I. Brief Statements Based on the Unit
Do you like poetry? Have you read a limerick? The whole contents of Unit 4 are about poetry. Four separate parts consist of this unit. First, the simple questions bring the students back to the poems, songs and rhymes they have learned. By reciting them, the students will be struck by the words and colorful meaning of some poems. Then they are arranged to read and enjoy a special, funny poem-a limerick, listen to a passage about poems and talk about all kinds of poems written by some great masters. This will greatly raise the students' interests about poems. They will be sure to want further information about English poems.
The text “English Poetry” describes the advantages of reading poems. Plenty of detailed information about the history and development of English poems is also given in the text. The comparison of English and Chinese poems shows us a clear picture of the similarity and difference between the poems of the two countries. The text sings high praise for the two great translators --Lu Xun and Guo Moruo. However, at the end of the text, the writer tells us that something of the spirit of the original works is lost in translated works. This means that we should read original works instead of translated ones as many as possible. Plenty of exercises before and after the text get the students to understand the whole text and grasp its detailed information.
The third part is mainly about past participle used as attribute and adverbial. Through different kinds of exercises the students can master this part well. At the end of this unit, a simple but interesting passage tells us a lot and gives us a perfect answer to the question why people read and sometimes even write poetry. A simple and practical way to enjoy the poems is shown to us. This will encourage more students to join in the learning and appreciating poetry. The students will improve their ability to listen, speak, read and write as well as learning plenty of useful words and expressions after they learn the unit.
II．Teaching Goals
1. Talk about English poetry.
2. Practice expressing intention and decision.
3. Learn about the Past Participle used as Adverbial.
4. Write about a poem.
III. Teaching Time: Five periods
IV. Background Information
1. Shakespeare
For any Englishman, there can never be any discussion as to who is the world's greatest poet and greatest dramatist. Only one name can possibly suggest itself to him: that of William Shakespeare. Every Englishman has some knowledge, however slight, of the work of our greatest writer. All of us use words, phrases and quotations from Shakespeare's writings that have become part of the common property of English-speaking people. Most of the time we are probably unaware of the source of the words we use. Rather like the old lady who was taken to see a performance of Hamlet and complained that it was full of well-known proverbs and quotations!
Shakespeare, more perhaps than any other writer, made full use of the great resources of the English language. Most of us use about five thousand words in our normal employment of English; Shakespeare in his works used about twenty-five thousand! There is probably no better way for a foreigner (or an Englishman) to appreciate the richness and variety of the English language than by studying the various ways in which Shakespeare used it. Such a study is well worth the effort (it is not, of course, recommended to beginners), even though some aspects of English usage, and the meaning of many words, have changed since Shakespeare's day.
It is paradoxical that we should know comparatively little about the life of the greatest English author. We know that Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon and he died there in 1616. He almost certainly attended the Grammar School in the town, but of this we cannot be sure. We know he was married there in 1582 to Anne Hathaway and that he had three children, a boy and two girls. We know that he spent much of his life in London writing his masterpieces. But this is almost all that we do know.
However, what is important about Shakespeare's life is not its incidental details but his products, the plays and the poems. For many years scholars have been trying to add a few facts about Shakespeare's life to the small number we already possess and for an equally long time critics have been theorizing about the plays. Sometimes, indeed, it seems that the poetry of Shakespeare will disappear beneath the great mass of comment that has been written upon it.
Fortunately this is not likely to happen. Shakespeare's poetry and Shakespeare's people (Macbeth, Othello, Hamlet, Falstaff and the others) have long delighted not just the English but lovers of literature everywhere, and will continue to do so after the scholars and commentators and all their works have been forgotten.
2. About Shakespeare's Plays
William Shakespeare (1564～1616), English dramatist and poet, is regarded by many people as the greatest English writer of all time. He wrote his first play when he was twenty-six years old. Within about twenty-two years of this writing career, he gave to the world nearly forty plays, including comedies, histories and tragedies. Of all his plays,“Hamlet” is perhaps the best known. His plays, written in the late 16th and early 17th centuries for a small theatre, are today performed more often and in more countries than ever before. Many of the words first used by him, and many of his expressions have become everyday usage in English speech and writing. Of Shakespeare's plays have come down to us. Their probable chronological order is arranged as follows：
◆ The First Period(1590～1600)
1590--Henry VI, Part I. / Henry VI, Part II.
1591--Henry VI, Part III.
1592--Richard III. / The Comedy of Errors.
1593--Titus Andronicus. / The Taming of the Shrew.
1594--The Two Gentlemen of Verona. / Love's Labour's Lost. / Romeo and Juliet.
1595--Richard II / A Mid-summer Night's Dream.
1596--King John. / The Merchant of Venice.
1597--Henry IV, Part I. / Henry IV, Part II.
1598--Much Ado About Nothing. / Henry V. / The Merry Wives of Windsor.
1599--Julius Caesar. / As You Like It.
1600--Twelfth Night. /
◆ The Second Period( 1601～1608) :
1601-- Hamlet.
1602--Troilus and Cressida. / All's Well That Ends Well.
1604--Measure for Measure. / Othello.
1605--King Lear. / Macbeth.
1606--Antony and Cleopatra.
1607--Coriolanus. / Timon of Athens.
1608--Pericles.
◆ The Third period(1609～1612) :
1609--Cymbeline.
1610---The Winter's Tale.
1612--The Tempest. / Henry VIII.
