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Unit 6The Human Touch. Suggested Teaching PlanObjectivesStudents will be able to:1. understand the main idea (Old Behrman saved Johnsys life at the expense of his own) and structure of the text;2. appreciate how the repeated use of clues helps weave a piece of narration together;3. grasp the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;4. conduct a series of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related to the theme of the unit.Time Allotment1st period2nd period3rd period4th period5th periodPre-reading; While-reading (scenes, language points)While-reading (language points)While-reading; Post-reading (clues)Post-reading; Check on Ss home reading (Text B)Theme-Related Language Learning TasksPre-reading activities1.T asks Ss the following questions on the song: (5 minutes) According to Michael Jackson, among faith, hope and charity, which is the most important? (charity) Is love all we need to solve the worlds problems? Why or why not? (Ss own interpretation)2.Debate: Charity begins at home. (25 minutes)1) T writes down on the blackboard the saying “ Charity begins at home.”2) T invites some Ss to interpret the saying.3) T asks the question: Is it enough only to help those people we know?4) Ss divide into a pro side and a con side.5) Ss discuss with neighbors and list key arguments on a sheet of paper.6) Ss debate.3. T leads in to the text by saying: Maybe we should help both strangers and people who are close to us. In this unit, Text A tells a story about how an old painter helped a young painter he knew, while Text B tells how a woman helped a boy who had tried to rob her of her handbag. (2 minutes)While-reading activities1. Scenes in the story (8 minutes)1) Ss work in pairs to list the names of characters in each paragraph.2) T explains to Ss: A story is composed of scenes. Normally a change of character(s) indicates a change in sin scene.3) Ss divide the text into scenes according to the changes in character.4) Ss refer to Text Organization Exercise 2 to see whether their way of division is correct.2. T explains language points and gives Ss practice (see Language Study). (60 minutes)3. Ss complete Text Organization Exercise 2. (10 minutes)4. Usage: go (20 minutes)1) Ss scan the text to circle the word “go” and its inflexions.2) Some Ss report to class their findings, and then paraphrase.3) T guides Ss through the after-text exercise on “go”.Post-reading Activities1. Ss first do Text Organization Exercise 1, then discuss in pairs what other clues help connect the story into a whole. Later some pairs will report to class (see Text Analysis). (20 minutes)2. T guides Ss through some after-text exercises. (25 minutes)3. T checks on Ss home reading (Text B). (3 minutes)4. Ss do Part IV: Theme-Related Language Learning Tasks. (1 period)5. T asks Ss to prepare the next unit: (2 minutes)1) do the pre-reading task;2) preview Text A. Text AnalysisAs discussed in Text Organization Exercise 2, “the last leaf threads throughout the story to make the latter a coherent piece. In fact, if we look closely enough, we can find some other “threads”.For example, the doctor visited three times. It was from him that we learn how sick Johnsy was, how she had a 50-50 chance, and how she was sure to recover. His three visits sum up three stages of Johnsys illness. Moreover, he is very convenient when Old Behrmans sickness needed to be revealed.Lets look at another example. When Johnsy decided to die with the fall of the last leaf, she refused to take any soup. Yet when she was shaken alive again by that undying last leaf, one of her first desires was to drink some soup.Similarly, before she fell ill, she had wished to paint the Bay of Naples. Inspired by the last leaf, she again looked forward to painting it.In Paras 18-19, we learn that Old Behrman was a failure career wise. He had always talked about a masterpiece, yet he was unable to deliver it. In Para 20, there went he again, “Some day I will paint a masterpiece, and we shall all go away.” Finally, he painted his masterpiece at the cost of his life. Cultural Notes1. O. Henry (1862-1910): pseudonym of William Sydney Porter (1862-1910), American writer of short stories, best known for his ironic plot twists and surprise endings. Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, O. Henry attended school only until age 15, when he dropped out to work in his uncles drugstore. During his 20s he moved to Texas, where he worked for more than ten years as a clerk and a bank teller. O. Henry did not write professionally until he reached his mid-30s, when he sold several pieces to the Detroit Free Press and the Houston Daily Post. In 1894 he founded a short-lived weekly humor magazine, The Rolling Stone.In 1896 O. Henry was charged with embezzling funds from the First National Bank of Austin, Texas, where he had worked from 1891 to 1894. The amount of money was small and might have been an accounting error; however, he chose to flee to Honduras rather than stand trial. Learning that his wife was dying, he returned to Texas in 1897 and, after her death, turned himself in to the