As Smart as Tom Sawyer: Incorporating Children’s
Literature into Critical Thinking and Integration of
Four Skills
Abstract
This lesson plan aims to incorporate the appreciation of children’s literature into
English Learning. The main reading material is excerpted from The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer ,which appeals to both adolescent and adult readers because of intriguing
adventures and fond reminiscences. With all these activities in the lesson plan,
students can have enough exposure to the language via the output and input from each
other, and polish four skills. Besides, this lesson plan includes not only critical
thinking but also critical reading; that is, students will actively discover the
information within the text, and use the technique of evaluating information for
deciding what to accept.
The framework of this lesson plan is adapted from Task-based Language
Teaching advanced by Willis (1996), and it aims to develop more independent
learners through the interaction in pair/group works, and create a student-centered
English class. Every period will start with a pre-task phrase, and teacher will use this
phase to introduce or recall some related content and let students predict what they are
going to cope with. At last, teacher could conduct practice of words or pattern which
students try but fail to approach in the activities.
Objectives
1. To improve students’ listening, speaking, reading and writing abilities.
2. To teach students how to think effectively; that is, how to understand and evaluate
the problem or task.
3. To guide students to read English novels with interesting tasks.
Grade level
First or Second graders in senior high school
Time required
Three class Periods, 50 minutes for each
Materials
One Selected chapter from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
An overhear transparency and a computer with Internet.
Handouts: worksheets, scripts, reading materials for activities, and so on.
Teaching Procedure
The First Period
Teaching
procedure
Content
Teaching Goal
I.
Introducation
: Who are
Tom Sawyer
and his
creator, Mark
Twain?
1.
Via the the clip,
students can predict
the topic they are
going to read.
Introduce the famous writer Mark
Twain and the settings of his novel The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer.( Teacher
could briefly introduce some interesting
stories from this novel, but teacher
better not give direct description about
character’s personality.)
2. Show students a YouTube clip which
can give them an even clearer idea about
the settings and the plot of this story.
Clip:
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer(1938)
Director: Norman Taurog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUDuRv
QGw3k
II. Warm-up
Activity:
Characters’
Personality
(Students
will be
divided into
6 groups)
(1-3, 2-1)
檢核表對應
1.
Pick out several different paragraphs in
Chapter II and assign these paragraphs
to different groups (Appendix II).
2.
After reading the assigned paragraphs,
every group will be asked to choose
from the table (Appendix II) what kind
of personality the characters had.
Students can also provide supporting
lines they find in the text.
Possible answer:
(a) Tom Sawyer—naughty
We can tell from the lines: “Tom gave
up the brush with reluctance in his
face, but alacrity in his heart.”
(b) Jim--timid
He didn’t dare to help Tom because he
was afraid that Aunt Polly would really
Students use limited
and fragmental
information to do the
guessing about the
character’s
personality. This
activity will also
involve the use of
their prior knowledge
about children
literature.
“kill” him.
3. Each group has to share their answers
and explain why they choose this
answer; different answers or ideas are
welcome.
4. When Students share their ideas on
stage, teacher can help them to
differentiate which narration is objective
and which one is subjective.
e.g. objective: Tom swept his brush daintily
back and forth -- stepped back to note the
effect -- added a touch here and there -criticised the effect again
subjective: He began to think of the fun
he had planned for this day, and his
sorrows multiplied.
III.
Pre-Reading
Activity:
Picture
Narration-the
skills on
narrating
picture
