罗小菊
基于情境的小学英语词汇教学实践与探索
罗小菊
本文结合课堂教学实例,讨论基于情境的小学英语词汇教学模式。笔者认为,教师应依托、活化,甚至深挖教材文本情境,让学生感知、体验、理解、操练、巩固语境中的词汇;同时教师还应再创“用”的情境,让学生“乐用”“会用”“活用”词汇。
小学英语;词汇教学;文本情境
语言习得从词汇开始,词汇是语言的基本要素之一,是语言技能的基础。没有词汇,语言交流就会受阻,如果词汇贫乏,词义含混,就会造成理解和表达的障碍。正如Wilkins所认为的“没有语法,难以表达;没有词汇,无法表达”(转引自朱志敏,2013)。由此可见,词汇在英语教学中起着重要的作用。然而,目前词汇教学的低效现状却普遍存在:有的教师进行过多的脱离情境的机械操练和重复带读词汇,导致学生会读却不会用;有的教师将教材文本只是作为一个语言整体输入的背景,对文本情境利用得不够充分;有的教师在情境创设时舍近求远、趣味性不强、缺乏真实性等。这些都会导致学生参与语言实践的积极性不高,词汇教学的效果不佳。
基于情境的小学英语词汇教学以学生为中心,根据教材文本和教学对象的特点,确定合理的词汇教学目标,通过立足文本情境和再创情境来有效完成教学目标。鉴于教材目标的设定来源于教材文本和学情,教师应首先充分利用文本情境,再创设多种与文本基调近似的情境,让学生多感知、多体验、多运用,帮助学生逐渐将所学语言内化,培养学生用英语思维和表达的能力。
(一)走进文本,在情境中感知、体验所学词汇
1. 依托文本情境,感知词汇的整体性
语言是一个整体,词汇离开了语言情境的整体性就缺失了语言的交际意义。因此,在教学中,不能将词汇孤立于情境进行教学,而是要将词汇的音、义、形、用作为一个整体融合在语篇情境整体教学中,服务于语篇教学,做到“词不离句,句不离篇”(沈艳萍,2010)。生活经验也告诉我们,孩子们咿呀学语,并非是父母教给他们每个词的发音、词形和词义,而是在孩子们的生活语境中词句被大量地输入和不断地复现,使孩子们自然习得进而输出语言。同时《义务教育英语课程课标(2011年版)》(教育部,2012)也强调,语言学习需要大量的语言输入。这就要求教师在教学中拓宽学习渠道,丰富学习资源。课堂教学中首先要整体输入语篇知识,依托文本情境,让学生感知词汇的音、义、形、用。
【案例1】在福建省第七届英语优质课大赛中,何老师在执教《英语》(新标准)(供一年级起始用) 第七册 Module 6 Unit 1 It didn't make gold.这一课时,将新词paintbrush贯穿于整个文本教学
中,其主要教学过程如下:
T: Did Ma Liang help people?
Ss: Yes.
T: How did he help people? What did he have? Let's listen and answer.(播放CD-ROM,整体输入)
T: What did he have?
S1: He had a paintbrush.
T: Oh, you're so clever. Ma Liang had a paintbrush. (PPT呈现paintbrush的图片)
T: What can a paintbrush do?
S2: It can paint.
T: That's right. It can paint and it has a brush. So we call it a “paintbrush”.(英译合成词paintbrush并且通过图片动态呈现paintbrush)
T: How was the paintbrush?(PPT演示马良画苹果,苹果变成真的画面)
Ss: It was magic.
T: Yes. It's a magic paintbrush. (引出本课主题the magic paintbrush)
T: What happened to the paintbrush?
S3: The bad man took Ma Liang's magic paintbrush away.
T: What did he paint?
S4: He painted gold.
T: Yes. He painted gold with the magic paintbrush. But did it make gold?
Ss: No. It made a snake.
Paintbrush在文中虽然只出现三次,却隐含在每个环节中,串联起整个故事:Ma Liang had a paintbrush. It was magic. Ma Liang painted food for the old woman with the magic paintbrush. The bad man took Ma Liang's paintbrush away. He painted gold with the magic paintbrush. It didn't make gold. It made a snake。何老师通过整体输入并提问:What did he have? 引出新词paintbrush。接着通过How was the paintbrush?What happened to the paintbrush? Did it make gold?等问题,结合故事图片、英译合成词等多种方式让学生感知paintbrush的音、义、形及在故事中的内涵和作用。
2. 活化文本情境,进一步体验、理解词汇
【案例2】在新授real 和 magic 这类抽象词汇时,何老师将平铺直叙的故事进行了再构和活化,使得抽象的单词变得具体、生动。
T: Look at Ma Liang's paintbrush. What do you think of it?
