Unit 5 What Are Our Real Values?
Unit 5 What Are Our Real Values?
I.Teaching Aims: Help the students to get a better understanding of American values. Get the students to grasp the key words and sentence structures
I. Teaching Aims: ◼ Help the students to get a better understanding of American values. ◼ Get the students to grasp the key words and sentence structures
II.Teaching Importance and Difficulties: Understand the author's main purpose of writing the essay. Know the writing strategies of the text. Grasp the key language points in the text. III.Teaching periods:6 periods
◼ Understand the author’s main purpose of writing the essay. ◼ Know the writing strategies of the text. ◼ Grasp the key language points in the text. III. Teaching periods: 6 periods II. Teaching Importance and Difficulties:
IV.Teaching steps: 1.Warm-up Questions: As a Chinese,what do you value most?Can you generalize what Chinese values are? Ref:Among the treasury teachings of Confucius,there are nine standards by which to administer the empire,its states,and the families. 1.cultivating the personal life; 2.honoring the worthy; 3.being affectionate to relatives; 4.being respectful toward the great ministers; 5.identifying oneself with the welfare of the whole body of officers; 6.treating the common people as one's own children; 7.attracting the various artisans; 8.showing tenderness to strangers from far countries; 9.extending kindly and awesome influence on the feudal lords
1. Warm-up Questions: As a Chinese, what do you value most? Can you generalize what Chinese values are? Ref: Among the treasury teachings of Confucius, there are nine standards by which to administer the empire, its states, and the families. 1. cultivating the personal life; 2. honoring the worthy; 3. being affectionate to relatives; 4. being respectful toward the great ministers; 5. identifying oneself with the welfare of the whole body of officers; 6. treating the common people as one's own children; 7. attracting the various artisans; 8. showing tenderness to strangers from far countries; 9. extending kindly and awesome influence on the feudal lords. IV. Teaching steps:
2.Information related to the text: About the author:An independent journalist and a television commentator,Nicols Fox was born in 1942 and received her education at Mary Baldwin College.Her articles have appeared in such publications as The American Journalism Review,the Economist and The New York Times. Nicols Fox is an author and bookseller.Her book AGAINST THE MACHINE:The Hidden Luddite Tradition in Literature,Art,and Individual Lives is now out in paperback. She is also the author of the essay found in ALONE TOGETHER, a book of David Graham's photographs of Placentia Island
2. Information related to the text: About the author: An independent journalist and a television commentator, Nicols Fox was born in 1942 and received her education at Mary Baldwin College. Her articles have appeared in such publications as The American Journalism Review, the Economist and The New York Times. Nicols Fox is an author and bookseller. Her book AGAINST THE MACHINE: The Hidden Luddite Tradition in Literature, Art, and Individual Lives is now out in paperback. She is also the author of the essay found in ALONE TOGETHER, a book of David Graham's photographs of Placentia Island
2)About the text: In this essay the author challenges what are taken for granted as "American vales". She starts it by pointing out a number of often-ignored facts that run counter to the common supposition about the mainstream American society.She suggests that it is probably due to the problem of "changing things". These facts give rise to the question as to what are the real American values. The answer,however,is for the readers to find:The author's intention is just to provoke our thought. When reading this essay,the reader's special attention should be paid to the way she enumerates the contradictions between what is still largely considered American values and the reality
2) About the text: In this essay the author challenges what are taken for granted as "American vales". She starts it by pointing out a number of often-ignored facts that run counter to the common supposition about the mainstream American society. She suggests that it is probably due to the problem of "changing things". These facts give rise to the question as to what are the real American values. The answer, however, is for the readers to find: The author's intention is just to provoke our thought. When reading this essay, the reader's special attention should be paid to the way she enumerates the contradictions between what is still largely considered American values and the reality
3.Detailed Study of the Text: Text Analysis Para.1 In this first paragraph the author points out that the popularly assumed American values are "fantasies
Text Analysis Para.1 In this first paragraph the author points out that the popularly assumed American values are "fantasies." 3. Detailed Study of the Text:
Language points 1.the chorus of political pundits:the group of politicians who share the same ideas about the presidential election,etc.what those political critics are saying with one voice 2.referendum:(对法案的)公民复决（制度）；公民复决投 票权。a vote by people on whether to approve or reject some proposal or policy,esp.one that was made by or passed by a law- making body Paraphrase the first sentence: The recent presidential election .was a referendum on American values:During the recent presidential election,people were actually voting on American values rather than on the president
1. the chorus of political pundits: the group of politicians who share the same ideas about the presidential election, etc. ; what those political critics are saying with one voice 2. referendum:（对法案的）公民复决（制度）；公民复决投 票权。a vote by people on whether to approve or reject some proposal or policy, esp. one that was made by or passed by a lawmaking body Paraphrase the first sentence: The recent presidential election . was a referendum on American values: During the recent presidential election, people were actually voting on American values rather than on the president. Language points
Chorus:a simultaneous utterance by a number of people Paraphrase the last sentence: The last sentence means that they (American values) seem to be the fantasies which we use when we sell such things as soft drinks,phone services and color film,and they c can also be used when we are "selling"certain presidential candidates.In other words,those candidates who are said to represent American values tend to be elected
Chorus: a simultaneous utterance by a number of people Paraphrase the last sentence: The last sentence means that they (American values) seem to be the fantasies which we use when we sell such things as soft drinks, phone services and color film, and they can also be used when we are “selling” certain presidential candidates. In other words, those candidates who are said to represent American values tend to be elected
Q1:According to the author,how do American people choose their presidents? They choose their presidents on the basis of how clearly and convincingly these candidates represent and can protect this vision of American values. Q2:Why does the author relate American values with the presidential election and selling soft drinks,phone services and color film? In the author's view,the way the American people choose their presidents is similar to the way that they are made to choose soft drinks,though creative advertising,because both are based on fantasies-fantasies they cherish and fantasies conjured up by the advertising world.Such fantasies perform the same function as the sales promotions of soft drinks,phone services and color film.In selling soft drinks,phone services and color film,producers and retailers usually offer exaggerated or fantastic but false pictures to consumers
Q1: According to the author, how do American people choose their presidents? They choose their presidents on the basis of how clearly and convincingly these candidates represent and can protect this vision of American values. Q2: Why does the author relate American values with the presidential election and selling soft drinks, phone services and color film? In the author's view, the way the American people choose their presidents is similar to the way that they are made to choose soft drinks, though creative advertising, because both are based on fantasies- fantasies they cherish and fantasies conjured up by the advertising world. Such fantasies perform the same function as the sales promotions of soft drinks, phone services and color film. In selling soft drinks, phone services and color film, producers and retailers usually offer exaggerated or fantastic but false pictures to consumers