The First Period
Teaching Important Points:
1. How to get the students to grasp the main idea of a passage by listening.
2. How to improve the students' speaking ability.
Teaching Difficult Point:
How to direct the students to grasp the detailed information to finish the listening task.
Teaching Procedures:
Step I Greetings and Revision
◆ Take out your exercise-books. Let's check your homework. Then learn the new words of this period together.
Step II Warming up
◆ Do you like poetry, boys and girls? Why do you like it? Or why not?
◇ I learn a great deal from poetry. When I was a small child, my mother taught me the poem: 锄禾日当午，汗滴禾下土。谁知盘中餐，粒粒皆辛苦。And she explained the meaning of it. I know from a little child that grain comes from pains and we should not waste whatever we eat.
◇ I don't like poetry very much, because I had a bad memory when I was a small child. I like to make something.
◆ What English poems, song words or rhymes have you read? Can you recite any?
◇ I've read some English poems when I was in Junior Middle School. And it is like this:
I Love the Sun
I love the sun, I love the spring,
I love the birds, That gaily sing.
I love my school, I love my play.
And I love all, That is nice and gay.
◇ I remember I've read a poem about the names of the months. It is:
Thirty days have September.
April, June and November,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone,
And that has twenty-eight days clear,
And twenty nine in each leap year.
◆ Now turn to Page 25. Do the third part. Do you know“打油诗”? In English limerick is like“打油诗”in Chinese. It is a special, funny poem and is written just to make people laugh. Read the two limericks and enjoy them. (Students read the poems together and at last two students are asked to read them.)
◇ There once was a very fat lady, who wanted to travel from Corfu (an island belonging to Greece) to Peru (a country on the northeast coast of Latin America). But she was so fat that she could not get on any bus, train or aeroplane. So in fact, she could not go anywhere.
◇ There once was a foreign teacher from Singapore, who came to teach in China, but after a short while the students found out that this man was crazy.
◆ What is the pattern of each poem? “pattern” means“格调”.
◇ Most types of poems have a certain pattern and characteristics. A limerick is made up of 5 lines. Usually, lines 1,2 and 5 rhyme, while lines 3 and 4 also rhyme. The first two lines often have about 7 syllables, the next two lines fewer and the last line more, but the numbers are not fixed.
◇ The first line always introduces a certain person from a certain place. The second line usually gives some special information or a wish of that person. The third and the fourth line describe some complication or difficulty and the last line is the punch line: it reveals what’s wrong. But Limericks never have the intention to insult people from those places.
◆ What words will you need to talk about poets and poetry?
◇ To talk about poets and poetry, we often use the words：good, bad, interesting, funny, dull, meaningful, meaningless, moving, instructive, encouraging, make me happy, sad, etc.
◆ What phrases do you think will be useful when you express your intentions and reach decisions?
◇ When we want to express our intentions, we often say: I'm going to…; I intend /mean /plan to…; I will…; I feel like (doing sth.)…; I'd like to… ; I'm ready to…; I would rather not…etc.
◇ When we want to reach decisions, we often use: In my opinion, we should…; What's your opinion? I think /believe /suppose we should…;I don't think it's necessary to…; We must decide…; I hope we can reach /come to /arrive at /take /make a decision, etc.
Step III Listening
◆ Now let's do Listening. Please turn to Page 25 and read the instructions first. Do you know what you should do after you listen to the tape?
◆ Now I'll play the tape. When I play it for the first time, do Ex. 1, please. When I play it for the second time, do Ex. 2. If you have anything you don't hear clearly, please let me know. At the end of listening, I'll play the tape once more and give you enough time to check your answers. Then check your answers with your partner. I'll ask one or two students to give us their answers at last. Do you understand what I've said?
Step IV Speaking
◆ Let's do speaking. Please open your books on Page 26. There are four circles on this page. Each circle lists some information about poems. They are topics for poems, periods of time, groups or names of poets and human feeling shown in poems. Ask your partner what kind of poetry he or she might want to read. Choose a word from each circle and explain why you want to read a poem like that or not. Work in groups or pairs. Have a discussion and make up a dialogue to express what you want to say. The useful expressions in the box might be helpful to you:
I'm interested to…but… I think it will be too difficult to…
I think I might want to… I think it will be boring…
I want to… I'm very interested in…so…
I'd like to… I'm not very interested in…so…
I've never heard of…so… I hope to find…
I've never read any…so… I don't know much about…but…
◆ ( After a few minutes. ) Have you finished? Now who will tell us your opinions? Volunteers?
◇ Sample dialogue 1:
A: What kind of poetry do you like to read?
B: I like to read poems about nature.
A: Why are you interested to read such poems?
B: When I read this kind of poem, it seems that I was in a different world. The things described in the poem seem to be real ones. They seem to be around me. I feel them and enjoy them.
A: What kind of poems are you not interested in?
B: I'm not interested in poems about pets. We have a lot of important things to do and I think I have no time to have pets. What about you?
A: I'm interested in poems about humour, because it can bring happiness to us. All the unhappy things are gone with the laughter.
◇ Sample dialogue 2:
A: I know that you can recite plenty of poems. Can you tell me what kind of poems you like?
B: I like the poems by Li Bai, especially the ones to describe nature.
A: For what reason do you like them?
B: When I read them, I feel comfortable. A poem of his is a beautiful picture hanging before us. I would go into the picture as I read them.
A: What kind of poems are you not interested in?
B: Poems about broken hearts. They make me sad. What's your opinion?