S1: It was magic.
T: Was it magic? Let's see.
T(播放CD-ROM): Ma Liang painted an apple. Then the apple was real.(教师现场秀魔术:利用PPT上苹果跳动和消失的一瞬间,教师敏捷地变出了一个苹果,使孩子们瞬间体验到了paintbrush的魔力)
T: So, was the paintbrush magic?
Ss(好奇和兴奋地高呼): It's magic!
T: Yes, it was magic. (板书magic) Look, I have a magic paintbrush, too. Is it magic? Let's see.(教师用自己带的画笔点击黑板上的单词magic, 竟然发出了地道漂亮的声音['mædʒɪk],使学生再一次体会到了paintbrush的魔力和magic的含义)
T: So we can say “This was a magic paintbrush.”Because it made an apple. But is it real?
Ss(怀疑): …
T(鼓励学生) : You can bite it.
S2: (咬了一口苹果)
Ss:(全班一阵高呼): It's real.
T: Yes, this apple is real.
T(出示实物): And I will show you something real.
S3: This ruler is real. This pen is real.
T(出示书本图片): Is this book real?
Ss: No.
T: Yeah. It's not real. It's a picture of a book. But never mind. I will make a real book for you.(教师伴着魔法音乐将神笔马良的图画纸变成了故事小书)
Ss(配合说): Magic!
T: Now it's a storybook. You can read it page by
page. Do you like this magic?
Ss: Yes.
T: Now let's do it together. Please take out your story paper. Do it like this. First…; second…(学生跟随老师学习变魔术)
何老师在新授magic 和real这两个单词时,并非机械地反复带读,而是在立足文本情境的前提下,活化文本情境,给故事增加马良画苹果的内容,并不断创设magic的情境。比如教师现场秀魔术变苹果,让学生亲口尝尝a real apple;教学生变出a storybook,使学生进一步体会magic和real的含义,这些为学生自然地输出real和magic做好了准备。
3. 深挖文本情境,巩固所学词汇
【案例3】在一次同课异构活动中,两位教师执教同一课《英语》(新标准)(供一年级起始用)第四册 Module 9 Unit 1 Turn left!其教学目标之一是能让学生用turn left, turn right, go straight on来指路。文本情境如下:Daming 邀请Sam去他家,可是Sam听错了,把Huxi Road 听成了Xihu Road,结果Sam 没有成功到达Daming 家。两位教师都利用文本情境让学生整体感知、理解、操练turn left, turn right, go straight on,然后让学生表演。不同的是教师1紧接着进入Listen and repeat.环节,便结束了文本学习。而教师2在学生表演之后,进一步挖掘文本,将文本情境进行了如下延伸:
T: Now Sam is lost. Who can help him find Daming's home.(提供地图,见图1)
图1
S1: Turn left. Then go straight on. Then turn right.
T: I think there is not only one way to Daming's home. Can you find more ways?First, please discuss in groups of four.(学生分组讨论,然后反馈)
T: Now who can show me more ways.
S2: Go straight on. Then turn left. Then turn left.
S3: Turn right. Go straight on. Turn left. Turn left. Then go straight on. Then turn left.
T: Great! I think you're helpful children. And which way is the shortest?(哪条路最近呢?)
Ss: 第一条。
T: I think so. And when someone is lost, please be helpful and show the way if you can, OK?
Ss: OK.
教师2 通过深挖文本情境,让学生在寻找不同的路线中若干次运用了turn left, turn right, go straight on,既启发了学生的思维,又巩固了所学词汇,为在真实情境中指路做好了铺垫。同时,还深化了情感教育,即Be helpful!
(二)走出文本,再创“用”的情境
在词汇教学中,笔者建议教师反复创设近似文本的情境,让学生在不同的语境中多次运用词汇。教师可以创设形式多样的情境,如趣味性情境、直观性情境、真实性情境等,既能让学生保持学习兴趣,又能起到语言实践的效果。
1. 再创趣味性情境,让学生“乐用”所学词汇
据研究,人的大脑中存在“乐趣”中枢和“苦痛”中枢,如果“乐趣”中枢被激活,人的兴趣就被激活了,就能够乐此不疲地做事情,而且能够享受做事情的过程。根据小学生好奇、好动、喜欢游戏的心理特征,如果教师在创设情境中能关注趣味性,激活孩子的“乐趣”中枢,那么他们参与表达的主动性会大大提高。
【案例4】还是以 Turn left!这课为例,教师通过创设“帮老师找礼物”的趣味性情境,激发学生说的欲望。
T: I took some presents for you. But I lost them.