(1-2, 2-3)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The plot of chapter II will be cut into
four parts and depicted in four pictures
in advance.
Every individual student will be given
one picture randomly (see Appendix
III). Every Student need to use one or
two sentences to narrate the picture
they get.
Student can leave their seats, finding
out three other students who have
different pictures to form a group.
The group members need organize their
story and complete the story in logical
order.
Ask students to share their story group
by group on platform.
Students clarify the
parts they are not
certain via asking
questions. The
paragraphs that they
are assigned to read
can help them to
organize and predict
the plot. It is not
necessary for students
to make their stories
completely the same
as the original one.
Students are welcome
to create their own
story as long as their
stories are logical.
IV. Reading
1. Let students read Chapter II silently, and
a vocabulary list (Appendix IV) will be
Using class time as a
reading period can
provided in advance.
2. Students are only encouraged to use
make readers more
concentrate on their
dictionary to look up words after they
finish the whole text.
3. Besides the list, students can add new
vocabularies to their own “i-book”
which is their personalized vocabulary
book.
V.
Homework
(2-5)
1.
Record the story they have finished in
picture narration. Students can expand
their story up to 5 minutes (max).
2. Every group should hand in one audio
track or video clip in next class. While
they make a video clip, they can
perform in “mime” style with a
voice-over to narrate.
reading material. This
silent reading has
been said to help
structural awareness
develop, build
vocabulary, and to
promote confidence
in the language.
The Second Period
Teaching
Content
Teaching Goal
1.
Teacher provides two cases (reading
material adopted from Nanny Mcphee
and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer)
with which children are punished for
doing something wrong (Appendix V).
Students should discuss in pairs about
whether the punishment is reasonable
or effective.
If not, students can come up with
replacement.
Students can compare
different kinds of
punishment and
determine which one
is more effective and
which one is less.
During the process of
comparison, they can
find out the
reasonable
relationship between
the reason and
purpose of
punishment.
1. Write a letter to Tom as one of the
cheated boys to get your toy back.
2. Brainstorm different kinds of toys and
the adjectives to describe them.
Brainstorm:
(a) Toys: puzzle, stuff toy (Teddy),
blocks, remote control car, basketball
card, marble, doll
(b) Description: color (red, dark blue,
transparent), shape (round), texture
(soft, smooth), feature (with big eyes,
with mayor’s signature on the cover)
(c) History: birthday present, reward,
souvenir, collection
3. Describe the imaginative things you
trade for painting the fence and try to
give enough reasons to persuade Tom
into giving it back.
In a role-play activity,
students choose
different points of
procedure
I. Warm-up
Activity:
(2-4)
2.
3.
II..
Post-Reading
Activity:
Role-play
Writing
(1-1, 2-5)
view and think what
and how this
character would write
in a letter.
4. Students can discuss in pairs while
writing the draft, in which they would
focus on the content rather than forms.
5. Later, they have to revise their draft on
their own. At this time, Students have
the chance to exam the syntax and form
before they hand in their work.
III. Jigsaw
Games
(2-1)
1. Divide students into 10 groups. Five of
them (Group As) will be given the
information about one child out of five
(See Appendix VI), including the
gender, age, habits, and so on. And other
groups (Group Bs) will be given a
picture with different toy on it. (See
Appendix VI).
2. Group Bs should ask Group As
questions about the child’s information
and decide whether the toy is suitable to
the child. Once the members of Group B
find a suitable match, the group and
their counterparts can have seats.
3. Instead of showing them the materials or
pictures directly, each group has to
exchange their information through
speaking and listening to each other.
This task-based
activity will increase
learners’ confidence
by providing them
with plenty of
opportunities to use
