Teaching Aims:
1.Learn and master the following words and phrases:
justice,murder,go down on knees,punishment,immediately,order,sword,conflict,complex
2.Train the students’ reading ability.
3.Train the students’ ability to write a play.
Teaching Important Points:
1.Help the students understand the text exactly and master the following words and phrases:
shall,at the mercy of,go down on knees
2.Help the students finish the task of writing a play.
Teaching Difficult Point:
How to help the students write a play.
Teaching Methods:
1.Listening before reading to get the general idea of the text.
2.Asking-and-answering after reading to make the students understand the detailed in formation.
3.Individual,pair or group work to make every student work in class.
4.Performing to make the class lively and interesting.
Teaching Aids:
1.the multimedia
2.the blackboard
Teaching Procedures:
Step Ⅰ Greetings
Greet the whole class as usual.
Step Ⅱ Revision and Lead-in
T:Yesterday,we read the first part of 玊he Merchant of Venice.獳ntonio’s trial was taking place at the court.Do you still remember what happened at the court?Wang Hai,could you please retell the story in the first part?
S1:Yes.At the court,the Duke tried hard to persuade Shylock to have mercy on Antonio,but Shylock insisted on having a pound of his flesh.Even if Bassanio would pay him double the money Antonio had borrowed,Shylock would not change his mind.While the Duke was wondering what to do,Portia arrived,pretending to be a famous lawyer.At first,Portia also tried to persuade Shylock to have mercy on Antonio and take more than three times his money.But Shylock still refused to give up his demand for a pound of flesh from Antonio,so Portia said he might take his knife to prepare to do the deed.
T:Well done.Sit down,please.Will Shylock get his pound of flesh?Let’s go back to the court.First,listen to the tape of the second part of the play.Try to find out what will happen to Antonio and Shylock at last.Begin to listen!
(Teacher plays the tape and checks the answer at the end.)
T:Have you found out the answer?
Ss:Yes.
T:Who’d like to have a try?
S2:Shylock will not get Antonio’s flesh.He has to give half of his money to the city of Venice and promise to leave the other half of his money upon his death to his daughter and her husband.
T:(To the other students)Is that right?
Ss:Yes.
T:OK.Now let’s learn the new words.Then read the play.Look at the screen,please.
(Teacher shows the new words on the screen and deals with them as usual.)
justice/ｄｓｔIｓ/ n. 公正；正義
murder/′ｍ：ｄ/ vt. 謀殺
go down on knees 跪下
punishment/′ｐｎIｍｎｔ/ n. 懲罰
immediately/I′ｍｉ：ｄIｔｌI/玜dv. 立刻；馬上
order/′：ｄ/ vt. 命令；下令
sword/ｓ：ｄ/ n. 劍；刀
conflict/′ｋｎｆｌIｋｔ/ n. 沖突；戰斗
complex/′ｋｍｐｌｅｋｓ/ adj. 錯綜復雜的；難解的
△tragedy/′ｔｒｄｄI/ n. 悲劇
Step Ⅲ Reading
T:Now,please open your books at Page 71.Read the second part of the play carefully and find out the answers to the questions on the screen.
(Show the screen.)
1.How does Portia stop Shylock from cutting Antonio’s flesh?
2.What does Portia say when Shylock finally agrees to take three times more than Antonio borrowed from him?
3.What is the result of the trial?Does the story have a happy ending?
(Teacher allows the students some time to read the play and prepare for the questions.At the end,ask some students to answer the questions.)
Suggested answers:
1.Portia allows Shylock to take exactly one pound of flesh from Antonio,no more,no less.She also tells Shylock that he must not let one drop of his blood fall.So Shylock gives in.
2.She says that Shylock must give half of his money to Antonio and the other half to the city of Venice according to the law.
3.Antonio is saved.Shylock gets punished.The story has a happy ending.
(After checking the answers,teacher deals with some language points.)
T:Well done.You’ve understood it better.Now let’s learn some useful words and phrases in it.Look at the screen.(Show the screen.)
