錢希潔
【摘 要】本文主要針對(duì)當(dāng)前初中英語故事教學(xué)缺乏故事味的現(xiàn)狀,結(jié)合教學(xué)案例,從故事教學(xué)的幾個(gè)主要環(huán)節(jié)闡述對(duì)初中英語故事教學(xué)的思考,從而使學(xué)生在更為濃郁的故事味中不斷提升英語語言能力。
【關(guān)鍵詞】故事 內(nèi)容 語言 能力
閱讀教學(xué)是初中英語課堂教學(xué)的重要課型之一,通過閱讀教學(xué)豐富學(xué)生的英語語言知識(shí)、發(fā)展學(xué)生的英語閱讀能力、拓寬學(xué)生的文化視野、提升學(xué)生的英語閱讀素養(yǎng)是中學(xué)英語閱讀教學(xué)的重要任務(wù)。就當(dāng)前的初中英語教材而言,大多數(shù)閱讀文本都具有一定的故事性,如今,一些根據(jù)經(jīng)典名著改編的童話故事也逐漸走進(jìn)教材,并成為學(xué)生的英語閱讀文本。故事以其鮮活的人物形象、生動(dòng)的故事情節(jié)、地道的英語語言和隱含的人生哲理受到了廣大學(xué)生的喜愛,然而,在課堂教學(xué)中,當(dāng)這些故事被抹上過于濃重的教學(xué)味的時(shí)候,它們?cè)趯W(xué)生眼中就失去了原有的魅力。因此,在故事教學(xué)中,我們還需要弱化教學(xué)的痕跡,凸顯故事的滋味,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生在故事中發(fā)展英語語言能力。本文主要以譯林出版社《英語》七年級(jí)下冊(cè)Unit 6 Reading板塊中根據(jù)經(jīng)典童話故事《愛麗絲漫游記》改寫的故事Down the rabbit hole為例,結(jié)合這個(gè)故事教學(xué)兩個(gè)課時(shí)教學(xué)活動(dòng)中的幾個(gè)主要環(huán)節(jié)闡述對(duì)故事教學(xué)的初步思考,旨在和同行探討如何使學(xué)生在濃郁的故事味中發(fā)展英語語言能力。
一、在對(duì)故事話題的交流中,了解故事背景
文本故事Down the rabbit hole是根據(jù)英國(guó)童話大師Lewis Carroll筆下的著名童話故事Alice in Wonderland中的一個(gè)片段改編而成,對(duì)于這個(gè)童話故事,有一部分學(xué)生在他們的童年時(shí)代已經(jīng)看過或聽過中文版故事《愛麗絲漫游記》,因此,當(dāng)學(xué)生接觸這個(gè)故事文本時(shí),他們對(duì)故事中的主人公Alice應(yīng)該還會(huì)有一些印象?;趯W(xué)生對(duì)這個(gè)故事的點(diǎn)滴印象開展交流,激起學(xué)生對(duì)這個(gè)童話故事的點(diǎn)滴記憶,從而在學(xué)生對(duì)這個(gè)故事回憶的基礎(chǔ)上呈現(xiàn)故事的背景,進(jìn)而引導(dǎo)他們帶著對(duì)這個(gè)故事內(nèi)容似曾相識(shí)的感覺走進(jìn)這個(gè)英文版的故事,教學(xué)片段如下。
T:Have you ever heard the story?
(大部分學(xué)生舉手表示看過這個(gè)故事的中文版本。)
S1:Yes, I have read the story , but in Chinese.
S2:I read the story in Chinese when I was in Primary School, but I have almost forgotten everything about the story.
T:Who jumped down the rabbit hole? Anybody knows?
S3:Alice jumped down the rabbit hole.
T: How do you know?
S4:My mother told me the story in Chinese when I was very young.
T: Thats good. Then anybody knows what the story is from?
S5:It is from a book Alice in wonderland.
T: How can you say it in English?
S6:I found it in our textbook.
T: Thats very good. Yes, we can find the name of the book at Page 70. Lets read it together:Alice in wonderland.
T:Do you know who wrote the story?
教師呈現(xiàn)關(guān)于作者的基本情況,如下:
T:Now we all know Alice fell down the rabbit hole. What else do you want to know about the story?
S7:How did they jump down the rabbit hole?
S8:What did they do after they fell down the rabbit hole?
T: OK,Then lets go into the English story together and try to get the answers about the questions.