language without
being constantly
afraid of making
mistakes.
Possible Question:
(a) Is it a girl or a boy?
(b) Does she like to with friends?
(c) What does he/she likes to do in
his/ her free time?
(d) What does he/she want to be in
the future?
4. Ask Group Bs to show their matches on
the platform, and their counterparts
should also express if they agree with it.
IV.
Homework:
Peer-editing,
Reader’s
theater and
Reading
(1-1, 2-5)
1. The works students finish in role-play
activity will be handed out to students
randomly. Students can use the checking
list (Appendix VII) to help others
improve their works.
2. Divide students into 6 groups. 4 of them
will be given the simplified script of The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer (total 8
scenes); each of these 4 groups has to
perform 2 scenes in next class.
(The script is excerpted from the book Hip,
Hop, Hooray! (Eisele 2004). Due the
consideration of copy right, the script will
not be attached in appendix.)
3. The rest 2 groups need to browse the
website of cliffsnotes, read the summary
and other information, and finish the
first section of the feedback (see
Appendix VII).
cliffsnotes: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/
The Third Period
Teaching
Content
Teaching Goal
I. Warm-up:
Sharing
Students
Works
(2-4)
1.
Arouse student’s
interest and
motivation, and help
them to review what
they have learned in
previous classes.
II.
Assessment:
vocabulary
test
(1-1, 1-2)
1. Teacher can have a vocabulary quiz in
Increase students’
the third class to see if students can
vocabulary with
correctly use those new words they learn appropriate pressure.
in this reading material.
2. Instead of simply dictating the words,
teacher can use different question types,
such as matching and filling, or
sentence- making to ensure they know
the use or collocation of the words.
procedure
The teacher can share 3 best works
Students handed in as the homework in
the second class (audio-track or video
clip).
2. Guide Students to come up with their
ideas about what makes them more
impressive and how they can improve
their own job next time.
Possible answer:
(a) Video clip is more vivid than
audio- track.
(b) Don’t laugh while recording
which might disturb the
viewer.
(c) Conversation between the
characters can make it more
vivid.
e.g. Dictation and sentence-making:
1. jeer ---He jeered at my mistakes.
2. oblige--- I was obliged to abandon
the idea.
Matching:
1. fetch
2. reckon
* a small piece from whole
3. fragment
* to go and get
* to think
Filling:
2. He
b
the problem before
making a decision.
3. The company's
a
Amsterdam.
(a) headquarters
is/are in
(b) contemplate
III. Reader’s
theater
(2-3, 2-5)
1. Help Students to prepare and rehearse in
advance, and give them some tips.
e.g. (a) highlight the speeches in your own
copy of the script.
(b) Read through your part out loud,
trying out faces and actions.
(c) Hold your script at a steady height,
but make it sure it doesn’t hide your
face.
(d) Face the audience as much as you
can.
2. Based on the performance on stage, the
rest 2 groups would try to finish the
second section of the feedback as
detailed as possible.
IV.
Homework:
Role-play
Writing
(2-3)
1. Every individual student will be
assigned a piece of work written in the
role- play writing activity randomly, and
they have to write a reply from Tom
Sawyer’s perspective and hand it in next
class.
Students will try to
let the audience feel
what they get from
the script, such as the
emotion, atmosphere,
character’s
personalities, etc.
Therefore, they have
to “identify” the
character and plot
first, then considering
how to deliver their
thoughts and feelings
to others.
Suggestions
1. TBLT Approach in a Big Class with Mixed Level:
It is common that some learners fall far behind others and feel uncomfortable
about participating in any activity. And because of the time limit and teacher-fronted
teaching model, these students are likely to be neglected by teachers. To this problem,
TBLT (Task-based language teaching) can increases leaner’s’ confidence by providing
them opportunities to use language (Willis & Willis 2007). Besides, for a big class
with mixed level, the group/pair work can help students to learn new language from
their peers and tutor each other (Richards and Rodgers 2001).