Can you help me find them?
Ss(满怀期待): Yes.
T(叫一个学生到讲台前并蒙上眼睛): Now you can choose one card. (学生选择了一个布娃娃的卡片)
T: Oh, you chose the doll. So you can ask others to show you the way to the present.
S1: Excuse me. Where's the doll?
Ss: Turn left. Then go straight on. Then turn right. (学生找到礼物,无比兴奋)
T: You found the doll. It's yours.
通过蒙上眼睛找礼物的游戏,教师激发了三年级小朋友的兴趣,调动了他们参与指路的积极性,同时也检测了找礼物的学生是否能够听懂turn left, turn right, go straight on。
2.再创直观性情境,让学生“会用”所学词汇
直观情境教学具有真实、形象、生动等优势,符合小学生习惯直观思维的特征。我们通常利用图片、实物、肢体语言、简笔画、多媒体辅助教学等方式创设直观性情境,且这些常被用在词汇新授环节。如果在运用环节也能巧妙地再创直观性情境,将有助于学生更有效地掌握如何运用所学词汇。
【案例5】某教师在执教《新概念英语(青少版)(入门级B)》Unit 12 Hide behind the bush!这一课时,在Train the pet Kim这一运用环节,由于无法将真正的宠物带进课堂,教师教学生用简笔画,将pet Kim画在大拇指上(见图2)。
T: Draw with me. One, two, three, four, five…(学生跟老师一起画)
T: Look! It's Kim. Let me train it first.
T: Kim, run to the door! Kim, kiss me! Kim, hide behind me! …Kim, I think you are tired. Sleep please! Now you can train your Kim in pairs.(学生训练宠物,然后反馈)
S1: Kim, jump! Kim, swim…
图2
教师根据学生爱画画的特点,将Kim简笔画分解成五个步骤,现场教学生快速地将Kim画在大拇指上,使每个学生感受拥有自己宠物的过程;同时教师通过形象的肢体语言,如扮演小狗气喘吁吁地跑到门前、撒娇以及害羞地躲藏等,使大拇指上的Kim俨然成为一只可爱、害羞又讨喜的小狗,同时还给学生提供了清晰的示范,使学生在训练Kim时也能大胆地给出指令,并配以肢体语言,甚至还能给出更多与课本不一样的指令,充分调动了学生原有的动词词汇知识储备。
3.再创真实性情境,让学生“活用”所学词汇
《义务教育英语课程课标(2011年版)》(教育部,2012)强调情境的创设应具真实性,贴近学生生活的实际。这样学生才能身临其境,结合生活经验背景,激活词汇网络,灵活地运用所学词汇。
【案例6】在教授《英语》(新标准)(供一年级起始用)第七册Module 5 Unit 1 We went to the Great Wall.这一课时,笔者设计了这样的任务:Share your past visits(分享你的出游经历)。因为是谈论自己的出游经历,因此学生在分享时都有话可说,不仅能用本课所学的过去式动词went, saw, ate, had, bought等进行描述,还能联系旧词took photos, played等。如I went to London last summer with my parents. I saw the London Eye. It's very big. I played on it. I was very happy. I saw lots of English people. They were very tall and kind. I bought some presents. I took lots of photos. I had a good time.在任务延伸环节,笔者还布置了“在网上(如QQ空间或微博上)晒一晒你的一次出游经历,并用英语进行描述”的作业。由于当前学生都很流行在网上晒照片,因此学生对这项作业
很感兴趣。这样的设计符合学生的生活实际,具有较强的真实性,使他们完成作业的欲望较强,效果也出乎意料地好,如一个学生晒出了自己的照片,并写了如下内容:Last weekend, I went to the park with my friends. We climbed the mountain. We rowed a boat. At night, we enjoyed the night view. It was a beautiful weekend.
总之,只有将词汇置于语境中,充分利用文本情境,让学生感知、体验、理解词汇的运用,再创形式多样的“语用”情境,才能让学生真正明白词汇的语用功能,并在正确的情境中运用所学词汇。对于如何创设多样有效的情境,我们还需要多探究、多实践。只要教师不断增强情境教学的意识,从学生实际出发,有效利用情境,合理创设情境,一定能逐步提高词汇教学的有效性。
朱志敏. 2013. 基于语篇意识的小学英语词汇教学探究 [J]. 中小学外语教学(小学篇),(8): 30-34
沈艳萍. 2010. 小学英语词汇教学中如何体现整体性[J]. 江苏教育(小学教学版),(7): 11
中华人民共和国教育部. 2012. 义务教育英语课程标准(2011年版)[S]. 北京:北京师范大学出版社.
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