情境表演是英语教学常用的教学方式。但是,不少表演往往只关注学生如何“演”得精彩,对通过表演激发学生的兴趣、提高学生的语言素养、让学生体验英语学习的快乐等方面,还停留在表面。我们经常看到这样的教学场景,学生站在教室前,戴着头饰背一遍台词或旁白,台词和旁白远离学生生活,学生对内容似懂非懂,他们并不能深入了解人物性格,也没有获得相关情境体验,教学效果必然不佳。那么,怎样让课堂中的情境表演不流于形式呢?
一、设计生活化情境,强化角色体验
教育是个体生命的成长过程,是个体性和社会性的统一。杜威认为儿童经验的生长是学校教育最重要的目标,它是个体与环境实践互动的结果。因此,儿童的英语学习,需要借助丰富而深刻的角色体验来完成。课堂上,老师可以创设各种情境,学生通过角色的体验来学会与他人合作,来理解生活中的“真、善、美”与“假、恶、丑”,形成健全的人格。正好笔者担任本班社团课,设计“我爱学雷锋”这一英语社团,让学生自由编故事。下面是一小组针对眼下比较有争议的话题——“老人摔倒,我们该不该扶”而设计的情境表演:
[情境一]
(天刚蒙蒙亮,几名学生相约去登山看日出,他们在路上碰到了一位摔倒在马路边的贩卖蔬菜的老人……)
S1:There is an old man lying on the street, we should help him.
S2: No, we can’t. His families may think that we hit him. They will ask us for a lot of money.
S3: Maybe you are right. He is too poor, if he was your grandpa, nobody helps him, how do you think?
S4:We must send him to the hospital quickly, if the doctor can’t save him in time, he may die …
[情境二]
(大家把老人搀扶上车,向路人询问最近的医院,出示事先画好的城市交通图)
S1: Excuse me , we are new here, can you tell me the way to the nearest hospital?
stranger: Ok, go along this street, turn right at the second traffic lights, the hospital is on your left, you can’t miss it !
S1: Thank you!
Stranger: You are welcome!
[情境三]
(医生检查后,跟学生们交流)
Ss: What’s wrong with the old man?
Doctor: He has got a bad cold and he is too tired.
Ss: What should he do?
Doctor: He should take some medicine , drink some warm water and have a good rest.
以上表演情境贴近社会真实问题,贴近学生现实生活,能让学生很快地进入角色。“情境一”,学生经历了由意见相左到达成共识的过程,难能可贵的是他们形成了“老吾老以及人之老”的意识。“情境二、三”,有机融合了译林新版《英语》五下“Unit3 Asking the way”和“Unit4 Seeing the doctor”的知识点,这样的表演不仅对所学英语知识进行巩固拓展,更培养了学生正确的思想意识,增强了他们的社会责任感。教师应该在课堂上多开展这种基于生活的活动,根据教材内容创编英语短剧,让学生体验语言的魅力和英语学习的快乐。
在表演之后,还可以引导学生围绕 “如何智慧地帮助摔倒的老人” 这一话题畅所欲言,要求尽量使用英语,允许用中文替代一些还未掌握的单词,加深同学们的角色体验和语言理解。
S1:If we drive a car, we can use a 行车记录仪(dash cam).
S2: We can ask 110 and 120 for help.
S3: Before helping them , we can take some photos as 证据(evidences)
……
二、创编英语故事,提升语言素养
著名教育学家陶行知先生说过“人人是创造之人,天天是创造之时,处处是创造之地。”小学生处于由无意想象向有意想象过渡,由再造想象向创造想象发展的重要阶段,小学阶段是培养学生创造力的最好时机。教师要基于教材理解,创造性地编写学生感兴趣的英语故事,让学生全身心、全情地参与表演,产生深刻的情绪体验和积极的学习动力,进而提升学生的语言素养。
如:教学译林新版《英语》六上 Unit4 Then and now (Grammar time)时,教师让学生根据“Then and now”的主题,创编故事,并进行表演。以下是“时空穿越”的创编故事:
[情境一]
(两名学生对着一大堆的作业长吁短叹,不开心)
S1: I’m not happy now.(痛苦状) When I was in the kindergarten I could play games, sing and dance all the day. But now, I have a lot of homework to do every day.
S2: Yes! My parents had a lot of fun in the countryside many years ago. But now, I always have many lessons after school.
Fairy: Ok, I can help you. I can send you to the years you like.
S1, S2: Great! Thank you.
[情境二]
(两名学生转着圈,穿越到他们所希望的时空里)
S1: Oh, I’m in the kindergarten now. I don’t have homework. Ha ha!
S2: Who are you?
S1: I’m your friend. We played basketball together yesterday!
S2: Go away, little boy! I don’t know you at all.
S1: Oh, dear! My good friend doesn’t know me ,I have no friends now. I want to go back.
S2: Ha ha! I have no homework now. Just like my parents.
Fairy: But you should work on the farm.
S2: Why? I didn’t do any housework before. I want to go back!
[情境三]
(第三名学生一直在旁边偷偷地观看着着这一切)
S3: Wow, That’s too marvelous! (悄悄凑上前),fairy ,fairy, can you help me? Can you send me to yesterday?
Fairy: Why?
S3: Yesterday, I didn’t know the lottery number, but now I know it. I will get a lot of money! Ha ha ha…
Fairy: I can’t help you. You are too greedy!
S3: Oh , no ,why?
案例中,学习内容是一般现在时和一般过去时,学生需要辨别时间状语,并准确表达。新课标明确提出教学活动应有利于促进学生的认知能力、思维能力、审美情趣、想象力和创造力等素质的综合发展。我们应该有“为创造而教,为创造而学”的教学主张。学生们在掌握了语言知识的同时,根据自己的生活经验,创编了这样一个有想法有情感的故事,并配以夸张的表情和动作,通过和他人的合作,锻炼和提升沟通能力、协调能力、表达能力、创造能力等,这才是有效的英语学