2. High-achieved Students:
If some students consider the selected chapter is too easy and eager to see more,
teachers can prepare the original novel for them. They can read in their spare time
which will not influence their participation in class.
3. Time-limit:
If there is any sudden event so that teachers don’t have enough time to go
through all the activities, teachers can skip any one they wish. However, they have to
be aware if the one they skip is related to other activities in the following period.
Assessment
It is believed that too many pen and paper tests will bring huge stress to students, and
makes those low-achieved students become even more passive to learn. To encourage
students to participate in an English class, teachers are recommended to use multiple
assessments (Davis 2003). The assessment includes the performance in different
activities, such as presentation, the role-play writing, problem-solving task, or
worksheets, which involve the use of different skills and offer students the
opportunity to think creatively and critically. In this way, students at all levels will
have a chance to show what they have learned and be more confident of their
performance.
Reference
Willis, J & Willis, D. 2007. Doing Task-Based Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University
Press.
Richards, J.C. and Rodgers, T.S. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language
Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Davis, O.L. 2003. ‘Multiple Assessments, More Appropriate Decisions.’ Journal of
Curriculum and Supervision 18: 291-295.
Eisele, B. & Eisele, C.Y. 2004. Hip, Hop, Hooray! (Level 6) NY: Pearson-Longman.
Willis, J. 1996. A Framework for Task-Based Learning. London: Longman.
Appendix I.
(Reading Material)
The Adventures of Tom Sawye -- Chapter II
Saturday morning was come, and all the summer world was bright and fresh, and
brimming with life. There was a song in every heart; and if the heart was young the music
issued at the lips. There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step. The locust-trees
were in bloom and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air. Cardiff Hill, beyond the
village and above it, was green with vegetation and it lay just far enough away to seem a
Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting.
Tom appeared on the sidewalk with a bucket of whitewash and a long-handled brush. He
surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settled down upon his
spirit. Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high. Life to him seemed hollow, and existence
but a burden. Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it along the topmost plank; repeated
the operation; did it again; compared the insignificant whitewashed streak with the
far-reaching continent of unwhitewashed fence, and sat down on a tree-box discouraged.
Jim came skipping out at the gate with a tin pail, and singing Buffalo Gals. Bringing water
from the town pump had always been hateful work in Tom's eyes, before, but now it did
not strike him so. He remembered that there was company at the pump. White, mulatto,
and negro boys and girls were always there waiting their turns, resting, trading playthings,
quarrelling, fighting, skylarking. And he remembered that although the pump was only a
hundred and fifty yards off, Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour -- and
even then somebody generally had to go after him. Tom said:
"Say, Jim, I'll fetch the water if you'll whitewash some."
Jim shook his head and said:
"Can't, Mars Tom. Ole missis, she tole me I got to go an' git dis water an' not stop foolin'
roun' wid anybody. She say she spec' Mars Tom gwine to ax me to whitewash, an' so she
tole me go 'long an' 'tend to my own business -- she 'lowed she'd 'tend to de whitewashin'."
"Oh, never you mind what she said, Jim. That's the way she always talks. Gimme the
bucket -- I won't be gone only a a minute. She won't ever know."
"Oh, I dasn't, Mars Tom. Ole missis she'd take an' tar de head off'n me. 'Deed she would."
"She! She never licks anybody -- whacks 'em over the head with her thimble -- and who
cares for that, I'd like to know. She talks awful, but talk don't hurt -- anyways it don't if she
