Content analysis

【What】本堂课的语篇是一篇介绍中国春节传统习俗的说明文。语篇分为四段，第一段概括性介绍春节是一个持续15天的、被认为是中国最重要的节日。第二段总分结构，段首句点明本段介绍春节前人们的准备工作，包括“扫尘”、贴春联和吃年夜饭。第三段同样采用总分结构，段首句点明本段介绍春节期间的有趣活动，压岁钱、互道“新年好”、“恭喜发财”、走访亲朋好友、看烟花、逛庙会、舞龙舞狮等。第四段再次提及春节代表了辞旧迎新，这一深植传统的节日是中国文化不可缺失的一部分，并将继续存在。【Why】本文以说明文的形式介绍春节前和春节期间的传统习俗和活动，旨在提升学生的民族自豪感和文化认同。【How】本文按照时间顺序，从春节前的准备工作到春节期间的节日活动，结构清晰，语言客观平实，对传统文化相关的语块运用准确；语篇结构清晰，运用多个连词并重复性在二三段使用总分结构，便于读者理解和快速把握文章大意，符合说明文的特点，具有较强的模仿和借鉴意义。

Student analysis

本堂课的授课对象是高二年级学生。该年级学生对说明文的阅读技巧有了一定理解，但常受困于词汇，对说明文体的结构和其中连词的使用缺乏敏感度，需要教师着重指导，并辅之以仿写训练。在应用文写作上，学生有一定的文体意识，但缺乏传统文化相关的语块，需要在阅读过程中给予一定的引导。

Teaching aims:

By the end of this section, students will be able to:

1. understand the customs of the Spring Festival and their meanings;

2. analyze the structure of an expository article and writing strategies;

3. write a letter of introduction about Clear and Bright;

4. enhance their national pride and confidence.

Teaching difficulty and focus:

Difficulty: how to analyze the structure of an expository article.

Focus: how to apply what students have learned in reading to writing.

Teaching materials:

Learning sheets, Powerpoint, computer, blackboard and chalks.

Teaching procedures:  

Step 1 Lead in

1. What are they doing?

2. Which festival are we talking about?

(Purpose: Activate students’ background knowledge and warm up the atmosphere.

Time duration: 1 minute.)

Step 2 Reading Comprehension

1. Read for structure

Underline the topic sentences.

2. Read for details

1) Circle the customs.

There are a number of things people usually do before the Chinese Spring Festival. One of these is cleaning the house for the Lunar New Year. Dust makes people think of old or outdated things. Therefore, sweeping dust out of the house is a way of saying goodbye to old things and welcoming new things. Another important custom for families is to decorate their doors with red couplets. The phrases on the couplets express hopes for a prosperous new year. In the southern part of China, people will buy fresh flowers or orange trees to decorate their homes. The most important custom of the Chinese Spring Festival is the big family dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year. This is usually a big reunion of grandparents, parents, and children. It reflects how important family is to Chinese people around the world. That is why millions of Chinese people travel long distances to get home before the eve of the Lunar New Year. Also, families typically eat certain types of lucky food at the family reunion dinner. Eating fish, for example, is supposed to bring more wealth and prosperity than one needs, as the pronunciation of “fish” in Chinese (yu) is also used for “surplus”.

Ø Tip 1: Use transitional words to help readers better understand the content.

2) One of these is cleaning the house for the Lunar New Year. Dust makes people think of old or outdated things. Therefore, sweeping dust out of the house is a way of saying goodbye to old things and welcoming new things.

Ø Tip 2: Use logical relationships to provide extra information.

Ø Other expressions (Take them down if you need them!)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3) Another important custom for families is to decorate their doors with red couplets. The phrases on the couplets express hopes for a prosperous new year. In the southern part of China, people will buy fresh flowers or orange trees to decorate their homes.

Ø Tip 3: Use repeated words to make echoing effect(呼应).

4) The most important custom of the Chinese Spring Festival is the big family dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year. This is usually a big reunion of grandparents, parents, and children. It reflects how important family is to Chinese people around the world. That is why millions of Chinese people travel long distances to get home before the eve of the Lunar New Year. Also, families typically eat certain types of lucky food at the family reunion dinner. Eating fish, for example, is supposed to bring more wealth and prosperity than one needs, as the pronunciation of “fish” in Chinese (yu) is also used for “surplus”.

Ø Tip 4: Provide examples for better explanation.

v Why do we focus on food so much when talking about festivals?

Food can provide us with a delicate taste; an occasion for reunion; a showcase of traditional value of family bonds; a symbol of luck and fortune ... ...

(Purpose: Guide students to pay attention to the writing strategies of an expository article.

Time duration: 15 minutes)

Micro-writing Write 3-4 sentences, introducing qingtuan. 

ü Give a topic sentence and then supporting details.

ü Use proper transitional words.

ü Provide examples if necessary.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Background information:

Qingtuan is a green rice ball tiny enough to fit into your hand. It is popular in Jiangnan. It is a mixture of sticky rice powder and green vegetable juice. Stuffed (装满) with sweetened bean paste (豆沙), Qingtuan tastes sweet with the fresh fragrance(香气) of Aicao, a green spring vegetable.

(Purpose: Apply the writing strategies and get familiar with the writing materials.

Time duration: 6 minutes.)

 

Step 3 Reading for writing

1) Independent writing

Natalie has been asking me about traditional Chinese festivals.

Dear Natalie,

Glad to hear from you! Knowing that you would like to know something about traditional Chinese festivals, I’m thrilled to tell you something about the Tomb-sweeping Festival.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Looking forward to your reply!

Yours, _______________

(Purpose: Apply the writing strategies and get familiar with the writing materials.

Time duration: 15 minutes.)

2) Group work: grade your partner’s writing according to the following criteria:

(Purpose: Master the writing strategies of an expository article in peer reviewing.

Time duration: 2 minutes.)

Homework:

假如你是李华，你校英文报举办了一次名为My favourite festival的作文比赛，请你写一份稿件投稿，内容包括：

Ø 想要介绍的传统节日；

Ø 相关的传统习俗（至少2点）；

Ø 该节日的意义。

注意：1.词数80左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

(Purpose: Apply the writing strategies in an authentic form of the examination.

Time duration: 1 minute.)

 

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