USA Education Reader. High School and college culture. Книга для чтения

–тест с множественным выбором ответа на проверку понимания основного содержания текста;

–тест с перекрестным выбором на идентификацию нацио- нально-маркированной лексики;

–поиск английских эквивалентов для заданных русских значений слов и словосочетаний;

–поиск в тексте синонимов к указанным в задании лексемам;

–перифраз заданных предложений с помощью активизируемых слов и словосочетаний из текста;

–перевод на русский язык предложений или их частей, представляющих лингвокультурологические трудности.

IV этап — Углубление понимания текста. ENHANCING COMPREHENSION

Цель этапа – дальнейшее осмысление имплицитной информации текста:

–поисковое чтение текста с целью определения смысловых вех по заданию преподавателя/учителя, чтение отрывков вслух и их перевод на русский язык. Целесообразно организовать поиск предложений или абзацев, содержащих лингвокультурологические трудности;

–вопросы для проверки детального понимания текста, требующие от студентов аргументированного ответа.

V этап — Лингвокультурологическая интерпретация лексики

скультурным компонентом значения. CULTURE PERSPECTIVE Цель этапа — ознакомление студентов с национально-

маркированной лексикой и формирование умений лингвокультурологического анализа языковых единиц:

–анализ семантической структуры слов с культурным компонентом значения;

–выявление их культурного фона;

–обсуждение найденной учащимися информации из электронных источников, глоссария и других справочных материалов;

–обсуждение и обобщение культурологической информации в виде лингвокультурологического комментария о единицах, предназначенных для самостоятельного исследовательско-

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го поиска на основе электронных и печатных средств. В тексте эти единицы с культурным компонентом значения выделены курсивом.

VI этап — Сокращение текста. SUMMARIZING

Цель этапа — формирование умений обобщать и кратко излагать смысловое содержание текста:

–обобщение основного содержания текста в виде пересказа;

–изложение смыслового содержания текста от имени персонажей;

–краткое изложение основного содержания текста (summary);

–краткое обобщенное содержание текста (the gist of the story). VII этап — Обсуждение проблематики текста с позиции меж-

культурного подхода. DISCUSSION

Цель этапа — Формирование умений кросскультурного сопоставления явлений в российской и американской культуре, выявление общего и различного, умений комментировать эти различия, выступать медиатором культур.

–беседа по проблематике текста;

–выявление общего и различного в обсуждаемых явлениях культуры;

–комментарии выявленных различий;

–высказывание личного видения проблемы на основе жизненного опыта.

VIII этап — Разработка лингвокультурологического поля. CULTURALWEB

Цель этапа – обобщение и систематизация культурологических знаний об изучаемом пласте культуры, формирование навыков полевого исследования языковых единиц на основе лингвокультурологического поля:

–определение субполей, первого и второго порядков в процессе обсуждения первого текста пособия, его схематическое изображение на доске;

–выделение субполей третьего, четвертого и т.д. порядков;

–заполнение субполей единичными лингвокультуремами из каждого текста после коллективного обсуждения.

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Вкачествеиллюстрацииприводимфрагментлингвокультурологического поля, разработанный в исследовании Е.С. Лутковой.

IX этап — Проектная работа. PROJECT WORK

Цель этапа — развитие проектных умений сбора, обобщения, представления культурологически значимой информации в виде брошюры для абитуриентов, домашней страницы в Интернете, рекламного проспекта школы или университета, истории школы или университета, греческого сообщества и т.п.:

– обсуждение в классе под руководством преподавателя ведущей идеи проекта, распределение на рабочие группы;

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–определение проектной задачи группы в процессе «мозгового штурма», распределение обязанностей;

–поиск и сбор информации в электронных и печатных ресурсах, анкетирование, в том числе через чаты или электронную почту школьников и студентов в США;

–обсуждение промежуточных результатов с преподавате-

лем;

–оформление результатов проектной работы в виде реферата, рекламного проспекта, брошюры, обобщения результатов опроса и /или анкетирования;

–подготовка электронной презентации.

