Teaching Plan for Unit 3, Book Two I. Teaching arrangement The recommended timing for this unit is 300 minutes Text A ------150 minutes Text B------100 minutes Text C------50 minutes If pressed for time, the teacher can leave “text C” for self-study. II. Teaching orientation Encourage learner-centered orientation Enhance learning process monitoring Develop communicative competence Emphasize the integration of five skills III. Lesson objectives for this unit Listening: listen for gist, detail and inference Reading: read between the lines; read beyond the line, read for gist, read for specific information, critical reading, text structure analysis, recognize differences between facts and opinions Writing: write argumentative paragraph. Learn the use of discourse markers Speaking: how to present your opinions how to agree or disagree with each other how to present both sides of an argument. Translation: translate the difficult sentences into Chinese and vise versa. Culture awareness related to love and marriage Word power: mutual, tolerance, hesitates, prejudice, overlook, compromise, have nothing to do with, ups and downs, all alone, and other words in bold letters suffixes –al, -ing and –age added to verb to form nouns; suffixes –hood, -ship and –dom added to nouns or to adjectives to form new, abstract nouns shades of meaning: It’s too bad to eat / I am only too pleased to help you Grammar: structure: “never too…to”: appositional structure Text A Marriage Across the Nations I. Pre-reading activities: Group discussion (15 minutes): Direction: In groups of four or six, discuss and answer the open-ended questions from your own experience or view points 1) What helps people from different cultural backgrounds get to know each other better, and what some times help pave the way for happy marriages? (Love, trust and understanding, etc.) 2) What would make a Chinese marry a foreigner ? 3) What would make a foreigner marry a Chinese? 4) What do you think are the differences in concepts of marriage and family between Chinese and westerners? 5) How do couples in cross-culture marriages learn from each other, and how do they overcome the potential culture shock? Listening comprehension (15 minutes): Listen to a short passage and prepare to answer some questions. Gail and Mark lived together for two years to get to know each other before they decided to marry. They wanted to marry for the right reasons. Hearing news of wedding plans, Gail’s mother, who was supportive of her daughter’s marrying a black man, told her to be very certain Mark was the right life-long partner. Gail’s father thought Mark might be using this marriage to obtain United States citizenship. Gail’s father used statistics about mixed marriages, his counseling experience and children’s problems to warn his daughter she was rushing into marriage without thinking enough about it. His strong-willed daughter thought doubt meant no action; she would rather act now and worry later. Her father reminded her it is never too late to change her mind. (Words: 126) Questions: 1) For what two reasons did Gail and Mark live together? 2) How did Gail’s father and mother react to the news about the wedding plans? 3) In what ways are Gail’s and her father’s views different? II. While reading activities (60 minutes) 1. First reading for gist (time limits: 5 min) and then do “story summary” on page 70 2. Second reading for information, and then do the comprehension questions on Page 67 (scan the text for relevant answers.) 3. Third reading for “text structure analysis on page 71-72 4. Fourth reading for detailed study of the text (see “Teacher’s book” P 73-84) 1) Paraphrase some difficult sentences We had experienced the usual ups and downs of a couple learning to know, understand and respect each other. (Para. 1) / Meaning: Like any other couples who were learning to know , understand and respect each other, we had had both happy and unhappy periods. Gail and I had no illusions about what the future help for us as a married, mixed couple in America. (Para. 3) / Meaning: Gail and I were not idealistic about what the future would offer us in America as a married couple, one being black and the other being white. 2) Translate some complicated sentences into Chinese ( P. 70) 3) Detect the meaning of unfamiliar words by from context. Detect the meaning of “mixed couple” (use context clue) Detect the meaning of “Then why the rush? Buy time, buy time” (use antonym clue) Detect the meaning of “marital difficulties” (use word-part clue) 4) Word power and grammar in action: ways of saying “tolerant”: put up with / live with (the summer heat), endure (endure hardship), bear / stand (It was more than I could bear. = I can’t bear it any more) Use examples to illustrate the meaning of “compromise” He asked $ 1,500 for his old car, but I thought it was only worth $ 1,000. We finally reach a compromise and I paid $1,250. Structure: too…to / in the expectation that…/ with every indication that / the fact that../ Do grammar and vocabulary exercises on page 67-68 5. Read between the line: Read Para 5-7 and answer the question: 1) Was the marriage between Gail’s father and mother a happy one? Why or why not? The following two sentences suggest that their marriage is not a happy one? Gail’s parents, after 35 years of marriage, were going through a bitter and painful divorce… (Para. 5) (Mother: ) “My biggest worry is that you may be marrying Mark for the same wrong reasons that I married your father… I realized only later that I didn’t know my beloved, your father, very well when we married. (Para. 7 ) 2) What conclusion can we draw from what the mother said to her daughter? She didn’t want her daughter to repeat her mistakes made on mixed marriage. 3) What did the father imply by saying “It’s never too late to change your mind.”