初中英语写作任务的设计探究

溧阳市燕山中学 黄庆芳

【摘  要】针对目前中学英语作文教学困难的现状，本文对写作任务的设计进行探究，重点阐述了写作任务必须以学生为中心，贴近学生生活，具有一定的开放性从而让学生有话想说；写作任务必须以教材为依托，从每个单元的不同板块语言材料中提取或参考写作所需要素，最大限度地发挥单元整合优势从而使学生有话会说。

【关键词】任务设计   有话想说   有话会说

一、背景

二语写作是重要的语言输出形式之一，最能反映出语言学习者的综合语言运用能力。（2009，转引自严明贵，2014）。近年来在中高考中，对写作的要求逐渐提高，分值上占的比例也日益倾斜，英语写作已成为不能回避的教学重点.

但是在课堂教学中，我们发现学生对写作这一重要技能的训练并不热情，大多数学生甚至有畏难情绪，一到写作课就皱眉头，有的半天开不了头，有的磨磨蹭蹭凑字数，甚至有的干脆就拒写拒交。对于这块英语教学中难啃的骨头，老师们也是面有难色，对大量的作文批改任务也颇有怨言。

针对英语写作教学难的现状，笔者尝试从写作任务的设计入手，遵循任务设计必须联系生活让学生有话想说、必须依托教材让学生有话会说的原则进行了一个学期的教学实践，大面积地提高了学生的写作兴趣，收获了很多优秀的学生习作。

二、任务设计的原则

1．联系生活，让学生有话想说

在实际英语教学中，英语写作训练往往都是以应付考试为目的，布置给学生的作文常常脱离学生生活，更多地倾向于编一个人一个故事，甚至通过提供中文的形式把主观的作文题变成了客观的翻译题。这种功利性较强的写作常常使学生无话可说或者无话想说，从而对写作产生厌恶感。教师应在设计写作任务时将写作目的与真实的自我表达联系起来，将写作内容与日常生活相结合，将封闭的翻译式写作转换成开放的自由式写作，从而激发学生用英语写作的兴趣，使他们有话想说。

（1）以“我”为本，充分发挥自我参照效应。

心理学领域的自我参照效应（Self-reference Effect，简称SRE）是指与自我相联系的记忆材料的记忆效果显著优于其他编码条件下的记忆效果的现象，该效应由Rogers等（2010，转引自梁文霞，朱桦，2015）首先发现。进一步的研究表明，不仅当学习材料与个体自身实际相联系时，学习者会对学习材料更好地理解、记忆和运用，而且当学习材料与个体自身关系亲密或重要的人或物相联系时，学习材料也会被学习者更好地理解、记忆和运用。因此在设置写作任务时，多用“我”以及与“我”相关的情境无疑会使学生更有话说更愿意写。笔者把译林版初中英语教科书七年级上册（以下课例如无说明都出自同一本教材）第5单元的主题作文布置为“My favourite festival”，以下是王同学的一篇优秀习作：

My favourite festival is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is an important holiday in China. Most Chinese families celebrate it.

It is always in September or October. How do we celebrate it? People often eat mooncakes and watch the full moon. We get together and have a big dinner. It is wonderful.

Sometimes, parents tell us the story of Chang’e. I like mooncakes best. Some of them have meat, some of them have eggs, and some of them have fruit. I like the meat mooncakes best. So I’m very fat. They are really wonderful.

 My favourite festival is the Mid-Autumn Festival. What about yours?

可以看出，王同学在描述中秋节活动时详细阐述了月饼的不同种类并谈到自己喜欢的口味，还联系了自己的“身材”，写得自然生动有趣，让读者觉得印象深刻。这显然要归功于作文任务里的“My”要求，谈自己，最熟悉，也最亲切。

（2）与生活相联系，充分挖掘写作素材。

生活化的设计使英语作文教学具有了真实的语言交际性质，其效果不仅是激发学生的学习兴趣，活跃课堂气氛，最主要的是使学生产生真实的语言体验，进而理解所学语言在生活中的正确使用和意义。激发学生参与的欲望（2008，转引自刘林峰，谢平，王俊，2014）。因此在设置写作任务时，多用与生活相联系的情境会让学生觉得素材俯拾皆是，真正做到“教育即生活”。笔者把第7单元的主题作文布置为“My favourite mall”，以下是强同学的一篇优秀习作：

Golden Eagle is my favourite place. It is very big.

On the first floor, there are different kinds of shoes in the shops. There are many high-heeled shoes and many other fashionable shoes. They are uncomfortable. But women always like wearing uncomfortable shoes. So my mother often goes there.

On the second floor, there are some gift shops and clothes shops. We can buy gifts for our friends there. It’s a good place.

On the third floor, there are many restaurants. I enjoy eating food there. I like hotpot best .So I often go to Yuxiangchun Hotpot.