對(duì)故事話題的交流喚醒了學(xué)生對(duì)美好童年的記憶,也喚醒了學(xué)生對(duì)這個(gè)故事相關(guān)的點(diǎn)滴記憶,雖然他們對(duì)這個(gè)故事的記憶已經(jīng)很少,但是他們對(duì)自己童年的美好記憶和對(duì)故事內(nèi)容的模糊使他們對(duì)這個(gè)英語童話故事產(chǎn)生了濃厚的興趣,帶著找回童年時(shí)代故事的好奇,學(xué)生自然跟著老師走進(jìn)了這個(gè)童話故事。
二、在對(duì)故事的整體感知中,理解故事內(nèi)容
為了讓學(xué)生高質(zhì)量地開展故事閱讀活動(dòng),在整體上理解故事內(nèi)容,理清故事發(fā)展的脈絡(luò),并在對(duì)故事整體內(nèi)容的感知中初步理解故事涵蓋的新的語言知識(shí),教師創(chuàng)設(shè)問題情境如下:
1.Where was Alice that day?
2.What did she see?
3.What did she do then?
4.What happened later?
帶著問題,學(xué)生開始嘗試自己閱讀這個(gè)故事,并根據(jù)以上問題找出了如下的答案:
1.Sat by a river.
2.Saw a rabbit.
3.Jumped down the rabbit hole.
4.In the rabbit hole.
通過整體閱讀故事,學(xué)生初步了解了故事的全過程,即Alice是如何掉入這個(gè)兔子洞的,對(duì)故事文本內(nèi)容整體上的理解為學(xué)生進(jìn)一步理解文本細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容并從中突破相關(guān)的英語語言知識(shí)提供了一個(gè)完整的語境,促使學(xué)生根據(jù)故事中事態(tài)的發(fā)展對(duì)新的語言知識(shí)所涵蓋的語言意義進(jìn)行判斷,并做出正確的理解。
三、在對(duì)故事的深層解讀中,突破語言知識(shí)
一個(gè)新的故事總是包含著一些新的語言知識(shí),從表面上看,這些新的語言知識(shí)是學(xué)生深層次理解故事的障礙,但正是基于對(duì)這些新的語言知識(shí)的突破,學(xué)生才能更深入細(xì)致地理解故事的情節(jié),并在深層次理解故事細(xì)節(jié)的過程中積累更為豐富的英語語言知識(shí)。因此,根據(jù)故事內(nèi)容突破這些新的語言知識(shí)是故事教學(xué)的一大任務(wù),這也是近幾年英語閱讀教學(xué)研究的一個(gè)重點(diǎn)和熱點(diǎn)問題。對(duì)此,不同的教師采用了不同的方法,有的教師把故事中涵蓋新的語言知識(shí)的句子從故事文本中挖出來,用分析、講解和練習(xí)的方式讓學(xué)生理解這些語言知識(shí),困擾大家的是:本來比較有趣的故事教學(xué)就會(huì)因?yàn)檫^度的講解和訓(xùn)練失去了故事的滋味;有的教師丟棄了原本有趣的故事文本,另外創(chuàng)設(shè)一個(gè)文本,將故事文本涵蓋的新的語言知識(shí)放到這個(gè)新的文本中,加以理解和突破,雖然這種做法對(duì)學(xué)生理解相關(guān)語言知識(shí)有促進(jìn)作用,然而對(duì)教材故事文本的忽略,使學(xué)生對(duì)教材故事文本的細(xì)節(jié)理解處于一個(gè)半生不熟的階段,教材故事這個(gè)最有效的語境也沒有得到充分的利用。在江蘇省2013年舉行的初中英語優(yōu)質(zhì)課展評(píng)活動(dòng)中,來自南京市的王雯老師的方法很值得借鑒和推廣,她將教材故事文本本身作為學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)突破這些語言知識(shí)的大語境,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生在對(duì)故事的深層解讀中,理解并突破文本故事所涵蓋的新的英語語言知識(shí)。教學(xué)片段如下。
1.根據(jù)故事第一階段,教師運(yùn)用PPT呈現(xiàn)故事插圖,見圖(1),并創(chuàng)設(shè)問題情境如下:When Alice sat by the river,What did she see?
S1:She saw a rabbit.
T: Yes, she saw a rabbit passing by.(板書語言點(diǎn)pass by,并朗讀。)
T: How did she feel when she saw the rabbit?
