Which way of presenting meanings would you choose for the italicized
words in the following fragment? Explain your choice for each case:
Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped intothe book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversa-
tions in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "withoutpictures or conversations?"
So she was considering in her own mind whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!" (when she thought it over after-wards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it Hashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and was just in time to see it pop down a large rab-bit-hole under the hedge.
(From: "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll)
III. a) Choose a text from the 5th- or 6th-form textbook and prepare a micro-lesson at which you will present the meanings of new words. Try to vary your methods of presentation.
B) Prepare a similar micro-lesson based on a text of the 9th- or lOth-form text-book.
Key Words and Expressions: to communicate (teach) meanings of words by demonstration, pictures, verbal explanation; to convey the meaning; exclusion of the mother tongue; encoding; decoding
UNIT FIVE
TEXT FIVE UP THE DOWN
STAIRCASE
By Bel Kaufman
(Fragment)
Bel Kaufman, an American writer. She worked as a teacher of the English lan-guage and literature in a New York high school for 15 years. "Up the Down Stair-case" (1964) is her first prominent work. The book deals with the experiences of a young high-school teacher.
Sept. 25
Dear Ellen,* -
It's FTG (Friday Thank God), which means I need not set the alarm for 6:30 tomorrow morning; I can wash a blouse, think a thought, write a letter.
Congratulations on the baby's new tooth. Soon there is bound to be another tooth and another and another, and before you know it, little Suzie will start going to school, and her troubles will just begin.
Though I hope that by the time she gets into the public high school system, things will be different. At least, they keep promising that things will be different. I'm told that since the recent strike threats, negotiations with the United Federation of Teachers, and greater public interest, we are enjoying "improved conditions". But in the two weeks that I have been here, conditions seem greatly unim-proved.
You ask what I am teaching. Hard to say. Professor Winters ad-vised teaching "not the subject but the whole child". The English Syllabus urges "individualization and enrichment" — which means giving individual attention to each student to bring out the best in him and enlarge his scope beyond the prescribed work. Bester says "to motivate and distribute" books — that is, to get students ready and eager to read. All this is easier said еnan done. In fact, all this is plain impossible.
Many of our kids — though physically mature — can't read be-yond 4th and 5th grade level. Their background consists of the sim-
| * Ellen and Sylvia Barrett had been at college | |||
| together. | |||
plest comics and thrillers. They've been exposed to some ten years of schooling, yet they don't know what a sentence is.
The books we are required to teach frequently have nothing to do with anything except the fact that they have always been taught, or that there'is an oversupply of them, or that some committee or other was asked to come up with some titles.
I've been trying to teach without books. There was one heady moment when I was able to excite the class by an idea: I had put on the blackboard Browning's1 "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" and we got involved in a spirited discussion of aspiration vs.2 reality. Is it wise, I asked, to aim higher than one's capacity? Does it not doom one to failure? No, no, some said, that's ambition and progress! No, no, others cried, that's frustration and defeat! What about hope? What about despair? — You've got to be practical! — You've got to have a dream! They said this in their own words, you understand, startled into discovery. To the young, cliches seem freshly minted. Hitch your wagon to a star! And when the dis-missal bell rang, they paid me the highest compliment: they groaned! They crowded in the doorway, chirping like agitated sparrows, peck-ing at the seeds I had strewn — when who should materialize but Admiral Ass.3
"What is the meaning of this noise? "
"It's the sound of thinking, Mr. McHabe," I said.
Thexrardinal sin, strange as it may seem in an institution of learn-ing, is talking. There are others, of course — sins, I mean, and I seem to have committed a good number. Yesterday I was playing my record of Gielgud4 reading Shakespeare. I had brought my own phonograph to school (no one could find the Requisition Forms for "Audio-Visu-al Aids" — that's the name for the school record player) and I had succeeded, I thought, in establishing a mood. I mean, I got them to be quiet, when — enter Admiral Ass,5 in full regalia, epaulettes quiv-ering with indignation. He snapped his fingers for me to stop the phonograph, waited for the turntable to stop turning, and pro-nounced:
"There will be a series of three bells rung three times indicating Emergency Shelter Drill. Playing records does not encourage the orderly evacuation of the class."
I mention McHabe because he has crystallized into The Enemy...
Chaos, waste, cries for help — strident, yet unheard. Or am I ro-manticizing? That's what Paul says; he only shrugs and makes up funny verses about everyone. That's Paul Barringer — a writer who
teaches English on one foot, as it were, just waiting to be published. He's very attractive: a tan crew cut, a white smile with lots of teeth; one eyebrow higher than the other. All the girls are in love with him.
There are a.few good, hard-working, patient people... who man-age to teach against insuperable odds; a few brilliantly endowed teachers who — unknown and unsung — work their magic in the classroom; a few who truly love young people. The rest, it seems to me, have either given up, or are taking it out on the kids. "Those who can, do, those who can't, teach." Like most sayings, this is only half true. Those who can, teach; those who can't — the bitter, the misguid-ed, the failures from other fields — find in the school system an ex-cuse or a refuge. ...
And Dr. Bester, my immediate supervisor, Chairman of the English Department, I can't figure out at all. He is a dour, desiccated little man, remote and prissy.6 Like most chairmen, he teaches only one class of Seniors; the most experienced teachers are frequently promoted right out of the classroom! Kids respect him; teachers dislike him — possi-bly because he is given to popping up, unexpectedly, to observe them. "The ghost walks" is the grape-vine signal for his visits. Bea7 told me he started out as a great teacher, but he's been soured by the trivia-m-triplicate8 which his administrative duties impose. I hope he doesn't come to observe me until I get my bearings.
