Нижний Новгород, 2005 Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета гоу нижегородского государственного лингвистического университета им. Н. А. Добролюбова
Скачать 1.34 Mb.
|
| Part 1. AUDIO-ORAL INDUCTION 1  .1. Listen to the recording of the discussion without looking at the text and say what it is about. What personal qualities are indispensable for the teacher's profession? What pitfalls must a beginning teacher be safeguarded against?- Our topic today is education, or, to be more specific, the teacher's profession. It is common knowledge that the teacher's profession comprises many aspects of other professions and involves quite a lot of indispensable personal characteristics. Carolyn, I hope you don't mind being the first to speak. You have the reputation of being your pupils' best friend. How do you gain their affection? What personal qualities make a good teacher? - I don't think it right to start with self praise. I am not at all sure that I have all the makings of a teacher. I'll just tell you, why I have chosen this profession. I love children and I love French. - But of course you do have the makings of a teacher, hasn't she, Dr. Jones? - I'd say as much. Now, Carolyn, excuse my taking you to pieces, but I can't help it. You're intelligent and have a sense of humour. You're firm but tolerant and patient. You're responsive and easy to deal with, but somehow, you always get your way. You're creative and enthusiastic. You're always punctual. And, last but not least, you speak French like a Frenchwoman. - (Carolyn) I can hardly believe that one person can possess so many virtues! - (Class) But that's true! You really do! ... - If one hasn't these qualities, the primary task is to mould them in oneself. Our profession involves constant self-education and self-sculpture. You're a probationer, Jane, aren't you? What problems have you been confronted with during your first days at school? - They are misbehaviour and breaches of discipline, asserting my authority as a teacher, finding a way with children, adjusting to my colleagues, making contact with parents, et cetera. In fact, the problems are so numerous that they look insurmountable. - Which do you think is the most difficult? - For me, it is maintaining discipline. It is very hard to be firm and exacting without losing touch with children and alienating them. On the other hand, by trying to be popular, showing response and understanding I've failed to assert my authority, I've lost control and they seem to have got out of hand. - They say the best way to assert one's authority is by taking up a firm attitude from the very beginning. The teacher-pupil relationship is a tightrope to be walked. Being too lenient and permissive causes familiarity and familiarity breeds contempt. I'll start by making them know who is boss and by setting my class in order. - (Class) Don't speak too soon! It's easier said than done! We'll live and see! - It is a good idea but it is no easy matter to find a way with children. It is not every beginner that copes with the task from the start. More often than not it takes a lot of experience and patience. - But still, what do I do first thing when I start? What is meant by taking up a firm attitude? Is it punishment? What kind of penalties can be used at school? - (Class) Notifying the pupil's parents! Sending the wrongdoer away from the lesson! Reporting to the Headmaster! Bringing the offender before the form meeting! Detaining them after class! Sentencing them to some work! - Well, all these penalties may be effective in some cases. But in most cases they don't work. Neither does telling-off, shouting, threatening or scaring. I must warn you against overestimating the educational value of punishment. - It all looks rather hopeless. There seems to be no sure way of asserting one's authority. - I'm afraid you're right. There is no universal recipe. It is individual. It involves such qualities as a feeling for atmosphere, resourcefulness, quick wit, a sense of humour and what not. - Society sets a lot of demands on the teacher and education at large. The main responsibility of the teacher is cultivation of human virtues such as honesty and loyalty, compassion and sympathy, inquisitiveness, creativity, love of work. It is my firm belief that the spiritual moulding of a personality comes first! - This list of qualities may be continued and it largely depends on the country. Americans would surely place special emphasis on moulding the sense of the country's cultural values, such as self-reliance, individual freedom and individual achievement. - I've been waiting for an opening to say that all this talk about the teacher's personality and the pupils' spiritual development seems to leave no room for teaching! In my opinion it is teaching that should be the teacher's main concern! - By the way, I have some interesting comparative research data on personal qualities vs teaching skills as evaluated by teachers and children. You'd be surprised at the results! - I'm sure we'd all appreciate your information but I'm afraid it'll have to be next time. Do share it with us at our next meeting. Thank you all for coming and participation! 1.2. Listen to the recording a second time and find answers to the following questions: 1) Why is Carolyn Stilling chosen as the first speaker? 