以英文小说阅读促进高中书面表达能力的实践
陈菲菲
摘要:阅读英文小说是实现语言输入的有效途徑之一。本文以英文小说阅读教学实践为例,从教学内容选定、教学时段安排、过程实施和经验与反思四个方面,探讨如何通过行之有效的教学设计,有效开展以促进写作为目的的英文小说阅读。
关键词:校本课程 英文小说阅读 写作教学 读写结合
引言
《普通高中英语课程标准(2017年版)》(以下简称《课标》)中要求学生能够“在熟悉的语境中,较为熟练地使用已有的英语语言知识,陈述事件,传递信息,表达个人见解和情感”。
然而目前学生的书面表达仍会出现一些问题,如词汇简单,语法结构单一;没有连接词,语篇连贯性差;语不达意;等等。现阶段许多学校都开设了特色校本课程,但教师往往没有设计明确具体的阅读目标,缺乏详细的阅读计划、具体的阅读要求和有效的阅读评价方式,课外阅读教学处于难以操作的状态。因此,笔者结合教学实践,探究如何结合英文小说阅读促进写作。
一、小说阅读对高中英语写作教学的作用
《课标》要求学生能够通过广泛阅读,体验更丰富的语篇文体,理解和欣赏包括小说在内的部分英语优秀文学作品。可见,阅读英文小说是提高学生英语素养的有效途径之一。
英文小说为学生提供大量语篇,使学生在体验、理解语言的基础上,习得语言特征,积累语言知识。在此过程中,不断学习这些语言文体种类的特点,强化已学过的词汇、句型、遣词造句手法和语法等。英文小说中创设了接近真实世界的交际语境,能使学生感知不同的社会规约、风俗习惯等,学习者在进行英文写作时转化自己从小说阅读中获得的新的语言知识和思维方式,并将语言知识及时运用到自己的英文写作中,用较为地道的方式表达自己的写作思想。因此,教师指导学生以写作为目的进行英文小说阅读,系统性地教授有关写作技能并有针对性地练习;学生在纠错勘误时不只停留在语法层面,而是在整体篇章布局上有新的思路和质的提升,由此增强写作信心,感受写作的乐趣,从而形成良性循环。
二、教学内容的选定
笔者选定的Number the Stars是获得纽伯瑞儿童文学金奖的优秀英语文学作品。作品经过时间的检验,内容积极向上,有利于青少年树立正确的价值观、人生观和世界观。书中主人公与学生年龄相近,符合学生的阅读兴趣和心理特点,使学生产生心理共鸣,在阅读过程中受到启发。
在作品难度上,笔者参照了蓝思分级阅读体系的度量标尺衡量该本读物的难度。该阅读体系从读物难度和读者阅读能力两个维度进行衡量,同步测量文本的阅读难度及学生的阅读能力。将两者进行匹配,蓝思最高值为2000L,最低值为0,数字越大表示同一长度语篇中同一单词出现的频率越低,长难句越多,作品难度越大。笔者所选作品的蓝思分级为680L,对于笔者所执教的重点高中的高一学生来说,并不会因过难或过易而使学生失去阅读兴趣,从而保证了学生阅读的可能性。
三、教学时段的安排
高一开设九次共18课时的校本课程,结合本书章节,教师提前一周将两章的阅读内容作为课外阅读材料和辅助阅读的reading response分发给学生泛读。每次授课共两课时,第一课时着重检查学生reading response的完成情况,侧重于考查对小说内容的理解,如故事情节发展等。第二课时则精读部分内容,指导学生学习相应写作技巧并根据不同写作目的进行实践。
四、教学过程的设计
1.Period 1
教学目的:学生借助读书笔记,加深对作品主要内容的了解,并为第二课时的写作扫除词汇障碍,为写作奠定基础。
2. Period 2:教学设计
(1) Step1: Answer questions.
①What do you think of Kirsti? Why?
②How does the author describe Kirsti? Are they vivid and lively? Why?
