2017年11月,第三届全国中小学英语阅读教学学术研讨会在北京举行。此次大会的主席王蔷教授以“Using Informational Text to Teach Literacy: Goals, Methods and Practices”为题,阐述了non-fiction教學对学生英语阅读能力发展的重要意义,介绍了非虚构类或科普类文本阅读的具体开展方法。
相比故事性强的叙事类话题,科普类话题的课外阅读对学生的吸引力并不强。其次,作为课外阅读,科普类话题相关的词汇量大,给阅读造成巨大障碍。再者,抽象的文本与学生真实情感和生活经历关联度不高。基于上述特征,科普类文本教学困难重重,也极少作为示范课展示。本课作为科普类阅读教学的示范课,无论是在课前学案布置还是在课堂活动设计,教师均做了不少让人眼前一亮的大胆尝试。
1. 课前阅读任务
自主阅读,完成下页表1(第一列要求全体学生完成,第二列由四人小组组长组织,一人负责填写一个阶段即可,组长负责检查组员完成情况)。
[设计意图]
一方面,培养学生的自主阅读习惯,充分调动学生的阅读愿望,增强学生阅读本书的内驱力;另一方面,从内容上帮助学生做好阅读准备,使学生初步获取关于画眉鸟各生长阶段的基本信息,页码标注让学生对文本结构更加清晰。此外,读前任务的分工缓解了学生的阅读焦虑,也为课堂分享阅读活动埋下了伏笔。
2. 課堂教学
Step 1:导入
(1)教师带领学生关注书的封面,引入“画眉鸟”的话题。
T: Today we are going to read a book. Can you tell me the name of this book?
Ss: Blackbirds.
(2)教师让学生看画眉鸟不同成长阶段的图,简单描述后进行排序,初步检查预习作业(见图1) 。
T: Do you know them? Can you describe the pictures about them?
S1: …
T: Good! Can you put the pictures into right order?
Ss: …
[设计意图]排序图片,直奔主题,检测学生课前预习情况;同时,初步梳理画眉鸟的成长三阶段,为下一环节的Jigsaw reading做好铺垫。
Step 2:分享学习画眉鸟成长的三个阶段
(1)教师通过小组分享阅读的活动,组织学生在四人小组内分享预习成果,通过其他成员的分享,学生可以把预习中不是自己负责板块的内容也相应补全,最后由组长整合信息、在班级进行汇报。
T: All of you have read the book before class. Now let’s share. Work in groups of four. Group leaders, put up your hands! Good, you are going to ask your group members the questions on the question list(见表2). Group members are going to answer the leaders’ questions and write down what others share. In the end, leaders are going to report to the whole class. (Check again to see if students have understood the instructions.) What are leaders going to do?
Ss: Ask questions. …
…
(2)基于学生汇报结果,教师对照板书再做梳理和归纳,让学生对画眉鸟成长的三个阶段有个框架式的系统认识。
T: For the first stage, what do baby blackbirds look like?
S1: They have no feathers. Their eyes are open. ...
T: How about the food they eat?
S1: They eat worms, caterpillars and grubs.
...
T: Now the baby blackbirds grow into fledglings. Can you tell me anything about them?
S2: Their feathers grow and their eyes are open. ...
...
T: Finally, they grow into father blackbirds and mother blackbirds. What do fathers do?
S3: They look for a place to build a nest. …
…
T: Look at the blackboard. Can you tell me the main growth stages of blackbirds?
S4: Baby blackbirds, fledglings and grown-ups.
T: And we just discussed the first and second growth stage according to four parts. They are …
S5: Look, food, habit and challenge.
T: Good. What do we know about grown-ups?
S6: Fathers … and mothers …
T: So we can say they sometimes do their jobs by themselves and sometimes they do the work together.