2) What personal qualities is she said to possess that make her a good teacher? 3) What are the problems Jane Page has to deal with? 4) What are the dangers of being too lenient and permissive? 5) What kind of penalties can be used at school? 6) Why does the psychologist say there's no universal recipe? 7) What is the essence of the argument at the end of the discussion? 1  .3. Here is a song that'll help you to memorize some of the new words introduced in the discussion (sung to the tune of "От улыбки станет мир светлей…")Do you know that teaching is an art? Do you know all the makings of a teacher? Many virtues, only minor faults, Quite a lot of splendid qualities and features. They are talent, knowledge, wit, Being punctual and neat, Tact and prudence, and intelligence, and reason, Firmness, humour and the lot, Patience, tolerance, what not, Creativity, enthusiasm and wisdom. Try to be as friendly as you can, Reassuring, encouraging and praising, But don't you fail to hold them all in hand Dealing swiftly with the naughty and the lazy. Use your talent, knowledge, wit... Etc. 1.4. Act as teacher (T.) practising the topical vocabulary and the patterns used in the discussion. To get ready for the lesson, do these things: 1  ) Select the vocabulary to use as substitutes for the underlined words in the models below (use the Topical Vocabulary: "Upbringing"). 2) Prepare hand-outs with the selected vocabulary for your fellow-students to use during class. 3) Give the necessary instruction during class how to do the drill. 4) Conduct the drill. Model 1: St. A: - I think Jane has all the makings of a teacher. St. B: - I'd say as much. She is intelligent and enthusiastic and has a sense of humour. Model 2: St. A: - The problems are so numerous, they seem insurmountable. T.: - Which do you think is the hardest to cope with? St.: - For me, it is adjusting to my colleagues. Model 3: St. A: - How are you getting on with your class? St. B: - I've failed to assert my authority. They've got out of hand. St. A: - Oh, no! It can't be as bad as that. Model 4: St. A: - What do you think is the best way for a teacher to assert her authority? St. B: - By taking up a firm attitude. Model 5: A substitution drill to be done in chorus T: 1. It is no easy-matter to maintain discipline. 2. It takes a lot of experience to find a way with children. 3. Impertinence is very hard to cope with. Model 6: T: - Sending a wrong-doer away from the lesson may be very effective. St: - Oh, no! I disagree! Sending them away doesn't work. Neither does shouting. Model 7: St. A: - What do you think should be the teacher's main concern? St. B: - I'd lay special emphasis on teacher-pupil relationships. 1  .5. Role Play: Psychologists interviewing clients who have professional problems. 1) Distribute the roles and form pairs for the interview. (There should be an equal number of psychologists and clients. The teacher joins the play if the number of students is uneven 2) Choose a situation (one for a pair): Giving professional advice a. to a school-leaver who wants to become a teacher; b. to a probationer who is loved by her pupils but cannot cope with discipline problems; c. to a probationer who has no discipline problems, but has failed to create enthusiasm in class; d. to an experienced teacher who has discovered that she is no longer satisfied with her work; e. to a teenager who admires his teacher of English but can't help being impertinent and rude. Think up some other situations in case you need more for your class. You are also welcome to use your own situations instead of the suggested, in which case, please, keep them a secret from your fellow-students and your teacher, so that they are a novelty when you act them out. 3) Prepare cue-cards with the vocabulary that will serve as props. Useful language: Doubt, Despair, Encouragement, Asking for Advice Giving Advice Could you possibly...? Don't despair! I'm afraid... The devil is not so black as you paint him (as he is painted)! I can't do it! I think the situation is terrible! It can't be as bad as that. Don't lose heart! I'm desperate (frustrated). You must stop worrying and fretting. I've failed. Why not ...? Should I ...? Have you tried ...? Shall I ...? I think you might … Do you think I might ...? You (it) will be getting better every day! Yes, you can! 4) Make up your interview, learn it and act it out in class. 5) Class: Act as psychoanalysts listening to the interviews and exchanging opinions after each one: a. With what problems did the client come to the psychologist? b. What advice did the client get? c. Evaluate the psychologist's advice and professional manner. WRITING ACTIVITIES 1  .6. Write a descriptive essay on the topic "The Teacher(s) I'll Never Forget".Smile and Relax T  eacher - "Johny, can you tell me what a hypocrite is?"Johny – "Yes'm, it's a boy who comes to school these days with a smile on his face." * * * An inspector was paying a hurried visit to a slightly overcrowded school. "Any abnormal children in your class?" he inquired of one harassed-looking teacher. "Yea", she replied, with knitted brow, "two of them have good manners". * * * A school teacher asked the pupils to write short essays and to choose their own