don't cry. Jim, I'll give you a marvel. I'll give you a white alley!"
Jim began to waver.
"White alley, Jim! And it's a bully taw."
"My! Dat's a mighty gay marvel, I tell you! But Mars Tom I's powerful 'fraid ole missis --"
"And besides, if you will I'll show you my sore toe."
Jim was only human -- this attraction was too much for him. He put down his pail, took the
white alley, and bent over the toe with absorbing interest while the bandage was being
unwound. In another moment he was flying down the street with his pail and a tingling rear,
Tom was whitewashing with vigor, and Aunt Polly was retiring from the field with a
slipper in her hand and triumph in her eye.
But Tom's energy did not last. He began to think of the fun he had planned for this day,
and his sorrows multiplied. Soon the free boys would come tripping along on all sorts of
delicious expeditions, and they would make a world of fun of him for having to work -- the
very thought of it burnt him like fire. He got out his worldly wealth and examined it -- bits
of toys, marbles, and trash; enough to buy an exchange of work, maybe, but not half
enough to buy so much as half an hour of pure freedom. So he returned his straitened
means to his pocket, and gave up the idea of trying to buy the boys. At this dark and
hopeless moment an inspiration burst upon him! Nothing less than a great, magnificent
inspiration.
He took up his brush and went tranquilly to work. Ben Rogers hove in sight presently -the very boy, of all boys, whose ridicule he had been dreading. Ben's gait was the
hop-skip-and-jump -- proof enough that his heart was light and his anticipations high. He
was eating an apple, and giving a long, melodious whoop, at intervals, followed by a
deep-toned ding-dong-dong, ding-dong-dong, for he was personating a steamboat. As he
drew near, he slackened speed, took the middle of the street, leaned far over to starboard
and rounded to ponderously and with laborious pomp and circumstance -- for he was
personating the Big Missouri, and considered himself to be drawing nine feet of water. He
was boat and captain and engine-bells combined, so he had to imagine himself standing on
his own hurricane-deck giving the orders and executing them:
"Stop her, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling!" The headway ran almost out, and he drew up slowly
toward the sidewalk.
"Ship up to back! Ting-a-ling-ling!" His arms straightened and stiffened down his sides.
"Set her back on the stabboard! Ting-a-ling-ling! Chow! ch-chow-wow! Chow!" His right
hand, meantime, describing stately circles -- for it was representing a forty-foot wheel.
"Let her go back on the labboard! Ting-a-ling-ling! Chow-ch-chow-chow!" The left hand
began to describe circles.
"Stop the stabboard! Ting-a-ling-ling! Stop the labboard! Come ahead on the stabboard!
Stop her! Let your outside turn over slow! Ting-a-ling-ling! Chow-ow-ow! Get out that
head-line! Lively now! Come -- out with your spring-line -- what're you about there! Take
a turn round that stump with the bight of it! Stand by that stage, now -- let her go! Done
with the engines, sir! Ting-a-ling-ling! Sh't! S'h't! Sh't!" (trying the gauge-cocks).
Tom went on whitewashing -- paid no attention to the steamboat. Ben stared a moment and
then said: "Hi-yi! You're up a stump, ain't you!"
No answer. Tom surveyed his last touch with the eye of an artist, then he gave his brush
another gentle sweep and surveyed the result, as before. Ben ranged up alongside of him.
Tom's mouth watered for the apple, but he stuck to his work. Ben said:
"Hello, old chap, you got to work, hey?"
Tom wheeled suddenly and said:
"Why, it's you, Ben! I warn't noticing."
"Say -- I'm going in a-swimming, I am. Don't you wish you could? But of course you'd
druther work -- wouldn't you? Course you would!"
Tom contemplated the boy a bit, and said:
"What do you call work?"
"Why, ain't that work?"
Tom resumed his whitewashing, and answered carelessly:
"Well, maybe it is, and maybe it ain't. All I know, is, it suits Tom Sawyer."
"Oh come, now, you don't mean to let on that you like it?"
The brush continued to move.
"Like it? Well, I don't see why I oughtn't to like it. Does a boy get a chance to whitewash a
fence every day?"
