Unit 12 The Importance of Moral Intelligence in Children Teaching plan.doc

Unit 12 The Importance of Moral Intelligence in ChildrenPre-reading Questions1) The current situation (status quo) of juvenile delinquency (severe or not? means, age and so on)2) How do we define the juvenile delinquency?3) What are the reasons leading up to juvenile delinquency? (from different aspects)4) How to prevent this phenomenon?Cultural informationQuoteThe sooner you treat your son as a man, the sooner he will be one. William John LockeMoral Intelligence: Parents Do Make a DifferenceYoung adolescence can be a troubling time. There are scores of disturbing indicators to prove it including the steady rise of impulsivity, depression, suicide, violence, peer cruelty, and substance abuse. In addition we are seeing a growing rise in disrespect for authority, incivility, vulgarity, cheating and dishonesty.Weve been relentless in our efforts to make a change. But in all our interventions the one area often overlooked is the moral intelligence of the young adolescent. Moral intelligence consists of the personal, social, mental, emotional, and moral skills that make up solid character and guide moral behaviours. It is the capacity to understand right from wrong. It means to have strong ethical convictions and to act on them so that one behaves in the right and honourable way. Moral intelligence is what a young adolescent needs most to counter negative pressures and do whats right with or without adult guidance.Cultivating moral intelligence may well be our best hope. The latest research confirms strong moral character can be learned and how teaching it can enhance our students pro-social behaviours and replace negative ones. However, teachers are not their students most powerful moral instructors parents are. Unfortunately, parents often dont use their influence due to misconceptions.Text I The Importance of Moral Intelligence in ChildrenMichele BorbaGlobal ReadingI . Main ideaIn this piece of argumentative writing, the author first states an obvious fact: the crisis in American society which involves American children has “left us shaken, deeply worried, and in search of answers.” Then she supplies readers with substantial statistics and evidence to show how the problem of American children is manifested in various ways in schools and society, from the increasing homicide and suicide rates to widespread cheating and commonplace dishonesty. The author describes the frantic efforts the nation has made as a reaction to the problem. However, she regrettably concludes that the crisis remains. What is critically needed, in her opinion, is to enhance childrens moral strength. Such enhancement depends on our effort to help children not only think morally, but also act morally.II. Structural analysis1. Whats the language style of the text?This piece of argumentative writing, short as it is, bears some distinctive features of a research paper, but the absence of academic terminology makes it more accessible to the general public.2. How does the author present her argument?The author presents her argument clearly and logically with either supportive statistics or quotations of identified sources.3. Summarize the main idea of each paragraph. ParagraphsMain idea1It presents the crisis and the reasons why it needs to be tackled immediately.2It supplies some official data from the American Academy of Pediatrics and statistical evidence to prove the acuteness of the crisis.3It provides many signs of childrens misconduct which the author calls “equally horrifying” at the end of the preceding paragraph.4It tells the reader that the nation is really alarmed.5The author points out what is further needed.6It projects the prospect of our effort to tackle the crisis and reiterates the importance of enhancing childrens moral intelligence.Detailed ReadingParagraph 1Question1. Why does the author consider the issue as “a clear and pressing crisis”? Because the problem involves our most cherished possession: our children. And it arouses the concern of everybody lawmakers, doctors, clergy, businesspeople, educators, parents, and the general public alike.Paragraph 2Questions1. Why does the author say “youth violence alone should warrant a national declaration of emergency”? (Paragraph 2) The author says so because of two startling pieces of evidence: the first is the highest youth homicide and suicide rates among the twenty-six wealthiest nations in the world; the second is that killers are getting younger and younger.2. What particular cases of killing are mentioned in this paragraph? (Paragraph 2) Two cases of killing are mentioned in the paragraph: a six-year-old intentionally suffocated her three-year-old brother with the help of her five-year-old friend and a six-year-old boy settled a schoolyard score by killing his first-grade classmate with a 32 semiautomatic.Paragraph 3Questions1. What are the major disturbing signs the author mentions in this paragraph? The major disturbing signs mentioned in this paragraph include increasing peer cruelty, easy accessibility to weapons, the growing disrespect for parents, teachers and other legitimate authority figures, the increase of vulgarity, widespread cheating and dishonesty, and heavy alcohol and drug use.2. What are the disturbing indicators in childrens psychological and emotional dimension? In two decades, the number of diagnoses of hyperactivity and attention deficits has risen 700 percent. In the last four decades, adolescent suicide in our country has increased 300 percent, and depression has risen 1,000 percent.Paragraph 4Questions1. What education strategies have been tried on the matter, in addition to heightening security? Teachers have taught self-esteem and conflict resolution skills, and counselors have addressed social skills and anger management. Individual states have implemented retention