? He was not supportive of his daughter’s marriage and expected her to change her mind any time. 6. Read beyond the line: 1) Give examples of couples who marry for the wrong reason? Eg: marry someone merely because of his wealth, position, power, and appearance, etc. / Marry a foreigner with the expectation of going abroad or learning English./ Marry someone for the sake of mercy. / Marry someone to please your parents, etc. 2) What is your understanding of “father-know-best attitude”? Father is the boss. / He knows everything and family members should listen to him. / It is up to the father to decide. / Father has the last saying at home, etc. III. Post reading activity 1. Role-play (30 minutes) 1) In groups of three play the role of father, mother and daughter (son) respectively, and then choose three groups to stage their role-plays to the audience. 2) Situation: As parents, you find, to your surprise, that your daughter (or son) is going to marry an American who is twice her (or his) age and with two failed marriages behind him. Three of you couldn’t see eye to eye with one another over this matter. 3) Suggested arguments: Father You have reservation about the mixed marriage because: The man is too old for your daughter. He is strange-looking. The two failed marriages suggest that he is not reliable. The language and culture barrier may compromise the communication between them, and the potential culture shock may lead to marriage breakdown beyond repair. The risk of Aids infection is greater, etc. Mother You are in favor of the marriage for the simple reasons: The man is healthy, though old and strange-looking. The grandchild of mixed couple, be it a boy or a girl, is likely to be beautiful and clever. The two failed marriages help the man to learn from trial and error, thus makes him more mature and experienced. The marriage across the nation is a good opportunity for the daughter to learn to speak good English and to gain insights into another culture. The daughter may be able to live and work abroad with good prospective, etc. Daughter You tell your parents that you love the man as a person and even forget that he is a foreigner. You are attracted to him not by his citizenship but by his personality and characters. You are to marry him for the right reason. So you try to persuade your parents to accept him and to approve your marriage. 4) Oral function for reference: ---- How to agree with somebody I couldn’t agree more / That’s absolutely true! / That’s a good point. / That’s worth thinking about. / Well, you have got a point there, etc. ----- How to disagree with somebody Well, it depends. / I don’t think so, really. / I am afraid I don’t agree / You must be joking, etc. IV. Argumentative writing (30 minutes): 1. Textual structure: 1) Present a commonly accepted or conventional idea 2) Examine the idea critically and correct it where necessary 3) Present your own idea and support it with facts or evidence 2. Outline: 1) Some people’s idea: on line learning, easy 2) Online learning not as easy as these people think 3) My idea: only a convenient way of education, not an easy way to learn 4) Facts / examples / evidence/ reasons/ to support “my idea” 3. Sample paragraph: Some people think that online learning would make learning easier for everyone as we can learn at any time and at any place. But when I started online learning I found it not as easy or simple as they think. I would say that online learning is just a convenient way to receive education----not an easier way to learn. In fact, many students say it requires much more time and effort. Moreover, requirements for online courses are not less than those of any quality program. Note: “When a runner in a relay race passes his wand to another team member, his team keeps moving ahead. When a writer uses transitions, he keeps his ideas moving ahead smoothly”------Robert G. Bander 4. Transitions for coherence and cohesion. Signal words or discourse marker as transitions: as / and / but / in fact / moreover / I would say 2) Pronouns as transitions: it / they / those 3) Synonyms as transitions: easy; simple; convenient / online learning; online course 4) Repeating a word for transitions: online learning / easier / say V. Homework( developing productive skills ): 1. Do structure writing on Page 73 as homework. Requirement: 1) Outline your writing 2) Develop the paragraph according to the above model 3) Brainstorm the ideas with your partner or partners 4) Draft the writing independently 5) Share your writing with your partners 6) Cross-polish or correct each other’s writing 7) Hand in your final version to the teacher before the deadline Do the translation exercise on Page 70 Text B: Rich Meeting His Future Mother-in-law I. Pre-reading activities (25 minutes) 1. Reading skills: Specific aim: distinguish facts from opinions Skills involved: Understanding the function of sentences 1) What are facts? Facts are pieces of information that can be discovered. Eg. Historical facts When you refer to something as fact you mean that it is true or correct 2) What are opinions? your opinion about something is what you think or believe about it. Your opinion of someone is your judgment of his character, ability or his appearance. Example: I am a Chinese. This is a fact. No matter where I go, what clothes or make up I wear, what language I speak, I can not chance the fact that I am a Chinese. In spite of that, when in a foreign country, judging from my appearance, some people say that I am a Chinese, others say that I am a Japanese. 3) The importance of distinguishing between facts and opinions Fact is fact, opinions may vary from person to person. In writing, we are supposed to base our opinions on facts. As the saying goes, “facts speaks louder than words”. In reading, however, we may disagree with the write by forming different opinions, interpretations of the same fact. So the ability to distinguish between facts and opinion is the first step towards critical reading. We don’t have to take what the writer says for granted. We can challenge the writer’s opinion. 