There is a big cinema on the fourth floor. It’s Xingmei Cinema. We can watch many films in the cinema. Now there are many new films on . I’ll watch them.

Golden Eagle is busy from morning to night. It’s a good place to drink, eat and play. I like it best.

在这篇习作中，强同学选择了家乡溧阳的金鹰购物中心来写，一楼卖鞋，二楼衣服，三楼饭馆，四楼影院，显然，作者很熟悉所选卖场的环境布局，而且情感上也有投入，写妈妈经常逛一楼买不舒服的高跟鞋穿，写自己经常吃三楼的郁春香火锅并且经常去四楼的星美电影城看电影，写自己熟悉的生活，真的可以做到张口即来，又多又好。

（3）提倡开放式作文，充分发挥学生想象力。

开放式写作模式在实施过程中的优越性体现在：它将教学的基础点落在了语言的综合运用上，立足于学生日后的可持续发展上，屏弃了传统写作中的死板、硬化的操作模式。（ＤＢ/OL）同时，由于开放性写作给予了学生更大的自由表达空间，有利于学生想象力和创新精神的发展，有利于学生用英语“整进整出”地进行思维和表达。因此开放性的写作任务布置可以触发学生的写作激情，让学生洋洋洒洒，动笔百言，有的同学甚至能写几张纸。笔者把译林版初中英语教科书七年级下册第1单元的主题作文布置为“My dream home”，以下是金同学的一篇优秀习作：

My dream home is in Sanya . It is near a big sea and a golden beach. It has three floors.

My home is near the sea. I can swim in the sea every day. It is good for my health. I also can play with my brother and my sister on the beach. We can collect shells. They are really beautiful. We can lie on the beach and enjoy the sunshine.

There's a garden in front of my home. It is full of flowers and I can have a BBQ with my friends on the grass.

On the ground floor, there's a living room and a kitchen. The living room is big and there’re many sofas. They are soft. There's a big TV in the front of my living room. I can watch TV and have a good afternoon here. The kitchen has a big fridge. There is always more than enough food and drinks in it.

On the first floor, there're ten rooms. Each room has its own bathroom and a big bed. Everyone has a good rest here.

On the second floor, there's a home cinema and a small library. The cinema has a large TV. I would like to invite my friends to watch interesting films with me. There are all kinds of books in my library. I can learn a lot from them.

What a great home! Come and enjoy yourself here!

作文的标题是“我的梦想家园”，没有其它的提示，也就没有了限制，金同学充分发挥了自己的想象力和创造力，打造了黄金沙滩边的理想别墅，有吃喝（花园进行烧烤，厨房冰箱满满），有玩乐（海边捡贝壳，沙滩日光浴，客厅看电视，影院看电影），有学习（图书馆看书）……开放的写作任务，让学生有了尽情发挥的机会。

2．立足教材，让学生有话会说

读是信息摄取的重要手段，是写作的基础，是学习语言形式的必然之路，美国作家德尔文G.舒伯特在其“Reading is writing”一文中指出：教科书所编写的阅读课文是写作素材的集散地，是语言现象的展示厅，是语法规则的剖析室，是文章载体的示范本。《译林版初中英语义务教育教科书》以话题组织单元，话题贴近学生生活，符合学生的年龄特征，内容丰富，语言地道，构思巧妙，是学生学习语言知识、感悟谋篇布局、激发情感思维的鲜活材料。英语教师在每个单元的主题作文设计时务必要围绕本单元的话题和不同板块的语言材料（主要是Task、Reading、Integraterd skills）进行，以便学生能在写作过程中最大限度地发挥单元整合优势做到有话会说。

（1）写作任务的主题确定必须以教材为依托，与教材保持一致。

《译林版初中英语义务教育教科书》以话题组织单元，每个单元虽分为不同的板块，但不同板块的语言材料也都在单元大标题的范围之内。英语老师在设计每个单元的主题作文时，也务必考虑到这一点，在题目的设置上虽然可以个性化一些，但主题应与单元主题保持一致，否则学生写作就是在追求无源之水，无本之末了。笔者把第4单元的主题作文布置为“What do you like about school life ”，以下是马同学的一篇优秀习作：

My name is MaYulin. I'm a student at Yanshan Middle School now. I always have a good time at school.

We go to school from Monday to Friday.We must get to school at 6:50 a.m. Then we will read English and Chinese. Reading in the morning is good for us.So I like it. My favourite lesson is English because Miss Huang is nice and the subject is fun. If it it sunny,we will do morning exercises or run in winter. It makes us strong.

 I love drawing because it is very fun. I like homework. It can make me clever. I just don't like exams.We always have too many exams.