Впроцессе работы над пособием в рамках элективного курса

вшколе или курса по выбору в вузе целесообразно проведение двух крупных проектов по каждой теме «High School Education» и «College Education» на заключительном занятии по теме. Кроме того студенты могут представить результаты самостоятельного исследования лингвокультурем, выделенных в тексте курсивом, в виде электронной презентации.

Внекоторых рассказах есть дополнительная культурологическая информация под рубрикой DO YOU KNOW THAT…, обобщающая личные наблюдения одного из авторов пособия в процессе работы учителем русского языка и культуры в ряде средних школ США.

Вцелом работа с пособием рассчитана на 34 часа в рамках элективного курса, что предполагает два занятия на каждый текст. При использовании учебного пособия в качестве дополнительного средства выбор и количество текстов остается за преподавателем.

ЖЕЛАЕМ УСПЕХОВ!

Авторский коллектив

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1. HIGH SCHOOL

STORY 1.

SPARKY

PRE-READING TALK

Does success at school guarantee success in life? Or, vice versa, are failures at school always followed by failures in life?

The story below gives much food for thought on this point. Does the title of the story help you answer these questions?

INTERACTIVE READING

Read the story at home and say whether the boy succeeded in life eventually.After reading the story, do the test and other exercises that follow to enhance your comprehension and build your vocabulary.

While reading, you will come across a number of culturally marked words. Most of them can be found in the Glossary at the end of the book.As for the culturally marked words in italics, they are not included into the Glossary, so be sure to consult Internet resources, dictionaries or encyclopedias to find out what they mean.

SPARKY

For Sparky, school was all but impossible. He failed every subject in the eighth grade. He flunked physics in high school, getting a grade of zero. Sparky also flunked Latin, algebra and English. He didn’t do much better in sports. Although he did manage to make the school’s golf team, he promptly lost the only important match of the season. There was a consolation match; he lost that, too.

Throughout his youth Sparky was awkward socially. He was not actually disliked by the other students; no one cared that much. He was astonished if a classmate ever said hello to him outside of school hours.There’snowaytotellhowhemighthavedoneatdating.Sparky never once asked a girl to go out in high school. He was too afraid of being turned down.

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Sparky was a loser. He, his classmates ... everyone knew it. So he rolled with it. Sparky had made up his mind early in life that if things were meant to work out, they would. Otherwise he would content himself with what appeared to be his inevitable mediocrity.

However, one thing was important to Sparky – drawing. He was proud of his artwork. Of course, no one else appreciated it. In his senior year of high school, he submitted some cartoons to the editors of the yearbook. The cartoons were turned down. Despite this particular rejection, Sparky was so convinced of his ability that he decided to become a professional artist.

After completing high school, he wrote a letter to Walt Disney Studios. He was told to send some samples of his artwork, and the subject for a cartoon was suggested. Sparky drew the proposed cartoon. He spent a great deal of time on it and on all the other drawings he submitted. Finally, the reply came from Disney Studios. He had been rejected once again.Another loss for the loser.

So Sparky decided to write his own autobiography in cartoons. He described his childhood self – a little boy loser and chronic underachiever.The cartoon character would soon become famous worldwide. For Sparky, the boy who had such lack of success in school and whose work was rejected again and again, was Charles Schultz. He created the “Peanuts” comic strip and the little cartoon character whose kite would never fly and who never succeeded in kicking a football, Charlie Brown.

Bits & Pieces

[From Chicken soup for the teenage soul: 101 stories of life, love, learning / Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Rimderly Kirberger (1997). – p. 192–193].

WHILE-READINGACTIVITIES

Decide if the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.Sparky’s real name was Charlie Brown. ___

2.Most of Sparky’s classmates did not like him. ___

3.Sparky did not care much about anything in life. ___

4.Sparky showed talent for drawing in high school. ___

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5.Walt Disney Studios did not find Sparky’s drawings talented. ___

6.Sparky became famous as a cartoon character. ___

Choose the correct variant.