Commentary
Browning, Robert: an English poet and playwright (1812-1889)
vs.: short for versus (Lat.) against
Admiral Ass: the nickname given to James J. McHabe, the ad ministrative assistant, because he signed his innumerable circulars "James J. McHabe, Adm. Asst."
Gielgud, John: an outstanding English actor and producer
5. ...enter Admiral Ass: the verb: "to enter" is used like this (the form of the Subjunctive I) in stage directions in a printed play fe.gr. Enter Hamlet = Let Hamlet enter)
prissy: a blend of precise and sissy; prim and precise (coll., USA)
Bea: short for Beatrice, one of the teachers
trivla-in-triplicate: from trivia, a Latin noun in the plural, which means trifles; triplicate a threefold (e.g. to draw up a document in triplicate — to write a document together with three copies of it). The author of the letter wants to say that Bester is overburdened with his administrative duties.
ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Notes
1. negotiatevi/t1) discuss matters in order to come to an agreement; negotiate with smb. for, on, over smth. (for peace, truce, cease fire, etc.) 2) bring about (a desired object), by preliminary discussion, arrange (a business affair), e.g. The Ministers negotiated a top-level meeting.
negotiationsnthe act of negotiating, making arrangements,asto enter into (conduct, carry on, hold, resume) negotiations with smb.; break-down of negotiations; negotiations on an issue, e.g. The negotiations on the oil issue are in progress.
negotiating partiesgroups of persons discussing political or busi-ness matters
negotiatorn one who negotiates
2. distributevthand, give or send out among a number of persons,e.g. The teacher distributed the examination papers to the class(among the pupils).
distributionn distributing or being distributeddistributorna person or thing that distributes
3. exceedvt1) go beyond what is allowed or necessary, as to exceed one's authority, the limits of decency; e.g. The driver was fined for exceeding the speed-limit. You have exceeded your instructions (i.e. done more than you had authority to do). 2) be greater than, e.g. 30 exceeds 13 by 17.
exceedinglyadvextremely, to an unusual degree, as an exceed-ingly difficult book
Word Discrimination: exceed, surpass.
Exceedis applied mostly to things in the sense of going beyondin measure, degree, quantity, and quality; one thing exceeds an-other in magnitude, height, or any other dimensions. It is usually taken in an indifferent or in a bad sense, particularly in regard to persons, as a person exceeds his instructions or exceeds the due measure.
Surpasssignifies to exceed or be superior in that which is good.E.g. His playing now surpasses his teacher's. His record was sur-passed the other day.
Either of the verbs may be used in reference to expectations. E.g. His success exceeded (or surpassed) his expectations.
involvevt1) mix up in, as involve smb. in war, crime, debt, scandal, mystery, etc., e.g. He is deeply involved in debt. 2) have as a necessary consequence, as involve great expenses, difficulties, com plications, serious trouble, much work, an increase in, etc., e.g. The war has involved an enormous increase in the national debt. 3) be (get, become) mixed up with smb., e.g. It was clear he didn't want to get involved with us.
involveda complicated in thought or form, as involved reasoning,an involved mechanism, sentence, etc. involvement n the state of being involved
aspirevidesire earnestly (to, after, atorinfin.),e.g.We aspireafter what is great and unusual.
aspirationn (for, after), as the aspirations of the people forfreedom
ambitionnstrong desire to be or do smth., or for success, fame,honour, e.g. His ambition is to be a great scientist.
ambitiousa-1) full of ambition,e.g.He is an ambitious boy; hewants to become famous. 2) needing great efforts in order to succeed, showing ambition; e.g. His plans are very ambitious, he wants to master the language in a year.
Word Discrimination: aspiration, ambition.
Both nouns express strong desire to achieve something but there is a subtle difference between them. Aspiration usually expresses an ardent desire for what is elevated, noble, spiritual or pure, the striv-ing after which is uplifting or ennobling.
Ambitionusually expresses an ardent desire for distinction.E.g. Pete was full of ambition, worked hard and became top boyof the class.
frustratevt1) to prevent smb. from doing smth., as to frustratethe plans of one's enemies, to frustrate one's enemies in their plans, to be frustrated in an attempt to do smth. 2) to bring to nothing, e.g. His hopes were frustrated.
frustrationn 1), frustrating or being frustrated,e.g.The frustrationof all the dreams aged her before her time. 2) a defeat or disappoint-ment, e.g. His frustration strengthened his opposition.
observevt1) take notice of; see and notice; watch closely and care
fully, study; e.g. We observed that it had turned cloudy. The head teach er observed several lessons. 2) keep or celebrate; pay attention to (laws, customs, festivals), as to observe a person's birthday, an anniversary, etc., e.g. This rule is strictly observed by everyone. 3) say by way of com ment, e.g. He observed that we should probably have rain,
observationn, asto carry on, maintain observation; to be (keepa person) under observation, powers of observation; an observation post
observance nthe keeping of law, custom, duty, etc.
observantaquick to pay attention to; in the habit of noticingthings, as an observant boy
observern1) one who observes, as an observer of nature 2) onewho keeps rules, customs, etc., as an observer of old traditions
9. imposevt1) put or lay (a duty, tax, punishment, obligation,curfew, etc.), e.g. A fine was imposed on him for careless driving. 2) force or persuade a person to do or take smth. by using unfair methods, tricks, etc., e.g. He imposed his will on his family.
impositionn the act of putting or laying a tax, burden, punish-ment, etc. on smb., as the imposition of new taxes
imposingamaking a strong impression because of striking char-acter or appearance; causing admiration, as an imposing lady, an imposing building