policies, lowered class sizes, and boosted academic standards.2. How have parents reacted to the continuing crisis? Mothers marched on Washington for stricter gun control; some parents have started charter schools, while others have opted for home schoolings.Paragraph 5Questions1. How does the author evaluate the efforts people have made to cope with the crisis? Obviously, the author is not quite satisfied with the result of these “frantic efforts”, because “the crisis remains, and our children are still hurting.” In her view one critical piece has been missed the moral side of childrens lives.2. Why does the author cite a number of peoples works in this paragraph? The author cites these works to prove that the moral side of childrens life has not been completely overlooked. More importantly, the author hopes to emphasize that more efforts are needed and the true measure of character rests in our actions not in mere thoughts.Paragraph 6Question1. What do the expressions “the traits of solid character,” “this crucial aptitude” and “this miraculous moral capacity” refer to? These three expressions all refer to moral intelligence as mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph. The author uses such modifiers as “urgent”, “crucial”, and “miraculous” to underscore the importance of childrens moral intelligence.Text II Across America, Grief and HorrorValerie StraussLead-in Questions1. What do you think of the individuals right to own a gun for self-defense and maintain order?2. According to you, what measures can be taken to prevent campus shooting? Main idea This passage describes peoples reactions to the school shooting tragedy.Notes1. About the author: Valerie Strauss is a staff writer of The Washington Post, adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College, and D.C. Schools chancellor.2. Colorado (Paragraph 1): a state in the west of the U.S.3. D.C. (Paragraph 1): Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, formally the District ofColumbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C.4. sawed-off shotguns (Paragraph 5): shotguns with a short barrel, often carried as weapons by criminals5. Rosie ODonnell (Paragraph 6): (1962 ) an American television host, stand-up comedian, actress, singer, and author. She lost her mother to cancer as a preteen and has constantly stressed values of protecting children and supporting families throughout her career.6. called her members of Congress. (Paragraph 6): The Congress is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. People of every state elect their senators (2 per state) and representatives (the number is based on the population of the state). Here Blorstad called the representatives and senators from her state to get them to support her.7. Mothers started Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and they took it federal (Paragraph 7):The mothers were so angry about children being killed by drunk drivers that they started a campaign and took up the issue at a national level with the federal authorities 8. the Pentagon (Paragraph 9): the U.S. Department of Defense9. Littleton (Paragraph 9): a town in the U.S. state of Colorado. Littleton became widely known in 1999 when the Columbine High School massacre occurred at nearby Columbine High School.10. President Clinton (Paragraph 10): 42nd president of the U.S. (19932001) His two terms saw sustained economic growth and successive budget surpluses, the first in three decades.11. the House of Representatives (Paragraph 10): the lower legislative branch in many national and state bicameral governing bodies, as in the U.S., Mexico and Japan12. Board of Trade (Paragraph 10): an association of business people13. outside of (Paragraph 11): except14. Armistice Day (Paragraph 11): former name of Veteran Day (19151920), which falls on Nov.11, a legal holiday in the U.S. in commemoration of the end of World Wars I and II and in honour of veterans of the armed forces15. Howard University (Paragraph 13): a university in Washington D.C., the most prominent African educational institution in the U.S. It is financially supported by the U.S. government but is privately controlled.16. she could not remember a busier day. (Paragraph 17): this was the busiest day she could remember in her life.17. the National Rifle Association (Paragraph 18): (NRA) governing organization for the sport of shooting with rifles and pistols. It was founded in Britain in 1862. The U.S. organization, formed in 1871, has a membership of some four million. The U.S. NRA, one of the most powerful political lobbies in the country, has vigorously opposed many legislative proposals for the control of firearms.18. Denver (Paragraph 18): the capital city of the state of Colorado19. SWAT (Paragraph 19): Special Weapons and Tactics (a team of law-enforcement officers trained and equipped to deal with especially dangerous violent situations, as hostages are being held)Questions for discussion1. How did the shootings affect people in the U.S.?2. How do you understand the last sentence?3. What, according to the text, are the major causes of increasing campus violence in the U.S.?Key to questions for discussion1. Frightened, people reacted strongly to them. They talked of little else and were trying to help in tightening gun control. Even at the Pentagon, the topic of conversation was also the shootings; and flags flew at half-staff in Washington.2. The safety of children in schools people used to take for granted is no longer there. 3. According to the text, there is something wrong about American culture. (Paragraph 12) Specifically, the author mentions three things: the loose gun control in the country guns are easily available to teenagers (Paragraph 5), racial prejudice under whose influence some “teenage boys make bombs and target African Americans” (Paragraph 14), and the so-called “freedom of information” (Paragraph 15