That put the thing in a new light. Ben stopped nibbling his apple. Tom swept his brush
daintily back and forth -- stepped back to note the effect -- added a touch here and there -criticised the effect again -- Ben watching every move and getting more and more
interested, more and more absorbed. Presently he said:
"Say, Tom, let me whitewash a little."
Tom considered, was about to consent; but he altered his mind:
"No -- no -- I reckon it wouldn't hardly do, Ben. You see, Aunt Polly's awful particular
about this fence -- right here on the street, you know -- but if it was the back fence I
wouldn't mind and she wouldn't. Yes, she's awful particular about this fence; it's got to be
done very careful; I reckon there ain't one boy in a thousand, maybe two thousand, that can
do it the way it's got to be done."
"No -- is that so? Oh come, now -- lemme just try. Only just a little -- I'd let you, if you
was me, Tom."
"Ben, I'd like to, honest injun; but Aunt Polly -- well, Jim wanted to do it, but she wouldn't
let him; Sid wanted to do it, and she wouldn't let Sid. Now don't you see how I'm fixed? If
you was to tackle this fence and anything was to happen to it --"
"Oh, shucks, I'll be just as careful. Now lemme try. Say -- I'll give you the core of my
apple."
"Well, here -- No, Ben, now don't. I'm afeard --"
"I'll give you all of it!"
Tom gave up the brush with reluctance in his face, but alacrity in his heart. And while the
late steamer Big Missouri worked and sweated in the sun, the retired artist sat on a barrel
in the shade close by, dangled his legs, munched his apple, and planned the slaughter of
more innocents. There was no lack of material; boys happened along every little while;
they came to jeer, but remained to whitewash. By the time Ben was fagged out, Tom had
traded the next chance to Billy Fisher for a kite, in good repair; and when he played out,
Johnny Miller bought in for a dead rat and a string to swing it with -- and so on, and so on,
hour after hour. And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor
poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had besides
the things before mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jews-harp, a piece of blue
bottle-glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock anything, a
fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six
fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass doorknob, a dog-collar -- but no dog -- the
handle of a knife, four pieces of orange-peel, and a dilapidated old window sash.
He had had a nice, good, idle time all the while -- plenty of company -- and the fence had
three coats of whitewash on it! If he hadn't run out of whitewash he would have
bankrupted every boy in the village.
Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world, after all. He had discovered a
great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely, that in order to make a man or a
boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a
great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended
that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever
a body is not obliged to do. And this would help him to understand why constructing
artificial flowers or performing on a tread-mill is work, while rolling ten-pins or climbing
Mont Blanc is only amusement. There are wealthy gentlemen in England who drive
four-horse passenger-coaches twenty or thirty miles on a daily line, in the summer, because
the privilege costs them considerable money; but if they were offered wages for the service,
that would turn it into work and then they would resign.
The boy mused awhile over the substantial change which had taken place in his worldly
circumstances, and then wended toward headquarters to report.
Appendix II.
Whose personality to
desctibe
Group
Which lines to read
Group 1 and 2
From line 1 to 39
Group 3 and 4
From line 40 to 80
1.Tom Sawyer
2. Ben Roger
Group 5 and 6
From line 81 to 109
1.Ben Roger
2. Tom Sawyer
1.Jim
2. Tom Sawyer
Common Adjectives to Describe People
timid
outgoing
organized
nice
nervous
foolish
modest
intelligent
sly
generous
stingy
demanding
annoying
easygoing
selfish
passive
ambitious
energetic enthusiastic
friendly
patient
talktive
imaginative
creative
naive
strict
mean
funny
Appendix III.
Appendix IV.
Vocabulary List