subjects. A little girl sent in the following paper: "My subject’s 'Ants'. Ants is of two kinds, insects and lady uncles. Sometimes they live in holes and sometimes they crawl into the sugar-bole, and sometimes they live with their married sisters. That is all I know about ants". * * * Part 2. INTENSIVE READING P  re-reading ActivitiesWriters often turn to subjects and themes connected with teachers and teaching. John Updike (b. 1932) makes a teacher the protagonist of his novel "The Centaur" (1963) and a number of short stories including "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and So Forth". The name of the story is based on a line from Shakespeare's tragedy "Macbeth" (Act V, Scene V). As a discerning reader you will want some background knowledge to interpret and enjoy the story. 2.1. Read up on the following topics and share your information with your fellow-students during class: 1) J. Updike's literary work; 2) the plot and the theme of "Macbeth" and "The Tempest"; 3) the three periods of Shakespeare's creative work; 4) Dante; 5) Jehovah's Witnesses. 2.2. Here is Macbeth's monologue that Mr. Prosser has given his class for discussion and recitation. Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day To the last syllable of recorded time, And all our yesterdays have lighted fools The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets the hour upon the stage And then is heard no more; it is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound, and fury, Signifying nothing. Read the story and compare your understanding of the lines above with the interpretations of Mr. Prosser and his students. Are they close to your ideas? Why has Updike chosen such a name for his story? Watch the stress in "Macbeth" [mqk'beT] and the meaning of 'high school' (Am.) - secondary school, 'student' (Am.) - pupil. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and so Forth Whirling, talking, 11 D began to enter Room 109. From the quality of the class's excitement Mark Prosser guessed it would rain. He had been teaching high school for three years, yet his students still impressed him; they were such sensitive animals. They reacted so infallibly to mere barometric pressure. In the doorway, Brute Young paused while little Barry Snyder giggled at his elbow. Barry's stagy laugh rose and fell, dipping down towards some vile secret that had to be tasted and retasted, then soaring like a rocket to proclaim that he, little Barry, shared such a secret with the school's fullback. Being Brute's stooge1 was precious to Barry. (...) Right under Prosser's eyes someone yanked out Geoffrey Langer's shirt-tail. Geoffrey, a bright student, was uncertain whether to laugh it off or defend himself with anger, and made a weak, half-turning gesture of compromise, wearing an expression of distant arrogance that Prosser instantly coordinated with baffled feelings he used to have. (...) "Take your seats" Mr. Prosser said. "Come on. Let's go." Most obeyed, but Peter Forrester, who had been at the center of the group around Gloria, still lingered in the doorway with her, finishing some story, apparently determined to make her laugh or gasp. When she did gasp, he tossed his head with satisfaction. His orange hair, preened into a kind of floating bang, bobbed. Mark had always disliked red-headed males, with their white eye-lashes and puffy faces and thyroid2 eyes, and absurdly self-confident mouths. A race of bluffers. His own hair was brown. When Gloria, moving in a considered, stately way, had taken her seat, and Peter had swerved into his, Mr. Prosser said, "Peter Forrester." "Yes?" Peter rose, scrabbling through the book for the right place. "Kindly tell the class the exact meaning of the words "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow Creeps in this petty pace from day to day." Peter glanced down at the high-school edition of Macbeth lying open on his desk. One of the duller girls tittered expectantly from the back of the room. Peter was popular with the girls; girls that age had minds like moths. "Peter. With your book shut. We have all memorized this passage for today. Remember?" The girl in the back of the room squealed in delight. Gloria laid her book face-open on her desk, where Peter could see it. Peter shut his book with a bang and stared into Gloria's. "Why", he said at last, "I think it means pretty much what it says." "Which is?" "Why, that tomorrow is something that we often think about. It creeps into our conversation all the time. We couldn't make any plans without thinking about tomorrow." "I see. Then you would say that Macbeth is here referring to the date-book aspect of life?" Geoffrey Langer laughed, no doubt to please Mr. Prosser. For a moment, he was pleased. Then he realized he had been playing for laughs at a student's expense. His paraphrase made Peter's reading of the lines seem more ridiculous than it was. He began to retract. "I admit..." But Peter was going on; redheads never know when to quit. "Macbeth means that if we quit worrying about tomorrow, and just live for today, we could appreciate all the wonderful things that are going on under our noses." Mark considered this a moment before he spoke. He would not be sarcastic. "Uh, without denying that there is truth in what you