1.shall
e.g.We shall start for Beijing tomorrow.(future use)
You shall have a nice present for your birthday.(promise)
You shall be sorry for what you have done,I tell you.(warning)
When he comes in nobody shall say a word.(order)
Nothing shall stop us from carrying out his plan.(decision)
2.at the mercy of
e.g.They were lost at sea, at the mercy of the winds and the waves.
3.go down on one’s knees
e.g.They will never go down on their knees before the oppressors.
4.beg…for
e.g.The prisoner begged (the judge) for mercy.
(Bb:shall,at the mercy of,go down on one’s knees,beg…for)
Step Ⅳ Writing
T:Well,we’ve read The Merchant of Venice.It has a happy ending.Can you tell me whether it is a tragedy or a comedy?
Ss:Comedy.
T:Why do you think it is a comedy?
Ss:Because the Good wins,and the Bad loses.
T:You are right.Now,please turn to Page 72 and look at the tips of getting the main point of a play.
(Teacher and the students read through the tips and writes some key words on the blackboard.After that,teacher says the following.)
T:Today,another trial took place between two women.They are arguing about a baby.How did the story occur?And what would they do?Please read the passage in Writing at Page 71 and find out who wins the trial,the Good or the Bad?You can begin now.
(After the students finish reading the passage.Teacher checks the answer.)
T:OK.Everyone,have you found out the answer?Who wins?
Ss:Yes.The Good wins.
T:Quite right.Now,please work in groups of four or five to write a short play based on this story.Give names to the King,the two mothers and the children.There is also a character to play the role of the soldier.If you like,you can also have a few other characters who are friends of the two mothers.Can you follow me?
Ss:Yes.
T:Besides,find a good title for your play.Do you remember?
Ss:Yes.
T:OK.Begin to prepare now.Five minutes later,I’ll ask one group to act out your play before the class.
A sample play:
Clever King Charles
Characters:
Sarah(Sa):the woman whose baby is living
Deborah(D):the woman whose baby is dead
Charles(C):the King
Emma(E):a friend of the two women
Simon(S):a soldier of the King
(Inside King Charles’ palace)
C:What is your quarrel?
Sa:O King!I have a baby.And Deborah has a baby.One baby is dead.The dead baby looks like Deborah’s baby.I think Deborah took my baby when her baby died.
D:O King!Sarah is angry because her baby is dead.She came to see my baby.When she saw my baby she wanted it because her baby is dead.
E:O King!I saw the two babies.I think the dead baby is Deborah’s baby.I think Deborah took Sarah’s baby in the night,when Sarah was asleep.
C:Call the swordsman.Tell him to bring his sword.
(A man comes in.He has a big sword in his hand.)
S:O King!Here is the swordsman.
C:Bring the baby here.(A servant takes Deborah’s baby and brings it to the King.)I am a just King.I do not know whose baby this is.I do not know if this is Deborah’s baby or Sarah’s baby.But I must be just to each of you.I will take this baby and cut it into two halves.Then Sarah can have half of the baby,and Deborah can have half.
D:Yes,yes,the King is a good King.Cut the baby in halves.
Sa:But the baby will die!
C:Yes,the baby will die.But you shall each have one half of the baby.So you will not quarrel any more.
Sa:O King!Save my baby.Do not cut the baby.Give the baby to Deborah.Let the baby live.
C:Give the baby to Sarah.Sarah wants the baby to live.So I know that Sarah is the mother.Deborah is a bad woman.She took Sarah’s baby.
(Two men take Deborah away.)
E:The King is a just King.O good King Charles!Clever King Charles!
Step Ⅴ Summary and Homework
T:In this class,we read the second part of The Merchant of Venice and learned to write a play.By doing this,we’ve learned some useful words and phrases,and our skill in using language has be well developed.After class,practise more and revise what we’ve learnt in class.That’s all for today.See you next time.
Ss:See you next time.
Step Ⅵ The Design of the Writing on theBlackboard
Unit 19 The Merchant of Venice
The Third Period
Ⅰ.Words and phrases:
shall,at the mercy of,go down on one’s knees,beg…for
Ⅱ.Tips of getting the main point of a play
a conflict between the Good and the Bad
→complex problems and relationship
→struggle between them
→a higher,wise character to find the solution
→the Good wins,and the Bad loses
→a comedy
Step Ⅶ Record after Teaching