Unit 5 Fourteen Steps Teaching plan综合教程二

Unit 5 Fourteen StepsTeaching objectivesStudents will be able to:1) master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text2) understand the main idea, structure of the text and the authors writing style3) understand the significance of lifeTopics for discussion1) Can an invalid lead a happy life? Please explain.2) How would you show your appreciation if somebody helps you when you are in trouble? 3) What is your ideal life? Cultural information1. QuotesI am quite often asked: How do you feel about having ALS? The answer is, not a lot. I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many. Stephen HawkingText IFourteen StepsHal ManwaringGlobal ReadingI. Main ideaIt is hard to imagine that a blind old man should be willing and able to fix a car for someone else on a dark stormy night. This happened to the author, a crippled man who was afflicted by a progressive disease and who took others help for granted. Up to that day, the author had lived in disillusionment, self-pity, indifference and selfishness, as he was becoming increasingly feeble. He struggled to climb the fourteen steps every day only to hold on to his sanity, his wife, his home and his job. After he met the blind old man, it suddenly dawned on him that even a handicapped person was capable of performing an act of love for his fellow beings, and that was where the value of life lies.II. Structural analysis1. How many parts can the text be divided into and whats the topic of each part?According to the development of the story, the text could be divided into four parts, each of which focuses on one topic. Respectively, these topics are about the authors first life, his second life, his third life and his reflection on the auto-repair incident.2. Summarize the main idea of each part by completing the table. ParagraphsMain ideas1-2It depicts the authors first phase of life in which he began to enjoy everything pleasant: excellent health, a good job, a nice house, a happy family and lovely daughters.3-5The author describes his second life. Because of his disease, he became miserable and frustrated.6-8The authors third life began with the trouble of his car on the stormy night and he described the blind mans magnanimous, selfless help. 9-10The author reflected on the incident and his life philosophy, from which he discovered the true value of life.Detailed ReadingParagraphs 1-2Questions:1. What can we infer about the authors childhood? (Paragraph 1) We can infer that he lived an unhappy and hard life in his childhood because of the early death of his father and the poor health of his mother.2. How did his second life begin? (Paragraph 2) His second life began when he was afflicted with a slowly progressive disease of the motor nerves, affecting first his right arm and leg, and then his other side.Paragraphs 3-5Questions:1. What does the author mean by “I managed to keep my health and optimism, to a degree, because of 14 steps”? (Paragraph 3)In a way, the daily exercise of climbing helped to keep his physical capability (health), which in turn made him optimistic that he could continue living.2. Why does the author call these steps “14 miserable steps”? (Paragraph 5)Because the fact that everything in his life (his home, his job, his wife and his sanity) seemed to totally depend on these 14 steps made him miserable.Paragraph 6Questions:Why did the author dismiss the thought at once that any passing motorist would offer help at the moment? (Paragraph 6)Because he knew that he would not stop if he were a passing driver in that situation.Paragraph 7Questions:1. Was there any hint that indicates something unusual about the man? (Paragraph 7)There were some indications: first, they were working awfully slow; second, the little girl obviously handed to the man something (the jack-handle) the man was unable to find.2. How did the author feel when the man and the little girl were working in the storm? (Paragraph 7)The author first felt sorry that he sat in the car dry and comfortable, while they were working in the heavy rain. But his uneasiness was soon relieved by the thought that he would pay them.Paragraph 8Questions:1. Why did the old man refuse to accept the authors payment?Because the old man took it for granted that offering free help to disabled people is what everyone should do, especially when they are in trouble. He believed that the author would have done the same for others.2. When did the author realize that the old man was blind?The author did not realize it until the little girl explained to him “Grandpa cant see it.”Paragraphs 9-10Questions:1. How did the author react to the girls words? (Paragraph 9)On hearing the little girls words, the author was stunned for a few seconds, full of shame and horror, because as a handicapped man, he had taken others help for granted and had never expected that a blind man would work on the dark stormy night for him out of pure warm-heartedness for a fellow human being. This contrasts his own selfishness and indifference to the needs of others before the incident.2. How did the author re-evaluate the 14 steps? (Paragraph 10)The author came to be aware that some people who had the same or worse adversity were always ready to offer help. For him the 14 steps were not the whole thing in his life. There are other people he should give help to when he was struggling against his own adversity.Text II The Power of BeliefLead-in Questions1. Can you give one of your personal stories to illustrate the power of perseverance?2. According to you, what can you do to foster perseverance? Main idea It is a simple story about how a woman who had a car accident managed to be able to walk again on her own. And this was all due to her firm belief that she could.Notes1. . I heard his words fall heavily on my ears, numbing my soul. (Paragraph 1): . his wordsmade me aware of the seriousness of my injury, chilling my soul.2. my legs were my prime concern. (Paragraph 2): the injuries of my legs were my first andforemost concern.3. “on the go” by nature (Paragraph 2): being active by nature4. the implications of that were weighing heavily on his little shoulders. (Paragraph 3): what it meant (to have a totally handicapped mother) worried my son.5. when adversity strikes (Paragraph 4): when one is suddenly attacked by misfortune or findshimself in a difficult situation6. I needed something besides my physical healing to sink my Irish stubbornness into (Paragraph 4): Besides my healing, I needed to do something with the stubbornness by which we Irish people are characterized. Here “stubbornness” means perseverance.7. And being confined to a wheelchair the rest of my life didnt fit into my plans. (Paragraph 5) : I didnt intend to be confined to a wheelchair the rest of my life.8. I wondered if a conspiracy of silence had developed (Paragraph 7): A conspiracy of silence is a tacit agreement. Here the author means the nurses seemed to have agreed, tacitly, to keep silent about what she was doing.9. I would maneuver myself from my bed to the floor (Paragraph 8): I would succeed in moving from my bed to the floor with care and skill 10. dodge ball (Paragraph 8) : a game in which several players form a ring and throw a large inflated ball at one or more players inside the ring who try to catch or dodge the ball11. My life has been blessed with many milestones and accomplishments (Paragraph 10): “Be blessed with” means to be endowed with. Questions for discussion1. What do you think made the author stand up again?2. Do you believe in the power of belief? Please illustrate your point with examples.3. The author thinks the nurses must have noticed what she did in their absence, but they chose to be silent about it. Do you think it possible or not? Give your reasons.Key to questions for discussion1. The author stood up again because of her love for her son and her will to face the challenges of life.2. The a