习意志，从单纯的兴趣过渡到有意识的学习。初二伊始，教师就要有计划的在每堂课中培养学生的学习意志。本堂课的重点在于如何让学生在自主学习、小组合作、班级活动中集中注意力，以保证各项任务的展开与完成。
5.文化目标
本节课中，学生接触到书信文体。这种文体背后蕴含着一定的文化内容，例如给陌生人写第一封信时应该注意的事项。本课通过对于书信的阅读与回信的写作，培养学生有关这方面的意识。
上述五个目标需要通过完成七个任务得以实现。七个任务中一个是中心任务，即给Anne的回信，要求学生在课后完成。其余六个都是围绕中心任务设计的子任务，贯穿在以下的教学过程中：
任务一：to set up the blog
在课的开始，师生同唱Big Big World，目的在于引出博客话题。在谈论过程中，教师在学生心理与虚拟网络中搭建了两个“博客”。前者帮助学生热身，培养学习情感;后者为课后教学构建平台，拓展学生学习互动的渠道。
任务二：to predict the content of Anne’s letter
这是阅读前的常规任务，主要目的在于构建学生的阅读图式，为下步阅读活动做好铺垫。 在这个过程中，教师设计两大话题：she may tell about …;she may ask about …，诱发学生猜测，训练学生这方面的认知策略。同时教师搭建“支架”帮助学生解决语言方面的困难。
任务三：to read Anne’s letter
阅读是信息输入的过程，靠学生自主活动完成。教师的主要任务是搭建支架(如设计问题)提高学生阅读的效率，提供足够时间让学生自主阅读，设计话题诱发小组合作学习的动机，同时教师提供必要的资源。因此这阶段活动主要以学生自主、合作为主，教师的责任以调控、评价、帮助等为主。学生的阅读活动从自己的预测(图式)与文本的互动开始，获取主要信息(Anne告知的和询问的)，并通过学生间互动(小组合作)，深入解读信息背后的文化知识(tips & warnings for a first letter)，为本课主要任务的完成做好准备。
任务四：a jigsaw puzzle
拼图游戏(jigsaw puzzles)是国外常见的儿童游戏。 这节课利用这种游戏，要求学生在文本理解的基础上体验方位的表达。这一任务，既训练学生的scanning能力，又引导他们关注有关语言。