A: I like the poems about the sea and I don't like the ones about death and broken hearts.
B: Just like me!
Step V Summary and Homework
◆ In this period, our topic is about poems. We have talked a lot about poems. What kind of poems do you like? This is an interesting topic. After class, go on with you topics and discussion. You can use the expressions we just mentioned. That's all for today.
The Second Period
Teaching Important Points:
1. The usages of some useful words and expressions.
2. The similarities and differences between the Chinese and English poets and poems.
Teaching Difficult Point:
How to grasp and remember the detailed information of the reading material.
Teaching Procedures:
Step I Greetings and Revision
◆ Teacher greets the whole class as usual and checks the students' homework. Then teacher and the students learn the new words of this period together.
Step II Pre-reading
◆ Can you name some famous Chinese poets? Can you recite any of their poems?
◇ Wang Wei, Du Fu, Li Bai, Bai Juyi, etc.
◆ Writ down five key words that you would expect to find in a text about poetry.
◇ Poem, poet, rhyme, style, image (literature, language, form, line).
◆ Scan the text and then check whether the five key words are mentioned in the text. Some English poetry reminds readers of Chinese poetry. Whose poetry reminds Chinese readers of Du Fu or Li Bai? Whose of Su Dongpo?
◇ The style and atmosphere in the poems by Wordsworth, Byron, Shelly and Keats often remind readers of Du Fu and Li Bai. The works by Donne and Marvell reminds Chinese readers of Su Dongpo.
Step III Careful-reading
◆ Now read the text again, and try to grasp as much detailed information as you can. Then choose the best answer for each of the following questions:
1. Modern English came into being from about the middle of the _____ century.
A. 16th B. 17th C. 18th D. 19th
2. The poetry of Marvell reminds Chinese readers of the poems by _______.
A. Du Fu B. Li Bai C. Su Dongpo D. Gou Moruo
3. Byron's“Isles of Greece”is an example of _______.
A. a sonnet B. romantic poetry C. nature poetry D. modern poetry
4. The wider public in China discovered English poetry at the beginning of the _________ century.
A. 17th B. 18th C. 19th D. 20th
5. The advantage of reading English poetry in Chinese translation is ______.
A. that you have more advice B. that something of the spirit is lost
C. that you understand it better D. that you learn how to express yourself in new ways
◇ Suggested answers: 1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. C
◆ By the way, have you noticed that there are some bold words in the text? Read the text again and find out what the words in bold refer to. If necessary, you can have a discussion with your partner. Some minutes later, we'll check the answers.
◇ “That” in the first paragraph refers to “poetry plays with sounds, words and grammar”.
◇ “Its” in the fourth paragraph refers to “the English poetry’s”.
◇ “Their” refers to “Wordsworth’s, Byron's and Keats’”.
◇ “They” in the sixth paragraph refers to “modern poets”.
◇ “They” in the third line from the bottom of the last paragraph refers to “poems and literature”.
◆ There are some language points you should pay attention to. Read these sentences and try to master the usages of the words and phrases:
1. play with: The little boy is playing with his dolls.(In the text “play with the sounds , words and grammar” means “to use sounds , words and grammar perfectly”.)
2. call up: I called up my brother and told him the good news.
He was called up at the beginning of the war.
3. despite: He came to school despite (in spite of) his serious illness.
4. time: In his speech, he expressed the feelings of the time.
5. belong to: Taiwan belongs to China.
6. absence: Darkness is the absence of light.
7. ...: Remind me of the letter.
8. lead to: Differences of opinion led to fierce arguments.
9. come into being: When did the Great Wall come into being?
◆ Now let's listen to the tape. When I play it for the first time, just listen. Then I'll play it for the second time. This time, you can follow it in a low voice. Then read the text aloud, paying attention to your pronunciation and intonation.
Step IV Discussion
◆ Now please turn to Page 29, Post-reading 4, 5 and 6. Have a discussion about them. In about some minutes, I'll ask some of you to give us the answers.
◇4. If a poem is translated into another language, it's changed a bit. That's to say, something of the spirit of the original works is lost.
◇ Let's compare a poem by Chao Zhi with its translation:
七步诗 （曹植）
煮豆燃豆萁，
豆在釜中泣；
“本是同根生，
相煎何太急？”
They were boiling beans on a beanstalk fire,
Came a plaintive voice from the pot,
“Why since we sprang from the selfsame root,
Should you kill me with anger hot?”
From the poem above, we can find that when a poem is translated into another language, its rhythm and rhyme, the figures of speech, etc. are different from the original work…
◇5. They can be ties that bring the East and the West together and bring people closer to each other. Two other images to express that idea, found in the text are: Poetry opens doors; We can embrace each other in poetry.
◇6. It means that when people from one country read the poems from another, they will be struck by what is inside the poem, so they will understand each other and become good friends.
The short poem by Mu Dan means that our life is like the night. The words used in poetry are like lamps that light up, and in this light we can meet and embrace other people, whom we would not have seen in the dark.
Step V Summary and Homework
◆ Today we're learnt a text about poems and poets. Read the text after class and collect as much information about the things and persons mentioned in the text as possible. Then do Ex. 3 on Page 29. Besides, we've learnt some useful words and expressions. Please remember the words and expressions and make sentences with them when you have time. That's all for today. Class is over.
The Third Period
Teaching Important Points:
1. How to get the students to master the usage of the Past Participle.
2. How to do sentence transformation.
Teaching Difficult Point:
The sentence transformation between a clause and a past participle phrase.