4) Do exercise on Page 74 (Facts or opinions ?) 2. Predict the content of the passage by the title (10 minutes): Rich Meet His Future Mother-in-law Eg. Who is Rich? What kind of person is he? What nationality is he? How did he try to win over her future mother-in-law? Did he succeed? Why or why not? 3. Draw students attention to features of narrative writing (5 minutes) To narrate is to give an account of an event or a series of events. It includes such things as : When, where, what happened to whom, what was the result, etc. II. While reading activities (30 minutes) 1. First read for gist 2. Second reading for information (do comprehension exercise on Page 81) 3. Third reading for detailed study of the text (see “Teacher’s book” P 73-84) 1) Paraphrase some difficult sentences 2) Translate some complicated sentences into Chinese 3) Detect the meaning of unfamiliar words from context 4) Recycle the use of words and structures III. Post-reading activities ( 30 minutes ): 1. Problem solving ( group work----groups of 5 ) Situation: Rich is you good friend, he looks very depressed because he has failed in his attempt to win over his future mother-in-law. As his good friends, you are supposed to: 1) to find out about his problems by asking him questions 2) to sense his situation and encourage him to try again. 3) to offer him tips for leave a good impression on future mother-in-law (eg. Mind your appearance, ways of speaking, table manners, etc.) suggested tips: -----People judge you at first by what they see, so particular attention should be paid to your personal appearance. -----As for the table manner, sit up straight on your chair; Do not put much food in your mouth at a time; Drink only when there is no food in your mouth; Try not to get into your mouth anything that will have to be taken out; Do not make any nose when you eat; Do not clean your teeth at the table or anywhere in public -----Smoking is very prevalent by men. If you are a guest in a home where no others are smoking, it is better to refrain(忍住) from smoking, you may say, "Would you mind if I smoked?". -----Most hostesses want acknowledgement and appreciation from guests for her cooking. Learning to acknowledge instead of finding fault with her is one of the most powerful relationship survival tools available to you. 2. Pair-work situation: You are supposed to take your boy-friend or girl-friend home to meet your parents. Tell him or her how to win over your parents or how to make your parents feel proud to have him or her for a son-in-law ( or a daughter-in-law) IV. Homework: Do vocabulary exercise on Page 82 Text C Finding a Marriage Partner I. Pre-reading activities (5 minutes) 1. Question for students to think about? How do Chinese people find marriage partners? (by loving at first sight, by parents’ decision, through a go-between, on internet, by growing up together since childhood, by the affection developed from working or studying together, etc. ) How do westerner find a marriage partner? 2. Remind the student of the features of exposition An expository paper explains or explores something: This text explores the way people of different culture find marriage partners to reflect the culture impact on the beliefs and customs of marriage. II. While reading activities (10 minutes) 1. Text structure analysis 1) Topic: Finding marriage partners 2) Introductory paragraph: 3) Thesis: different cultures have solved the problem of finding a spouse in different ways. 4) The main body: explore different ways of finding a spouse respectively: a. Traditional Chinese way b. The Hopi way c. The Bavarian people of southern Germany----“windowing” customs d. Group marriage of the Oneida Community e. The Mormon’s way 5) Conclusion: Marriage is a basic and important part of human life. 6) Method classification / cause and effect / comparison and contrast 7) Reflection: the writer uses vivid language and interesting materials to instruct , move and entertain the readers at the same time. Survey the passage and do comprehension exercise on Page: 85 III. Post-reading activities (15 minutes): 1. Debate: Divide the students into two groups Group A: It's fine for people to live together without getting married. Group B: Staying together before marriage does more harm than good. 2. Read and comment (20 ) Just a Bargain Female graduate seeks millionaire husband A 24-year-old graduate student, who majored in economics, went to a Marriage Consulting Company looking for a husband who was worth at least 10 million Yuan, according to a Wuhan Evening News report on June 15. Only men with assets of over 10 million Yuan would be allowed to meet her daughter, echoed the bold mother. A divorced businessman from Shen Zhen went to the same marriage consulting company 10 days later. The 44-year-old, who has a 17-year-old daughter, is now doing business in Wuhan and his ideal partner is well-educated unmarried woman under the age of 30. The company recommended the graduate student to him. The woman and her mother met the man at a local hotel. The meeting lasted for four hours and at the end, a deal was struck.. The two have been getting along well and intend to marry this year,” 　Young women nowadays tend to seek husbands with abundant wealth or high social positions. The story has stirred fierce debate regarding the increasingly material motives behind marriage in modern society. Please join the debate and air your opinions: 　Suggested opinions: 　1) I can understand what the woman has done, though I definitely would not choose my marriage in the same way. 　2) She was too strongly motivated by material desire. She thought she was beautiful enough to find a rich husband who could support her so that she needn’t struggle for her own future. But who knows whether they will be happy once they get married? 　 