【摘要】寫作是英語語言學習的重要內(nèi)容。相對于聽說技能,初中學生寫作能力的發(fā)展相對滯后。本文結(jié)合教學實踐中的經(jīng)驗和思考探討了幾種幫助學生組織、整理寫作思路,并進一步拓展其思維深度的有效方法,以求優(yōu)化寫作教學過程、提升學生寫作品質(zhì)。
【關(guān)鍵詞】寫作教學;思維導圖;配讀文章;換位提問
【作者簡介】陸曄,湖州市第五中學。
寫作是英語技能的重要組成部分。英語寫作水平是衡量學生綜合語言運用能力的重要標準之一。在初中英語教學中,寫作對師生而言都是一個難點。不少學生對寫作有畏難情緒,經(jīng)常感到無從下筆。有的學生詞匯量和想法皆有,但一動筆,就條理紊亂、結(jié)構(gòu)松散、思維狹窄、行文不暢。一線教師時常感到任務重、時間緊,對語言知識的講授較多、對寫作方法的研究較少。導致學生對寫作既沒信心,又無興趣。在此,筆者就教學實踐中的經(jīng)驗談談幾種幫助學生組織、拓展寫作思路的可行方法。
一、建構(gòu)思維導圖
思維導圖(mind-map)是英國教育家托尼 · 巴贊(Tony Buzan)于20世紀60年代提出的有效的圖形思維工具。它以繪圖的形式直觀地呈現(xiàn)人的放射性思維過程,使人的思想過程得以可視化。思維導圖以特定主題為中心,將各級知識結(jié)構(gòu)用相互隸屬的層級圖展現(xiàn)出來,以提高信息分析的效率。
在根據(jù)某主題展開論述時,很多學生覺得有話想說,但又感覺信息碎片如一盤散沙,雜亂無章。這時可用思維導圖來整理思路。例如學生要描寫其喜愛的一位老師,頭腦中會浮現(xiàn)很多零散的詞句“中等身材,長頭發(fā),有耐心,嚴格……”。但想了很多以后,還是無從下手。這時教師可引導學生小組討論,用思維導圖方式歸類,明確從哪幾方面著筆。然后具體討論每一方面可寫什么信息,用什么關(guān)鍵詞。隨后展開個人創(chuàng)作,增加獨特的觀察,融入不同的情感。最后,學生用連接詞和過渡句把各部分串聯(lián)起來,得到完整的個性化作文。例:
有了思維導圖,學生對要寫的東西就胸有成竹了。尤其對于基礎(chǔ)較差的學生來說,更是為其搭建了有力的腳手架。思維導圖的建構(gòu)利用了小組合作的結(jié)果,同時教師也應留給學生足夠獨立思考的時間,并對個人作文中的獨特觀點進行點評分享。
二、選編配讀文章
配讀文章對于學生明確寫作方向有很大的幫助。教師可以以不同的形式為學生提供相關(guān)作文主題的配讀文章,讓學生在已有知識經(jīng)驗的基礎(chǔ)上進一步豐富寫作視角、理清寫作思路。如A Special Friend 一文,筆者從課外資源中選取了幾篇和朋友相關(guān)的短文,有的描寫具體的人、有的描寫抽象的物,或幽默有趣、或感人至深。通過品讀不同風格的語言材料,學生對其已有的英語知識和經(jīng)驗進一步創(chuàng)新加工,使寫作內(nèi)容和思路得到了拓展。此外,也可自編范文。教師自編文章是學生語言輸入的途徑之一,它為學生思維發(fā)展和語言輸出搭建了支架。如 A/An _____ National Day Holiday 一文,筆者自編了2段文本,其主題相似,但選材角度不同。一段側(cè)重描述在外游玩的旅程,一段描述在家陪伴父母的經(jīng)歷。
A Relaxing National Day Holiday
Though I didnt take a trip, I had a great holiday. Every morning, I made breakfast for the family so that my mom could get more sleep. After breakfast, I went to the market with her and decided what to eat for lunch. Home-made food was very delicious. After lunch, I helped do the dishes and sweep the floor. In the afternoon, I usually gave my dad a hand, such as gardening and car cleaning. After dinner, we took a walk around our neighborhood. I really enjoyed talking with my parents about their early life. We had a relaxing holiday together.
A Wonderful National Day Holiday
During National Day holiday, my family went to Shanghai Disneyland. There were so many Disney characters and attractions there. We were really excited. Hunny Pot Spin was my favorite. We sat in a pot and it turned and turned around. I felt like I was a butterfly. I also enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean Battle because Captain Jack was a hero in my heart. My mom took lots of photos to share with friends. We also did some shopping in the shopping center. I bought something special—a dress with Mickey on it. As for food, we had famous Shanghai snacks. We had a wonderful time.
