Using LanguageⅡ优质课一等奖

NSEF BOOK 10 Unit 3

How to arrange an English writing

based on a theme context 基于主题语境的英语读写课

Teacher

Theme

Yang Ning Time

May 27th, 2019 Using language for reading, speaking and writing: I have a dream

Based on a theme context, which is highly recommended in the New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School, this class is aimed at improving students’ competence of English speech writing by creating a real-life situation—an English Speech Contest, whose theme is “Grade 3, let’s get started!”. The fact is that in less than one month the students will really be Grade 3 students, so this class can serve as an encouragement for their start of new life stage, fully activate their awareness of the coming year, and offer an opportunity to cultivate team spirit, which make the class effective in the improvement of English speech writing as well as meaningful for their insight of the pursuit of dream.

Autonomous learning is also a highlight for this task-based reading, speaking and writing class, including preview of

I have a dream before class, immersion learning during the class, and review of their draft speech after the class, of which the first and the third parts are to enhance the autonomous learning and the second part is to enhance the immersion learning expanded around “What

is a good public speech?”, “Why

is it good?” and “How

to make a good speech?”

reflecting the strategy of in-depth reading and learning. Moreover, specially designed is the “Bottom -Up” teaching strategy, where the writing task is put forward at the very beginning of the class, making the later problem resolution reasonable and efficient. The three steps contribute to flipping the classroom and collecting more meaningful feedbacks to greaten the teaching effects, which is beneficial to achieving the teaching goals. What’s more, different from traditional English writing class, I have a dream English speech writing class focuses on involving students exploring and integrating the skills for speech writing, and perceiving the emotional similarities to attain one’s dream—both Martin’s dream for the black and students’ dreams for their future. Xiao Cheng’s story acts as a thread running through the whole question-found and question-solved process under the guidance of Martin’s I have a dream and via the support from his fellow students.

In conclusion, this English writing class is designed to make it meaningful and enjoyable. In the meantime, creative thinking, critical thinking and logical thinking are also targeted and shown during the procedure.

1．Teaching Concepts

①

Theme Context. It is very important for students to explore and integrate what they have learnt in a theme context, which closely relates language acquisition to students’ real life, so it helps a lot for them to better understand the writing materials, encourage them to solve the real-life problem, develop their English linguistic competence, learning competence and strengthen the effects of the learning activities. Not only does the theme context provide a stage where students’ language acquisition is guaranteed, but also offers a real-life situation where the speech skills learnt in the class make sense and thinking competence(logical, critical and logical) as well as cultural awareness are well developed. All the people, with American dream or Chinese dream, the young or the old, for the past or the future, strive to dream big, start small and act fast for the community of shared future of all mankind.

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②Thinking

quality.

Thinking quality can lead to change, renewal, recognition and spontaneous generation. Thinking quality is both of a kind of thinking process and a kind of thinking product, applying logic, critique and creativity to observing, understanding and tolerating cross-cultures and different values, and make the right value judgement. ③

Monitor Theory.

Stephen D. Krashen, famous American linguist and educator, created the Monitor Theory, believing that in the process of second language acquisition, teachers should not pay too much attention to grammar; instead, spontaneous language acquisition is the most important via various language-related tasks and activities. So, the key is “acquisition” rather than “learning”. On the basis of the Monitor Theory, input for students must be sufficient i+1 -- comprehensible, interesting and relevant, but not grammatically sequenced. Only in this way can the language output be achievable and authentic. By creating real-life learning environment and presenting sufficient understandable language input, teachers can get students involved in connecting the dots of “learners & real-life situations” and “learners & problem resolutions”. ④Integration. People-oriented teaching principle and “theme-function-structure-task” teaching principle are what the New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School advocates. Personally, “people” here are expected to be students first, and then the people in the learning materials and instructors who have different teaching backgrounds and can frame the targeted classes in different perspectives. In this writing class, the teacher takes the students as the foremost and combines in-depth reading of

I have a dream, thus integrating learning tasks with students’ future development.

