Contemporary College English Book II Lesson Five Say Yes

I. Questions: What is the text about? Is it simply a quarrel between husband and wife? What is the theme of the text?.

II. Background knowledge:. Do you know any leaders who fought against slavery or discrimination?. Who are they and what did they do?

1864

1963

1990

III. Title: Say Yes What does the title mean or whats the meaning of the title?

IV. Topic discussion about the text:.What is the husbands and wifes attitude towards the marriage between blacks and whites?.Whats the purpose of the author?.Have a discussion for two minutes about the above two topics in pairs of 6 or 7 students each according to pre-class work II on Page 118.

V. Simple students demonstration ( ) about the quarrel between the husband and wife.

Text retelling With the help of the pictures and the students demonstration, please retell the text roughly.

washing dishes

If I were a black, would you …

the husband…

VI. Language points: Paragraph 1.

1.do the dishes ( Line 1)------wash or clean the dishes Similar verb- noun collocations ( ) : dry the dishes; take a breath; mop the floor; clean the table; pinch ones brows; bite ones lower lip

2. dry ( Line 1)------verb. make sth. dry, e.g. dry the dishes; dry the clothes; dry ones tears adj. used as a verb. Some other examples:. wet ones lips. empty ones pockets. narrow the gap. long for the vacation. calm down

3. unlike ( Line 1 ) prep. opposite of the preposition like. Examples:. Unlike the normal people, he is disabled.. Unlike the kind-hearted men, he is very cruel.. Unlike many other boys, he is very quite.. dislike: verb. Opposite of the verb like

4. pitch in ( Line 1 )------to offer help and support. Examples:. If we all pitch in, well have it finished in no time.. The government pitched in with the offer of a free truck.

Some other meanings of pitch : pitch---verb. means to throw something with force, e.g. Throw a baseball. ---noun. means the baseball playground. ---noun. means the black sticky substance ---noun. means the height of a sound( )

Sentence paraphrasing: Unlike most men he knew, he really pitched in on the housework.

5. overhear ( Line 2 )----hear by chance. Examples:. I overheard the young couple quarrelling last night.. She overheard the men discussing their plan to rob a bank..the similar usages of other verbs:.hear / watch / see / notice / find / feel somebody doing / do something

6. a friend of his wifes-----a friend of hers one of his wifes friends

7. congratulate somebody on something

8. considerate ----adj. thoughtful, kind, careful not to hurt others Examples:.He is a considerate boss who is always willing to listen..Its very considerate of you to let us know the fact. opposite : inconsiderate

**Explain the sentence: A few months earlier he had overheard a friend of his wifes congratulating her on having such a considerate husband.

9. Question:.What does the first paragraph tell us about her husband?

Paragraph 2.

10. somehow---adv. in some way( I dont remember how it happened ) Examples:. That day somehow I didnt feel like eating.. We went shopping together the other day and somehow I couldnt find her anywhere.

11. get on ( to )the subject----to begin to discuss.Example:.Lets get on the topic / content.

12. marry somebody----be married to somebody. have been married for some time **You cant say have married somebody for a period of time

13. all things concerned------when one considers every aspect of the problem or situation.All things considered, he is doing pretty well at school..All things considered, the reform is a success..All things considered, the decision is right.

**Explain the sentence He said that all things considered, he thought it was a bad idea

14. Question:. What does the second paragraph tell us?

Language points: break break up: divide/ split, (a couple, relationship) come to an end break down: collapse, failure in machinery useless, suffer physical or mental weakening break in (to): enter a building by force break away: go away suddenly, give up (idea, belief) break through: make a way through break off: stop, pause

Language points: hypo- : prefix meaning below, under 1) in words denoting an organ or location below a given body part -- hypoderm 2) term denoting body condition in which substances or s are at below-normal levels hypotension hypothermia 3) used in the names of chemical compounds that are in a lower state of oxidation than a given compound 4) counterpart to a word formed with hyper( -- ) hypotension ---- hypertension

VII. Homework: 1. Make sentences by using the phrases youve learnt. 2. Practice reading the text in pairs with expressions. 3. Divide the text into several possible parts.

Homework: 1. How do you think the husband and wife will resolve their situation? Do you think they will resolve it? Write a scene that takes place the following day. 2. Analyze the husband in terms of whether or not he is a racist character. 3. Write a counterargument to the husbands statement that African Americans dont come from the same culture as whites.

Analysis of husband (15 minutes) The husband in the story is generally an unsympathetic character. He appears to have racist feelings and seems to be dishonest with himself. He claims to appreciate the stability his life with Ann provides him, but he still makes efforts to undermine it. He refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Throughout the evening, he is seen to be less than a genuine person; he does things for effect rather than out of a genuine, sincere desire. Within the confines of the story, his most significant trait is his rejection of his wife, which she takes quite seriously, much to his surprise. By the end of the story, the husband demonstrates yet another shift in mood: excitement as he realizes that, in certain ways, his wife is unknowable to him. The final scene has him awaiting his wife in their darkened bedroom, imagining that she is a stranger that he seems to embrace, as demonstrated by the excited pounding of his...