王 群
薩丕爾—沃爾夫假說的理論核心是語言決定思維。認知心理學認為,閱讀是一種積極的信息加工過程,其實質就是一系列復雜的思維活動(邱玲2013)。閱讀是一個語言與思維相互作用的過程。“英語閱讀對于提升學生的核心素養,特別是語言能力、文化品格、思維品質及學習能力將會起到關鍵的作用。”(王薔 2017)高質量的閱讀體驗有助于提高學生的思維含量,發展學生的思維品質。在英語閱讀教學中,教師應該引導學生以主題探究為切入點,以語篇為依托,以解決問題為目標,通過感知、預測、獲取、分析、概括、比較、評價、創新等思維活動,在分析問題和解決問題的過程中訓練英語思維,提升高階思維能力,促進英語學科核心素養的形成與發展。
A Father,a Son and an Answer是一篇課外閱讀文章(文章出處:https://yingyu.chazidian.com/show-27370-all/),文章體裁是夾敘夾議。主題語境是人與社會,內容圍繞一對父子在車站的幸福時刻展開,并由此聯想到一系列社會問題。作者通過黑人父子與白人乘客的對比引出解決方案:父母的真情陪伴是解決問題的關鍵。
故事文本是一切語言的開始,因而敘事性文本的解讀對語言學習和思維訓練有著重要的意義。在解讀故事文本的過程中,教師可以引導學生關注語言特點、對話節奏、敘事要素、故事所傳達的主旨及作者是如何實現寫作目的的,使他們感悟語言并在運用語言的過程中提升思維能力。
這是一堂面向高一學生的區級公開課。從知識儲備來看,高一學生具備了一定的語言基礎和表達能力,所以教師在設計過程中較多地采用啟發式的問答活動。從情感發展角度來看,高一學生的心理發展日趨成熟,與父母的依賴關系逐漸弱化,但不善于表達自己的情感,對于細膩的情感關系沒有準確的體會。
Step 1:Lead-in(引入話題,活躍思維)
教師先播放一段約三分鐘的電影剪輯片段,且所選片段的情節與該篇閱讀文本有很多相似之處。通過短片引入文章的一條明線:happiness。
T:What’s the name of this film?
S:The Pursuit of Happyness.
T:Is there anything wrong with the name?
S:Yes,there is a mistake in the word“Happyness”.
T:Excellent.Can you read the famous line together?
S:There’s no“y”in happiness;there is“i”.
T:Can you figure out the deeper meaning of the lines?
S:“y”refers to“why”,and“i”refers to“I”.
T:Absolutely right.So it is a story about a father who tries to pursue happiness for his son.
隨后,教師在“幸福樹”(課前教師讓學生在黑板上畫好的)上貼上父子的照片,引出故事的主人公,為后面引入標題環節作好鋪墊。
【設計說明】以視頻導入,能夠使學生快速進入情境,同時引發他們閱讀文本的好奇心。電影標題的解讀一方面讓學生了解到英語語言中雙關的巧妙用法;另一方面能夠結合文章的明線,自然過渡到文本閱讀。此外,“There’s no‘y’in happiness;there is‘i’.”是對電影中感人情節的概括和升華,能夠有效調動學生的情緒,活躍他們的思維,達到課前熱身的目的,為閱讀教學的順利進行奠定了基礎。
Step 2:While-reading(自主發現,深層閱讀)
在主體閱讀部分,教師設計了大量的問題,通過任務閱讀的方式引導學生逐層深入,由淺入深地完成文本閱讀。
Task 1
Fast Reading:background information
T:When and where did the story happen?
S:On Saturday morning,on a shuttle train at the Atlanta airport.
T:Is it fun to ride the shuttle train?
S:No.Not many people consider them fun.
T:Would you please try to find two negative adjectives to describe them?
S:They are sterile and impersonal.
T:That’s true.However,there is a good point for such trains.What is it?
S:They are free.
T:Exactly,but something unexpected was heard.What’s that and where did it come from?
S:Laughter from a father and a son.
T:Why were they so happy?
S:They were enjoying the ride together on the free shuttle train at the Atlanta airport on a Saturday morning.
【設計說明】這一環節先讓學生快速閱讀文本,然后通過問答互動使其快速理清文本中when,where,who,what等關鍵信息。對四個“W”信息的確定是學生快速把握敘事性文本內容、深刻理解文本內涵的主要途徑。四個“W”在PPT課件中分別是通過time,place,character和plot呈現的(如圖1所示),旨在培養學生的信息轉化思維能力,避免刻意地強調,也是對“小說主要要素”這一知識點的喚起。

圖1
在問題的驅動下,學生要快速閱讀文章,了解文本大意,培養略讀能力。對學生進行略讀訓練,有助于提升其整體閱讀能力,同時培養其快速思維的能力,使其對故事的后續情節進行預測,從而擴大思維容量。通過問答互動形式訓練學生的尋讀技能,且問題的設計多用特殊疑問句形式,其目的是讓學生明白回答問題時要有理有據。尋讀是一種常見的通過跳讀尋找文章具體信息的閱讀技能,它能激發學生對文本進行深層閱讀。
Task 2
Detailed reading:character analysis
T:How did they look?
