逍遥学能 2014-06-23 13:07
[关键词] 高中英语 写作 有效性教学
有效性教学就是用科学的方法和手段有效地达到教学目标的教学活动。根据《普通高中英语课程标准》(实验)的要求,教师在设计教学任务时,要根据教学目标和学生的实际水平,开展有助于学生学习英语知识和发展语言技能的教学活动,并通过设计和实施各种教学活动提高学生的语言运用能力,使学生的思维能力、想象力、合作能力及创造力等综合素质和到发展。但长期以来,如何有效地进行英语写作教学一直困扰着广大高中英语教师。教师只埋头于批改作文中的语法和词汇等细节性错误,工作量巨大,结果形成了“学生听到写作心烦,教师见到习作头痛”的局面。这不得不引起英语教师的深思,尝试从学生写作中存在的问题,写作困境的成因,反思高中英语写作教学,探索其训练策略。笔者结合近十年从事高中英语教学的体会认为要想让自己的写作教学有效应从以下几方面入手。
一、遣词造句,由浅入深
虽然书面造句还不能算真正的表达思想,但很难想像不会造句的同学能写出英文来。英语属于结构语言,最有效的办法是教师要加强五种基本句型结构教学。五种基本句型是:①S+V. ② S+V+O. ③ S+V+O+O. ④ S+V+P ⑤ S+V+O+C要让学生把这五种基本句型记牢,不断运用,操作过程要重视二方面训练:
1、将句型作为一个基点,进行句型、句式、语态的转换,把陈述句转换成疑问句、肯定句转换成否定句、主动语态转换成被动语态,由简单句到复合句等的练习。通过简单、直观的句型教学,可以把语法规则、词汇搭配、课文重点都融入其中,反复操练,使原来各成系统的语法、词汇、课文内容真正达到相互结合使用。
2、进行组词、组句、组句成段练习时,要求学生尽可能多地写出合适的句子结构,为以后英语作文打好扎实的基础。瑟雷称这种能力为“策略能力”,即在遇到障碍时能灵活机动地跨越障碍,成功地向交际对方表情达意的能力。有些学生凭有限的单词便能表达自如,靠的就是这种能力。如 “不管他的肤色、性别、民族是什么,人生下来是平等的。”(NSEFC Book 2B,Page 31)这个句可以有以下多种表达形式:
① Every one is born equal in spite of his colour, sex and nation.
② Every one is born equal despite his colour, sex and nation.
③ Every one is born equal, regardless of his colour, sex and nation.
④ Every one is born equal, whatever his colour, sex and nation are.
⑤ Every one is born equal, no matter what his colour, sex and nation are.
这种用多种形式表达同一个意思的训练能为学生的英语写作打下扎实的基础。英语书面表达能力的培养和提高也是这样,它必须经过由浅入深、由简到繁、循序渐进、一环紧扣一环地进行训练。应该说,培养中学生英语写作能力仍是中学英语教学改革中必须认真研究的一个课题。笔者总结了近几年来从事中学英语写作的实践体会,旨在对中学生提高英语写作能力有所帮助。
此项训练的主要目的是培养学生把语法项目、教材内容和文章体裁有机结合起来的能力,笔者在教学实践中初步形成了英语写作教学的基本模式:
第一步,重视口头表达,为英文写作打好基础。
教师在课堂上可以通过值日生报告,根据课文内容提问题,故事梗概的介绍,根据图画说句子等丰富多彩的口头训练形式,培养学生的口头表达能力。
例如,当教第二册Unit8的短文“BILL GATES”时,教师可先让学生默读几分钟,然后根据课文内容提出下列问题:
(T—teacher,S—student)
T: When was Bill Gates born?
S: He was born on October28,1955.
T: What was his favourite subject at school?
S: His favourite subjects ware science and maths.
T: Please say something about his great contribution to the computer in his life?
S: When he was 17 years old,he worked out a software program.In1973,he developed the Basic Language for the first microcomputer. Two years later,he started a company called Microsoft. Later,he devoloped software for personal computers.
