Project-based learning (项目化学习) is learning while doing. It gives learners the chance to get a deeper understanding of a topic. During the learning, learners use real-world examples and challenges to solve problems. Project-based learning is becoming widely used in schools. How do students learn well through a project? Let’s take the example of Sandra.
Sandra, an eleven-year-old student in Sunshine Primary School, wanted to know more about Greek mythology (希腊神话). So she started to work on this project. How did she make it?
From the example of Sandra, we can see that project-based learning allows a student to learn about a topic and then create a project based on his or her talents and skills. Not everyone is a great test taker, but everyone is good at something. Through project work, students can not only learn deeply about a topic, but also have fun learning. So if you’re interested in something, why not start with project-based learning?
1. How do learners solve problems in project-based learning?2. Why did Sandra start her project-based learning?
3. What were the two products that Sandra created?
4. What are the advantages of project-based learning? (至少列举一个优点)
5. What is the best subtitle (小标题) of Step 2?
I’m Mike. I just counted how many foreign languages I’ve studied so far, and it has been twelve! As a successful language learner, I hope the following advice can help make your language learning easier.
Decide what you want to get out of the language. I studied Japanese simply to be able to read some fun science fiction books, so I paid attention to grammar, and I didn’t care about speaking. However when I studied Chinese because I planned a trip to Beijing, 3.I memorized more useful expressions than grammar rules.
Be persistent (坚持不懈的). Language learning is one of those things where it’s much better to do a little each day instead of a lot sometimes.4.You’ll learn more if you spend 30 minutes studying every day rather than 8 hours once a week.
Know your strengths (长处) and then ignore (忽视) them.I really love grammar, 5.但是当我在说话的时候我通常会让我自己忽略语法. I’m afraid I will care too much about small things that most people won’t even notice.
1. How many foreign languages has Mike studied so far?2. What did Mike pay attention to when studying Japanese?
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Now students’ English handwriting gets worse and worse. That makes their teachers feel worried. Is your English handwriting beautiful? If not, here are four steps to help you to improve it.
Using paper that has lines can keep your writing straight when you write English words or sentences. Those lines on the paper can help you to write words in the right size. Be sure to fill the lined space completely.
If your writing is hard to read, try slowing down a little. For some kids, going slower makes the handwriting clear. If you write too fast, it’s hard for you to stop where you should, and even worse, you may make more mistakes.
When you hold your pencil in the correct way, writing is much easier. Some kids press down really hard when they write. That makes the handwriting not nice. Try to relax yourself and don’t hold the pencil so hard. Let your writing appear nice and clean. If you do so, people will guess you are a student with a good habit.
Drawing can improve your handwriting. You need to use the skills to control your pencil better when you are drawing pictures. Even though you have no chance to draw at school, you can practice by yourself at home.
| How to | |
| Use paper with lines | It |
| Slow down | Try słowing down a little. |
| Write in the correct and relaxing way. Holding too hard makes your handwriting not nice. | |
| Draw more pictures | You need to use the skills to control your pencil better. Even though you have no chance to draw at school, you can practice |
Dear editor,
I have some problems, and I need your help. I’ll have a very important English test soon, but I can’t remember the words well, and I always have trouble learning English grammar. I’m not good at reading, and I’m afraid of speaking with others in English.
I’m so upset. What should I do? Would you give me some advice?
Yours,
Li Ping
1. Who wrote this letter?2. How many problems does Li Ping have?
3. What are the problems?
4. What is the purpose of Li Ping in wring?
5. Is Li Ping good at reading?
5 . It’s lunchtime. Students in Changsha No. 8 Middle School are heading for the school dining hall. Wang Xiaohan is one of them. He has decided to go to his favorite counter(柜台)- the English- only counter.
The English-only counter was set up by Shi Haotian, who works at the school dining hall. He used to study in the USA. After he came back to China, he joined a food company in Changsha, which offers some service to Wang’s school. He hopes that the English-only counter can offer the students more chances to speak English.
Wang usually visits the English-only counter 3 or 4 times a week. He likes to practice English in such a fun way. Now Wang is an eighth grader and he still remembers how he was surprised when hearing Shi’s wonderful speech at last year’s school opening ceremony(开学典礼). Shi talked about the school dining hall’s plan for the new term in English. The students all got excited when they heard his good English.
Now there’s already a long line in front of the English-only counter. Wang walks faster...
1. Where does Wang Xiaohan study?2. Did Shi Haotian use to study in the USA?
3. What does Shi Haotian hope to do with the English-only counter?
4. How often does Wang Xiaohan usually visit the English-only counter?
5. What did Shi Haotian talk about in his English speech?
How can you remember a song from your childhood to this day? Why do your teachers use songs to teach you English? It seems there is a scientific reason for this.
Researchers are now studying the relationship between music and remembering a foreign language. They find that remembering words in a song is the best way to remember even the most difficult language.
"Singing could be a new way of learning a foreign language. The brain likes to remember things when they are used in a catchy(郎朗上口的) and meaningful way," said Dr. Karen Ludke. The findings may help those who have difficulty learning foreign languages. On his blog, Dr. Ludke writes, "A listen—and—repeat method can support foreign language learning, and open the door for future research in this area."
Many language teachers know the value of using music and singing. Hua Zhuying, a teacher at a Chinese language school in Washington D.C. depends heavily on songs in teaching Chinese. She says, "I use music all the time to teach children Chinese. For little kids usually we use English songs but teach them the Chinese lyrics. So it's easy for them to start because they know the music. Not only does it work, but it is fun for the kids."Sometimes, I think if I were taught English that way, maybe I would speak English much better than now," HuaZhuying adds.