Teaching Procedures:
Step I Greetings and Revision
◆ In this class, I'll check your homework first. In the last period, I told you to make a timeline that shows the centuries when the poets were living and their names, including all the English poets in the text and some of the Chinese poets you know. Have you finished it?
◇ English poets:
Shakespeare(1564～1616) John Donne(1572～1631)
John Milton (1608～1674) Marvell (1621～1678)
Alexander Pope (1688～1744) Johnson (1709~1784)
William Wordsworth (1770～1850) Byron (1788～1824)
Shelly ( 1792～1822) Keats (1795～1821)
Auden (1907～1973)
◇ Chinese poets:
Li Bai (701～762) Wang Wei (701～761)
Du Fu (712～770) Bai Juyi(772～846)
Guo Moruo(1892～1978)
Step II Word Study
◆ Please turn to Page 29. Look at Word Study, Part 1. Fill in the blanks with words in the text. Have a discussion with your partner and then we'll check the answers.
◇ Suggested answers:
1. poem 2. absence 3. atmosphere 4. glory 5. poets 6. translated
◆ As we know, if words or lines of poetry end with the same sound, including a vowel, we can say they rhyme. Who can give us some words that rhyme?
◇ “horse”and“mouse”, “school”and“fool”. They all rhyme.
◆ There are two groups of words . Please read them and match the words that rhyme.
Group A: mad tale glory recite cow shade isle embrace
Group B: smile base afraid story plough fail glad night
◇ l mad – glad; 2 tale – fail; 3 glory – story; 4 recite – night; 5 cow – plough; 6 shade – afraid;
7 isle – smile; 8 embrace – base.
Step III Grammar (The Past Participle used as Adverbial)
◆ Look at the two sentences. What are their Chinese meanings? And can you think of another way to express these ideas?
1. Once published, his work became famous for the absence of rhyme at the end of each line.
2. No matter how well translated, something of the spirit of the original work is lost.
◇ The first sentence means: 一经出版，他的作品就因不押韵而著名。
It can be expressed as: Once it (= his work) was published, his work became famous for the absence of rhyme at the end of each line.
◇ The second means: 即使翻译得再好，一经翻译，原作的一些精华就没有了。
It can be expressed as: No matter how well it (= the original work) is translated, something of the spirit of the original work is lost.
◆ From the sentences we've discussed, we know that if the past participle is used as adverbial, we can change them into the adverbial clauses, which has the same meaning. Now turn to Page 30. Please look at Ex. 1. Complete each sentence by using the past participle of the right verb．Before doing that，discuss the meanings of the words in the box?
◇ “build” means “建设”；“frighten” means “使惊恐”；“bite” means “咬”；“follow” means “跟随”; “shoot” means “开枪”；“see” means “看见”；“examine” means “检查”.
◆ Now have a discussion in pairs and use their proper forms. While doing this, talk about the meaning of each sentence．
◇ Suggested answers：
htened owed ined t en
Step IV Practice
◆ Look at the two sentences. Each of the sentences has a past participle. Have a discussion about them and decide their functions．
1. The castle, burned down in 1943, was never built.
2. If left alone on a deserted island, what would you do to survive?
◇ In the first sentence the past participle phrase “burned down in 1943” is used as attribute, modifying the noun “castle”. The meaning of the whole sentence is：1943年被夷为平地的那座城堡．再也没有重建。
◇ In the second sentence, “1eft alone on a deserted island”is used as adverbial, expressing condition. It means: 如果你流落到一个荒凉的岛上，为了生存下去。你会怎么办呢?
◆ Now，look at the following four sentences and discuss the function of each past participle phrase in pairs or groups.
1. The room, connected to the rest of the house by a long passage，was completely empty.
2. Connected to the rest of the house by a long passage, the room seems very quiet.
3. Folded in his pocket，the letter wasn't found until twenty years later.
4. He was walking around with the letter folded in his pocket.
◇ In the first sentence, it is used as attribute. The meaning of the sentence is：这个由一条长长的走廊和房子里的其他地方相连的屋子里面空无一物。
In the second sentence, the past participle phrase is used as adverbial, expressing the cause. The sentence means：因为这个屋子是由一条长长的走廊和别的地方相连接的，所以它很安静。
3. Adverbial．因为这封信是折叠起来放在他的口袋里的．所以直到二十年后才被发现。
4. Attribute．他到处转悠口袋里装着一封折叠起来的信。
Step V Consolidation
◆ Look at the example on Page 30. Here are two sentences. They both have the same meaning, but their adverbials are expressed in the different ways. Study the example and then rewrite the sentences on Page 31, using a clause to substitute the past participle phrase.
◇ Suggested answers:
1. When he was asked what had happened, he told us about it.
2. As he was well known for his expert advice, he received many invitations to give lectures.
3. If we were given more time, we would be able to do the work much better.
4. Once it was translated into Chinese, the book became very popular among Chinese teenagers.
5. As she was deeply interested in medicine, she decided to become a doctor.
6. Though she was left alone at home, Sam did not feel afraid at all.
Step VI Summary and Homework
◆ In this class, we've talked about rhyme and the use of the past participle. The past participle of the verb can be used as adverbial and attribute, such as, “Once...”; “The castle ...”. We also know that the past participle can be expressed with a clause, such as “United...”(Teacher writes the sentences on the blackboard.
