武汉大学外国语学院 2009届应届硕士毕业生 杨琨 .
Teaching plan
I. Pre-reading activities
Aim: to activate the schema and set the background for the reading comprehension
II. While reading activities (3 steps)
Step one: skimming and scanning
Aim: to train the fast-reading skills and develop the ability of inference.
Step two: to get to know the text structure
Aim: to train the ability to analyze the text structure
Step three: focus on the process of understanding some important information of the passage and teach some important sentence structure and useful words
Aim: to foster deeper understanding of the specific information.
III. Post-reading activities (also called as production stage)
Students are asked to answer the open questions based on the content of the passage Homework: ask students to finish the exercise in the course book after class.
Note: Since the time is limited, I will just simulate the teaching process for part one and two
Teaching materials
I. pre-reading
1) When you have health problems, will you always go to the doctor (such as colds, cough, ulcers and so on)? If so, what will you expect from doctors?
2) If not, why?
When they have health problem, they will go to the doctor. They want the doctor to examine them, to write a prescription, e.g. give some medicine, capsule, or some injection. Above all, they always
expect the doctor will tell them that they will recover soon.
I usually avoid going to the hospital, to see a doctor is time-consuming and tiring. If it is not very serious, what I usually do is to have a good rest, cold drink some water and stay in bed. There is a doctor in my body, recover. Not effective, just a placebo
Have you ever heard about the “placebo”?
II. while reading
1. Skim and scan the passage quickly and answer the following questions?
What is a placebo? In para 2
a placebo is a sugar pill(糖丸), a harmless shot vivid description , imagine something shot you, what is your feeling. (injection), or an empty capsule(no medicine, powder). it is not a real medicine, looks like a medicine, but the patient think it is medicine and believe it can help them get better.
武汉大学外国语学院 2009届应届硕士毕业生 杨琨 .
2. Read the passage again and understand the structure of the passage. Directions: the passage can be divided into five parts. You are given the paragraph numbers of each part and main topics. Read through the story and find the right topic for each part. Paragraphs Topics
Para1-2 introduction c. The term placebo is introduced: when it is prescribed?
And what is it?
Para3-7d d. The study of the placebo
Para8-9 b b. Different cases in which a placebo may work
Para 10-11 a a. Two opposite attitudes towards the use of a placebo Para 12 e conclusion e. It is suggested that the human mind is stronger
than we think it is.
3. Read for detailed information and learn some important sentence structure and useful words
Read Para 1-2, and answer the following questions:
When is the placebo needed?
Doctor knows that medicine is not always needed. Some times all a sick person needs is some reassurance that all will be well. In such cases, the doctor may prescript a placebo. All + sb. needs/cares about/remembers… is + 表语 sentence pattern
某人所需要的/关心的/记着的一切就是??????
此句中？all 后面省略了that？all 后面带的是定语从句。
e.g. 中国当前所需要的是和平与稳定。
All China needs now is peace and stability
我所关心的是公司是否能从这笔买卖中获利。
All I care about is whether my company can make profit from the trade. Translation : 有时候病人所需要的只是一个一切都会好的保证。
prescription
那张药方中包含着几种名贵的草药(herbal medicine)。
That prescription contains several kinds of precious herbal medicine. Prescribe I have been prescribed some painkillers by the doctor.
Read para3-7, work with your partners, and try to find out three different explanations about how placebo can make people feel better?
武汉大学外国语学院 2009届应届硕士毕业生 杨琨 .
• i. One explanation: _____ it works because the human mind fools itself _ say that if the
mind is fooled into thinking it got medicine？then your body will act as if it really gets
medicine, and the body will feel better？
• No one will be fooled into believing thatcomedian Pan Changjiang can become a NBA
player.；
•
•
• ii. The other explanation: __ the placebo makes the wish to get better become reality？Not
work if know a placebo. Think get medicine, have hope.__a stronger willpower to get
better helps to heal them. ________________
• iii. The most powerful placebo of all: ___ the doctor ___If the patient trusts the doctor
and if the doctor really wants to help the patient？then the placebo is more likely to work.
Supporting evidence?
Subjects/patients Groups Differences of The same results
treatment condition
Some patients Group 1 Doctor Same thing 70% better
with bleeding Group 2 Nurse Same thing Only 25%
ulcers
Read paragraphs 8-9, answer the following question.
What are the different cases in which a placebo may work?
It helps such things as seasickness？coughs？colds？and even pain after an operation？
What is the experiment? See if a placebo could help old people stay healthy. Subjects/patients Groups Differences of The same results
treatment condition
Number_150__ Group 1 Nothing No change
place__Romania___ Group 2 A placebo Better low Age_over 60____ death rate
Group 3 A real drug Same result
Para 10-11
What are the two opposite attitudes towards the use of a placebo? Some doctors still think that if the placebo can have bad effects it should never be used？
the use of the placebo has been well known for hundreds of years in other countries. Paragraph 12: what is the conclusion?
The strange power of the placebo does seem to suggest that the human mind is stronger than we think it is. You can heal your body by using your mind.
III. post-reading
Questions for group discussion
1. Is there really a doctor in the body in the author’s opinion? How about you? If so, who do you
think is the doctor? Why? Your mind. Sure better , go well. Mind over matter 2. How would you feel if you knew your doctor had given you a placebo instead of medicine? I t depends. Get better, feel lucky, medicine has negative effects. Or very angry never go to see.