say, Peter, do you think it likely that Macbeth, in his situation, would be expressing such" - he couldn't help himself - "such sunny sentiments?" Geoffrey laughed again. Peter's neck reddened; he studied the floor. Gloria glared at Mr. Prosser, the indignation in her face clearly meant for him to see. Mark hurried to undo his mistake. "Don't misunderstand me, please," he told Peter. "I don't have all the answers myself. But it seems to me the whole speech down to "Signifying nothing" is saying that life is - well, a fraud. Nothing wonderful about it." "Did Shakespeare really think that?" Geoffrey Langer asked, a nervous quickness pitching his voice high. Mark read into3 Geoffrey's question his own adolescent premonitions of the terrible truth. The attempt he must make was plain. He told Peter he could sit down and looked through the window toward the steadying sky. The clouds were gaining intensity. "There is", Mr. Prosser slowly began, "much darkness in Shakespeare's work, and no play is darker than 'Macbeth'. The atmosphere is poisonous, oppressive. One critic has said that in this play, humanity suffocates". He felt himself in danger of suffocating and cleared his throat. "In the middle of his career, Shakespeare wrote plays about men like Hamlet and Othello and Macbeth - men who aren't allowed by their society, or bad luck, or some minor flaw4 in themselves, to become the great men they might have been. Even Shakespeare's comedies of this period deal with a world gone sour5. It is as if he had seen through the bright bold surface of his earlier comedies and histories and had looked upon something terrible. It frightened him, just as some day it might frighten some of you". In his determination to find the right words, he had been staring at Gloria, without meaning to. Embarrassed, she nodded, and, realizing what had happened, he smiled at her. He tried to make his remarks gentler, even diffident. "But then I think Shakespeare sensed a redeeming truth. His last plays are serene and symbolical, as if he had pierced through the ugly facts, and reached a realm where the facts are again beautiful. In this way, Shakespeare's total work is a more complete image of life than that of any other writer, except perhaps for Dante, an Italian poet who wrote several centuries earlier”. He had been taken far from the Macbeth soliloquy. Other teachers had been happy to tell him how the kids made a game of getting him talking. He looked toward Geoffrey. The boy was doodling on his tablet, indifferent. Mr. Prosser concluded, "The last play Shakespeare wrote is an extraordinary poem called. "The Tempest". Some of you may want to read it for your next book reports - the ones due May 10th. It's a short play". The class had been taking a holiday. Barry Snyder was snicking BBs off the blackboard6 and glancing over at Brute Young to see if he noticed. "Once more, Barry", Mr. Prosser said, "and out you go". Barry blushed and grinned, to cover the blush, his eyeballs sliding towards Brute. The dull girl in the rear of the room was putting on lipstick. "Put that away, Alice," Prosser said. "This isn't a beauty parlour". Sejak, the Polish boy, who worked nights, was asleep at his desk, his cheek white with pressure against the varnished wood, his mouth sagging sidewise. Mr. Prosser had an impulse to let him sleep. But (...) one breach of discipline encouraged others. He strode down the aisle and squeezed Sejak's shoulder; the boy awoke. A mumble was growing at the front of the room. Peter Forrester was whispering to Gloria, trying to make her laugh. The girl's face, though, was cool and solemn, as if a thought had been provoked in her head - as if there lingered something of what Mr. Prosser had been saying. With a bracing sense of chivalrous intercession, Mark said, "Peter, I gather from this noise that you have something to add to your theories". Peter responded courteously. "No, sir. I honestly don't understand the speech. Please, sir, what does it mean?" This candid admission and odd request stunned the class. Every white, round face, eager, for once, to learn, turned toward Mark. He said, "I don't know. I was hoping you would tell me." In college, when a professor made such a remark, it was with grand effect. The professor's humility, the necessity for creative interplay between teacher and student were dramatically impressed upon the group. But to 11D ignorance in an instructor was as wrong as a hole in a roof. It was as if Mark had held forty strings pulling forty faces taut toward him and then had slashed the strings. Heads waggled, eyes dropped, voices buzzed. Some of the discipline problems, like Peter Forrester, smirked signals to one another. "Quiet!" Mr. Prosser shouted. "All of you. Poetry isn't arithmetic. There's no single right answer. I don't want to force my impression on you; that's not why I'm here." The silent question, "Why are you here?", seemed to steady the air with suspense. "I'm here," he said, "to let you teach yourselves." Whether or not they believed him, they subsided, somewhat. Mark judged he could safely reassume his human-among-humans pose. He perched on the edge of the desk, informal, friend1y and frankly beseeching. "Now, honestly. Don't any of you have some personal feelings about the lines