1. Once published, his work became famous for the absence of rhyme at the end of each line.
2. The castle, burned down in 1943, was never built.
3. United, we stand; divided, we fall.
= If we are united, we will fall; if we are divided, we will fall.)
Today's homework:
Join each pair of the following sentences to form one sentence, using the past participle:
1. Mary was shocked at what Jack had said. She didn't know what to say at first.
2. The mirror was broken. The mirror was lying on the ground.
3. I went into the dark room. I was followed by my best friend.
4. The park is the most beautiful place in the city. It was destroyed by the storm last Sunday.
5. The dog barked at us. The dog was tied to a pole by the door.
6. They were sad to see a sea of flowers. The flowers were covered by the heavy snow.
7. The scientist is well known for his knowledge. The scientist is able to help the workers to get out of their difficulty.
8. The coins were collected by my cousin. The coins were made in Tang Dynasty.
The Fourth Period
Teaching Important Points:
1. The usages of the useful words and expressions listed above.
2. How to enjoy English poems.
Teaching Difficult Point:
How to enjoy English poems.
Teaching Procedures:
Step I Greetings and Revision
◆ In the last period, I told you to join some pairs of sentences, using the past participle. Now, who'll give us the answers?
◇ 1. Shocked at what Jack had said, Mary didn't know what to say at first.
2. The broken mirror was lying on the ground.
3. I went into the dark room, followed by my best friend.
4. The park destroyed by the storm last Sunday is the most beautiful place in the city.
5. The dog tied to a pole by the door barked at us.
6. They were sad to see a sea of flowers covered by the heavy snow.
7. Well known for his knowledge, the scientist is able to help the workers to get out of their difficulty.
8. The coins collected by my cousin were made in Tang Dynasty.
◆ Learn the new words of this period together.
Step II Reading and Comprehension
◆ Do you like singing? Do you like poems? Why do you like them? Do you think that poems and songs have anything in common?
Now let's read a passage about songs and poems. You'll find the answers to the questions above. Please read it fast and find the answers to the following questions. Please write the answers on a piece of paper and I'll collect the first five pieces.
1. How does the writer feel when he is listening to music and to the song words?
2. What kind of feeling has he when the writer locks the door and reads poems aloud?
◇1. When he is listening to music and to the song words, he feels that it was written for him.
◇2. When he locks the door and reads the poems aloud, he is given a strong feeling at first. When he has some practice later and falls into the rhythm, the rhyme and the sounds of the words, it is a very special experience.
◆ Read the text carefully and find the answers to the following questions.
l. Why is the question “why read and sometimes even write poetry” not difficult to answer if we change the word poetry to songs?
2. Why are there songs that the writer sings in his head between classes and why does he want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day?
3. What song words does the writer like?
4. Does the writer like long poems?
5. What does the writer read when he has had a bad day at school?
6. Do you have the same feeling as the writer? Do you agree with him?
◇ 1. Because the writer thinks that poems and songs are the same and he sings when he feels good.
2. Because between classes and when the school bell rings by the end of the day, he'll have a free time of his own. He can do what he wants to do, so he feels good and wants to sing.
3. He likes song words about love and friendship and he especially likes to sing his favourite songs in English.
4. At first, he didn't like poetry. Then an e-pal of his gave him some suggestions about poems. Now he likes long poems very much.
5. When he has had a bad day at school, he reads Keats' poems.
6. I agree with the author and I have the same feeling as he does, but I like short poems most.
◆ Why do you like poems?
◇ Because poems can make people happy and forget all the unhappy things.
◆ Do you think that poems and songs have anything in common?
◇ Yes. I think so. They have the same good points.
◆ There are some useful words and expressions on it. Please read them and learn them by heart:
1. change … to: He changed the date to Sep. 11.
2. get through: I got through the book in one evening .
He got through the final exams.
3. extraordinary: I had an extraordinary dream last night.
4. avoid: The man tried to avoid answering him.
5. fall into: They have fallen into poverty.
6. stupidity: I'm ashamed of my stupidity.
7. by the light of: Sometimes we go on working after dark by the light of our tractors.
Step III Listening and Reading Aloud
◆ Listen to the tape and then read the passage loud.
Step IV Appreciation
◆ Please turn to Page 31. Here is a poem by Robert Frost. Listen to the tape and read it aloud. Find the words that rhyme and then discuss with your classmates what it means.
◇ The words that rhyme: “crow” rhymes with “snow”, “heart” rhymes with “part”, “me” and “tree” rhymes, and “mood” and “rued” rhyme.
◇ The whole poem is a sentence. It is like this: The way a crow shook the dust of snow from a hemlock tree down on me has given my heart a change of mood and saved some part of a day I had rued. It means that a crow in a hemlock tree shook down some snow on me and this gave me a release from my unhappy mood.
◇ In the poem, it is winter. The person in the poem once had a bad day, a day he or she wished had not happened. Later on that day he or she walked or stood under a tree. A crow shook its feathers, and snow from the tree fell down on him or her. This little event made him or her a bit less unhappy.
◆ Please turn to Page 32. Here is a song by Richard Marx. Let’s sing it together, and then discuss with your classmates what it means.
◇ The person in the song complains that his or her lover is very far away, maybe in the USA because there is an ocean between them. They almost never see each other, but they call each other. The “I” finds it very difficult to say that he or she will love the other for ever, because they are not together. Still, the “I” promises always to wait for the other, even if it breaks his or her heart.