Our brain likes music, especially for remembering. So, if you're still struggling in learning a language, why not try singing it out?
1. According to the passage, what is the best way to remember a foreign language?2. In Ludke's opinion, who might benefit(受益) from this new way of learning by singing?
3. Have scientists done a lot of researches on listen—and—repeat method in language learning?
4. How does Hua Zhuying teach kids to learn Chinese?
5. Why does singing work well in language learning?
7 . I am Canadian. I started learning French when I was 10 years old. But my whole experience with the language was in the classroom. All of that changed, however, during my last summer of high school. As a 17-year-old girl, I flew across the country by myself for the first time! I headed for Quebec to live in the province with a French-speaking host family, who didn’t speak any English. And I would learn French at a local school.
On the first day of school, all of us students were given a test to determine（测定）our language level. We were required to speak only French all summer.
I made every effort to communicate in a second language by making new friends, seeing movies and even ordering food from restaurants in French. Though I couldn’t understand most of it at the very beginning, the whole experience was exciting and refreshing.
On weekends, my classmates and I took trips to different places around the province. On one trip, we went whale watching on the St. Lawrence River. Even though it was raining, we could see huge whales swimming around our boat. The most memorable part of our trip was a visit to historic Quebec City. I walked along the stone streets, took pictures of the European-style（欧式的）buildings, and learned some stories there.
Finally my efforts paid off! At the end of the summer, I was able to communicate pretty well. I couldn’t wait to go back to school and talk with my French teacher. Being fully immersed（沉浸）in a French-speaking environment was a valuable learning experience. And it could be the main reason for my improvement in French.
1. When did the writer start learning French?2. How did the local school determine the students’ language level?
3. Did the writer enjoy the experience of communicating in French?
4. What did the writer think of the visit to historic Quebec City?
5. What could be the main reason for the writer’s improvement in French?
Apps are taking the place of teachers as technology plays a bigger role in language education.
Ma Ruining has been studying English for a long time, but her teachers are not in the classroom — they’re in the palms(手掌) of her hands. Ma has several English learning apps. They are often for users who want to improve their English, from listening to speaking.
Although she’s tired from eight hours’ office work, she does not spend her free time just relaxing by watching TV dramas as she did before.
She takes out her mobile phone and begins to practice her spoken English with an app called Liulishuo (“speaking fluently” in English), which offers ways to people looking to improve their spoken English.
A 10-second audio clip(音频) by native speakers is then played on the app as Ma starts her lesson. After that, the app asks her to imitate(模仿) the piece. The app then scores her performance on a scale (数值范围) from 1 to 100 and gives advice on how to make improvements.
“If you score more than 90, it means your pronunciation is good,” says Ma, who has been practicing English every day on the phone for the past six months.
“At first, I usually only get a score of 70 as I often mispronounce,” adds Ma, 26. “I graduated two years ago, but I wanted to improve my spoken English to study or travel abroad some day in the future.”
English learning apps make it convenient for people to study English. So what English learning apps are you using now?
1. According to the passage, who often uses English learning apps?2. How did Ma Ruining spend her free time relaxing?
3. Will the app called Liulishuo provide users with suggestions?
4. How often does Ma practice English on the phone?
5. Why did Ma want to improve her spoken English?
How can you think in English? 1.I think the best way is to practice as what a football player does every day. During the practice, the football players pass the ball to their teammates over and over again, so they won’t have to think about passing the ball in the game, and they will just do it. You can train yourself to think of English in this way. 2.第一步是想到每日所用的词汇，simple everyday words like book, shoe or tree. For example, whenever you see a “book” you should think of it in English rather than in your mother language. After you have learned to think of words in English, you’d better go on to the next step--thinking of sentences in English.
Listening to English is another useful way. 3.Listen first and don’t care too much about whether you fully understand what you’re hearing. Try to say what you hear as much as possible. 4.The more you listen, the better you learn. After you reach a higher level, start having conversations with yourself in English. 5.这将会引导你用英语思维。
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10 . I am Canadian. I started learning French when I was 10 years old. But my whole experience with the language was in the classroom. All of that changed, however, during my last summer of high school. As a 17-year-old girl, I flew across the country by myself for the first time! I headed for Quebec to live in the province with a French-speaking host family, who didn’t speak any English. And I would learn French at a local school.
On the first day of school, all of us students were given a test to determine（测定）our language level. We were required to speak only French all summer.
I made every effort to communicate in a second language by making new friends, seeing movies and even ordering food from restaurants in French. Though I couldn’t understand most of it at the very beginning, the whole experience was exciting and refreshing.
On weekends, my classmates and I took trips to different places around the province. On one trip, we went whale watching on the St. Lawrence River. Even though it was raining, we could see huge whales swimming around our boat. The most memorable part of our trip was a visit to historic Quebec City. I walked along the stone streets, took pictures of the European-style（欧式的）buildings, and learned some stories there.
Finally my efforts paid off! At the end of the summer, I was able to communicate pretty well. I couldn’t wait to go back to school and talk with my French teacher. Being fully immersed（沉浸）in a French-speaking environment was a valuable learning experience. And it could be the main reason for my improvement in French.
1. When did the writer fly alone for the first time?______________________________________________________________
2. How did the local school determine the students’ language level?
______________________________________________________________
3. Did the writer enjoy the experience of communicating in French?
______________________________________________________________
4. What did the writer think of the visit to historic Quebec City?
______________________________________________________________
5. What could be the main reason for the writer’s improvement in French?
______________________________________________________________
