基于话题语块的高中英语读写课教学设计
——以Unit 4 A Night The Earth Didn’t Sleep 为例
2020-02-22李善美
李善美
阅读是语言输入的重要来源,是学生积累词汇、习得话题语块、了解文章谋篇布局的重要途径。而写作是语言输出的重要方式之一,是学生英语学科核心素养的集中体现。正如韦伯(Webb)在谈到读写关系时所指出的:阅读从某种意义上说是写的彩排,阅读材料为写提供了彩排的道具(转引自李漫,2017)。阅读材料中的话题语块便是一个个鲜活的道具。
阅读中话题语块的提取为学生的语言表达提供了鲜活的道具,能极大地提高学生英语表达的准确性和得体性。实践证明:基于话题语块的英语读写课对学生写作能力的提高有重要意义。那么,在高中英语教学中,教师如何指导学生提取语块?提取哪些话题语块,才有助于学生写作水平的提高呢?下面结合一堂公开课,简单介绍基于话题语块的高中英语读写课的教学过程,以及语块提取的内容和方法。
一、教学分析
本堂课的课型是读写课,教学内容为人教版高中《英语》必修一Unit 4 A Night The Earth Didn’t Sleep。
(一)文本解读
【What】就主题语境而言,本篇阅读材料是人与自然,涉及自然灾害、灾后重建,以及防震救灾等相关知识。就语篇类型而言,本篇阅读材料是一篇新闻报道,文章讲述了1976 年7 月28 日凌晨发生在河北省唐山市的大地震。全文共分为四段:第一段讲地震前夕,唐山地区的一系列反常现象,这些“怪事”其实都是地震前的预兆,却没有引起人们的注意和警觉。第二段描述唐山大地震发生时的情景。短短15 秒钟的地震就几乎将整个城市夷为平地,伤亡人数达到40 多万。第三段讲地震后城市一片凄惨,幸存者感到悲哀的同时又产生了惊恐与不安。第四段讲在人民解放军的救援和全国各地的帮助下,被地震摧毁的城市得以重建。
【Why】本篇阅读材料旨在介绍唐山大地震的有关情况,帮助学生认识到:了解地震,并能提前作好准备,就可以减少或避免不必要的损失。同时教育学生:面对灾难,要团结一心,树立“一方有难,八方支援”的价值观。
【How】本篇阅读材料通过两条线索展开。其明线按照时间顺序,介绍地震前的迹象,地震发生时对人、建筑物、公共基础设施,以及动物带来的毁灭性破坏,以及地震发生后的灾后救援。时间节点明确,文章结构鲜明。其暗线通过阐述人们对地震的认识:从漠不关心到恐惧、绝望,再到震后积极投身家园重建的历程,突出了灾难无情人有情,讴歌了“一方有难,八方支援”的价值观。
本篇阅读材料为新闻报道,文章语言简洁、生动。在获取与自然灾害描述相关的话题语块的同时,也需要关注语言的特点。标题采用拟人的修辞手法,既表达了文章的主旨,又能吸引读者。文章第一段运用生动形象的动词描述了震前的异常现象,突出了自然界在震前的不平静。第二、三段运用具体的数字反映地震造成的破坏程度,增加了文章的真实性。而第四段副词soon、slowly、again 的使用充分体现了人们救援的及时和给唐山带来了新的希望。
本堂课的重点是完成reading for structure,理清文章结构,以及reading for language,积累话题语块,为读后的语言输出作好铺垫。
(二)学情
教学对象为高中一年级的学生,他们的智力发展趋于成熟,认知能力比初中阶段有了进一步的发展,能在教师的引导下用英语获取信息、处理信息。但受到语言基础的限制,学生的主动表达欲望不强,不善于运用获取的语块进行迁移运用。学生习惯了初中时被动接受的教学模式,缺乏主动探索精神。因此,在本堂课上,教师要结合学生的特点,积极引导他们用英语进行思维,积累大量的话题语块,为语言输出搭建支架。
(三)教学目标
在本堂课结束时,学生能够:
1.找出文章中有用的词块,并用它们来报告其他自然灾害。
2. 使用一些生动的动词、数字、be+done/be+adj.结构及修辞手法润色文章。
3.明白自然灾害是无情的,而人类是善良的,团结可以克服任何困难的道理。
(四)教学重难点
教学重点:收集自然灾害相关词块,了解新闻报道的特点,学会如何报道自然灾害。
教学难点:报告另一自然灾害——台风“温比亚”(Rumbia)。
二、教学设计思路
语言学家迈克尔·刘易斯(Michael Lewis)提出,语言不是由词汇化的语法构成,而是由语法化的词汇构成。人们在使用语言时,不是靠语法把单词组织起来的,而是使用头脑中已经存储的一些预先编制好的语块。这些语块的存储可以使语言输出变得方便、快捷和流利。
在语言知识的学习中,要更多地关注话题语块,积累强化。一方面,话题语块的积累有助于阅读理解能力的提升;另一方面,大量存储的话题语块能逐步提高书面表达质量。话题语块的积累离不开阅读文本。孤立的语块灌输不能把文本中的语言现象与学生的体验感受结合起来,如果学生缺乏感知语言、探究语言的过程,就扼杀了他们学习的主动性和积极性。正如余文森所说:学生学到的脱离语境的、孤立的、凌乱的词汇或语块是没有活性、不能迁移、更不能应用的(转引自赖朝晖、刘晓燕,等,2013)。
本堂课的教学设计主要遵循“感知—归纳—运用”的思路启发学生思考,鼓励其在阅读文本的过程中感知、积累话题语块,在真实情境中迁移运用语块。
三、教学过程
Step 1:导入