無論是自編范文還是利用各種書刊網(wǎng)絡(luò)資源,配讀文章都應起到幫助學生開拓寫作思路、豐富寫作內(nèi)涵、激發(fā)表達欲望的作用。這些配讀材料的組合往往存在著比較的因素,能拓展思維的深度和廣度。教師應勤于收集和編寫具有相同主題、相似寫法或其他相通之處的文章。同時要注意兩點:一是確保所選材料與寫作主題的關(guān)聯(lián)性,盡量貼近學生生活和時代發(fā)展。二是材料難易度要適應不同層次學生的“最近發(fā)展區(qū)”,能激發(fā)學生的寫作潛力。
三、引導換位提問
寫作的目的之一是滿足讀者的需求,因此可逆向而行,引導學生從讀者角度出發(fā)換位思考。在寫作之前,學生先推測讀者對于這一文章主題會產(chǎn)生哪些疑問,明確作者與讀者之間的信息差。具體操作時可先將文章分為3部分:開頭、主體和結(jié)尾。先引導學生對每一部分進行提問,明確哪部分傳遞什么信息。而后學生以具體信息逐一回答問題,并用連接詞把答案按照邏輯順序串聯(lián)起來。再加以修改、潤色,最終形成完整的作品。
以記敘文為例,讀者通常會用五個W和一個H來提問,即:what, who, when, why, where, how。在討論My Trip to _____一文時,學生們列出了以下的提綱:
明確了讀者想了解的信息,學生就可以獨立用回答問題的方式來寫作了。習作如下:
My Trip to Mount Tai
I went to Mount Tai with my parents yesterday. We took a bus there. The bus ride was a little boring. But when we got off, we were surprised to see the blue sky and green water. We started climbing at eight. There were many people climbing along the way. After 2 hours, I felt tired and stopped to have a rest. We had a picnic under a tree. Everything tasted delicious because we were really hungry. When we got to the top, we were so excited. The people there were very friendly. They helped us a lot when we got lost. It was a wonderful trip. I hope I can go there again!
在利用這種方式展開寫作活動時,問題的有效性是值得關(guān)注的。應注意:1. 問題數(shù)量切勿過多,導致主次不分,模糊了學生的思考方向。2. 問題要有一定的梯度和發(fā)散度,能激發(fā)學生從不同角度和層次去思考,增加發(fā)現(xiàn)新問題的可能性。同時,教師作為指導者和參與者,也可設(shè)置一些有啟發(fā)性的問題,以觸發(fā)學生豐富的聯(lián)想。
四、定制模型樣板
樣板(template) 本指工匠切割材料的模版。教師可根據(jù)寫作任務的不同設(shè)計相應形式的樣板,學生借助其框架表達個人的觀點和見解。這種方法對于表達能力弱的學生或者初次接觸某種題材寫作的學生都有很好的支持作用。它能有效降低語言輸出的難度,提高寫作活動的質(zhì)量。
以議論文為例,這一文體通常要回答下列問題:
Whats the matter?
What do some people think of it? Why?
Whats your opinion? Why?
因此,在A Good Way to Relax一文的寫作任務中,教師可設(shè)計這樣的樣板:
Describe ways to relax
Describe your friends choice and your opinion about it (Why not…?)
Describe your choice and give 3~5 reasons with examples
Conclusion
通過這樣的框架,學生能更簡單清晰地明確寫作任務的要求和方向。學生習作如下:
Reading — A Good Way to Relax
There are many ways to relax ourselves. Some people like shopping and others prefer sleeping. My sister loves travelling. She says travelling makes her feel free. I think its a good way, but not an easy way. Because travelling costs much money and time. In my opinion, reading is a good way to relax myself. First, it opens up the world to me. Reading makes my life colorful with different stories. Also, reading helps develop our interests. We can read about anything we are interested in. My hobby is collecting coins. For me, reading books about coins is like having an enjoyable talk. Whats more, reading is healthy for the mind. The more you read, the more you think. Thinking helps keep our mind active and clear. In a word, reading is an easy and fun way to relax.
五、結(jié)語
英語寫作既是學習的過程,也是學生英語運用能力的形成和發(fā)展過程。因此,教師絕不能忽略英語寫作教學。以上幾種方法幫助學生降低了寫作的難度、提高了寫作的技能、引導了方法的形成,學生在寫作過程中的自信心和成就感都得到了很大的提升。
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