issue (v.) to come out from a place 流洩


Smoke issued from the chimney.
vegetation (n.) plants 植物
survey (v.) to exam all of something carefully 調查研究


He got out the car to survey the damage.
melancholy (n.) sadness which lasts for a long period of time 憂鬱
far-reaching (a.) widespread 廣泛的
These laws will have far-reaching benefits for all working mothers.

insignificant (a.) not important
Why bother arguing about such an insignificant amount of money?

pump (n.) a piece of equipment used to cause liquid to move from one place to
another. 幫浦

mulatto (n.) an offensive word for someone with one black parent and one white
parent 黑白混血兒

skylark (v.) to have fun

Children were skylarking in the yard.
fetch (v.) to go and get 拿取

Fetch your supper yourself, Robert.
whack (v.) to hit someone 重打
嬉戲
The bully whacked my brother with a stick.

thimble (n.) a small cover, made of metal or plastic, worn to protect finger while
sewing 頂針

bully taw (“bully” slang for excellent) a large fancy marble nomally used for
shooting 彈珠

unwind (unwound, unwound) to unfasten sth.


In a nearby medical tent, a US Army doctor gently unwinds Metruk's bandage.
vigor (n.) energy 精力
expedition (n.) journey 旅途 on an expedition

鬆開
straitened (a.) a difficult situation because there is much less money available.
拮据的
A lot of people finding themselves in a straitened circumstance these days.



inspiration (n.) someone or something gives you idea for doing something.
magnificent (a.) very beautiful and deserving to be admired 壯麗的
tranquilly (a.) calmly 平靜地


hove in sight (slang) come into view
gait (n.) a step 步伐





anticipation (n.) prospect 期待 in anticipation of = in expectation of 預期
melodious (a.) very pleasant to listen to 悅耳的
whoop (n.) a loud, excited shout 高呼
interval (n.) a short period between the parts of game, concert, film, etc 間隔
personate (v.) to mimic something 模仿

The boy peronates a steamboat and intimate the sound of steam whistle by his
mouth.
slacken (v.) become slower 減慢



I slacken my pace once outside the gates.
ponderously (a.) heavy 沉重的
laborious (a.) needing a lot of time and effort 吃力的
stiffen (v.) to make material stiff so that is will not bend easily. 變挺

a spray to stiffen shirt collars
stabboard (n.) the right side of a ship or aircraft 右舷
labboard 左舷

spring-line (n.)a mooring line 停泊繩索

stump (n.) the part of something such as tree or tooth which is left after most of
it has been removed 船樁
the stump of a tree 樹樁



bight (n.) bay 海灣
range up (v.) to position people or things together, especially in a row 並排
wheel (v.) move to different direction 改變方向

He wheeled round and dashed for the door
contemplate (v.) to think carefully 仔細思考



He contemplated the problem before making a decision.
nibble (v.) to chew 嚼
daintily (adv.) gracefully 優雅地
consent (v.) to agree 同意

They would not consent to my leaving school.
reckon (v.) to think 認為




I reckon the train will soon arrive.
injun (n.)indian 印地安人
shucks (slang) an expression of embarrassment, disappointment or anger
reluctance (n.) an unwillingness to do something 不情願
alacrity (n.) delight 歡欣
呸!

barrel (n.)a large container, made of wood or metal, with a flat top and bottom
大桶子

dangle (v.) to swing 搖盪


slaughter (n.) the killing of many people cruelly 大屠殺
jeer (v.) to mock at 嘲笑

He jeered at my mistakes.
fag out (v.) to make people weary 使人疲倦

That sort of work fagged me out.
poverty-striken (a.) very poor 窮困的

cannon (n.)a large, powerful gun fixed to two or four wheels, which fires heavy
stone or metal balls 大砲

fragment (n.) a small piece from whole 碎片



decanter (n.) a glass bottle with a cork 玻璃瓶
tadpole (n.) a creature with tail which will develop into a frog 蝌蚪
dilapidated (a.) being old and in poor condition 老舊的
a dilapidated house 破舊不堪的房屋



sash (n.) a belt 腰帶
idle (a.) being inactive 懶惰、不積極的
bankrupted (a.) unable to pay what you owe and have no property at all. 破產
的

oblige (v.) to force someone to do something 強迫
I was obliged to abandon the idea.

tread-mill (n.) a wide wheel turned by the weight of people climbing on steps
around its edge 踏車


ten-pins (n.) bowling 保齡球
resign (v.) to quit 放棄，辭去

She resigned the directorship
muse (v.) to ponder 思索

I like to muse about what I will do when I grow up.
awhile (ad.) for a short time 片刻