S2:She felt amazed.
S3:She felt surprised.
T:Why?
S4:Because the rabbit was wearing a coat and a tie.
T: Anything else do you think is very strange?
S5:The rabbit can talk.
T: What did he say? Can you find the sentence in the story?
S5:“Oh dear! Ill be late.”
T:Can you act as Alice and the white rabbit in pairs?
教師引導(dǎo)學(xué)生模仿故事中兔子的形象表演故事片段。
T:Anything else is very strange?
S6:And he had a watch.
教師引導(dǎo)學(xué)生通過對(duì)故事插圖(2)的仔細(xì)觀察,用英語對(duì)這個(gè)穿著西服、系著領(lǐng)結(jié)、戴著手表的小白兔進(jìn)行描述。
T:Look at the picture,he is taking the watch out of his pocket. (板書呈現(xiàn)語言點(diǎn)take...out of...,并朗讀。)
2.根據(jù)故事第二階段,教師運(yùn)用PPT呈現(xiàn)故事插圖,見圖(3),并創(chuàng)設(shè)問題情境如下。
T: What did Alice do?
S1:She stood up and ran across the field after the rabbit. (板書呈現(xiàn)語言點(diǎn)ran across the field,并朗讀。)
T: Then what did the rabbit do?
S2:He jumped down a hole. (板書呈現(xiàn)語言點(diǎn)jumped down,并朗讀。)
T: What did Alice do ?
S3:She jumped down the hole too.
T: Would you like to jump down a hole after a rabbit?
S4:No.
T: Its dangerous.
3.根據(jù)故事第三階段,教師運(yùn)用PPT呈現(xiàn)故事插圖,見圖(4),并創(chuàng)設(shè)問題情境如下。
T: What was the hole like?
S1:It was deep.
T: How do you know?
S1:It took long time.
T: Yes. It took Alice long time to hit the ground. Can you read the sentence?
教師呈現(xiàn)課文重點(diǎn)句:Down, down, down. Then Alice hit the ground. She found herself alone in a long, low hall. (板書呈現(xiàn)語言點(diǎn)found herself alone,并朗讀。)
T:Can you try to practice this?
教師引導(dǎo)學(xué)生根據(jù)故事中Alice掉進(jìn)兔子洞的語言描述,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生運(yùn)用慢動(dòng)作表現(xiàn)Alice掉進(jìn)兔子洞的過程,課堂充滿了孩子們尚存的童真。
4.根據(jù)故事第四階段,教師運(yùn)用PPT呈現(xiàn)故事插圖,見圖(5)(6),并創(chuàng)設(shè)問題情境如下。
T: Where was she then?
S1:In a long, low hall.
T: What did she do then?
S2:She looked around and saw many doors all around.
T: Can she open them?
S3:No, they were all locked.
T: What did she find at last?
S4:She found a small door and a key.
T: Did the key work?
S5:Yes. She opened the door.
T: Could she go out?
S6:No, she couldnt go through. The door is too small.
在對(duì)故事文本的深層解讀中,學(xué)生對(duì)故事中Alice如何從看到一只奇怪的兔子到跟隨兔子跳進(jìn)了兔子洞的過程有了更為詳細(xì)的了解,故事所涵蓋的新的語言知識(shí)在故事的深層解讀中也得到了突破。
四、在對(duì)故事的多元品讀中,深化內(nèi)涵理解
通過對(duì)故事的深層解讀,學(xué)生對(duì)故事細(xì)節(jié)內(nèi)容有了深入的了解,對(duì)故事中涵蓋的新的語言知識(shí)也達(dá)到了充分的理解。但是,基于理解后的操練活動(dòng)是學(xué)生將所學(xué)語言知識(shí)提升成為語言技能的重要途徑。在這個(gè)基礎(chǔ)上,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生通過對(duì)故事的多元品讀等語言操練活動(dòng),將所學(xué)語言轉(zhuǎn)化成為語言技能則是水到渠成,主要分以下幾個(gè)環(huán)節(jié):
1.引導(dǎo)學(xué)生有感情地整體朗讀故事。
2.引導(dǎo)學(xué)生小組討論故事主人公Alice的人物特征,從而讓學(xué)生在鞏固語言知識(shí)的同時(shí),進(jìn)一步加深對(duì)故事主人公形象的深層次理解,片段如下。
T:What do you think of Alice?Try to say sth. about Alice. You may find some sentences to support you.
