摘要:詞匯教學是高中英語教學的重要環節之一。目前多數高中生在英語閱讀過程中經常會遇到詞匯障礙,很多英語教師在閱讀課上進行詞匯教學的效果有限。但是,如果我們教師能在閱讀課上滲透詞匯策略,那么,就能有效地幫助學生掌握學習詞匯的方法,提高他們的閱讀能力。
關鍵詞:閱讀課;詞匯策略;有效性
中圖分類號:G632.0 文獻標識碼:A 文章編號:1992-7711(2014)05-0028
一、高中英語詞匯教學的重要性
詞匯學習是高中英語學習的重要環節之一。《英語課程標準》對學生詞匯方面提出了如下要求:詞匯的七級目標為“理解話語中詞匯表達的不同功能、意圖和態度等;運用詞匯給事物命名、進行指稱、描述行為和特征、說明概念等;學會使用2400-2500個單詞和300-400個習慣用語或固定搭配;了解英語單詞的詞義變化以及日常生活中新出現的詞匯。”八級目標則要求能“運用詞匯理解和表達不同的功能、意圖和態度等;運用詞匯描述比較復雜的事物、行為和特征,說明概念等;學會使用3000個單詞和400-500個習慣用語或固定搭配。”而九級目標更是要求達到“學會使用4500個左右的單詞和一定數量的習慣用語或固定搭配;能根據交際話題、場合和人際關系等相關因素選擇較為適當的詞語進行交流或表達。”
二、高中英語閱讀課中詞匯教學的現狀及問題
《英語課程標準》中有關閱讀的七級目標就已經提到“能根據情景及上下文猜測不熟悉的語言現象;能使用多種參考資料和工具書解決較復雜的語言疑難”。這其中的“語言現象”和“語言疑難”就涉及到詞匯的問題。
然而,在很多學生閱讀的過程中,詞匯是一大障礙。很多學生在課內閱讀或作業中,如果發現篇章中有很多生詞,就會無法理解篇章內容,降低閱讀的積極性,以一知半解的狀態應付閱讀理解的題目。而在課外閱讀的過程中,一旦發現有很多生詞,很多學生干脆放棄了閱讀。
目前英語閱讀課上的詞匯障礙,主要還是依賴學生課前預習過程中的詞匯學習來解決。但筆者發現對不少學生而言,詞匯是英語學習的難題。在教學過程中筆者也發現,不擅長詞匯學習的學生,誠然,有一部分懶惰的原因在其中,但大多數存在以下現象:死記硬背,有不少學生甚至以記住字母順序的方式來記單詞;迅速遺忘,有些為了聽寫或考試當下記住的單詞,日后很快被遺忘;輕視運用,越是成績不理想的學生,越傾向于直接記憶詞匯表中孤零零的單詞,而忽略單詞在文章語境中的具體用法。
由于學生課前預習詞匯不到位,在上閱讀課的過程中,為了幫助學生對課文的理解,教師一般會選擇幾個重要的單詞或短語進行講解。但這樣的方式只能解決一節課內有限的生詞,卻無法讓學生在獨立閱讀的情況下解決詞匯難題。
三、高中英語閱讀課中滲透詞匯策略的研究方案
桂詩春(2006)指出,語言理解應該包括一種能夠根據上下文加工詞語意義的能力。“授人以魚不如授人以漁”,教師在閱讀的過程中不僅要教學生詞匯知識,更要教學生學習詞匯的方法,即詞匯策略。事實上,學者已經提出了很多適合高中英語學習的詞匯策略,比如:記憶策略、猜詞策略、多元化呈現目標詞匯的策略、重視學生詞匯理解和輸出能力訓練的策略,根據詞根詞綴記憶單詞的策略、文化策略等。在閱讀了有關詞匯策略與閱讀教學的文章后,筆者認為在閱讀教學中滲透詞匯策略有助于學生的詞匯學習及閱讀理解。
為了解決英語閱讀課中的詞匯問題,筆者制定了閱讀課中滲透詞匯策略教學的研究方案。在學生的閱讀過程中滲透詞匯策略,培養學生在閱讀中學習和運用詞匯的意識,使用詞匯策略,有效提高學生對詞匯的掌握。整個教學過程以“閱讀場景呈現——重點詞匯提煉——詞匯策略總結——策略拓展應用”為設計線索,設置不同形式的問題,從而使學生在理解課文的同時,感受詞匯的應用,進而形成猜測詞義、運用生動的表達、建立自己的詞匯庫等詞匯策略。在培養學生閱讀能力的同時,教師要引導學生自主探究總結詞匯學習的規律,培養學生詞匯學習的信心及能力。
四、研究方案的實例示范
在高三英語Module 8 Unit 2 Cloning: Where is it leading us的閱讀新授課上,筆者在閱讀教學過程中滲透了猜測詞義、運用生動的表達、建立自己的詞匯庫等詞匯策略,進行了相關的探索。以下是該課實例示范的主要教學環節:
Step Ⅰ Lead-in
The teacher has a free talk with the students about their hobbies, mentioning her favourite stars. (Show Students the picture of Li Xiaoshuang and Li Dashuang)
Q1: Can you describe twins?
Twins are i to each other.
One is an e copy of the other.
(Keys: identical, exact)
Q2: What is cloning?
(Key: Cloning is making an exact copy of another animal or plant.)