Step V Checkpoint
◆ Look at Checkpoint 4. Here are three sentences. Please change their adverbial clause in each sentence into a past participle phrase. Have a discussion with your partner and after a while we'll check the answers.
◇ Suggested answers:
1. Translated into Chinese, the book became very popular in China.
2. Given more time, we would he able to do the work much better.
3. Left alone at home, Sam did not feel afraid at all.
Step VI Summary and Homework
◆ In this class, we've learned a passage about songs and poems. From it we know that songs and poems can make us feel better. We've also learned some useful words and expressions.
Today's homework：Find an English poem and write a review (Page 32). Besides, tips are a help for you to enjoy poems. Do as it says, and I'm sure you'll become a poem lover. That's all for today. You’re dismissed.
◇ Suggested answers to a poem review (A review of the poem “Twinkle, twinkle little star”):
This poem is about the stars in the sky. When I read the poem, it seems that a clear picture is shown before me. In the dark sky of night, there are thousands of little stars that twinkle in the sky. They are far away from me, perhaps thousands of millions of miles away. I want very much to go further and see clearly what they are like. But I can't. I can only see them like diamonds in my storybooks. When I read the poem, I feel very happy and comfortable. Nature is beautiful and mysterious whether in the day or at night. There are many, many things like stars in the sky waiting for us to discover.
The Fifth Period
Grammar: The Past Participle Used as Adverbial
Teaching Important Points:
1. How to use the Past Participle
2. How to tell the difference between the Present Participle and the Past Participle.
Teaching Difficult Point:
How to choose the Present Participle and the Past Participle.
Teaching Procedures:
Step I Greetings
Greet the whole class as usual.
Step II Revision and Presentation
◆ In the third period of Unit 4, we learned the Past Participle used as Attribute and Adverbial. Now look at these sentences. Can you tell me which past participle is used as Attribute and which is used as Adverbial?
1. Most of the artists invited to the party were from South Africa.
2. Given more attention, the trees could have grown better.
3. The professor came into the classroom, followed by his students.
4. The first textbooks written for teaching English as a foreign language came out in the 16th century.
◇ In the first sentence the Past Participle is used as Attribute, modifying the noun “artists”; Adverbial in the second sentence; Adverbial in the third sentence, too; in the last sentence it is used as Attribute modifying “the first textbooks”.
Step III Explanation
◆ We know that the Past Participle can be used as Adverbial. Now look at these sentences on the blackboard. What are these past participle used us?
1. Don't speak until spoken to.
2. Given more time, we could do the work much better.
3. Destroyed by the earthquake, the house had to be rebuilt.
◇ They are all used as Adverbial.
◆ We know that the Past Participle used as Adverbial can express different adverbials, such as: time, cause, condition, manner and so on. Do you know what the Past Participle in each sentence expresses?
◇ The Past Participle in the first sentence expresses time. The second one expresses condition. And the last one expresses cause.
◆ Now, I'll give you a few minutes to discuss with your partner about how to replace these past participles by using adverbial clauses.
◇ 1. Don't speak until you're spoken to.
2. If we were given more time, we could do the work much better.
3. Because the house had been destroyed by the earthquake, it had to be rebuilt.
Step IV Comparison
◆ As we all know, the Past Participle and the Present Participle can be used as Adverbial, for example:
1. Seen from the hill, our school looks more beautiful.
2. Seeing from the hill, we can see our beautiful school.
Look at these two sentences carefully. Can you tell us the difference between them?
◇ The first sentence uses the Past Participle as Adverbial while the second sentence uses the Present Participle as Adverbial.
◆ Do you know why the difference come into being?
◇ Because the subject in the first sentence is “our school”, but in the second sentence, “we”.
◆ When we are using participles, we should pay attention to the subjects in the sentences, and the participle we use must have the same logical subject as the subject in the sentence. If the subject in the sentence receives the action, we should use the Past Participle as Adverbial; if the subject in the sentence does the action, we should use the Present Participle as Adverbial.
Step V Practice
◆ Join each of the following pairs of sentences turning one of them into a participle phrase and making some necessary changes. Do it in pairs or groups.
Example: We were disturbed by the noise and had to finish the meeting early.
→Disturbed by the noise, we had to finish the meeting early.
1. They were surprised at the idea and began to discuss it among themselves.
2. Mary was much interested and she agreed to give it a try.
3. I was deeply moved, and thanked them again and again.
4 The two men were delighted and they thought up many other ideas, too.
5. We had been taught by failure and mistakes and have become wiser.
6. I was shocked at the waste of money and decided to leave the company.
7. He was persuaded by his friends to give up smoking and threw his remaining cigarettes away.
◇ Suggested answers:
1. Surprised at the idea, they began to discuss it among themselves.
2. Much interested, Mary agreed to give it a try.
3. Deeply moved, I thanked them again and again.
4. Delighted, the two men thought up many other ideas, too.
5. Taught by failure and mistakes, we have become wiser.
6. Shocked at the waste of money, I decided to leave the company.
7. Persuaded by his friends to give up smoking, he threw his remaining cigarettes away.
◆ Let's do more exercises. You may discuss with your partner. Choose the best answers:
1. ______ some officials, Napoleon inspected his army.
A. Followed B. Followed by C. Being followed D. Having been followed
2.__________ by his teacher, he has made great progress in his lesson.