S1:I think she was very brave.
T: Why?
S: Because she jumped down the rabbit hole after the rabbit.
S2:I think she liked life very much.
T: Why do you think so?
S3:In the story, she sat by a river and read books. It was very romantic, I think.
T:So I think she liked going out and enjoying outdoor life, right?
S3:I think she was very lucky.(學(xué)生大笑。)
T:Why do you think so?
S3:Because she could meet this kind of rabbit. But I couldnt. (學(xué)生又大笑。)
S4:I also think she was very brave.
T: Whats your reason?
S4:When she found herself alone in the hole, she wasnt worry at all, and tried to find the way to get out.
T:Yes, so when we meet some difficulties, try not to give up easily.
3.教師采用教材P72上Simon與Sandy的一段對(duì)話,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生以對(duì)話的形式談?wù)摴适?,從而進(jìn)一步鞏固故事內(nèi)容,內(nèi)容如下。
Simon:Whats the story about?
Sandy:Its about a girl. Her name is Alice. One day, she sat by a with her sister. Then she saw a white .
Simon:What did the rabbit do?
Sandy:The rabbit took a watch out of its and looked at the time.
Simon:What happened next?
Sandy:The rabbit ran across a .Alice ran after it. Then the rabbit and Alice both jumped into a hole.
Simon:What happened after that?
Sandy: Alice hit the .Then she found herself alone in a long, low . She saw a on a table and used it to open a door.
Simon:Did she go through the ?
Sandy:No, she didnt. It was too small.
4.引導(dǎo)學(xué)生借助黑板上的關(guān)鍵詞,采用小組合作的方式復(fù)述故事或表演故事片段,從而進(jìn)一步鞏固故事內(nèi)容和英語語言知識(shí)。
五、在對(duì)故事的拓展活動(dòng)中,發(fā)展語言能力
英語課堂教學(xué)的最終目標(biāo)是發(fā)展學(xué)生的英語語言運(yùn)用能力,通過故事文本所獲得的相關(guān)語言知識(shí)和語言技能只有實(shí)際運(yùn)用才能逐步轉(zhuǎn)化成為學(xué)生運(yùn)用語言的能力。因此,在學(xué)習(xí)教材文本的故事的基礎(chǔ)上,要?jiǎng)?chuàng)設(shè)新的語境,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生開展適時(shí)、適度的語言拓展活動(dòng)。對(duì)此,很多教師在教學(xué)中充分展示了他們的教學(xué)智慧,在2013年江蘇省初中英語優(yōu)質(zhì)課展評(píng)活動(dòng)中,南京市選手王雯老師通過引入一個(gè)新的故事,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生運(yùn)用教材文本故事中所學(xué)的語言知識(shí)進(jìn)行表達(dá),內(nèi)容如下(劃線部分為填空內(nèi)容)。
Up the tree house
One sunny day,Lauren sat by a tree in a park. Then she heard a sound. She looked up and saw a dog with some flowers passing by.“Oh dear! Mothers Day is coming!”said the dog.
How amazing!Lauren stood up and ran across the park after the dog. The dog jumped up the big tree.Lauren did not want to let the dog get away,so she jumped up the big tree too.
Up,up,up,Lauren climbed for a long time,and then she reached a tree house. She found herself alone in a large,low room. There were books all around,but they were all very heavy. Lauren saw a note by one of the books but she couldnt read the words.
Then Lauren opened that book. She found a map!She tried to find the way back,but it was the map of the rabbit hole.
然后,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生將思維回歸到自身的生活經(jīng)歷,通過回顧和思考,引導(dǎo)學(xué)生運(yùn)用所學(xué)語言知識(shí)來講述自己的故事,從而使故事教學(xué)活動(dòng)從文本回歸到學(xué)生的生活,在學(xué)生運(yùn)用語言知識(shí)講述自己故事的過程中體現(xiàn)出語言學(xué)習(xí)的價(jià)值。
在英語課堂教學(xué)中,聽故事永遠(yuǎn)是受學(xué)生歡迎的。因此,為了學(xué)生對(duì)故事的這份喜歡,作為教師,我們就不妨在故事教學(xué)中盡量保持那一份令學(xué)生喜歡的故事味吧?!?/p>
(作者單位:江蘇省無錫市錫山教師進(jìn)修學(xué)校)