Let's wait awhile.
wend (v.) to walk slowly 走
headquarter (n.) the main office of an organization, such as the army 總部
The company's headquarters is/are in Amsterdam.
Appendix V.
Mr. Credic Brown’s wife has died leaving him with seven children. Since
his wife has died, he has gone through 16 nannies, but he is confident that he has
the toughest nanny in England, and the nanny can handle anything.
Unfortunately, these kids, aged from several monthes to 8 or 9, are so
ill-behaved that they decide to drive away their 17t nanny.
These kids rush into the kitchen and pretend that they are going to cook
their youngest baby sister. Their 17th nanny runs screaming into Mr. Brown’s
office, yelling that the children have eaten the baby. The Cedric rushes home to
find the children eating what appears to be chicken, while the baby is in a stew
pot, covered in cabbage but unharmed. He gets angry at them for scaring away
yet another nanny and tells them to go to bed without supper.
Adapted from Nanny Mcphee
Aunt Polly finds Tom in the pantry where he has been eating forbidden
jam. As she gets a switch, Tom convinces her that something is behind her. As
she turns, he escapes, leaving her to contemplate how he constantly plays
tricks on her. She is concerned whether or not she is "doing her duty by him,"
but because he is her dead sister's child, she cannot bring herself to be harsh
with him.
That afternoon, Tom misses from school wiythout permission to plays
hooky, and at supper that night, Aunt Polly tries to trap him into revealing that
he skipped school. Tom keeps telling lies until his brother exposes him. Aunt
Polly decides that, as punishment, he will lose his freedom on Saturday and
will have to whitewash the fence.
Adapted from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Appendix VI.
Kitchen & Play food
Teddy bear
Remote-control car
Building blocks
Soccer
Chirstina
Age: 4
Gender: F
Christina is a only child in her family. She likes everything cute and
cuddly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe
Age: 10
Gender: M
Joe always hangs around with his buddies after school. And he
always dreams about becoming an excellent athlete in the future.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Billy
Age: 10
Gender: M
Billy has one younger brother and one younger sister. He likes to play
with them, and he is always very patient while playing with his
siblings. In school, his favorite subject is art.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lisa
Age:5
Gender: F
Lisa has a twin sister, Sue, who usually plays with her. Both of them
like to try mom’s clothes and hope that , one day, they can become
the pretties bride.
Philip
Age: 15
Gender: M
Philip loves to share with others, so he is very popular with his
classmates. In summer, his favorite sport is swimming because he
doesn’t like the feeling of sweating.
Appendix VII.
Section I
A. Short Answer Questions:
1. How did Aunt Polly catch Tom for playing hooky?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. What did Tom and Becky do at school during recess?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
3. Why did Becky get mad at Tom?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
B.
Who are these people?
_________ 1. Tom had been engaged to her before Becky.
_________ 2. Author of The Adventure of Tom Sawyer.
_________ 3. Tom’s best friend and guardian.
_________ 4. The first child who painted the fence for Tom.
_________ 5. The girl that got lost in a cave, and then saved by Tom.
Section II
After seeing your classmates’ performance on stage, answer the short
questions below.
1. What did Tom witness in the graveyard?
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
2. What did Tom find in the cave?
_________________________________________________
3. Whose voice can you hear most clearly?
_________________________________________________
4. Whose performance is the most attractive one?
_________________________________________________
5. Whose performance is the most funny one?
_________________________________________________
6. Whose performance do you like best?
_________________________________________________
Checklist for Role-play Writing
Class:
Name:
No:
Exchange your composition with another classmate and evaluate the piece you get.
Check (V) the adjective that best describes the piece.
good
Format
average
bad
comments
The first line of the paragraph is indented 5
spaces.
Sentences fit inside the margins given in the
assignment.
Structure
Paragraphs average 4 to 8 sentences in length.
Each paragraph has one, and only one, main
idea.
All detail sentences relate to the main idea of
each paragraph.
Grammar
Sentences are free of spelling errors.
Sentences fit the grammatical strucure
"S+V+O."
Sentences use correct punctuation.
The tense is consistent throughout the paper
and especially within a parahraph.
Sentence pattern in the autobiography fits the
syntax, "If S1+V, S2 will V…"
The writing uses a consistent narrating voice
throughout.