that you would like to share with the class and me?" One hand, with a flowered handkerchief balled in it, unsteadily rose. "Go ahead, Teresa," Mr. Prosser said. She was a timid, sniffy girl whose mother was a Jehovah's Witness. "It makes me think of cloud shadows", Teresa said. Geoffrey Langer laughed. "Don't be rude, Geoff," Mr. Prosser said sideways, softly, before throwing his voice forward: "Thank you, Teresa. I think that's an interesting and valid impression. Cloud movement has something in it of the slow, monotonous rhythm one feels in the line "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow." It's a very gray line, isn't it, class?" No one agreed or disagreed. Beyond the windows actual clouds were bunching rapidly, and erratic sections of sunlight slid around the room. Gloria's arm, crooked gracefully above her head, turned, gold. "Gloria?" Mr. Prosser asked. She looked up from something on her desk with a face of sullen radiance. "I think what Teresa said was very good," she said, glaring in the direction of Geoffrey Langer. Geoffrey snickered defiantly. "And I have a question. What does "petty pace" mean?" "It means the trivial day-to-day sort of life that, say, a bookkeeper or a bank clerk leads. Or a schoolteacher," he said, smiling. She did not smile back. Thought wrinkles irritated her perfect brow. "But Macbeth has been fighting wars, and killing kings, and being a king himself, and all, "she pointed out. "Yes, but it's just these acts Macbeth is condemning as "nothing". Can you see that?" Gloria shook her head. "Another thing I worry about - isn't it silly for Macbeth to be talking to himself right in the middle of this war, with his wife just dead, and all?" "I don't think so, Gloria. No matter how fast events happen, thought is faster." His answer was weak; everyone knew it, even if Gloria hadn't mused, supposedly to herself, but in a voice, the entire class could hear, "It seems so stupid." Mark winced, pierced by the awful clarity with which his students saw him. Through their eyes, how queer he looked, with his chalky hands, and his horn-rimmed glasses, and his hair never slicked down, all wrapped up in "literature", where, when things get rough, the king mumbles a poem nobody understands. He was suddenly conscious of a terrible tenderness in the young, a frightening patience and faith. It was so good of them not to laugh him out of the room. He looked down and rubbed his fingertips together, trying to erase the chalk dust. The class noise sifted into unnatural quiet. "It's getting late," he said finally. "Let's start the recitations of the memorized passage. Bernard Amilson, you begin." * * * Notes  1. stooge (coll.) - here: person acting a subordinate role to sb. (cf. the Russian "шестерка")2. thyroid eyes - protruding eyes, as if caused by thyroid disease 3. to read into - to understand 4. flaw - here: drawback, failing, shortcoming 5. a world gone sour - a world that had become dark, hostile, sinister 6. snicking BBs off the blackboard - aiming shots at the blackboard. Skimming 2.3. Choose the right answer and prove your point of view. 1) Why did Mark think it would rain? a. ... because he had looked at the barometer in the morning. b. ... because the sky was covered with clouds. c. ... because the children were excited and unruly. 2) Why did he choose Peter Forrester as the first to speak? a. ... because he expected Peter to make a clever observation. b. ... because he expected Peter to give a stupid answer and make a fool of himself. c. ... it was a random choice: anybody could have been in Peter's place. 3) How did the teacher characterize Shakespeare's plays? a. He said that Shakespeare's later works presented the beautiful facts of life. b. He said that all of his plays were dark and the atmosphere was poisonous, oppressive. c. He said that Shakespeare saw only ugly facts of life. 4) How much were the children involved in the discussion of Macbeth? a. They were all enthusiastic and showed adequate response. b. Some of them were genuinely interested, asked intelligent questions and gave adequate interpretations, while others were indifferent. c. They were all taking a holiday while Mr. Prosser was talking. 5) How did Mr. Prosser react to the atmosphere in the classroom? a. He was flexible and understanding and did his best to create a mood. b. He was annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm and especially by Gloria's words: "It seems so stupid." c. He was cool and self-possessed and continued the lesson unemotionally. 2.4. Give the plot of the passage in a summary of 8-10 sentences. 2.5. Speak about your understanding of Macbeth's monologue and compare it with that of Mr. Prosser and his class. Comment on the title of the story. 2.6. Speak of your first impression of Mr. Prosser as a teacher. Related Activities Before scanning the text for interpretation and analysis go through the exercises suggested below whose aim is to draw your attention to the reading, spelling, lexical and grammatical difficulties, and points of interest. Reading Technique and Spelling Activities 2.7. Choose a passage of 10-12 lines for good reading. Read it aloud in class. 