2．Analysis of Teaching Background

① Analysis of Teaching Material: Theme Context: man and oneself — appreciation of the speech I have a dream

The New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School attach great significance to the three major theme contexts--the harmony between man and nature, between man and society, between man and oneself. For the theme context of man and oneself, one of its nine branches is excellent moral conducts, correct attitudes to life, citizens’ obligations and social responsibility. The writing lesson

I have a dream suits the theme context fine. The topic of this unit is “Fairness for All”.

Black people’s hundred of years struggles for fairness and justice in America were introduced in the reading passage and the using language passage. In this lesson, the targeted teaching material-- the speech-- lies at the end of the unit, providing a good opportunity for the students to stimulate their background knowledge, integrate what they have learned and then employ them. The speech is well written — inspiring topic, irresistible charm, powerful and beautiful expressions which are seemingly easy but authentically presented. The teaching aim combines reading, speaking and writing. The first two parts are supposed to construct effective scaffolding for the writing section and cultivate students’ sense of social responsibility and citizenship. The material requires students to explore the reading material, discover the skills for English speech, perceive the emotions and then generate an English speech “Grade 3, let’s get started!” of their own. Besides the apparent learning line, there arranges a hidden line, which is to expand around Xiao Cheng’s story

— his worries, his friends, his teachers, and his problem resolution. Success doesn’t come easy. Self determination and team spirit are extremely essential for Grade 3 students. That’s what I want to convey and remind.

Different skills of an English speech can be illustrated with the speech, proficiency in English, expertise in metaphors and similes for instance. For an English speech introductory lesson, most outstanding and practical skills come first. ②Analysis of Students

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This lesson is intended for senior two students who could perform well on the basis of academic accumulation for two-year senior high school English education. However, I have a dream is an English

public speech, which they might have known before but showed no concern for the structure or the skills of the public speech. Let alone writing one in English on their own. On the one hand, it’s easy for them to admire the speech; on the other, it’s difficult for them to write one. Due to different language proficiency and language ability, different levels of writing tips as well as writing activities are designed to make sure of “sufficient i+1” and the zone of proximal development.

Preview of the speech enables students to understand

I have a dream to some extend, cherish the expectation for the class and the review of the class builds up their confidence of the English speech writing with a strong sense of achievement. The students, who are tired of slogans with empty words, lose interest in simply talking about “responsibility”, “practical efforts”, “future” or “dream”. In order to motivate their learning interest, people around them and current occurrences around them can greatly arouse their curiosity and receive their emotional echo. So, I set a real-life plot-- Grade 3, model an English speech contest, and make up a story of Xiao Cheng, all of which are vivid and real, and even the speech contest can be well arranged in real Grade 3. Real context, real story, real people are the cores of the lesson.

3. Analysis of Teaching Objectives

All the teaching objectives are based on the core literacy of the New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School — language ability, cultural awareness, thinking quality and learning ability. By the end of the period, students will be able to:

1. master the four skills of writing an English speech(language ability); 2. understand that fairness comes from struggles and happiness comes from practical efforts(thinking quality); 3. write an English speech whose title is “Grade 3, let’s get started!” with skills and tips learnt(learning ability); 4. Swap the draft speech with the partner and conduct effective peer evaluation(learning ability); 5. Develop the awareness and appreciation of cross-cultural understanding(cultural awareness).

4. Teaching Emphases and Teaching Difficulties

① Teaching Emphases •

Enable students to acquire the skills of English speech writing. •

Enable students to apply the skills to their speech writing. •

Enable students to read between the lines, behind the lines and beyond the lines. •

Enable students to express their ideas using English speech. •

Get students to develop the understanding of cross cultures and recognition of practical efforts.

② Teaching Difficulties •

Enable students to apply the skills to their speech writing. •

Get students to develop the understanding of cross cultures and recognition of practical efforts.