这样,学生在回答问题时,既听懂了老师的问题,又训练了口语,同时也增加了对课文的理解,这有利于培养学生用英语思维和口头表达的交际能力,为英文写作打下了坚实的基础。
第二步,仿写
仿写即仿照有关内容写一篇类似的短文。如JEFC第二册练习册第三页练习3是一篇短文,学生读了后,就可仿写一篇题为My Favourite Month的短文。学生有文可依,又是写自己所熟悉的内容,自然兴趣很高,也容易写好。下面习作可说明这一点。
例: My favourite month is October.It is in autumn.The weather is cool. It is harvest time and we can have a lot of fruits. And Chinese Mid-Autumn Day is often in this month.On that day, I can eat many different kinds of mooncakes.
第三步,引导学生写
引导学生书面表达有许多形式,教师要从学生“学”的角度来设计教学活动,使学生的学习活动具有明确目标,并构成一个有梯度的连续活动。笔者首先采用给出文中的关键词或短语,引导学生列出写作提纲,这样学生在书面表达时可减少审题环节,不让学生感觉无从下笔,而且学生很容易理清写作思路,例如在学了高二上册Unit6 Canada一课时,可以给出如下内容,让学生写一篇以China为题的短文。附:the third largest, largest, larger than, cover, the population of China, the capital, language, the weather, different from, the temperature, fall to, the average temperature, be famous for, be rich in, natural resources等。这样,在教师的引导、帮助下,学生写起来顿感思路清晰,稍加发挥,一篇完整的短文就很容易写成了。这样由浅入深的训练方式,开始能让学生产生成就感,渐渐地学生对书面表达产生了兴趣,克服了恐惧心理,从写作中获得了成功的快乐,树立了写作的信心。
三、语言升级强化,提升写作品味
学生在平时掌握了一些好的语言材料,要把积累起来的语言材料转化为笔头上的文章,还需要一个强化训练的过程。因此,教师应当帮助学生增强运用精彩的语言材料的意识,使他们的作文在原有的表达水平上产生质的飞跃。
下面是几种经实践证实比较有效的方法:
1、同义选优
所谓“同义选优”,就是用比较好的表达方式来替换原始的、基础的同义表达方式。这其实是“单纯意思的多种表达”的针对性训练。下面是10个要求用更好的表达来替换划线部分表达的例题:
①Although he is wealthy, he lives a simple life..
②It is impossible.
③English is important.
④He is ready to help others.
⑤He is worried about his exam.
答案:
①Despite the fact
②out of the question
③of great importance / a matter of great importance / matters a great deal , etc
④willing / content
⑤concerned
这样的训练做得多了,学生可以养成讲究用用词的好习惯,基本上可以让普通词在学生的书面表达中“下岗”。而老师干脆可以列一份普通词禁用清单,学生彻底地学会用一些精彩的语言材料来表达自己的思想,可谓事半功倍。
2、加词拓展
有些学生习以为常的简单表达,语法上没什么错误,意思也很明白,但完全可以通过拓展句子结构来达到提高语言表达精彩度的目的。下面是一些例子:
①He is friendly. -He is more than just friendly.
②She lay in bed.-She lay in bed , awake, listening to the rushing winds outside.
③I believe that he will succeed. -I believe firmly that he will succeed.
通过拓展,上面的“我相信”变成了“我坚信”,意思表达得更具体、更到位了,其它例子也是一样。
3、通篇提升
可以随便选取一篇文章,或是学生自己写的,或是书本上的。然后叫学生对该篇文章用更精彩贴切的表达句式进行综合提升。下面这个例子来自高一课本第75页关于猫王Elvis Presley 的两段话:
Elvis Presley, who was born in 1935 and died in 1977, was a world-famous pop star and will always be loved by his fans from different countries.
Elvis’s parents were very poor and lived in a two-room house. He started singing when he was when he was eight. For his eleventh birthday, Elvis wanted a bicycle but was given a guitar by his parents.
经过学生集体讨论,该两段改为:
Born in 1935, Elvis Presley was world-famous as a remarkable pop star. Despite his death in 1977, he will always be well-received by his fans from all the corners of the world.
Elvis’ parents led a miserable life and lived in a two-room house. He got down to singing at the age of two. He was skilled at singing when he was an eight-year-old youngster. For his eleventh birthday, Elvis wished for a bicycle but was given away a guitar by his parents.