2.8. Listen to any available recording of Shakespeare or any poetry and get ready with Macbeth's monologue for recitation contest. Do the following: 1) Classify the words for practising the speech sounds; e.g.: [o:] : recorded, walking, more [k, p, t] : creeps, petty, pace, time, etc. 2) Mark the intonation. 3 ) Get ready to act as teacher practising the sounds and intonation, listening to and correcting your classmates' reading. Remember to use adequate classroom English.4) Elect the Jury and explain to them their functions. 5) Hold the recitation contest and award the winners. 2.9. Look up in the dictionary and practise the pronunciation of the following international words: Gesture, compromise, absurd (-ly, -ity), aspect, realise (-ation), paraphrase, intense (-ify, -ive, -ity), effect (-ive, -ively, -ivity), dramatic (-al, -ally), monotony (-ous, -ously), rhythm (-ic, -ical, -ically), grace (-fu1, -fully). 2.10. Watch the difference in the stress patterns of the following international related words; design similar exercises of your own: Barometer - barometric process - procession coordinate - coordination sarcasm - sarcastic atmosphere - atmospheric period - periodical symbol - symbolic(al) impulse - impulsive discipline - disciplinary drama - dramatic sentiment - sentimental arithmetic, n. - arithmetic, adj. secret - secretive 2 .11. Make your classmates transcribe and read the words from ex-s 2.9-2.10. Comment on their transcription and reading.2.12. Formulate the rules governing the spelling of the following words: 1) arrogance, apparently, attention, appreciate; 2) dipping, bobbed, referring, redden, sagging, buzzed, hornrimmed; 3) giggle, baffle, scrabble, waggle, middle; 4) guess, toss, impress, embarrass, pressure, admission, class. Supplement the lists with more items following the same rules. 2.13. Look up the pronunciation and watch the spelling of the words below. Explain the spelling and pronunciation difficulties. Macbeth, Shakespeare, absurd, sarcasm, effect, suspense, aisle, solemn, chivalrous, adolescent, discipline, realm, infallibly, arithmetic, symbol, rhythm, soliloquy, condemn. Word Study Activities 2.14. Consult an English-English dictionary for the meaning and use of the words and phrases listed below. Supplement the list with more phrases built with the suggested words. Use the words and phrases in the context of the story under study and in the context of your set book. be determined (determine, determination) be popular with sb. (popularity) appreciate (appreciating, appreciation) be (un)conscious of (consciousness, conscience, conscientious, conscientiousness) sensitive; sense, sensible, sensibility, sensitivity, senseless share a secret with sb. laugh sth. off arrogance; arrogant self-confident; confidence; confide play for laughs at sb.'s expense ridiculous; ridicule fraud; fraudulent premonition have an impulse to do sth. baffled; baffle, baffling adolescent; adolescence encourage; discourage, -ment, -ing creative; create, creativity ignorance; ignore, ignorant force one's impression on sb. trivial; triviality defiantly; defiant, defiance 2.15. Paraphrase or elaborate the following sentences in any possible way using words related to the underlined. Model: A. From the quality of the class's excitement Mark Prosser guessed it would rain. B. The children were excited and Mark Prosser guessed it would rain. 1) Geoffrey was wearing an expression of distant arrogance. 2) Peter was apparently determined to make her gasp. When she did gasp he tossed his head with satisfaction. 3) The girl squealed in delight. 4) He did not want to be sarcastic. 5) Gloria glared at Mr. Prosser, the indignation in her face clearly meant for him to see. 6) Geoffrey Langer asked a question, a nervous quickness pitching his voice high. 7) The boy was doodling on his tablet, indifferently. 8) Peter responded courteously. 9) This candid admission stunned the class. 10) She looked up ... with a face of sullen radiance. 11) Geoffrey snickered defiantly. 12) He was suddenly conscious of a terrible tenderness in the young, a frightening patience and faith. 2.16. Consult Y.D. Apresyan's "Dictionary of Synonyms" for the meanings of 'odd', 'queer' and their synonyms. Comment on and illustrate the difference in meaning using them in sentences of your own, preferably in the context of the story or your set book. What is referred to as 'odd' in the story? What is described as 'queer'? What could be referred to as 'strange', 'quaint' 'peculiar', 'outlandish', 'curious'? 2.17. The way Gloria looked at Mr. Prosser and at Geoffrey is conveyed by the author with the verb 'glare'. What is the meaning of 'glare' judging by the context in which it is used? Consult the reference book "English Synonyms" by A. Gandelsman for the synonyms. 2.18. Draw faces of people who are staring, glaring, gaping, gazing. Explain which and why, using the definitions you have found for ex. 2.17. 2 .19. Design your own exercises to make your fellow students practise the words and phrases of ex-s 2.14-2.18 in mechanical and meaningful drills.Examples of Mechanical Drills: 1) Give adjectives related to the following nouns: impulse, sarcasm, fraud ... 2) Give nouns related to the following adjectives: adolescent, ignorant, absurd ... 3) Give verbs related to the nouns: confidence, ridicule, symbol ... 4) Give phrases with the following words: expense, popular, impulse ... 