A. Helped B. To help C. Helping D. Help
3. The computer center, ________ last year, is very popular among the students in this school.
A. open B. opening C. having opened D. opened
4. The visitor expressed his satisfaction, __________ that he had enjoyed his stay here.
A. having added B. to add C. adding D. added
5.___________ in thought, he almost ran into the car in front of him.
A. Losing B. Having lost C. Lost D. To lose
6.__________ his telephone number, she had some difficulty getting in touch with Bill.
A. Not knowing B. Knowing not C. Not having known D. Having not known
7. If _________ the same treatment again, he is sure to get well.
A. giving B. give C. given D. being given
8. in 1636, Harvard is one of the most famous universities in the United States.
A. Being founded B. It was founded C. Founded D. Founding
◇ Suggested answers:
1. B 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. C 6. A 7. C 8. C
Step VI Test
◆ Now let's have a test. Complete the following sentences. Write your answers on a piece of paper. Later, we'll check it together.
Complete the sentences:
1._______ (只要看一次),it can never be forgotten.
2._______ (被认为是这个城市里面最好的)，the factory was given a medal.
3. The visitor came in, ________ (后面跟着一群年轻人).
4._______ (在党的领导下)，the people have improved their living conditions greatly.
5._______(在她的话的鼓励下)，the boy later went up to his teacher and said “sorry”.
6. If_______(加热) to a high temperature, water will change into vapour.
7. _______ (从太空中望去)，the earth is a water covered globe.
8. The object on the table is a fan ______ (由羽毛制成的).
◇ Suggested answers:
1. Once seen 2. Regarded as the best in the city 3. followed by a group of young fellows
4. Led by the Party 5. Encouraged by her words 6. heated 7. Seen from space
8. made of feathers
Step VII Summary and Homework
◆ In this class, we've discussed the use of the Past Participle. That is, how to use it and its transformation with the adverbial clauses. After class, we should do more practice about this to master them. So much for this class. See you tomorrow.
Appendixes
一、知识网络
1．call up召唤；回忆起；调动（力量、人员等）；（给……）打电话
The photograph called up memories of his childhood. 那张照片唤起了他童年时代的一些回忆。
The music calls up old times. 这音乐让人回想起旧日时光。
He was called up right at the beginning of the war. 他是在战争刚一开始的时候被征召入伍的。
Don’t call me up in the morning. 不要在早上给我打电话。
2．belong to属于；是……的成员之一；此短语不可用进行式，也没有被动语态形式.
The car belongs to my uncle. 这辆车是我叔叔的。
Who does this bag belong to? 这是提包是谁的？
I belong to the tennis club. 我是这个网球俱乐部的会员。
Do you belong to any party? 你有没有加入哪个政党？
但是，常用belong to的-ing形式作定语:
China is a country belonging to the third world. 中国属于第三世界国家。
3．Come into being出现；形成；产生
We don’t know when the universe came into being. 我们不知道宇宙是何时开始存在的。
Later two more armies came into being. 后来又成立了两支部队。
Thus the first workers’ league came into being. 这样第一个工人联盟就出现了。
Such a custom came into being long ago. 这种风俗很久以前就有了。
4．glory n.[U]光荣；荣耀；壮观；[C]光荣的事或人
They fought for the glory of their country. 他们为了国家的荣誉而战。
He did it for his own personal glory. 他为了自己个人的荣誉做了那件事。
the glory of the sunset落日的壮观
the glories of our past history 我们历史上荣耀的事
He is a glory to his profession. 他是他所从事的专业的光荣。
5．Comparison n. 比较；对照；类似
He made an interesting comparison between classical music and jazz. 他在古典音乐和爵士乐之间做了有趣的比较。
He made / drew several comparisons between the two poets. 他把那两位诗人做了若干比较。
I find the comparison of life to a voyage quite proper. 我觉得将人生比喻为航海十分贴切。
in / by comparison with “与……比起来；与……相比”
Living in the country is cheap in comparison with the big cities. 与大城市相比，在乡下生活较便宜。
by comparison “相比之下”
He seems rather weak by comparison. 相比之下，他似乎相当弱。
6．apart adv.相隔；相距；除去；单独地
Alice and her husband now live apart. 艾丽丝和她的丈夫现在分居。
New York and Tokyo are thousands of miles apart. 纽约和东京相隔数千英里。
The fires broke out a few hours apart. 前后两场火灾相隔几个小时。
They planted the trees three metres apart. 他们每隔三米种一棵树。
She lives apart from her family. 她跟家人分开住。
A few little things apart, the party was a great success. 除了几件小事之外，那次聚会非常成功。
apart / aside from “除……之外；除开”
Apart from a few faults, he is quite a good teacher. 除了几个缺点外，他是个很好的老师。
Apart from the cost， the dress doesn’t suit me. 姑且不论价格，这件衣服也不适合我穿。
7．contribute vt.贡献；捐献；投稿 vi.有贡献；有助于；促成；投搞
He contributed a lot of money to the charity. 他捐很多钱给慈善机构。
She contributed a lot of good ideas to the discussion. 她在这次讨论中提出很多好的意见。
He didn’t contribute anything to world peace. 他对世界和平毫不贡献。
I contributed several poems to a literary magazine. 我投了几首诗给一本文学杂志。
contribute to “为……作贡献；有助于……；向……投稿”
The fine weather contributed to the success of the voyage. 良好的天气助成了那次航行。
A proper amount of exercise contributes to good health. 适度的运动有益健康。
The construction of a highway will contribute to the growth of the suburbs.
