Teaching aims:
1. Enable students to have a knowledge of different meanings of colors.
2. To increase students’ cultural awareness..
3. Master some common color idioms as many as possible.
Teaching important and difficult points:
1. Learn more about colors in different cultures.
2. Get students to know some national flags and national flowers.
3. Learn different meanings of colors.
4. To know the meanings of some color idioms.
Teaching methods:
explaining , discussing, practicing ，asking and answering
Teaching aids:
a blackboard, a computer, a projector
Teaching procedures:
Step 1. Greetings:
Hello everyone!
Step 2 . Lead-in :
What is your favorite color? Why?
(Ask students to use their brains and then answer.)
Introduce some different colors to the students.
(red orange yellow green blue
purple white gold silver black pink)
Step 3. The meanings of colors:
Different colors have their own meanings. Give students some colors and ask them to guess and discuss their different meanings according to their own knowledge and life experience.
Try to fill in the following form.:
Color Meaning
red
orange
black
green
white
yellow
purple
blue
gray
Suggested answers :
Color Meaning
red action, bravery, revolution, courage, vitality
orange generous, endurance
black conservative, mysterious, sophisticated
green life, nature, harmony, well- being
white purity, innocence, softness, honesty
yellow wisdom, joy, happiness, intelligence
purple royal, romantic, sacred
blue youth, liberty, truth, peace, justice
gray sorrow, security, maturity
Step 4. Colors in different cultures:
Different colors are associated with cultures.
1.Masks : (show some masks to students by a projector.)
Q: What colors are used for different roles in Chinese opera?
In Chinese opera, differently colored faces represent different personalities.
For example: Red means bravery and loyalty.
White represents cunning.
Black suggests fierceness or violence.
2. Colors for Weddings:
(Show two pictures about how brides are dressed differently in the west and
in china.)
In the west, bride’s Grand toilette is white, but the bridegroom’s Grand toilette is black. Westerners go to the church to hold their marriage ceremonies. The western wedding belongs to the romantic styles. The whole wedding is very romantic from beginning to end.
While in China, the Chinese wedding is different from the Western wedding. The head color of the whole wedding is red. The color belongs to Chinese traditional color. It symbolizes celebration in china.
Step 5. National flags:
Each country has its own national flag with its own pattern and colors.
(show some national flags in the world to students.)
Talk about our national flag: (show related pictures to students)
Questions:
1.What is our national flag like? Give a brief description about the national flag.
The national flag of china is the five-star red flag. The color of the flag is red. It is rectangular in shape. The proportion between the length and height is three to two. In the upper left corner of the flag, there are five five-pointed stars, yellow in color. One of them is bigger and is located in the top left-hand corner. The other four surround the bigger star to its right.
2. What do colors and the stars on the national flag of China symbolize?
The red color represents the revolution, the blood and lives of the revolutionary martyrs. The color of the five stars is yellow, which symbolizes the bright future. Among the five stars, the bigger one stands for the Communist Party of China while the other four represent the different groups of people in China who are all united behind the party.
Next , the patterns and colors of national flags(show some national flags )
Italy Korea America England Australia France
Canada Japan Russia Germany India Netherlands
Step 6. National flowers:
As well as having a national flag, many countries also use other things to represent their countries. Some flowers are used as national symbols for different countries.
(show some pictures of beautiful national flowers)
Tulip (郁金香) ------ Netherlands 荷蘭
Maple （楓葉） ------ Canada
daffodil （水仙花） ------ Cambodia 柬埔寨
peony （牡丹） ----- China
sunflower（向日葵） ----- Russia
cactus （仙人掌） ----- Mexico 墨西哥
rose （玫瑰） ----- USA, England, Iran
cherry （櫻花） ----- Japan
orchid （蘭花） ----- Singapore
lotus （蓮花） ----- India
iris （鳶尾） ----- France
Step 7. National flowers and the culture:
1．Lotus (蓮花):
It is the national flower of India. It grows in shallow water and can often be seen covering the surface of ponds and lakes. It has wide green leaves and bright flowers that can be white and pink.
2. Orchid (蘭花):
The orchid became the national flower of Singapore in 1981. The orchid chosen is a special type that blooms throughout the year.
It is chosen from over forty different flowers.
It is a symbol of national pride and identity.
3.Iris (鳶尾花):
The iris is the national flower of France.
It is named after the Greek goddess of the rainbow.
It is a symbol of hope and wisdom for the people of France.
4.Tulip (郁金香):
The flower is the national flower of the Netherlands. It did not originate in the country. In fact, it did not arrive there until the 16th century brought from Asia. Dutch people love the flower very much. You can see lots of tulips if you visit the Netherlands.
5.Rose:
The rose is the most popular of all national flowers. It is the national flower of the USA, England and Iran. To the Americans, the rose is a symbol of love and beauty.
In England, the meaning of the rose dates back to the War of the Roses in the 15th century. In Iran, the rose is a religious and spiritual symbol and is a symbol of perfection.
Step 8. Color idioms: Idioms are fun and useful expressions that usually cannot be understood by defining the separate words. Most idioms don't seem to make any sense because their origins are so old. Some of them come from ancient literature or even classic films. Learning the background of idioms can help you to remember them.
1. tickled pink: (very pleased)
My mom was tickled pink when my father brought roses home for her.
2. in the red: (in debt)
When we were in the red we almost had to sell the house.
3. green with envy: ( jealous)
I was green with envy when I heard she was going to London for a month. .
4. feel blue: (unhappy or depressed)
I felt blue because our football team lost again at the weekend.
5. in the black: (having money in the bank account)
The housewife has been very careful about the expense so now her account is in the black.
6. white as a sheet: (pale because of fear)
She was watching a horror film and went white as a sheet.
Use the color idioms above to finish Part B on p39 quickly:
Keys: 1. feeling blue
2. green with envy
3. in the red
4. in the black
5. white as a sheet
6. tickled pink
Step 9. Homework:
Find more color idioms with your reference books or in the internet.