5) Give synonyms (supply one paired member). 6) Give antonyms (supply one paired member). Examples of Meaningful Drills: 7) Finish the sentence using: a) a suitable related word; b) a synonym; c) an antonym. E.g.: Though he was determined to keep patience, it was hard to be ... (patient) 8) Paraphrase a sentence using a) a related word; b) a synonym; c) an antonym. 9) Answer the questions. 2.20. Act as teacher during class organising learning activity with your exercises. Remedial Activities Patterns to Activise: He had been teaching high school for three years. ... as if he had seen through the bright surface … the great men they might have been … . We couldn't make any plans without thinking about tomorrow. ... isn't it silly for Macbeth to be talking to himself ... ... how queer he looked ... ... with his hair never sleeked out ... 2.21. Pick out from the text sentences with perfect forms, define them end explain their use. 2.22. Finish the sentence or add another one with a suitable perfect verb form. Act as teacher making your classmates go over the exercise in class. Model: T.: Mark Prosser was not a beginner. He ... (three years) St.: Mark Prosser was not a beginner. He had been teaching high school for three years. 1) Mark Prosser chose Peter as the first to speak because he was annoyed. He ... (always) 2) Having made Peter look a fool he felt ashamed, because he ... (at a student's expense) 3) In the middle of his career Shakespeare wrote tragic and dark plays as if ... (something terrible) 4) His last plays were serene and symbolic as if (a beatiful realm) 5) Mark suddenly realized he ... (from the Macbeth soliloquy) 6) He knew children made a game of getting him talking. Other teachers ... 7) He suddenly saw ... (a holiday) 8) Gloria was indifferent to Peter's attempts to make her laugh. Her face was solemn as if ... 9) She was thinking of some thing the teacher ... 10) She could not understand why Macbeth thought life to be trivial because he ... 2.23. Revise the use of gerunds with the prepositions 'after', 'before', 'because of', 'in spite of', 'instead of', 'on', 'without'. Make up sentences of your own to use in the context of the story. 2.24. Revise the use of infinitive for-phrases and make up questions with them. Act as teacher asking the questions. Model: Why was it easy for Mark to understand his pupils? Did he deliberately make fun of Peter for the class to laugh at him? 2.25. Paraphrase the sentences as in the model. Model: T.: He looked queer with his chalky hands and rumpled hair. St.: How queer he looked! 1) Being Brute's stooge was precious to Barry. 2) Geoffrey was baffled and uncertain. 3) Peter was satisfied he had made Gloria gasp. 4) Peter was popular with the girls. 5) The girl in the back row was delighted. 6) He made Peter's reading of the lines ridiculous. 7) Gloria was indignant at his making fun of Peter. 8) Peter's candid admission of ignorance was odd. 9) Gloria's face was cool and solemn. 10) Teresa's impression of the lines was valid and interesting. 2.26. Do exercise 2.25 with a different model. Model: He looked queer ... He realized how queer he looked with his chalky hands. Begin your sentences with: Mark realized / saw / understood / noticed / remarked ... 2 .27. Design an exercise to give your classmates some practice in the use of the Absolute Nominative Construction.(The preposition "with" is optional in this construction. The difference is stylistic. The use of "with" is neutral, while the absence of "with" is formal.) Model: T.: The class was so excited and noisy that Mark realized it was going to rain. St.: With the class so excited and noisy, Mark realized it was going to rain.  ScanningTo interpret the story, read it again for the minutest details and implications. 2.28. Divide the story into as many equal parts as there are students in your class. Make up detailed questions about each part (one for a student). Here is a sample of the work you should do. Paragraph 1. Who came into the classroom? What does '11D' stand for? Why does the author mention the number of the room? Isn't it irrelevant? What grade did Mark Prosser teach? How many years had he been teaching? In what manner did the children enter the classroom? Was it their first lesson? Why did Mark think it would rain? Why does he refer to them as "sensitive animals'? Isn't it humiliating? Why does the author use the verb "impress"? What was the children's reaction to the change of the barometric pressure? 2.29. Pair work: Discuss the questions in class. 2.30. Group work: Discuss the questions you are still uncertain about after pair work. 2.31. Paraphrase and comment on the following: 1) A race of bluffers. 2) One of the duller girls tittered expectantly. 3) … he couldn't help himself … . 4) Mark hurried to undo his mistake. 5) He felt himself in danger of suffocating. 6) ... they subsided, somewhat. 7) Geoffrey snickered defiantly. 8) His answer was weak ... . 9) It was good of them not to laugh him out of the room. 2.32. Let us now return to your first impression of Mark Prosser as a teacher. You have read the text several times by now. Has your first impression changed? Whether or not, can you give some evidence from the story off-hand to elaborate your point of view? 2.33. Text Interpretation 1) Into how many parts would you divide the excerpt? Write an outline, heading the parts. 