S:They were black and they were dressed in clothes that were just about as inexpensive as you can buy.
T:What can you tell from their clothes?
S:They were not rich.
T:How old was the boy?
S:About five years old.
T:To this little boy,was the ride fun?
S:Yes.He made sounds of sheer delight and said,“I want to ride some more”.
T:Well done!What did he do when his father pointed something out?
S:He craned his neck to look.
T:Yes.“crane”as a noun refers to a kind of bird with a long neck.As a verb,it has the meaning of stretching one’s neck to look.Can you act it out?
(請一名學生表演這個動作。)
T:Why did the boy do it like that?What do you think of this boy?
S:Curious,lovely,innocent...
T:Did it sound fun to his father,an adult?
S:No.“More?”the father said,mock-annoyed but clearly pleased.
T:Then what’s the meaning of“mock-annoyed”?Was he really annoyed?
S:No,actually he was happy.
T:That’s right.Then what does“mock”mean?
S:It means“pretend”.
T:What do you think of this father?What can we learn from him?
S:Responsible,patient,warm-hearted,a father full of love...
(在分析完人物性格之后,教師請兩名學生將父子的對話表演出來。)
【設計說明】在完成了快速閱讀任務之后,學生對文本大意有了初步了解。接著,讓他們精讀文本的第3—11段。這一部分以人物對話為主,需要學生透過字里行間感悟并分析出人物性格。人物性格往往是作者通過文字描述或者語言對話塑造出來的,不是直接給出的信息。所以,訓練學生對人物性格的分析能力也是提高其邏輯思維能力的過程。同時,在分析父親的情緒時,教師試圖引導學生通過上下文分析并判斷出mock的意思,旨在進行根據上下文猜測詞義的閱讀技巧訓練,為他們提供有效的閱讀策略,幫助他們在閱讀過程中克服畏懼生詞的心理障礙。
通過角色扮演,一方面可以活躍學生的思維,為后續較難的深層閱讀活動作好準備;另一方面可以為學生提供情感體驗的機會。在閱讀活動中,讀者的主體參與有助于積極發揮主體的主觀能動性。學生的情感參與必然能夠促進其高效學習。在對話過程中,學生不只是簡單地重述文字,還要開動腦筋,加入恰當的符合情境的情感,達成情感上的共鳴。
Task 3
Group work:theme exploration
敘事性文本往往圍繞一個主題展開,然后就主題進行探索。這屬于高階思維活動,對學生而言有一定的難度。
T:As you know,for working parents,what would they prefer to do on Saturday mornings?
S:Have a good rest at home.
T:But this father spent his time with his son and tried to make the ride fun for his son.Why did he do so?
S:Out of deep love for his son.
T:Can this love be bought with money?
S:No,but it takes time.
T:Then what did both of them really enjoy?
S:They enjoyed being together.
T:Excellent.Can you find the exact answer from the text?
S:“The father and son,though,were just riding this shuttle together,making it exciting,sharing each other’s company.”
T:Exactly.That’s the theme of the story.It reminds me of a famous Chinese sentence,can you translate it?
S:The best way to show your deep love is to accompany me forever.
T:Perfect!Now,please have a discussion about how this father tries his best to make his son happy?
(教師讓學生將討論結果寫在事先發的樹葉形狀的便簽上,最后將便簽貼到“幸福樹”的樹干上。)
【設計說明】通過人物分析和角色扮演,父親的形象更加高大,這樣一位肯在周末早晨舍棄自己的休息時間,帶著兒子來回穿行在接駁班車上的父親形象已然在讀者心中樹立起來了。那么,接下來就要引導學生思考作者的寫作意圖,也就是對文章進行主題探索。在敘述性文本中,主題意義的考查是一個重點,也是難點。該文本的主題意義不是特別的明顯,但在教師適當的引導下,學生還是能夠發現的。為了進一步凸顯主題意義,教師設計了一個形象、直觀的活動——課前,教師讓學生在黑板上畫好了一棵“幸福樹”,在導入環節已經在樹干貼上了父子的照片;在這個主題探索環節,教師讓學生小組討論話題:“What contributes to the happiness tree?”即“父親是如何讓兒子開心快樂的”,要求學生盡量以名詞形式呈現討論結果,并將結果寫在“幸福樹”的樹葉上;最后,教師總結學生的討論結果,關鍵詞有 responsibility,love,care,patience,company,attention,commitment,time,devotion 等(如下頁圖 2所示)。這一環節的設計能夠使學生更好地理解作者的寫作意圖,使他們的思維實現從廣度到深度的轉變。

圖2
Task 4
Critical thinking:comparison and contrast
學生在上一環節中十分積極、活躍,給出了很多關鍵詞,這同時意味著文章一條主線的結束。文章的另一條主線是作者由父子的故事引發的個人評判。教師設計如下環節:
T:On the shuttle train,there are other passengers.Can you find some information about them?
S:Most of them are white people,dressed for business trips or vacations.
T:Can you tell more about them from these descriptions?
S:They are rich and busy.
T:Can you guess what kind of parents they are likely to be?