authorities. He served three years of a five-year sentence at the federal penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, where he first began to write short stories and use the pseudonym O. Henry.Released from prison, O. Henry moved to New York City in 1901 and began writing full time. In his stories he made substantial use of his knowledge of Texas, Central America, and life in prison. He also became fascinated by New York street life, which provided a setting for many of his later stories. During the last ten years of his life, O. Henry became one of the most popular writers in America, publishing over 500 short stories in dozens of widely read periodicals.O. Henrys most famous stories, such as “The Gift of the Magi,” “The Furnished Room,” and “The Ransom of Red Chief,” make simple yet effective use of paradoxical coincidences to produce ironic endings. For example, in “The Gift of the Magi” a husband sells his watch to buy his wife a Christmas present of a pair of hair combs; but, she cuts and sells her long hair to buy him a Christmas present of a new chain for his watch. His style of storytelling became a model not only for short fiction, but also for American motion pictures and television programs.Writing at the rate of more than one story per week, O. Henry published ten collections of stories during a career that barely spanned a decade. They are Cabbages and Kings (1904), The Four Million (1906), Heart of the West (1907), The Trimmed Lamp (1907), The Gentle Grafter (1908), The Voice of the City (1908), Options (1909), Roads of Destiny (1909), Whirligigs (1910), and Strictly Business (1910). The collections Sixes and Sevens (1911), Rolling Stones (1912), and Waifs and Strays (1917) were published after his death. In 1919 the O. Henry Memorial Awards for the best American short stories published each year were founded by the Society of Arts and Sciences. The Complete Works of O. Henry was published in 1953. Language Study1.in tune: harmonious(ly) (often followed by with; the opposite: out of tune)Examples: His ideas are in tune with the times.The price of gold coins fluctuates in tune with that of commodities. Her character is quite out of tune with her beauty.2.joint: held or done by two or more persons togetherExamples: She had taken the money out of the joint account she had with her husband.There are a number of different forms of business ownership, such as partnerships, corporations and joint ventures.To attract foreign capital, China issued new economic regulations giving more preferential treatment to joint ventures.3.stalk: (of an evil force) move through (a place) in a threatening way; move quietly and cautiously in order to get nearExamples: When night falls, danger stalks the streets of the city.Polar bears prefer to hunt seals on land or ice but may stalk them from under water. The criminal stalked his victims like a hunter after a deer.4.here and there: in various placesExamples: During the summer vacation he will do a bit of teaching here and there. Toys were scattered here and there on the floor.5.victim: person, animal, etc. suffering death, injury or lossExamples: Police and hospital records indicate that the majority of victims of domestic violence are women.The Red Cross assists victims of natural and man-made disasters.6.scarcely: not quite; almost notExamples: I can scarcely remember when I last ate home-baked bread. The couple has scarcely gone out since the baby was born.7.subtract: take (a number, quantity) away fromExamples: Passenger cars can be added or subtracted at either end of the subway train.When total taxes are subtracted from personal income, the remainder is called disposable income.Students were given a lot of practice in writing, adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, and reading.8.merry: happy; cheerful; bright and gayExamples: From the other room, we could hear the merry sound of laughter and glasses clinking.Peter and Mary were strolling about among the merry crowd enjoying Christmas Eve in Time Square.9.backward: with the back or end firstExamples: The helicopter can travel forward, backward, or sideways.Radar tests indicated Venus was actually rotating backward, compared to our planet.10.bare: without covering, clothing, or decorationExamples: Soil held in place by plant roots is less likely to blow or wash away than bare soil. In the 1970s China implemented its “barefoot doctor” campaign, which trained thousands of villagers in rudimentary health care. In giving first aid to an electric-shock victim, a caregiver must not touch the victim with bare hands.11.dreary: dull; gloomy; causing low spiritsExamples: By the time they had waited five hours for their delayed flight, everyone looked dreary. She had spent a dreary day in the dormitory writing the term paper.12.in a whisper: in a low voiceExamples: He bent down and addressed her in a whisper.I was awakened by hearing my own name spoken in a whisper.13.hear of: be told about or have knowledge ofExamples: Three weeks passed, and nothing was heard of the missing boy. She called me as soon as she heard of the trouble I was in.14.nonsense: foolish talk, ideas, behaviorExamples: I think the report is nonsense and nothing but a waste of paper.Currently, the Web contains everything from nonsense to up-to-the-minute news about the US presidency or US stock quotes from Wall Street. Stop that nonsense, children, and get into bed!15.turn loose: allow (sth.) to be free of controlExamples: The sick whale will be taken care of by the scientists before being turned loose.The soldiers turned the prisoners loose one by one shortly after the city was conquered.16. look the part: have an appearance for a particular job, role, or positionExamples: I think he must be a captain he certainly looks the part.Despite looking the part, Michael was not an artist at all.17. masterpiece: a piece of work, esp. art, which is the best of its type or the best a person has doneExamples: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered Mark Twains masterpiece. Many consider Michelangelos sculpture David to be his masterpiece. The Wealth of Nations is Adam Smiths masterpiece.18. to excess: to an extreme degreeExamples: His father never smoked or drank to excess.Red meat, very high in fat and calories, is harmful to health if eaten to excess.19. for the rest: as regards other mattersExamples: The book contains some interesting passages about the authors childhood. For the rest, it is rather dull. The working conditions in my new job are excellent, but for the rest, I am not impressed.20. fierce: 1) violent and angryExamples: A fierce police dog was chained to a wall.It was estimated that the fierce storm killed at least several thousand people and left more than one million without homes.2) intense; strong Examples: The world is becoming a global market, and the competition is fierce.While Apple enjoyed brighter sales, competitors in the IBM PC world fought a fierce battle for market share.21.mock: ridicule; make fun of (used in the pattern: mock (at) sb. /sth.)Examples: They mocked him and called him a coward.Dont mock at him just because he keeps falling off his bike.22.fancy: sth. imagined; unfounded opinion or beliefExamples: The forecasts in his book were not wild fancies.I think the story is a mixture of fact and fancy.23. stream: move in a continuous flow, pour outExamples: The river streamed past my house.Sweat was streaming down his face.The workers came streaming out of the gates, all heading for home at the end of their shift.24.persistent: continuing; occurring again and againExamples: Neither high prices nor high wages could explain persistent depression and mass unemployment.The persistent growth of the EU countries has been remarkable. During the summer months persistent, heavy rainfall caused the Mississippi and Missouri rivers to overflow.25.mingle: mix (followed by with)Examples: The singers style mingles jazz and country music.Many traditions have mingled to form modern American Christmas celebrations and folklore. The smell of smoke mingles with the smell of the food.26.pull up: raiseExamples: I sat at my desk, knees pulled up to my chin.The old woman pulled the curtain up to see what was going on outside.27.stand out: be easily seen above or among othersExamples: The working experience in Microsoft last year still stands out in my mind.On the record I have just played, the first song stands out from all the others.28.wear away: 1) (of time) pass graduallyExamples: They didnt reach an agreement. Instead they wore the afternoon away in arguing.The day wore away, and we still couldnt find a solution to the problem.2)(cause to) become thin or damaged by constant use Examples: The steps have been worn away by the feet of thousands of visitors.The pattern on the handle had completely worn away.29.cling to: hold tight toExamples: The child is clinging to his mothers legs.Another man was rescued as he clung to the riverbank.30.call to: attract the attention of (sb.) by speaking outExamples: The fisherman called to the villagers on the shore.Every morning we can hear various birds calling to one another in the park.31.sin: offence against God, religion or good moralsExamples: In Christian theology, the first sin was committed by Adam. The man confessed his sins to the priest.32.sit up: raise yourself into an upright sitting position after you have been lying down or leaning backExamples: The patient is well enough to sit up in bed now. The teacher asked his students to sit up straight. She sat up and switched on the bedside light.33.acute: 1) (of diseases) coming quickly to the critical stageExamples: She was taken to the hospital suffering from acute appendicitis.His disease is not acute but chronic.2)severe Examples: The company is said to be suffering from acute financial difficulties.Food shortages in some African countries are becoming acute.34. be wet through: be wet all overExamples: My mother came home wet through.Their house was flooded: the carpet was wet through and the furniture was ruined.35. flutter: (cause to) move about in a quick, irregular wayExamples: The ugly duckling fluttered into the milk-pan, and splashed the milk about the room. Birds sang and fluttered in the trees and bushes.
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