My Forever Valentine

Background
Course: Time: Students: Material: Intensive Reading 45 minutes First-year English majors Unit 16, An Integrated English Course (I)

Presumption: Students have finished 2-class-hour learning.

My Forever Valentine

In last session, we
brainstormed the origin of Valentines Day and the way people celebrate it discussed how people in China observe this festival skimmed through the text and ironed out language difficulties
My Forever Valentine

Today were going to

explore the theme how the daughter gradually realized and later digested her fathers love for her as she grew into mental and emotional maturity analyze its linguistic features and narrative structure

do group work and practice telling stories from shifting points of view and narrative structures
My Forever Valentine

Step One

Presentation

My Valentine Man

Passage Recital

Happy Valentines Day

Step Two

Word Review: Blank-filling

elaborate preparations for She made e_________ the party. perfunctory She gave her husband a p___________ kiss and dashed out of the door to catch the train.

Her handwriting was so tiny that it was legible barely l________.

My Forever Valentine

Word Review: Blank-filling

hugs and Paul greeted the visitors with h______ kisses. reminder The incident served as a timely r________ of just how dangerous mountaineering can be.

assortment of friends. He has a wide a___________

My Forever Valentine

Word Review: Blank-filling

addressed to our The card was wrongly a__________ old home. scrawled a hasty note to his wife. He s________

relegated to typing Women tended to be r_________ and filing jobs.

My Forever Valentine

Sentence Paraphrase 1
The traditional holidays in our house when I was a child were spent timing elaborate meals around football games.
arranging time for according to football game schedules

When I was a child, our family celebrated the traditional holidays by choosing to eat the carefully prepared meals at the right time when football games were going on.
My Forever Valentine

Sentence Paraphrase 2
That box and its contents ushered in marked the beginning of / led to a succession of bittersweet memories of my a series of entrance into a world of popularity contests
contests which showed how popular one was

marked by the number of cards received, the represented teasing about boyfriends/girlfriends and
My Forever Valentine

Sentence Paraphrase 3
In those days my thank-yous became more of a perfunctory response.

to a greater degree
In those years I responded to my fathers gifts by saying Thank you almost without much thought or care.
My Forever Valentine

Sentence Paraphrase 4
As I grew older, the gifts gave way to heart shaped boxes filled with my favorite chocolates
were gradually replaced by

My Forever Valentine

Can you find evidence?

Its a reminder of how special fathers can be and how important it has been to me over the years to know that I had a father who continued a tradition of love with a generosity of spirit, simple acts of understanding and an ability to express happiness over the people in his life.

My Forever Valentine

Evidence
A generosity of spirit
If he knew that he had been replaced, he never let it show.

Simple acts of understanding

If he sensed any disappointment , he tried hard to create a positive atmosphere,

An ability to express happiness over the people in his life

He never stopped giving / sending gifts, and also cards which were signed Love, Dad. My Forever Valentine

Step Three Text Revisited

How did the father show his constant affection for her throughout all these years? What kinds of feeling did the valentine cards and gifts bring to her at the different stages of her life?
My Forever Valentine

Text Revisited: Fathers Unfailing Love 1. How did the father show his unfailing love for her throughout all these years? Gifts given or sent to her were never late. Gifts were carefully chosen: a small piece of red glass to represent her birthstone a ruby, or her favorite chocolates and candies. The cards were all signed with Love, Dad.

My Forever Valentine

Text Revisited: Her Inner Growth

2. What kinds of feeling did the valentine cards and gifts bring to her at the different stages of her life? a sense of pride at an early age insignificant, showing a total disregard for his affection in her maidenhood never late, bringing an unvarying warmth in her adult years feelings of regret and self-reproach for not paying due attention to Dads love at the sight of the last card

My Forever Valentine

Theme: A Summary
Fathers love unfailing, yet for some time ignored Her inner growth Memories cherished and kept alive after fathers death -- an everlasting love, hence her

forever Valentine

Linguistic Features & Functions

Parallelism
To create a strong emotional effect

Use of vivid and sensory details

To engage the readers in the text

Refined phrasing
To present delicate feelings and sentiments

My Forever Valentine

Parallelism: Examples
It was the kind of card that comes It was the kind of card you used to get It was the kind of card that put a lump in your throat and tears in your eyes It was the a card that signaled

My Forever Valentine

Visual Details: Examples

The father
holly shaped bow tie

The gifts
gift-wrapped package heart-shaped boxes

The card
with a photograph of tulips on the outside
My Forever Valentine

Refined Phrasing: Examples

My first recollection of the magic came when I was six. That box and its contents ushered in a succession of bittersweet memories of I remember wearing that ring with a pride that all the cards in the world could not surpass.

More examples, Please!

My Forever Valentine

Step Four

Understanding Narrative

What makes a good narrative? The basic structure of narrative Points of view

My Forever Valentine

Features of Narrative
The purpose of narration is to tell a story or to narrate an event or a series of events. In a successful narrative essay, the author usually makes a point. The content may concern real-world people and events.
My Forever Valentine

A Basic Narrative Structure

Beginning
-- should indicate the setting (when & where), characters (who), etc.

Events
-- should describe the person, the scene, or the event(s) in some detail

Ending
-- should make a point My Forever Valentine

Varying the Structure of Narrative

The organization of events adopts
Chronological order

A-B-C-D

Flashback

D-A-B-C

My Forever Valentine

Points of View
First person narrator: I The character speaks directly to the reader. Thoughts and feelings are revealed in an intimate way. Third person narrator: he or she The narrator can see inside the characters minds and know what they are thinking and feeling.
My Forever Valentine

Step Five

Oral Activity
Form groups of five or six. Within group, student A is to tell Student B his/her own story about maternal or paternal love. The story should have a complete structure of its own. (firstperson narrator)

Student B retells As story to Student C, and C to D, D to E, E to F. (third-person narrator) Finally, Student F reports As story to the whole class. (third-person narrator)
My Forever Valentine

Group Work

Its your time!

Step Six

Wrap-Up and Assignments

Recapture We have:
consolidated key words and phrases explored the theme analyzed the linguistic features and narrative structure practiced speaking with a shifting point of view and organization
My Forever Valentine

Assignment - 1
Sentence Pattern Modeling 1. Never in ten years was my fathers package late, nor was it on the Valentines Day eight years ago. 2. Long past the days of having a mailbox on my desk, I had placed my hopes and dreams in receiving
My Forever Valentine

Assignment - 2
Write a narrative story on maternal or paternal love that you have experienced in your life. You are suggested to associate your story with one of the Chinese festivals, or with any important occasions in your life.

My Forever Valentine

Thank you!