建造高速公路将有助于郊区的发展。
I make most of my money by writing books but I do contribute to magazines sometimes.
我的钱大部分是靠写书挣的，但我也确实给杂志社投过几次稿。
8．Stand out突出；出色；引人注目
David stands out as a computer designer. 大卫是个出众的计算机编程员。
He doesn’t stand out in a crowd. 他在人群中并不引人注目。
The tower stood out against the blue sky. 那座塔衬托着蓝天引人注目。
The hat stood out because of its strange shape. 那顶帽子造型奇特而引人注目。
They were all attractive, but she stood out from the others. 她们都很迷人，但是她比其他人更有魅力。
9．next to几乎；常用于否定词之前。
The speech said next to nothing. 这次演说几乎什么都没讲。
The dealer gave us next to nothing for our old car. 买主几乎没给钱就买走了我们的旧车。
I knew next to nothing about electricity. 对电我几乎是一无所知。
It’s next to impossible to drive in this traffic. 在这种交通状况下开车行驶几乎是不可能的。
10．light up点燃；点亮；照亮；使面有喜色；容光焕发
He lit up a cigarette before he began his speech. 在开始讲话前他先点上一支烟。
Hundreds of candles lighted up the hall. 几百支蜡烛照亮了大厅。
A smile lit up her face. 她一笑表情为之开朗。
Her face lit up with joy. 她因高兴而容光焕发。
The streetlights have lighted up. 街灯已点亮。
11．look up（在字典、时刻表等中）查看；翻看；查找
I looked up (the meaning of ) the word in my dictionary. 我在词典中查阅这个词（的意思）。
I often go to the library to look up the information I need. 我常到图书馆查找我需要的资料。
Look up the directory for his telephone number. 在电话簿中找找他的电话号码。
二、发散思维
1．absence n.不在；缺席；缺乏
After an absence of seven years I went home. 外出7年后我返回了故乡。
I soon noticed his absence from school. 我很快便察觉到他缺课了。
Absence of rain caused the plants to die. 因缺少雨水导致植物枯死。
absence of mind “心不在焉”
His absence of mind during driving nearly caused an accident. 他驾车时心不在焉，几乎肇事。
in one’s absence “某人不在时；某人外出时；背地里”
A lady called in your absence, sir. 先生，你不在时，有位女士来访。
They spoke ill of the captain in his absence. 他们在背地里说队长的坏话。
2．recommend vt.推荐；介绍；劝告；建议
He strongly recommended her to our firm for the post. 他极力推荐她给本公司担任这职位。
I can recommend her as a good secretary. 我可以推荐她为一名优秀的秘书。
Can you recommend me a good lawyer? 你能推荐一位好律师给我吗？
recommend sb. to do sth.相当于advise sb. to do sth.“建议某人去做某事，劝某人做某事”
I recommend you to see her at once. 我劝你马上去看她。
The doctor recommended me to take a long rest. 医生劝我长期休养。
recommend doing sth.“建议做某事”
I recommend going by bus. 我建议坐公共汽车去。
She recommended buying this dictionary. 她建议买这本词典。
recommend后还可接that 从句，从句中谓语动词用should+ v.形式，should可省略。
He recommended that they (should) be set free. 我建议释放他们
The teacher recommended that we (should) read the novel. 老师劝我们读读那本小说。
3.1细枝末节
（passage 1）
1．John Milton’s work became famous for _________ .
A. his work is exactly written with sounds, words and grammar
B. his work calls up the feelings, curious images of a dream world
C. his work had a special pattern of rhyme at the end of each line
D. none of the above (key: C)
2．The style and atmosphere in Shelley’ poems is just like the poems of_________ .
A. Marvell and Donne B. Li Bai and Du Fu
C. Auden and Robert Frost D. John Milton (key: B)
3．From the passage， we got the idea(s):_________ .
A. poetry belongs to all human beings
B. poetry plays with sounds， words and grammar
C. poetry often follows special patterns of rhythm and rhyme
D. all of the above (key: D)
(Passage 2 )
4．I like song words because_________ .
A. they are bright B. they are colorful
C. they are greedy D. my feelings given by them are more special (key: D)
5．Choose the best explanation of the word “e-pal”.
A. a machine B. a person C. a piece of information D. a friend online (key: D)
6．From Paragraph 4， we can learn _________ .
A. we should read poems aloud B. poems are strange
C. poems are difficult to understand D.I am special (key: A)
3.2主旨大意
7．What’s the main idea of Passage 1?
A. Poetry is a good bridge to connect the East with the West.
B. Different periods of English poems.
C. Modern poems of English.
D. Differences between Chinese and English poetry. (key: A)
8．What’s the main idea of Passage 2 ?
A. We should read poems with doors closed.
B. We should first sing songs then read poems
C. Reading poems can bring people pleasure just like singing a song.
D. We should first read short poems then long ones. (key: C)
3.3推理判断
9．From Passage 1, we can infer that_________ .
A. we’d better read poems in English
B. translated poems can’t express intrinsic meaning of original poems
C. there is no advantage of reading English poetry in Chinese translation
D. Chinese translation poems are as good as English poems (key: B)
10．From Passage 2, we can infer that_________ .
A. the writer used to like poetry very much
B. songs and poems are the same
C. the writer fell in love with poems as soon as his e-pal told him something
D. now reading poems is part of the writer’s life (key: D)
(The End of the Teaching Design for Unit Four, SEFC 2A)
