Unit 10
The Life story of an Ancient Chinese Poet
Objectives
A. Topics and functions
Talking about classic pomes and poets of the Tang Dynasty in China
Interpreting the article about the Chinese poet Li Bai
Critiquing literary works such as a poem
B. Language knowledge
Words and phrases for talking about
Converting poems for talking about
In-depth reading of descriptive language
Writing critiques of poems
Part 1 Communicative Activities
Aims
Learning to understand the narration of three great poets and three of their poems in listening
Learning to interpret ,comment, and critique the critical details in the poems
Practicing speaking by converting the poems to speaking through writing
⏹ 1 Interactive listening and speaking
Teaching suggestions
1.Have Ss ,read the give vocabulary ,and translate them into proper Chinese .(the imperial examination 科举考试；the doctor of the imperial college 太学博士；court朝廷；Daoism 道家思想)
2.Have Ss go over the structure the Quiz ,focusing the their attention to poet’s life story ;the name of the poet, and the major points of interpretation of their poems
Don’t induce Ss into details at this stage
Play the recording for several times until Ss get general ideas about each poet and his poem
Stop playing to start the discussion
Use the following Answer for reference and recording script for guiding the discussion
Have Ss work in pairs to turn one of their selections into an oral story
Comment on them to turn the poem into a drama or a dialog or a narrative
Answers for reference
Story 1
Poet’s life story :b)/d)/e/f)
Poet’s name :c)Li Bai
Question :d
Possible answers: b )/c)/d)
Story 2
Poet’s life story :a)/c)/f)/g)/i)
Poet’s name :e)Li She
Who says ,”no need to …”?:a)
Reasonable in interpretations :b)/c)/d)
Story 3
Poet’s life story :a)/b)/c)/f)
Poet’s name :f)Han Hong
Reasonable interpretations :none
Explanations：
a)The city was not decorated ,but abloom about in every corner which means the city was in the thick of spring ,and the flowers were blossoming every where .
b) The wind wasn't strong ,but gently blew willows.
c) The poet tried to avoid direct reference to the candles of his time, so he referred to Han Dynasty on purpose.
d )Not just five lords. It was a general reference to those officials favored by the emperor or the officials related to emperor in nepotism .
e) No. It was just the opposite .Only those "five lords" were allowed to make fire because they were give the candles by the emperor.
Recording script
During the last lecture, we studied Chinese poetry in the Tang Dynasty. To help you review the lesson ,we will have a little quiz today .l well you three stories about the poets, and read a few short poems in English .I'd like you to tell me：Who are these poets ,and what are their poems about？
The first poet is often compared to a literary angel in the Chinese history .He was famous for the extravagant imagination and striking Daoist imagery in his poetry, as well as his great love for  liquor .His father was a businessman .When his mother was in the full term of pregnancy ,one night in her dream ,she saw the star of Venus , shining brightly ,thus the parents named their baby after the star Venus. He grew up and was educated differently form other young people of his time .While they worked hard for the imperial examinations ,he went up the mountains to seek for the master of Daoism .And he finally found one . He had a particular love for nature .Here's one of his famous poems .Let me read it for you. The title is Green Mountains.
  Why do l live among the green mountains?
山中答问
  I laugh and answer not , my soul is serene;