5．Teaching Methods

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① task-based teaching and learning; ② student-centered teaching; ③ situational teaching method; ④ group collaboration and exploration

6. Teaching Procedure

Steps In-class Study

Step 1 Lead in

Teacher(T) showed a short video about Xiao Cheng’s worries -- the beginning of a real-life story. Xiao Cheng is one of the students(Ss). And then ask what Xiao Cheng’s worries are, leading to the topic of writing a speech. And then Xiao Xing’s offer of I have a dream as an sample speech seems reasonable.

To arouse students curiosity and lead 2’

them into the topic

To create a theme context which makes the later development and generation vivid

Activities Intentions Time Step 2 Discover

Ss will watch the video I have a dream. To arouse students’ expectation 2’

After watching, Ss will be asked about their about the context. judgement about the speech

Step 3 Ss read I have a dream and try to find the To get Ss to focus on the targeted 5’

four major skills used in the speech skills for a successful speech; Read and

To structure their ideas;

Discover (skimming) To lay the foundation of writing

Step 4 Perceive and Imitate

Ss summarize the useful writing tips by To encourage Ss to show and 5’

exploring each para with the guidance of the explain;

teacher To to assess how well they have learnt by the progressive feedback; To accumulate excellent sentence structures for later writing

Step 5 Ss will be enabled to accumulate language Besides skills, to provide language 4’

Accumulatmaterials relevant to the topic of Grade 3 to materials

e and avoid a lack of details discuss

Step 6 Practice 1

Ss will judge a draft speech written by their To practice Ss pratical ability of 5’

classmates without reminding from T. finding what they have learnt;

To improve their critical thinking;

To promote the development of Xiao Cheng’s story.

Ss will apply the skills and language materials to arranging their own speech, 4 Step 7 Practice 2

To cultivate Ss’ team spirit;

To form the first draft speech 10’

named “Grade 3, let’s get started!” in a team.

Step 8 Ss will be given time to deliver their To give Ss chances to show, 6’

communicate and conduct the peer Show Time speeches within the given time.

evaluation

Step 9 Encouragement Ss will be motivated by the love and To add an inspiring and touching 2’

concern from teaching crew. ending to the story of Xiao Cheng

Homework Assignment Revise your speech and be ready for the coming speech contest.

Learning Assessment

Ss are encouraged to assess their own performance in the end of the class by considering the following questions: •

Can I quickly get the meaning of this speech? •

Do I acquire the four skills to arrange a great speech?

•

Can I apply the four skills to my speech writing? •

Can I team up with my partners to fulfill a learning task?

•

Am I motivated to think more about the devotion and struggle to achieve my dream?

Steps After-class Study

Micro-class learning at home To implement resource integration; To enhance the learning effects;

To explore more stories behind the speech

Activities Intentions

Time

7. Blackboard Design

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6. Teaching Reflection

This lesson, using language, is located in the last part of this unit. Thinking about “What is USING LANGUAGE?”, I determined my teaching management with two lines-- one is language exploration, acquisition and application, the other emotional activation, of which both are to be based on “USING LANGUAGE”. As the competence is more than just knowledge or skills. It involves the ability to meet complex demands by drawing on and mobilizing psychological resources(including skills and attitudes) in a particular context and being presented on the academic basis of innovative learning. In this perspective, core literacy —

language ability, cultural awareness, thinking quality and learning ability of the New English Curriculum Standards for Senior High School — could be better. As the whole class is expanded around the three questions “What

is a good public speech?”, “Why is it good?” and “How

to make a good speech?”, the three questions are all answered spontaneously alongside the teaching procedure. Skills parallel emotional echo and expectation, thus making the class one with kindness and warmth of humanity. As for the writing part, student-involved teaching activities vary from basic cognition to language material accumulation, from theme context construction to connection with real campus life. All of them help to scaffold the formation of an English speech of their own. The English Speech Contest “Grade 3, let’s get started!” provides students with a stage where they can integrate theory with practice. Students’ presentations show that they truly acquire knowledge, improve their learning ability and understand the meaning of dream and expressed their sincere gratitude to teachers and fellow students. The expected highlight, the encouragements from teachers, makes the ending vivid and touching.

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