不难看出,经过提升后的两段话里用了不少高级词汇和复杂句型,文章的档次上去了。更重要的是,经过这样的提升,学生推敲词句的水平得到增强,在以后的表达中自然会更加注意运用一些高层次的语言要素。他们不是做不到,而是平时我们做老师的都把这些环节忽视了,以致于学生只管读懂文章,然后搞清其中一些语法,再记住一些重要词汇和句型,这样的学习自然对提高学生的表达水平帮助不大。
四、批改和讲评是有效教学的升华
作文的批改和讲评是写作教学的最后一个环节,也是不可或缺、极其重要的一个环节。由于班级人数多,批改的工作量很大。如果不批改,作文中的错误得不到及时纠正,写得再多也收效甚微;但在批改过程中,如果抓住学生的错误不放,有错必纠,改到最后,往往就变成了老师自己的文章。因此,教师可以让学生动手参与,互相评改。互相评改在美国宝的写作教学中占有特殊重要的地位,教师十分重视学生之间的相互影响,认为学生是教学的主体,学生之间加强合作、互教互学。由于学生之间的了解更深刻,他们之间的相互交流往往能收到很好的效果。而当学生意识到教师并不是文章的唯一读者时,他们会更认真的写好作文。因此,让学生相互传阅和批改作文不仅增加了写作时的真实感,更重要的是能训练学生的语言意识和敏感性。训练学生在规定时间写完,同学之间相互批改,重新行文后再上交,这样教师批改起来就更轻松,而且很容易找出典型错误,有利于讲评。对于课后作文可以让学生相互批改后从中选出好、中、差的作文进行批阅,从中找出学生作文中存在的普遍性问题,记录下来,课上讲评总结;也可以在批改时,只把其中错误划出,让学生自己动手改错后再给老师看。这样,学生通过动脑、动手纠正错误而印象更深、提高更快。
作文讲评时教师要表扬并宣读好的课后作文,指出学生在分析审题、逻辑思维等方面存在的典型错误和问题,并归纳总结某一些套句,如:
1、表示变化的句子:
①Some changes have taken place in the past five years.
②A great change will certainly be produced in the world’s communications.
③The computer has brought about many changes in education.
2、表示重要、必要、困难、方便、可能的句子:
①It is important(necessary,difficult,convenient, possible)for sb.to do sth.
②We think it necessary to do sth.
③It plays an important role in our life.
3、表示看法的句子:
①People have(take,adopt,assume)different attitudes towards sth.
②People have different opinions on this problem.
③People take different views of(on)the question.
④Some people believe that...Others argue that...
4、表示事实、现状的句子:
①We cannot ignore the fact that...
②No one can deny the fact that...
③There is no denying the fact that...
④This is a phenomenon that many people are interested in.
⑤However,that’s not the case.
5、表示结论的句子:
①In short,it can be said that ...
②It may be briefly summed up as follows.
③From what has been mentioned above,we can come to the conclusion that ...
6、一句多译:
①他宁愿工作,也不愿在家休息。
He would rather work than have a rest at home.
He prefers to work than have a rest at home .
He prefers working to having a rest at home.
②这个地方值得参观。
The place is worth visiting.
The place is worthy of being visited.
The place is worthy of a visit.
The place is worthy to be visited.
③我住在一个房子里,这个房子的窗户面向南。
I live in a house, whose window faces the south.
I live in a house, the window of which faces the south.
I live in a house; its window faces the south.
I live in a house, and its window faces the south.
这样,学生再碰到类似的句型就不怕了。
总之,拥有刻苦钻研的精神和科学的操作方法,经过有效性教学和长期的训练,可以使学生驾驭语言的能力突飞猛进,能有效地提升英语写作水平。当然,以上只是笔者在教学实践过程中的浅显感受,高中英语写作的有效性教学需要更多的教育同仁不断地探索、不断地完善和发展。
参考文献
1、张国荣,“支架”理论在英语写作教学中的应用,[ J] 外语与外语教学,2004(9)
2、李森,改进英语写作教学的重要举措:过程教学法,[ J]外语界,2000(1)
3、黄莹,从“程序写作教学法”得到的启示——兼评《英语写作教学》[J],福建商业高等专科学校学报2004(10)
4、赵群英,“高中英语写作教学中应注意的几个问题”,中小学外语教学2008(1)