Activity:Ask students to watch the video to feel the power of the earthquake and highlight the learning task:learn to report a natural disaster.(播放地震视频,引出本课的话题:地震。明确本课的教学任务:学习报道自然灾害。)
师生互动如下:
T:What was happening in the video?
S1:Earthquake.
T:How do you feel after watching the video?
S2:Earthquake is so powerful and people are so powerless faced with the earthquake.
T:Excellent!Today we’ll read one passage about the earthquake. Let’s learn how to describe the earthquake vividly.
【设计说明】视频导入能够让学生直观感受到地震的危害,易于引起他们的共情,激发他们的学习兴趣,尽快导入本课主题。导入新课后,提出本课的任务目标,让学生学习更有针对性。
Step 2:阅读关注文章标题与文章结构
Activity 1:Ask students to compare the title with“a night the earthquake happened”,and tell which one can attract your attention.Ask them to think of a good title for Typhoon Rumbia.(要求学生关注文章标题。通过标题的比较,了解它的修辞表达,可以使文章更加生动形象。提供相似情景,要求学生自己创作能够吸引读者的文章标题。)
Activity 2:Read the whole passage quickly and pick out all the chunks about time.Divide the passage into several parts according to the time chunks.(要求学生阅读文本,借助时间语块理清文章的篇章结构,即按照时间顺序:震前—震中—震后。)
师生互动如下:
T:Why did the earth not sleep at that night?
S1:The earthquake happened.
T:So our passage is about earthquake. Why did the author not use a night the earthquake happened as the title?
T:Who needs to sleep?
S2:People.
T:The night was like a person who didn’t sleep because of the earthquake. This is called personification.It’s more vivid and can attract the readers’attention.
(启发学生思考文章标题的巧妙之处,感受文章标题的语言魅力。)
T:Now can you think of a good title for the report about the typhoon Rumbia?
(适时提供相似情景,让学生仿写标题。台风“温比亚”是发生在市内影响比较大,造成损失比较严重的一次自然灾害。选取学生身边过的事情易于激发他们的学习兴趣,引起其情感共鸣。)
T:“Night”can tell us the time when the earthquake happened. There are some chunks about time.Now read the passage quickly and pick them out.
S2:For three days...,3:00 a.m. on July 28...,1976,3:42 a.m....,later that afternoon...,soon after the quakes....
T:So,according to time,how many parts can we divide our passage into?
S2:Three.
T:Yes. It’s about things before the earthquake,during the earthquake and after the earthquake.Timeline is helpful to make the structure of the passage clear.
【设计说明】学生在阅读体验中感知话题语块的表达魅力及功能作用,为完成本课的任务积累话题语块。同时,阅读中关注文章的篇章结构,可以帮助学生迅速理清自己的创作思路。
Step 3:阅读积累话题语块,学习语言特征
Activity:Read the passage part by part and pick out word chunks about strange signs,damage and rescue.(要求学生精读课文,按照学案要求提取相关语块。)
师生互动如下:
Part 1:
T:What happened before the earthquake?