I have lots of friends.We usually play together or chat with each other.There is a dining hall in the school .We have lunch there. I like having it at school because the food is nice.We also have a rest.After that, we will have some lessons in the afternoon. The school finishes at 5:30 p.m.

This is my school life. I have fun at school.

这个单元的Task标题是“Are you happy?”，看起来主题不明，这单元的大主题是学校生活，笔者把大主题结合小主题，让学生在客观的学校生活里加进主观喜好，马同学的这篇习作就主客观结合，详尽地描述了学校生活的方方面面-早读、早锻炼、功课、作业考试、食堂、午餐……，同时结合谈论自己的个人喜好-最喜欢的功课、喜欢作业、不喜欢考试、喜欢学校的午餐以及原因……这样的文章在单元框架里，让学生有琢磨的空间，不至于写偏。

（2）写作任务必须利于学生从单元的不同板块语言材料中提取或参考信息。

《译林版初中英语义务教育教科书》以话题组织单元，每个单元又分为Welcome to the unit、Reading、Grammar、Integrated skills、Study skills、Task共6个板块，不同的板块通过不同的语言材料培养学生听、说、读、写各方面的语言技能。英语老师在设计每个单元的写作任务时要充分考虑这一点，不必过分拘泥于Task材料的限制，完全可以把Reading甚至Integrated skills的语言材料作为依托进行设计，有时也许比Task材料更科学合理。笔者把第6单元的主题作文布置为“My lifestyle”，以下是胡同学的一篇优秀习作：

Hi! I’m Hu Die. My lifestyle is not very healthy.

I seldom do exercise with my friends. In my free time, I love reading books and listening to music. I know they are not healthy. So I need to change my lifestyle now. I plan to take a walk after dinner every day. At weekends, I plan to go running in the mornign at Yanshan Park with my cousin. It’s great!

I have healthy food. For breakfast, I like eating noodles. Sometimes, I have an egg, too. This helps me start the day well. I have lunch at school. It’s interesting. I often have a carton of milk. It makes me strong.For dinner, I usually have lots of soup. I love soup. And I like eating vegetables, too. They’re good for us. I also have some fruit after dinner. Mangoes and grapes are my favourite. 

This is my lifestyle. What about your lifestyle?

这个单元的Reading和Task都大结构地阐述一天三顿吃什么，Integrated skills却更多地描述睡眠和运动等，胡同学巧妙地分两段平分秋色地谈论了lifestyle和diet两个方面,把单元里的重点都照顾到了.

（3）写作任务必须倾向于学生能够最大限度地发挥单元整合优势。

《译林版初中英语义务教育教科书》以话题组织单元，每个单元又分为不同的板块，不同的板块语言材料的形式也有区别，有漫画、对话、文章、海报、书信……体裁、结构、语言各有特色。英语老师在设计每个单元的写作任务时要充分考虑这一点，可以化零为整，通过科学巧妙的作文任务设计让学生“纳百家之长”，最大限度地发挥单元整合优势，使自己的作文更丰富更出彩。笔者把第3单元的主题作文布置为“My school-Yanshan Middle School”，以下是金同学的又一篇优秀习作：

I study at Yanshan Middle School. It is big and beautiful. There're many tall trees and flowers in the school. Lots of birds are singing in the trees .All the students like our school very much. We have 4 classroom buildings. There're 47 classrooms in them.

The classrooms are bright and clean. We study hard there.We have a big library. There're all kinds of books in it. We also have a reading room. It is near the library. We have reading lessons there.We have a big lab building. There're two music rooms, two computer rooms, an art room and many different labs in it. We have a dining hall.

Students have lunch there.The playground is in front of the classroom buildings. It is our favorite place. We can play different sports there.

The teachers work hard and they're very friendly.The students are nice.They help each other. The students like the teachers. The teachers love the students too.

I live near the school. I go to school by car every day. It takes me about ten minutes to get to school.

We all enjoy our school life!

这个单元的Reading和Integrated skills有点散,前者主要介绍学校的各个建筑和功能，后者主要谈论家离学校的远近和上学的各种交通方式，Task则有点综合的味道．笔者把作文标题定大一些，学生就很自然地把本单元学的都用上了．金同学的习作详尽描述了学校的主体建筑及功能，还另一小节谈论了学校里的人物－老师和同学的生活状态，当然也写到了自己的家离学校的远近和上学方式及用时等，发挥了单元整合优势．

三、结语

写作教学是重中之重, 虽然困难, 但并不是无计可施。笔者经过精心部署的一学期９个单元（包含七下的一个单元）的作文教学实践，切实感受到通过联系生活可以促使学生有话想说；通过立足教材可以帮助学生有话会说。用心的作文任务设计可以使学生越来越乐写，写作的路越走越宽，越走越远。

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初中英语课堂开放性写作训练探究【ＤＢ/OL 】