引导学生思考作者是如何通过描绘人物语言、动作和情感来表现人物性格特点的,以及如何使用具体动词、有丰富表现力的形容词和副词描述对象的突出性格特征,见表2。
(2)Step2: Give a description of your friend.
为写作讲解提供素材。
以下为学生习作部分节选。
At that time, we both were new students in a primary school and became friends by accident. As other kids at our age, we did our homework together and played with each other. She was very kind and friendly. She managed to make her mother permit her to adopt a dog which lost its home. However, I always asked her to do her homework first instead of playing games or having snacks.
We havent met each other for a long time because we were in different middle schools and were busy with our study, but we still keep in touch. Recently she told me there was a new member in her family and she invited me to her home in the coming holiday. We will have a good time.
(3)Step3: Think about the following questions.
指導学生进行自我修正,进一步感知和理解本节课所学的写作技巧。
①What personalities do I want to describe?
②Have I described what he/she says and does to impress readers?
③Have I included all supporting details to describe his/her personalities? Have I used some details unrelated to my topic?
④Have I used some descriptive adjectives and adverbs as well as some specific verbs?
以下为学生的修改意见:
Personalities : kind ,friendly
1)所选细节描写并不能很有针对性地反映主题词。如 I always asked her to do her homework first instead of playing or having snacks.
2)文章最后一段为多余的细节描写,与主题无关,属于无效信息。
3)未能很好地使用描述性词汇。
(4)Step4: Find proper adjectives to describe this person.
激发学生思考有关描述人物性格的词汇。
(5)Step5: Choose 2 or 3 points which are typical of this person.
帮助学生确定写作重点。
(6)Step6: Fill in the blanks and collect supporting details.
帮助学生增添相应细节,丰富描写的层次。
(7)Step7:Polish your writing.
A friend of mine
It is several years since we became friends.
As a new student, I had nothing to do but watch others play games between classes. She was the first person who offered ② to invite me to join them. I still remember that she looked at me ③ and spoke with a warm ④ voice ①, “Would you like to join us? We will be happy if you could come!”① How warmhearted she was! Her smile was just like sunlight, which pierced the heavy mist in my heart. ⑤ Consequently, we became friends.
She was also a very kind girl. Once she met an unclaimed dog dirty all over in her neighborhood. She took it home with a fellow feeling ④. However, her mother disagreed to adopt it. Her eyes were filled with tears ③ as her mother said “No”. She implored ② her mother and assured ② her that she would take care of it. Finally, she managed to make her mother agree.
I would never met a kinder girl than her.
修改说明:
①描述言语及说话方式凸显人物性格;
②使用恰当的动词凸显人物性格;
③增添人物面部表情;
④使用形容词、副词或其他修饰性成分凸显人物性格;
⑤运用比喻修辞使文章生动。
教学反思:通过学生前后的习作对比发现,在阅读后进行写作训练,学生能够更好地把握写作重点,主次分明,描写细节更为具体生动,使得写作对象跃然纸上,给读者留下了更深的人物印象。教学目的完成度较高,教学效果良好。
五、教学反思
基于英文小说阅读的写作教学设计,以培养学生的写作能力为目标,经历“阅读—赏析—理解—表达—反思—再表达”的教学过程,体现了新课标提倡的教学活动综合性和实践性。学生通过阅读英文原著,接触原汁原味的英语,实现真实的语言输入。另外,老师设置的不同的写作目标拓宽了学生英语学习的渠道,激发了学生的阅读及写作兴趣,使学生在学科核心素养方面得到综合发展与提升。通过与学生的交流发现,这种教学方式备受学生欢迎,由阅读激发的写作动力能为他们提供学习的范本,将阅读的内容内化于大脑,易于模仿, 增强了写作信心,令他们不再畏惧写作。教师之间交流后也对这种授课形式高度称赞,认为这一方式增加学生训练写作频率的同时还能保护学生的写作兴趣,是一种值得提倡的教学方式。
然而笔者也发现,小说大多以记叙文和描写文为主,而高考要求学生学习不同类型语篇。因此,如何在完成高考对写作要求的前提下,发挥英文小说的作用,是需要英语教师进一步思考和探究的。
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