S1:Strange things.
T:What are they?
S2:Water...rose and fell,rose and fell...
T:Excellent!What part of speech are they?
S4:They are verbs.
T:Why did the author use these verbs?
S5:Vivid verbs can impress the readers greatly.
T:Yes.
(通过阅读提取与震前奇异现象有关的语块,体会语言特征。)
T:Faced with so many strange things,what did people do?
S1:They went to bed as usual. They thought little of these events.
T:What a Pity! They paid no attention to them.A big earthquake was on the way.
(引导学生思考震前人们的反应,培养他们的思维品质。)
Part 2:
T:As we know,the author said it was the greatest earthquake in 20th century.How did the author prove it was the greatest?
S1:He used numbers.
T:Can you pick all the numbers out in part 2?
S2:It was felt in Beijing,...200 kilometers...1/3 of the nation felt it. ...8 kilometers... ...30 meters wide...In 15 terrible seconds...in ruins.
...
T:Perfect! Why did the author use 200,1/3 etc instead of using many,a lot of?
S3:Exact numbers can make the description convincing.Make the readers believe it was true.
(引导学生提取与损失相关的数字语块,体会新闻报道文章使用数字的功能。)
T:You are absolutely right.Oh,the damage was so serious.Did the survivors believe it was natural?
S4:No.
T:Why?What was destroyed?
S5:...hospitals,... factories and buildings and ...homes were gone.
T:Yes,in this sentence the author use“were gone”structure. Can you find other sentences that include the similar structures(be done/be+adj.)?
S6:The bridges...were not... ...safe ...pigs...chickens were dead.
Rescue workers... were trapped. Water,food ...were hard to get.
T:Good job.Why did the author use this kind of structures?
S7:To show people were passive.
(一方面,用问题引领学生梳理地震对人类造成的巨大破坏,积累表达地震破坏的话题语块。另一方面,引导学生发现描述有关地震破坏的语块特点,为学生语言输出搭建支架。)
T:Can you find one sentence to describe people’s feelings in this paragraph 2?
S8:It seemed as if the world was at an end.T:Was the world really at an end?
Ss:No.
S2:The author used exaggeration.
T:Yes,it is one kind of figure of speech. Figure of speech(修 辞)can help to express feeling seffectively.
T:Do you know other figures of speech?
S4:Simile,parallel,personification and repetition,etc.
T:Yes. Can you find one sentence in paragraph 3 that uses simile?
Ss:Bricks covered the ground like...
T:Why did the author compare bricks to red autumn leaves?
S1:There were a lot of bricks.
S2:They were painted by people’s blood.
T:Excellent. It means not only the bricks but also the blood of people covered the ground. The author used this sentence to show a large city was in ruins.
(以问题引领学生积极思考,关注阅读文本中的修辞表达,让其在积累语块的同时感受修辞的魅力。)
Part 3:
T:Did people lose hope?
S1:No.All hope was not lost.
T:Who brought hope for them? What did they do?
S2:The army and rescue workers. The army organized...dig out...who were trapped... to bury...workers built shelters for survivors...
(引导学生积累有关抗震救灾的话题语块。)T:How did people feel now?
S3:They felt hopeful.
T:Which sentence can tell us people were hopeful now?
S4:All hope was not lost.
T:What else?
S5:Slowly,the city began to breathe again.
(引导学生关注人们在震前、震中及震后情感的变化,体会文章传达的情感态度价值观,明白情感的表达对写作的重要作用。)
【设计说明】让学生在问题的引领下阅读文本,提取描述震前奇异现象、震中破坏程度及震后救助的话题语块,同时体会语言特征,学习描述自然灾害时可以使用数字、被动结构、系表结构及修辞等使描述更可信、生动,在描述自然灾害时穿插个人情感的表达则能使文章更有吸引力和感染力。
Step 4:总结概括新闻报道的写作方法
Activity:Ask students to summarize what they learned.(要求学生总结本堂课所学的主要内容。)
师生互动如下:
T:How can we report a natural disaster?
S1:First,think of a good title.
S2:Timeline can be used to organize the passage.
S3:The vivid verbs,numbers,be done/adj.,and figure of speech can help us to describe vividly and express our opinions effectively.
T:Excellent. Now collect all the chunks about the earthquake by yourself and try to memorize them.These chunks can help us to describe the natural disasters.