S:Perhaps they fail to spare time to accompany their children.They might give their children much money for material things.
T:Good guesses!Now let’s read the author’s comments.Focus on L25—28,and show your understanding of the comparison and contrast in this part.
(學生完成圖3,并給出自己的理解。)

圖3
T:Now,based on the comparison and contrast,my question is whether happiness has anything to do with money or race.
S:Absolutely not.
【設計說明】作者在寫作時主要圍繞兩條主線展開。教師將父子的幸福時刻通過“幸福樹”這一直觀形象呈現,突出了明線;暗線是作者的評論,以夾敘夾議的形式展開。這一環節是一個過渡環節,旨在讓學生對比感悟,慢慢地使他們過渡到作者的視角,審視車上衣著得體的其他白人乘客,由此推理并判斷出這些乘客處理親子關系的可能方式。最后,得出結論——幸福無關金錢或種族,為后續問題的進一步展開作好鋪墊。
Task 5
Critical thinking:problem and solution
作者由親子關系的視角轉向社會,是一個提出問題、分析問題并解決問題的過程。
T:With parents like that,what might their children become?
S1:They might be very lonely.
S2:Perhaps they don’t know how to love and communicate with others.
S3:They are likely to be selfish,distant and cold-hearted...
T:All of these can lead to trouble,right?Then read L33—37 to find out what the writer worried about.
(在學生閱讀的同時,教師解釋長難句,把不容易理解的部分轉述成易于學生理解的表達。)
T:What can you know from the author’s comments?
S:These are all social problems,but they also result from family problems.
T:Wonderful.As the writer said,there were so many problems about what to do.Then what can we do?What is your answer?Now work with your partner and figure it out.
S1:Parents should spend more time with their children.
S2:Parents should educate their children in a right way.
S3:Children should talk to their parents and ask them for help when in trouble.
...
T:In fact,the author gave his own answer.Can you find it out?
S:The answer is so simple:parents who care enough to spend time,and to pay attention and to try their best.It doesn’t cost a cent,yet it is the most valuable thing in the world.
【設計說明】通過一系列發問,學生不僅在文章中找到了答案,還結合自己的生活實際給出了合理的解決方案。
Step 3:Post-reading(自主構建,升華主題)
在教學的最后環節,教師設計了一個開放性的問題,即讓學生給文章提煉一個恰當的標題。
T:Since there is no title for this passage,can you give a possible one for this story?Show your reasons.
S1:I think it can be“A love journey”,because the story happened on a train and journey has a symbolic meaning,which can stand for our life.
S2:I think it should be“A lesson on the train”.The author intends to teach us a lesson.He wants us to show our attention to family members.
S3:“A key to happiness”might be proper.
S4:I’d like to recommend “Love,Care and Company”.The story shows us the deep love from the father,who cares his son and tries his best to keep his company.
...
T:I really appreciate all of your ideas.Actually,there is a title for this passage.Let’s appreciate the original title.
(教師把“幸福樹”上寫有happiness的愛心換成 answer,并呈現原標題:A Father,a Son and an Answer。)
T:Life can be hard some time,but it won’t be that hard with the company of our family members,as“family”means“father and mother I love you!”
Hope all of you can love your father,love your mother and love your children in the future!
(教師總結,學生齊讀。)
【設計說明】這篇閱讀文本的語言和情節都較為簡單,為了加強對學生高階思維的訓練,教師進行教學設計時刪去了原文標題,而設計了一個較為開放的問題。通過讓學生提煉文本標題,進一步提高他們的概括能力。概括能力是一項重要的思維能力。思維課堂必須指導學生進行有效的提問、學習和總結,自主獲取和建構知識(陳滬軍 2017)。教師讓學生探討合適的標題并陳述理由,可以訓練他們自主構建知識的能力。通過對陳述性知識的反思、討論及總結,充分挖掘文字背后的深層內涵,使學生可以自主建構程序性知識,達到思維課堂的要求。在學生小組匯報標題之后,教師再次回歸“幸福樹”,呈現原文標題,讓學生對比體會其中的意蘊,并將文章的明、暗兩條線融合起來,體現作者的寫作技巧,同時讓學生從中感悟、理解,提升思維品質。最后,教師總結,讓學生齊讀,并提出希望——學生能夠愛自己的爸爸、媽媽,在未來也能成為愛自己孩子的好父母。這一環節的意圖是在順應文章主題和作者寫作意圖的情況下,在英語閱讀教學中融入德育,實現英語學科立德樹人的目的。
基于英語學科核心素養的高中英語閱讀教學設計旨在培養學生的思維能力,打造思維課堂,培養具備高效學習能力的現代化人才。基于所選文本的體裁特點,教師在教學中多以問題導學。問題教學法已經成為目前國際上較為流行的教學方法(朱琳 2012)。在閱讀教學設計中,教師通過創設不同的情境設計逐層遞進的問題,培養學生學會思考和解決問題的能力,以落實、提升他們的英語學科核心素養。同時,希望更多的研究者和一線教師能夠積極參與交流和討論,逐步探尋更加適合的培養學生思維能力的教學方法。