birds’ education.
How can we help people understand the importance of protecting the environment so that birds can live in peace?
a. Facts speak louder than words. Choose a certain area, make a survey about the relationship between the environment and the number of birds. Birds make good indicators of the general health of the environment because there is a large amount of bird population data available and they cover a wide range of habitats. The falling number of farmland birds in particular show how changing farming practices have affected their habitat and food source.
b. Get people know that birds closely relate to us by holding lectures, exhibitions and sending them handbooks.
c. Find places for bird watching get people to learn more about birds. Step IV Writing
Get the students to do WRITING TASK on page 66. Discussing
Get the students to discuss their ideas and writing plans before writing.
T: Today, more and more people realize the importance of protecting birds. And they try to build some places or park for people watching birds. These people try everything to attract as many as birds as possible. Suppose you would like to attract more birds come to your area. Study the picture on page 67 carefully. Then write a short passage of about 120 words on how to design a place for watching birds. Then plan that follows may help you.
Get the students to study the picture on page 67 first. They may study it from the following aspects: What things have been done for the birds: the birds have large are to enjoy themselves, enough food to eat, house to rest, many trees to stay on; the environment there is clean and quiet; What the visitors are allowed to do and not allowed to do: the visitors hide in the bush, they are not allowed to disturb these birds; they can take photos of these birds,
Several minutes later, ask some of the students to talk about their ideas. Then give them some minutes to discuss the questions in suggested writing plan:
1. Decide on an area that can be turned into a bird watching place
(a. park or garden; b. a piece of wood far from the city; c. beside some lake or sea; d. nature reserve; e. village or countryside)
2. Brainstorm some ideas for attracting birds to the area
(a. plant more trees; b. prohibit sound pollution. Ask people not to drive to that area, keep quiet)
3. Think about what birds need. Make a plan to improve this place
4. Draw a mind map the one below and show what you need to do to attract birds. Writing
Get the students to write their plans. Make sure they can write according to their draft and the functional sentences given on page 68. Sample writing:
There is a piece of woods on the edge of our city. It’s the fresh air, soft ground and quietness there that make both birds and people enjoy themselves. It’s an ideal place for bird watching.
What we need first is to attract as many birds as possible to come here. And we’ll try to keep what the woods are now. Besides we’ll supply some necessary things for birds. The bird tables should be made of woods without any decoration because birds can take the tables with no hesitation. The feeding tray should put on wooden tables or crotch(树杈) so that birds can find the food easily. The nesting boxes should be hung on some strong branches so the birds can live safely and comfortably. The water container should be put next to the place where feeding trays are so that birds can find water easily. Also the water container should be put firmly, because it may be turned over. Then more and more birds will come here. Their sounds can be music and they’ll be the host of this woods. To enjoy these birds, the observer can use bushes as hides so that they can see how birds live free and easy.
While we enjoy bird watching, we protect the birds and the environment. It’s the thing that hits two birds with one stone. Step V Project
Get the students to come to Project on page 68
Sample version for Choice 2:
Abandoned Ibis chicks rescued
It couldn’t have been worse timing for the colony of White-faced Ibis who had chosen a rice field in Sacramento Valley to nest in. The three acre plot was harvested on Saturday, July 21, forcing hundreds of parents to abandon their babies and nests. 78 live baby ibis were rescued, along with almost 100 eggs, and taken to International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in Cordelia. The California Dept. of Fish and Game is investigating; all migratory birds are protected by Federal laws.
Extra staff had to be added to handle the magnitude of birds now in care at the center, including hundreds of orphan baby ducks, egrets, herons and other patients. Eighty-nine ibis eggs are in incubators at the center, and some have hatched, adding to the population in intensive care.
Rarely seen, baby ibis look very much like little dinosaurs. As they grow, the stripes on their beaks will disappear, their brown eyes will turn red, and their dirty white and pale brown feathers will become a rich brown with metallic purple, bronze and green highlights. At the juvenile stage, it is hard to imagine that these gangly birds becoming beautiful and elegant flyers.
The ibis in care range in age from hatchling to two to three weeks old and won’t be ready for release until they have grown feathers and have fledged (able to fly) at around six weeks of age.
While not endangered, white faced ibis populations plummeted due to pesticides, and especially DDT, which was finally banned in 1972 in the United States. Survival for ibis remains challenging as natural marsh habitats disappear to development, forcing many birds to nest in irrigated fields, vulnerable to disturbance. Step VI Assignment
T: In this unit, we’ve known of wild life protection. Suppose you were a mayor of a city, what will you do to protect the wildlife? S: Reduce the pollution from factory. S: Plant more trees and grow more grass.
S: Build bird tables in the open air and in the woods. S: Call for all the citizens to love wildlife.
S: Try to persuade TV station to broadcast this kind of programs.
T: As a student, what will you do to improve the environment? S: Write letters to the officials to put up projects.
S: Make pictures to show the importance of protecting wildlife and put them up in public.
S: Try to persuade TV station to broadcast this kind of programs. S: Call on all my friends and school to improve the environment. T: Well done! Here is your homework: Checking yourself
1. What do you know about wildlife? 2. What can we do to help protect wildlife? 3. Please try to name as many animals as you can.
4. Summarize phrases used to express intentions and purpose.