Unit 11 Text A Why Historians Disagree
Text B The ThirdMan
TextA Why Historians Disagree
Objectives:
1. To cultivate critical thinking 2. To learn a new perspective for historical events 3. To appreciate the beauty of language 4. To foster the ability of speaking, reading and writing |
Content and timeallotment: (8 hours in total)
1. Warming-up activities (2 hours) 2. Text understanding and appreciation (4 hours) 3. Exercise (2 hours)
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Focal & Difficult Points
1. Understanding how the authors illustrated the topic 2. Word formation: -proof, pro-, anti-, -able/-ible 3. Idioms 4. Sentence patterns |
In-class activities:
1. Warming-up activities
Listeningpractice: Listen to the following song and identifywho the England Rose refers to and what event is related.
Speakingpractice:
Groupdiscussion: discuss the following topics
l Why is history important?
l How did you learn history in your middle school? l Did it ever occur to you that historical events have different interpretations? l Give an example of disputes you ever had with your friends on a certain historical event or person. |
Video watching: watchsome videos and evaluate them in your own words
1. Text appreciation
Globalunderstanding: Scan the text and answer thefollowing questions
l What is the usual way of learning history? l Why do historians disagree while using same facts? l What are the three definitions of history? l What theories can historians turn to when they interpret historical facts? l How do historians make of historical facts? l Will disagreements be removed? l Can you summarize the reasons for disagreements?
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Structure
Part I (1-5): The introduction a. Misconceptions about the study of history (1-3) b. Definition of history (4-5) Part II (6-11): Reasons why historians disagree a. Selection of different facts about the same event (6) b. Use of the same facts from different premises (7-10) c. Analysis of different levels of cause and effect (11) Part III (12-13): Conclusion: inevitability of disagreement The impossibility of eliminating disagreements.
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The theme of the text
This passage talks about misconceptions about history learning and the fact that historians disagree on a same historical fact and the reasons why they should disagree. From this article, we should learn to think critically whenever we are faced with some events.
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Keysentence patterns
1) Their commonsense reaction to this state of affairs is to conclude that one historian is right while the other is wrong. 2) The choice as to which fact to use is based on a theory—admittedly, in this case a rather crude theory… 3) Historians investigating the United States’ entry into World War I will find in addition to German submarine warfare a whole series of other facts that could be relevant to the event under study. 4) …the German foreign secretary ordered the German minister in Mexico, in the event of war, to suggest an alliance between Germany and Mexico whereby Mexico, with German support, could win back territory taken from Mexico by the United States in the Mexican War. 5) That you were born is of course a necessary factor, but it is not a sufficient factor… 6) If the state of our knowledge were such that it provided us with a model…that completely explained human behavior, we can. |
Grammar
1) one vs. a/an 2) ways of definition a. Noun phrase (singular) + is one who… Noun phrase (plural) + are the people who… Noun phrase + is a place/ machine/ book, etc. that/ which… b. Sb. defines sth. as… Sth. is defined as… c. Sth. is sth. + qualifier sth. is associated with…(a loose, personal definition) |
After class activities
1. Review unit 11
2. Read Text B: The Third Man
Writing: On the Importanceof History