[设计意图]
通过拼图式阅读构建信息差让学生体验分享学习的快乐;同时,组内的交流学习,又可检测学生的预习情况。通过组长汇报将课堂话语权交还给学生,经过教师板书点拨归纳,学生自然地对文本有了框架式的认识。
Step 3:内化应用画眉鸟成长的三个阶段
教师创设情境——“2017年全国科普讲解大赛之北京赛区海选”。教师先组织学生以四人小组为单位对画眉鸟成长的三个阶段进行介绍,以演讲稿形式独自完成(学生A介绍画眉雏鸟,学生B介绍画眉幼鸟,学生C介绍画眉爸爸,学生D介绍画眉妈妈),然后让班级内全部介绍雏鸟的学生组成一队(幼鸟和画眉爸爸、妈妈类同),通过在组内轮流阅读演讲稿,小组根据评价表推选出小组最佳讲解员,最后在班级里呈现,选出班级最佳讲解员。
T: Now you have a very good understanding of blackbirds. But I think it will be better if you can share what you’ve learned with others. Lucky for you, here is a perfect chance – 2017 National Science Docent Competition.
[ Ss read the notice of the above competition. (见图2) ]
T: I suppose some of you may have no idea about the science docent. But after watching this video, I bet you will.
[ Ss watch a video about how to be a science docent. ]
T: It’s cool to be a docent, isn’t it? Why not have a try? First, we have to complete the speech of a science docent. Group leaders will get four sheets about baby blackbirds, fledgling, father and mother blackbirds. Choose one you like and complete it.
[ Ss write. ]
T: Now students who write baby blackbirds get together. Read others’work one by one and choose the best one in your group according to the checklist(见下页表3). So it is with fledgling and grown-up groups.
[Ss look for the groups they belong to, read and pick out the best work in their groups.]
T: You’ve chosen the best docent in your group. Now it’s time to look for the best one in our class.
[Ss come to the front and present.]
T: You all did a great job. But according to the checklist, who do you think can be the best one in our class? …Congratulations!
[设计意图]
通过真实情景创设,自然让学生内化应用所学知识,加深对画眉鸟成长过程的认识。此外,小组合作能缓解学生焦虑情绪,体会合作学习的快乐。而依据评价机制的选拔机制,旨在培养学生的评价能力和批判性思维。
Step 4:迁移和提升画眉鸟的成长
教师从画眉鸟家庭过渡到自己的家庭,介绍父母在家庭的不同分工,列举其积极影响和消极影响,真情告白一直以来想对父母说的话(我想对……说)。鼓励学生反思、评析父母对自己成長的影响,并在感恩的基础上提出自己的想法和观点。
T: Based on your speech, it is clear that both father and mother blackbirds do a lot of things for the family, which reminds me of my parents and me. Do you want to know the story about me?
[ Ss watch a video. ]
T: My parents did a lot of things for me. So did your parents. There must be both love and misunderstandings in your growth stages. How do you feel about their concerns? What do you like and what don’t you like? (见表4) Can you share with us?
[ Ss discuss in groups. ]
T: Ready to share your story? First let’s say things you like.
S1: It’s great that my father supported me to …
S2: …
…
T: How about things you don’t like?
S3: I can’t stand it when I come home my mom always pushes me to …
S4: …
T: If you were given the chance, what would you mostly like to say to your parents?
S5: I want to say that: …
S6: …
T: I also want to tell my parents my feelings. Can you help me to complete this sentence? (见图3)
Ss: Dear parents, I will always love you as you always love me.
[设计意图]
从鸟类生活到人类成长的过渡,引导学生深入思考;教师以自身成长背景入手,激发学生情感共鸣,挖掘其科普类主题的人文含义,升华主题。
3. 读后拓展
(1)个人作业,以面对面、书信或者微信等方式对父母告白。
(2)小组作业,很多国家都有代表该国特色的国鸟,请选择你们感兴趣的国鸟,参考画眉鸟的模板,介绍他们的成长过程,准备在班级科普角中展出。
相关链接:
http://birds.lidicity.com/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_ of_national_birds
本课板书设计(见下页图4)