Unit 2

Section A

A Busy Weekday Morning

Teaching Plan

(4 periods)

Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. grasp the main idea (the essence of writing is to explore the generation gap )

2. master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;

3. conduct a serious of reading, listening, speaking and writing activities related to the theme of the unit.

Warm-up exercises

#FormatImgID_0#1. What are some of the things you think the children and the parents might have different ideas about?

---- Children and their parents might have different ideas about many things, like dressing, food, music, etc.

2. How can the older and the younger generation have real communication with and understand each other?

---- The older and the younger generation should not be blind to what is important in each other’s worlds. They should never ignore each other, but admit the differences, and try to establish a real communication and understanding between them.

Cultural Notes

1. Green Waves is a fictional name for a musical group made up by the writer for use in this story.

2. French Lilac Blue is a fictional name for eye-liner make-up made up by the writer for use in this story.

Global Reading

1. Text Analysis

1). The author presents what Sandy did on a weekday morning through a time order, describing a series of actions according to a sequenced order. To describe something according to the order of time is especially common with narrative writing. From the reading passage we can find that the presentation of details clearly follows the progress of time, as is apparent from the following words or sentences.

2). The beginning sentence of the story tells us about the time: The radio clicked on. This is a very strong reminder of the time. From the passage we find that it was 6:15 A.M., time for getting up. After a couple of events, we find thatafter her shower, the conversation went on and something more happened. Then suddenly she looked at the clock again; it was late, still a strong indication of the time passing. And at last she ran to catch the school bus, which tells us that Sandy left for school. The time marker is expressed through the action of leaving.

3). Part Division of the Text

Part I (Para.1-4): Direct conflicts between Sandy and her father over her favorite music.

Part II (Para.5-7): Sandy took a shower and got ready to have her breakfast.

Part III (Para. 8-25): Sandy and her mother were in disagreement over several minor things, such as eating, teeth-brushing, dressing, and makeup.

Part IV (Para.26): As she hurried to the school bus, Sandy missed her brother at college, with whom she often shared her feelings.

2. Scan section A, paragraphs 5 and 6, and find out all the time markers or sequenced actions.

Detailed Reading (language study & summary of the text)

1. Language study

1) . New words

1. click

vi. make a short, sharp sound 发出"嘟"、"咔嗒"等轻微响声

e.g. The key clicked in the lock. 钥匙在琐里"咔嗒"响了一声。

n. a short, sharp sound 咔嗒声

e.g. The door opened with a click. 门"咔嗒"一声开了

2. stuff

n. matter; material 东西;材料

e.g. He put some kind of stuff on his leg. 他往腿上涂了些什么东西。

Let's pick up this stuff before we go.咱们走前把这东西带上

3. grab

vt. take suddenly and roughly 抓取，攫取

e.g. She grabbed the book and went off for school. 她抓起书就上学校去了。

4. pierce

v. make a hole in 穿洞; 刺穿，刺破

e.g. Oh, you are wearing ear rings! When did you have your ears pierced? 哦，你戴耳环了!是什么时候穿的耳朵?

2). Phrases and expressions

1. blast forth:

sounds) come out suddenly (声音)突然响起来

e.g. As she turns on the radio, music blasts forth. 她一打开收音机，音乐就响了起来。

2. burst into

1. enter hurriedly, often with force 匆匆进入

e.g. The children burst into the room for toys.孩子们冲进房间拿玩具。

2. start suddenly 突然爆发

e.g. She burst into laughing at the wrong time. 她不合时宜地突然笑了起来。

3. reach for

move one's hand so as to touch or hold sth. 伸手去抓

e.g. There was no time for me to reach for my gun. 我没有时间伸手拿枪。

4. turn up

increase the volume/size of (sound, flame, etc.) 增大(声音、火焰等)

e.g. He turned up the radio so that everybody could hear it. 他把收音机的声音放大，这样人人都听得到。

5. turn down

reduce (sound, flame, etc.) usually by moving a switch 减小(声音、火焰等)

e.g. Please turn the radio down. I'm trying to sleep. 请把收音机关小点，我想睡觉了。

6. that much

(informal) so much; to such a degree 那么......

e.g. I didn't know you cared that much. 我不知道你那么在乎。

I like him but not that much. 我喜欢他，但不至于到那种程度。

7. bolt out

leave in a sudden or unexpected hurry 匆匆离开

e.g. When I opened the door, the cat bolted out. 我打开门时，一只猫窜了出来。

2. Summary of the Text

On a weekday morning, Sandy was woken by the music, and she began to sing along with the words. Her father burst into her room, complaining about the horrible stuff Sandy was listening to. He said it was the same thing over and over, and the offensive language was used. He advised his daughter to hurry up and get ready for school. Then Sandy went into the bathroom and took a shower. The cold water helped her wake up. When she thought that her parents might come and bang on the door to rush her, she grabbed a towel and dried off. Then she put on her favorite clothes and makeup and went to the kitchen for some foods. As usual, Sandy took a glass of milk and ate a piece of toast while standing by the sink.