(設計意圖:以體育明星雙胞胎導入,引起學生的興趣。讓學生在描繪雙胞胎特征的同時,感受克隆與之相似的特征,為下文的閱讀做好鋪墊。)
Step Ⅱ General understanding
Get the main idea of each paragraph.
Para.1 the definition of cloning
Para.2 uses and p___________ of cloning
Para.3 _____________ of Dolly
Para.4 i____________ of cloning in society
Para.5 a____________ towards cloning
(Keys: procedure, problems, impact, attitudes)
(設計意圖:讓學生快速閱讀,找出每一段的大意,大體上了解文章的內容,同時訓練學生用單詞概括篇章的能力。)
Step Ⅲ Further reading
Answer questions:
Q1: How was Dolly produced? Please find out the verbs here.(Show Studenes the picture of the procedure)
(Keys: provide, remove, take out, join, grow, put)
Here, “take out” = “remove”.
Learning tip 1:use different expressions.
The procedure is difficult / / .
(Key: complicated, tough)
It is a tough task to carry out / .
(Key: undertake)
Q2: What did the success of Dolly mean?
At last the determination and patience of the scientists with a .
(Keys: paid off, breakthrough)
Which of the following has the same meaning as“pay off”in this sentence?
Tom’s company was once in debt. But he still paid all his employees off before closing it. Then he worked really hard to pay off all his debts. His hard work paid off at last. Now he is a great success.
(Key: the last “pay off”)
Learning tip 2: Guess from the context(上下文).
The whole scientific world of Dolly the Sheep.
(Key: followed the progress)
Q3: Where is cloning leading us?
Divide Sdeudents into two groups. One finds out the sentences for “advantages”, and the other for “disadvantages”. Ask them to add their own opinions if possible.
Advantages:
Gardeners use it all the time to produce commercial quantities of plants.
Q: Why can they do so?
(Key: Because cloning plants is straightforward while cloning animals is complicated.)
“Straightforward” here can be best replaced by .
A. honest B. difficult C. uncomplicated D. open
(Key: C)
Please pay attention to the word “while”. It means comparison.
Learning tip 3: Pay attention to comparison.
It is valuable for research on new plant species and medical research on animals.
It opened everyone’s eyes to the possibility to cure serious illnesses.
Disadvantages:
Scientists were cast down to find that Dolly’s illnesses were more appropriate to an older animal.
Dolly lived half the length of the original sheep.
It can be inferred from the two sentences that a cloned animal
.
A. can develop normally and will live as long as the original one
B. usually lives longer than the original one
C. may fall ill younger and die earlier than the original one
D. will have no health problems as Dolly the sheep
(Key: C)
Evil leaders may get themselves cloned to attain their ambitions.
Religious leaders raised moral questions.
It raised a lot of objections.
It raised a storm of objection.
T: Which sentence is better?
Ss: The second sentence is better.
Learning tip 4: Keep an eye on vivid expressions.
As Senior 3 students, we have a of (堆積如山) homework to do.
(Key: mountain)
Q4: What’s the author’s view of point in the reading passage?
A. Favorable B. Disapproval
C. Objective D. Hopeful
(Key:C)
(設計意圖:教師設置幾個問題引導學生閱讀課文,在解答問題的過程中引出幾個重點或難點詞匯,如“pay off”,并通過學習這些詞匯的方法,總結出猜測詞義、運用生動的表達、建立自己的詞匯庫等詞匯學習策略,并給學生提供簡短的語境,鼓勵學生運用這些策略,力求“授人以漁”,為學生日后的自學打好基礎。)
Step Ⅳ Discussion
Where do you hope cloning is leading us in the future?
Ask Students to discuss in pairs and then ask some Students to share their view.
(設計意圖:引導學生在理解課文的基礎上,使用前面閱讀過程中出現的詞匯與句子,發表自己對于課文話題的看法。)
Step Ⅴ Build a vocabulary
Ask Students to build their own vocabulary about the topic “cloning” and write them down. The following is an example.
Ask Students to read the expressions together.
Learning tip 5: Build your own vocabulary about a topic.
(設計意圖:以頭腦風暴的形式,讓學生盡可能多地寫下關于課文話題的詞匯,引導學生建立以話題為中心的詞匯庫,為語言輸出打下基礎。)
Step VI Homework
Complete your own vocabulary about “cloning”.
Finish the translation work.
Finish two reading passages.
(設計意圖:家庭作業是課堂的延伸,讓學生完善自己的詞匯庫,同時在翻譯與閱讀的過程中,再次使用課堂上學習的詞匯策略。)
(上接第29頁)
五、結論與反思
教師應提高對詞匯策略訓練重要性的認識。閱讀文章中若包含大量新詞匯,就會增加閱讀的難度。通過在閱讀課中滲透詞匯策略教學,學生能夠理解課文的內容,并且在閱讀過程中,通過詞匯策略的幫助,掃清難詞難句的障礙。
教師應明確指示學生如何對待閱讀過程中出現的生詞,并讓學生認識到一遇到生詞就去查詞匯表的弊端:剝奪了自己猜測生詞意思的機會;對詞匯學習幫助不大,因為這是一種機械勞動,無需過多地動腦(賴朝暉,2013)。而通過閱讀上下文來認識生詞的能力,是一個合格的讀者所必須具備的能力(劉慶思,2002)。
(作者單位:浙江省溫州市第五十一中學 325014)