2) You are hardly likely to have differences of opinion about the first part which is the setting of the story. What is the author's aim? To describe the children? To create an atmosphere? To characterize Mr. Prosser? What kind of atmosphere does he create? By what means does he characterize Mark? Useful language: sensitive, intuitive, observant, to have a gift for psychological analysis, to give/have a penetrating insight into, to characterize indirectly. 3) Speak about the children the author makes mention of. How many children does the author introduce? What does the reader learn of them individually and as a class to deal with? 4) What is Mark's attitude to the children? Does he treat them as a mass? Does he like them all? Does he give himself away? What is the central conflict? Are there any others? 5) What is his philosophy of teaching? Find and read out the sentences proving your point of view. 6) What is the climax of the story? 7) How does the excerpt end? Do you think Mark's emotions and thoughts, as given in the end, to be something out of the ordinary or quite common for a teacher? 8) The author refers to the protagonist as Mr. Prosser, Prosser, Mark Prosser, Mark. Are these denominations used indiscriminately and are they easily replaceable? Prove your point of view. 9) Analyse the language of the story. Find the linguistic means the author resorts to (choice of words, metaphors, metonymies, similes, oxymora) to convey emotion, suspense, climax. 10) Speak on the theme of the story. How is it connected with Macbeth's monologue? Or is it? 2.34. Summarize the discussion suggested in ex-s 2.32-2.33 and get ready to interpret the text in a lengthy monologue. Look up the Topical Vocabulary: “Text Interpretation”. Follow-up Activities 2 .35. Prepare and act out a role play - discuss Mark Prosser's lesson as three observers: two strongly biased observers - an admirer and a critic of Mark's lesson, and an unbiased observer seeing the pros as well as the cons.1) Form groups of three, choose or distribute the roles. 2) Find and write out useful vocabulary for your role (Topical Vocabulary: “Upbringing”). 3) Act out the role play in class. 2.36. Read the story to the end (in the book "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and So Forth", M., 1982) and discuss it in class. Does the general mood of the story change by the end? Has the end of the story enriched your impression of Mark Prosser? Is his character presented statically or dynamically? 2.37. Act out these scenes: 1) Mark and Gloria; 2) Mark and David Strunk; 3) Mark and his wife. writing activities 2 .38. Choose one of the suggestions for various types of essays:1) What makes writers choose a teacher as their medium for seeing life and their mouthpiece? 2) Why do you (not) read Shakespeare. 3) Your memories of lessons at school. Can they be compared with Mr. Prosser's lesson? 2.39. Read and interpret on your own "A Bushel of Learning" after G. Durrel (School Stories, M., 1983) Smile and Relax T he lecturer in English was taking his students through "The Merchant of Venice". At the speech beginning 'the quality of mercy is not strained' a question was asked about the word 'strained': was it used in the sense that a muscle was strained or in the sense that tea was strained through a strainer? The lecturer was baffled. He looked intently at his text. Then suddenly his face relaxed and he replied in triumph, "But it says it is NOT strained – so the question doesn't arise!"* * * Teacher - "Johnny, who was Anne Boleyn?" Johnny - "Anne Boleyn was a flat-iron." - What on earth do you mean? - Well, it says here in the history book 'Henry, having disposed of Catherine, pressed his suit with Anne Boleyn." * * * First Student - "Great Scott! I've forgotten who wrote ‘Ivanhoe’ ." Second Ditto - "I'll tell you if you tell me who the dickens wrote 'The Tale of Two Cities'." * * * "Our economics prof talks to himself. Does yours?" "Yes, but he doesn't realize it - he thinks we're listening." * * * |
Похожие:
 | Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета гоу нглу им. Н. А. Добролюбова | | Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Адыгейского государственного университета |
| Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета гоу нглу им. Н. А. Добролюбова. Специальность: 022600 – тмпияк. Дисциплины:... | | Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Мурманского государственного педагогического университета |
| Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Мурманского государственного педагогического университета | | Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Мурманского государственного педагогического университета |
| Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Мурманского государственного педагогического университета | | Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Восточно-Сибирского государственного технологического университета |
| Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского совета Мурманского государственного гуманитарного университета | | Печатается по решению редакционно-издательского Совета Мурманского государственного педагогического университета |