At that time, her mother came in, gave her a lot of instructions on how to eat, what to put on and when to brush teeth and even asked her to wash off her makeup. Sandy argued that she was old enough to wear makeup and explained that some girls at school had tattoos and pierced ears, and noses and tongues. As she ran to catch the school bus, Sandy thought off her older brother Bill who could share problems with her, but she hadn’t heard from him for a while. In fact, she was bugged more than before by her mother and the argument between them was a lot more than usual.

After Reading

1. Discussion

Work in small groups and discuss the following questions.

1. What have you learned from the end of the story?

2. What do you think we can do to bridge the generation gap?

2. Structured Writing

Write one short paragraph with a series of actions organized according to the order of the sequence. Use time markers whenever possible. There are a few topics to choose from. One of them has more details that you can follow if you want to.

Detailed outline:

(When foreigners first go to the States, there are lots of things that they need to learn, for example, how to buy a phone card. Here's a list of the steps in “time order”. Write one paragraph using these steps.)

· make sure that you have 20 dollars on hand; learn to say "phone card" in English

· walk to the post office, repeating the English words to yourself

· say the right words to the clerk; smile hopefully

· pay for the card and find a pay phone

Other topics

· A brief story of how I began my interest in online learning

· The story of my middle school

· The story of how I made progress in English learning

Homework

1. Finish the exercises in Section A.

2. Prepare for Section B.

Section B Parent Talk

Objectives

Students will be able to:

1. grasp the main idea (the essence of writing is to explore the generation gap )

2. master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text;

3. grasp the reading skill---- distinguish between facts and opinions

Reading Skill ---- Distinguishing Between Facts and Opinions

Facts and Opinions

The particular reading skill introduced for this unit is distinguishing between facts and opinions. The ability to tell the difference between facts on one hand and the writer's opinions or interpretations on the other is a crucial comprehension skill.

Facts are statements that tell what really happened or what the case is, and they are usually based on direct evidence. It is something known by actual experience or observing .

Example :

Because of injured or traded players, the team’s performance is now lower compared with last year’s.

Opinions are statements of belief, judgment or feeling. Opinions are often based on facts --- but they also involve the writer’s personal interpretation of the facts, which may or may not match your interpretation of them.

Example:

I feel that the closing of the factory will entirely destroy the economy of this region.

Sometimes it isn’t easy to separate fact from opinion. Writers may combine fact and opinion in a way that makes it hard to say where the facts end and the opinions begin—or they may present opinions as if they were facts.

Example:

I suppose they’re expressing their identity but it’s so very different from what we did. (Para. 10, Passage B)

The biggest difficulty in distinguishing fact from opinion, however, may arise when you agree with the writer’s opinion: when we believe something very strongly, it’s easy to mistake our opinions for facts! So critical reading involves careful examination of our beliefs as well as the author’s.

2. Reading Skills: Practice

Directions: Find and look at the following statements from Text B. Which are facts? Which are opinions? Use the spaces on the left to mark each O (for opinion) or F (for fact).

1. ___ It's probably that awful music that wakes me up every morning.

2. ___ I don't think I’m old-fashioned but hearing those tuneless, offensive lyrics repeatedly makes my blood boil.

3. ___ I'm not really reading. I'm distracted. I've been thinking about Sandy too.

4. ___ When I asked about it, she told me she's been wearing eyeliner for months.

5. ___ I suppose we should feel lucky because makeup is our biggest problem with her.

6. ___ These tattoos are permanent.

7. ___ I don't know what's happening to our little girl. She's changing and I'm concerned about her.

8. ___ She wanted to be there as an anchor for her but at the same time she would give her her freedom to find her own identity.

Comprehension of the Text

1、 Scan Text B and choose the best answer to each of the following questions. (P42)

2、 Text Analysis

---- Compare Sandy’s way of expression her identity and her father’s way when he was a young boy.

Sandy : makeup (eg. eyebrow) , tuneless、offensive lyrics etc.

Steve ( Father ): long hair ( down below his shoulders )

---- Say something about Sandy’s parents’ attitudes to her rebellious behavior.

---- How did Sandy’s mother Jane decide to help Sandy?

She decided to have patience and keep the lines of communication with Sandy open. She wanted to be there as an anchor for Sandy but at the same time she would give her daughter freedom to find her own identity.

3. Detailed Reading (Language Study)

1. in peace and quiet: calmly, in a peaceful and silent state

Please let me get on with my work in peace and quiet. 请让我平静地做我的工作吧。

Don't confuse this phrase with "at peace", which means "free from war or quarrel" or "in a state of quietness".