3) Women nowadays have diverse social values regarding marriage. Some may cherish real love, while others may pursue practical benefits. 　 4) Though one of the common ideas about marriage is that women should be pretty enough and men should be rich enough, I still value love first. 　 5) The story reflects the increasingly material attitudes of the campus. Some students, especially females, tend to be more practical when choosing partners. In some ways this is not a bad thing. But I still think one should be independent, whether you are a man or a woman. In my opinion, women cannot rely too much on men. 6) It’s a natural choice, given the primitive survival rules of mankind. Even animals have the same rule. Female penguins, for instance, marry male penguins that can pile more stones because it means these kind of male penguins are strong enough to build a house and protect their wives. 　 7) So it’s a universal natural rule that women tend to require men to undertake more responsibilities, whether to use their strength, wisdom or wealth. In this case, men’s wealth are what the woman wants If we look at it from a different angle, it shows that people are beginning to acknowledge private wealth. Modern society should be tolerant of various ways of life: some men are well educated, some have high positions, while others are rich, but each of them has their own advantage. 　 8) Even if this marriage is a bargain, we have no right to disrespect their choice. To speak the truth, I admire the courage of the woman graduate who can speak out frankly her pursuit. 　 9) The marriage between the student and the rich man is based on an equal exchange rather than love. There’s nothing wrong with t legally. But social development should encourage individuals to focus more on spiritual pursuit. 　 10) Though the woman has a good degree, she doesn’t have her own independent career to fulfill her values. Instead, she chose to marry a rich husband. This kind of student actually reflects the failure of our university education. 　 11) I’m personally not in favor of this kind of marriage based first on material interests, which is not so secure in my opinion. Young women should first find their own values. 　 12) In this specific example, the 17-year-old daughter might be a barrier, as the future stepmother is only 24. It will be very difficult for the man to balance taking care of both his young wife and daughter. 　 13) Most young women who come to my company to seek husbands tend to require a man to own houses, cars and money, even though the men may be much older. This is quite different compared with the early 1990s or earlier. 　14) Rich men are usually cautious, however, as they don’t want a woman to marry them just because of their wealth so most of them would ask us not to reveal their wealth. 　　So I would suggest women be more independent and sensible in choosing a husband. Wealth is only one of the requirements to constitute a happy marriage. 　15)　It’s totally a personal choice, why should so many people reprimand it? I don’t see anything wrong with a beautiful and well-educated woman marrying a rich manIP:66.185.85. 　16) I myself am a graduate student and I think it’s better to find a young and promising man. Why should I rely totally on an old man who could even be my uncle, even though he is rich enough? 　17) Ninety nine percent of what constitute happiness doesn’t have anything to do with money. There are so many things in real life that you cannot exchange with money, like youth, love, dreams, ambitions, hope, confidence and most of all sincerity And only independence can help one feel or create all these elements that make real happiness. IV. Homework: 1. Mini-research: A survey on “University Students’ Criteria for an Ideal marriage partner.” Procedure: 1) Ask research questions: What do a man want from a woman in order to build a happy marriage? What do a woman want from a man in order to build a happy marriage? 2) Design questionnaires related to the topic. Eg. a. Is beautiful appearance an absolute must in selecting a marriage partner? 3) Collect data: interview your classmates or schoolmates and take notes ( or conduct an opinion poll.) 4) Analysis data and note down your finds 5) Write a survey report. Useful expressions for reference: Before your interview a person you could say: Excuse me, I am doing a survey on… Could I ask you a few questions? 2. Reading for Enjoyment For Lover and Sweetheart? Life is a flower of which love is the honey. There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved. Whoever lives true life, will love true love. What's love? Two souls and one flesh; friendship? Two bodies and one soul. The love that lasts longest is the love that is never returned. Love doesn't consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together in the same direction. In the arithmetic of love, one plus one equals everything, and tow minus one equals nothing. I'll love you till the ocean is folded and hung up to dry. I love you to the depth and breadth and height, my?soul can reach. For, you see each day I love you more, today more than yesterday and less than tomorrow. Come, let me love you, let me give my life to you, let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms, let me lay down beside you. let me always be with you. I love you for the sake of what you are, and not of what you do. Love is love for evermore. My love is like the grasses Hidden in the deep mountains. Though its abundance increase, There is none that knows. 我的爱情 犹如青草， 藏在深山。 它郁郁葱葱， 却无人知晓。 I love to be the one you always think of, The one you share the joys and hardships with, I'll always love to be the one you love. 我多想做你时刻思念的人， 你倾诉梦想的人， 与你同甘共苦的人， 我总想做你所爱的人。