【设计说明】引导学生自主反思/总结本堂课所学的内容,运用思维导图整理出与自然灾害相关的语块,为语言输出作好铺垫。
Step 5:小组合作报道自然灾害
Activity:Show a video and some pictures about Typhoon Rumbia. Ask students to observe carefully and work in groups to report it by using the chunks that we have learned.(展示台风“温比亚”的视频和图片,要求学生自主观察,小组合作运用本堂课所学报道台风“温比亚”。)
师生互动如下:
T:It’s your turn to use what we learnt today.Are you familiar with Typhoon Rumbia? It also caused great damage to our city.Now work in groups and try to describe Typhoon Rumbia.
学生展示如下:
S1:In the early morning,it was cloudy and hot.The sky was so dark that it looked as if it was covered with a dark cloth.Later that afternoon,the wind began to blow heavily. Some plastic bags and bottles were flying in all directions. Some big trees were blown down and cars were trapped under the trees. At 5:00 p.m.,we heard the drip of the rain. After a short while,a sharp rain was beating against the windows.Early the next morning,the rain stopped.A lot of cars were drowned in the water.Some old houses fell.The rescue workers came to help the trapped and the injured.With the help of volunteers,the city began to breathe again.
T:Excellent. Can you think of a title for your report?
S1:A day the sky cried.
S2:The city became a river.
T:Good job.After class,help your group to polish your report.
【设计说明】引导学生展示自己的报道,同学之间相互学习。引导学生仿照所学想出恰当的题目,培养学生的发散思维。
Step 6:Homework
Finish your own composition and share it with your classmates.
【设计说明】通过作业,让学生在课堂上即时运用学到的语块,从而达到巩固提升的目的。
四、教学反思
(一)亮点
1.教学主题突出
本堂课的主题是在阅读中积累与自然灾害有关的话题语块,然后运用话题语块进行语言输出。这改变了过去孤立地关注文本中的重点词汇、脱离语境讲解语块的方式。这样能使学生在语境中、在感知体验中尽快积累与话题相关的语块。而相似情景的即时演练也有利于话题语块的拓展运用和巩固提升。
2.教学目标明确
导入新课后,直截了当地提出了本堂课的学习目标:学会报道自然灾害。教学目标是在充分分析了学情和文本特征之后制订的,对知识、技能及情感态度价值观都有描述。而读后任务的设置选取的是发生在学生身边的、印象深刻的一次自然灾害,易于引起学生共鸣。
3.以学生为主体
本堂课教师引导学生积极阅读,主动思考,使用问题链启发学生积极动脑,积累话题语块,同时发现文本语言之美。在教学中,教师应为学生创造“使用语言来学习语言”的机会(陈东红2016)。在教学过程中,教师没有直接告诉学生答案,而是引导他们积极思考,小组讨论,合作探究,完成文章结构梳理、语块提取、语言赏析及写作方法的总结,从而为自然灾害的新闻报道搭建必要的支架。
4.注重思维品质培养
《普通高中英语课程标准(2017 年版)》要求教师在指导学生获取语言知识的同时,还要注重培养其思维品质。本堂课注重学生的语言输出,启发学生自主观察发现话题语块,感悟语言魅力。在总结梳理时培养学生的逻辑思维和总结概括能力,在小组合作报道自然灾害时引导他们运用发散性思维和创造思维。
(二)不足
1.搭建的语言支架不足
虽然在读的过程中理清了文章的脉络,强化了话题语块的输入,但学生在语言输出时仍然不够顺畅。这就表明教师提供的道具不够充分,搭建的支架不够完整。这时需要用问题引领学生积极思考,激活他们已有的知识,以说带写,从而保证目标任务的顺利完成。
2.读的重点不够突出
读写课中读是写的基础,是为写服务的。想在短短45 分钟内既完成读,又积累语块,进行话题写作,就要大胆取舍,有重点地读,而不是从头到尾,面面俱到地读。本堂课在设置读的任务时没有突出重点。其实在完成本堂课的写作任务“报道台风‘温比亚’”时,应重点关注的是台风给城市交通、农业,以及人们的财产和生活造成的重大影响。而这部分内容的描述应提取和模仿的是阅读文本的第二、三段。因此,在学生写作和展示环节,时间明显不够用,从而导致学生没有充分展示。