1.Sparky was considered a total failure at school because …

a.he lost a consolation golf match.

b.he never asked a girl out.

c.people did not think he had a talent for drawing.

d.he was not successful either academically, athletically, or so-

cially.

2.Sparky’s own attitude to his reputation as a loser can be best summarized as follows:

a.he did not care much.

b.he was depressed about it.

c.he accepted it, but he believed in his talent.

d.he thought people just could not appreciate his talent.

3.Students’attitude to Sparky can be best described as …

a.hateful.

b.good-humored.

c.indifferent.

d.humiliating.

4.Finally, Sparky managed to …

a.get a job with Walt Disney Studios.

b.win recognition among his former fellow-students.

c.earn a lot of money.

d.win recognition for his drawings.

5.Sparky’s success in life was due to …

a.his talent as an artist.

b.hard work and desire to succeed in life.

c.his experience as a loser during his school years.

d.his kind heart and good nature.

Match the columns to define the cultural lacunas on the left after you have done some search in the Internet and in the Glossary.

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While reading the story, find the English equivalents to the following Russian words and word combinations. They will be useful discussing the story. Write down the words and phrases in your vocabulary book.

Отказываться (2 варианта), удовольствоваться, неизбежный, посредственность, высоко ценить, убежденный.

Find in the story synonyms for the following words and phrases: to fail,

to become a member of a team, soon,

to reject,

to make a decision, answer.

Translate the underlined phrases in the following sentences from the story:

1.For Sparky, school was all but impossible.

2.There was a consolation match; he lost that, too.

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3.Throughout his youth Sparky was awkward socially.

4.There’s no way to tell how he might have done at dating.

5.So he rolled with it.

6.Sparky had made up his mind early in life that if things were meant to work out, they would.

7.He described his childhood self – a little boy loser and chronic underachiever.

ENHANCING COMPREHENSION

Look through the story and find the paragraph that

–explains how Sparky became famous.

–illustrates that Sparky seemed to be a loser. Read and translate them.

Answer the questions

1.Do you think Sparky was successful in learning? Find the facts in the story to support your point of view.

2.WasSparkyoutgoingorawkwardsocially?Illustrateyourviewpoint with facts from the story.

3.What was it that he liked best in life? Was he good at it?

4.Did Sparky give up drawing when his drawings and cartoons were turned down again and again? Do you agree that he was a loser as it is stated in the story? Give your arguments to prove otherwise.

CULTURE PERSPECTIVE

1.What culturally marked words were you able to identify in the story? How are they defined in the Glossary? Comment on their cultural background. Think of the happiest Russian equivalents to these words.

2.Comment on the cultural differences between USAhigh school and its counterpart in Russia. State the similarities and differences in its structure, academics, organization and management, social life and extracurricular activities.

3.Does the word “season” in the story mean a part of the year or something else?

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3. Share the information you have found about the italicized culturally marked words with your group mates:Walt Disney Studios and “Peanuts” comic strip.

3. How would you explain the following words for a non-English- speaking person from Russia: yearbook, grade of zero?

SUMMARIZING

Give a short account of the story from one of Sparky’s classmates’ viewpoint. Make it clear whether he was a success in high school and give the reason for your opinion.

LEADS TO DISCUSSION

1.Which characteristics come to your mind when you think of a personasaloser?Doyouthinkthewordhasthesamenegativeconnotation inAmerican and in Russian cultures? Comment on the differences. ThinkoftheclosestRussianequivalenttotheword.Thewordchallenge will help you understand the difference. Who is more likely to have challenges: a loser in the USAculture or a loser in Russian culture?

2.How can school help you achieve success further in life? What is the most important thing school gives people?

3.Why do you think Charles Schultz was finally able to achieve success? What helped him?

4.Can you think of other famous and successful people who were considered losers at school?

5.What are the most important qualities that help people achieve success?

CULTURALWEB

Having read and discussed the story, you can start filling out the Cultural Web with culturally marked words concerning school organization and management, learning and social life.

PROJECT WORK

Hopefully you have found enough information on Walt Disney Studios and “Peanuts” comic strips in the Internet and encyclopedias.

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