These two countries have been friendly and remained at peace for hundreds of years. 这两国一向友好相处，几百年没有发生过战争。

All is at peace in the dead of the night. 深夜万籁俱寂。

2. old-fashioned: a. out of fashion; no longer common

The house was dull, old-fashioned and in bad condition. 这房子死气沉沉，式样过时，还破烂不堪。

His ideas are old-fashioned. 他的思想很陈旧。

fashion: n. way of dressing or behaving that is popular at a certain time

in fashion 时髦; out of fashion 不时髦

Mary only buys clothes that are in fashion. 玛丽只买时装

3. make one's blood boil: make one angry

Seeing the driver beating his horse made the kind old man's blood boil. 善良的老人看见车夫鞭打那匹马，心里很生气。

4. appeal: vi. please, attract, interest

Please notice that "appeal" in this sense is usually following by the preposition "to".

Does the idea of working in that country appeal to you? 你有兴趣去那个国家工作吗?

Italian food doesn't appeal to Jack; he only likes Chinese food. 杰克不喜欢意大利餐，他只喜欢中国餐。

This music is too old-fashioned to appeal to young people any longer. 这音乐太过时了，不能再吸引年轻人了。

5. get rid of:

(1) free oneself from (something unwanted or unpleasant)

The medicine will help me get rid of my cold. 这药可帮我治疗感冒。

(2) drive away or destroy

There are too many flies in the dining-room; they should think of a way to get rid of them. 餐厅里苍蝇太多，他们该想个办法消灭它们。

6. identify: vt. show the identity of; tell who or what a person or thing is

The woman identified the stolen watch as hers. 那个女士认定被偷走的表是她的。

identity: n. who or what a person or thing is

It's very bad if one looses his identity. 人失去了自己的个性是很悲哀的。

I.D. card (identification card) 身份证

7. "go too far" is an idiomatic expression which in this context specifically refers to "getting pregnant, doing drugs, getting drunk, committing crimes, or being promiscuous and getting AIDS or VD".

go too far: do or say something that goes beyond accepted our accepted limits

I know you are radical in your thinking, but don't go too far. 我知道你思想激进，但不要走得太远

8. drop out of: take leave without finishing something

If you drop out of this race, you can't join in the national races. 如果你退出这次比赛，就不能参加全国比赛了。

Notice the difference between "drop out of" and "be expelled from". When you say he "drops out of school" you mean he leaves school voluntarily by himself. But when you say he is "expelled from school" you mean he is forced to leave school by someone else.

talk over: consider (something) in detail (with somebody)

My parents and I have always got along well because they are willing to talk over problems. 我和父母一直相处很好，因为他们愿意同我商量各种问题。

Exercises (P19-P20)

Discussion: Talking about the benefits of bridging the generation gap between the older and the younger

Have you ever felt that older people didn't understand your problems? Do you feel like younger people have no sense of what's really important? That's probably because there's a generational gap of experience. Because they're older, or younger, it seems you share no common ground.

Together, young and old participants have opportunities to:

· Increase their skills, confidence, knowledge, and contributions,

· Forge new friendships with members of other generations,

· Serve as change agents to build a better community,

· Participate jointly in opportunities that promote and value their strengths, and that identify them as community assets,

· Serve both as learners and teachers, and

· Develop a stronger sense of community responsibility and personal contribution to society.

Test Yourself

Section A

1. Our research has focused on a drug which is so ______ as to be able to change brain chemistry. (硕士统考, 1991-1, 23题)

A) powerful B) influential C) monstrous D) vigorous

2. However, at times this balance in nature is ______, resulting in a number of possible unforeseen effects. (CET-4, 98-6, 52题)

A) troubled B) disturbed C) confused D) puzzled

Section B

3. Please do not be ______ by his offensive remarks since he is merely trying to attract attention. (CET-6, 2002-1, 53题)

A) distracted B) disregarded v.不理漠视;n.漠视, 忽视 C) irritated adj.恼怒的,生气的 D) intervened vi.干涉, 介入, (指时间)介于其间v.干涉

4. The police are trying to find out the _______ of the woman killed in the traffic accident. (CET-4, 2003-1, 44题)

A) evidence C) status

B) recognition D) identity

5. We've just installed a fan to ______ cooking smells from the kitchen. (CET-6, 2003-6, 48题)

A) eject vt.逐出, 驱逐, B) exclude C) expel v.驱逐, 开除, 排出, D) exile n.放逐, 充军, 流放,

6. vt.放逐, 流放, 使背井离乡

7. Louis was asked to ______ the ma n who stole her purse. (CET-6, 94-1, 69题)

A) confirm B) recognize C) claim D) identify

8. The speech which he made ______ the project has bothered me greatly. (CET-4, 99-1, 48题)

A) being concerned B) concerned C) be concerned D) concerning

9. The story that follows ______ two famous characters of the Rocky Mountain gold rush days. (CET-6, 1990-1, 60题)

A) concerns B) states C) proclaims D) relates