1、 Text Little House in the Big Woods Unit 1 I.TitlelLittle House in the Big Woods is the first of the eight volume series and Laura Ingalls Wilders first childrens book.Its the story of Laura and her family and how life was for them in their log cabin deep in the woods.Picture of a Little House in th
2、e Big woods II.AuthorlLaura Ingalls Wilder was born in Pepin,Wisconsin,in Feb.7,1867.Her early life was spent constantly moving from place to place.They traveled through thick woods,over barren prairies,through the swollen Mississippi,and over icy waters all in their covered wagon.They moved from Mi
3、ssouri,to Kansas,to Wisconsin,to Minnesota,to Iowa and finally settled in De Smet,South Dakota,where her father claimed a homestead(家宅).When Laura started writing her classic“Little House”book series in 1932,lshe had no idea of creating fame for herself or the places where she had lived.She wrote si
4、mply to preserve tales of a lost era in American history,the pioneer period she vividly recalled from her growing-up years on the Midwestern frontier in the 1870s and 1880s.When Laura completed her eight-volume series in 1943,she had achieved a lasting and substantial literary picture of pioneer lif
5、e as she had experienced it in Wisconsin,Kansas,Minnesota,and South Dakota.lIn 1954 the American Library Association established the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in her honor and Wilder was the first recipient.The award is now given every five years to the author who has made a substantial contributio
6、n to childrens literature.Most recently it was presented to Virginia Hamilton,who was also the first black author to win the Newbery Medal.l Wilder died in Feb.1957 in Mansfield of a stroke.After her death,children all over the world continue to read and enjoy her books.lLauras eight-volume series:l
7、Little House in the Big Woods(1932)Farmer Boy(1933)Little House on the Prairie(1935)On the Banks of Plum Creek(1937)By the Shores of Silver Lake(1939)The Long Winter(1940)Little Town on the Prairie(1941)Those Happy Golden Years(1943)l A weekly television series,Little House on the Prairie,which was
8、based loosely on Wilders books,began in 1974 and ran for many seasons.III.Background InformationlWestward Movement in America(西进运动西进运动)lWestward movement in America carried settlers across America,from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.The westward movement began in the early 1600s with Europe
9、an settlements along the Atlantic Coast of North America.It continued until the late 1800s.By that time,the western frontiers of the United States had been conquered.lAn abundance of land and other natural resources lured Americas pioneers westward.The pioneers struggled westward across hills,mounta
10、ins,and prairies on foot,on horseback and in covered wagons.Some of them looked to the west for wealth or adventure.Others sought to improve their social position or increase their political power.Wilders father was one of those pioneers.l lFor almost 300 years,the westward movement influenced Ameri
11、can history.The frontier was more than a place on a map.It was an experience that shaped many American institutions and ideas.The frontier environment presented challenges that produced creative solutions.The frontier experience promoted democracy and also encouraged the development of certain Ameri
12、can characteristics.As jacks of all trades,pioneers became inventive and self-reliant.In addition,frontiers offered opportunities for success to those who worked hard.lAs a result,pioneers tended to be optimistic about the future and concerned with material wealth.Boastfulness and self-confidence em
13、erged as frontier traits as well.Unfortunately,the pioneers also became extremely wasteful because they lived among such plentiful natural resources.Pioneers cut down vast areas of forests,lost large amounts of gold and other minerals in careless mining operations,and exhausted the soil.The continua
14、l pursuit of a better life made Americans more restless than their European ancestors.IV.StructurelPart 1(para.1-5)Pa was away from home,l trading his furs for l necessities.l lPart 2(para.6-32)Ma&her daughters l encountered a big bear but l got home safely.lPart 3(para 33-35)Pa was back home safe&l
15、 sound V.Text Analysislwilderness an unsettled,uncultivated region l left in its natural condition 荒野(地)lWhat are the essential factors in telling a story?lThe five Ws:who,what,when,where,and why.lthaw meltleave projecting overhang at lower edge 屋檐ltrade give in exchange for sth.elseltrap catch in o
16、r as if in a traplpack fold,roll or combine into a bundlelstrap fasten or secure with a straplpersonification A figure of speech in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.l拟人，人格化,给无生命的东西或者抽象的东西赋予人的个性或绘以人的形象.lHunger sat shi
17、vering on the road.l饥饿站在路上颤抖.lFlowers danced about the lawn.l花儿在草地上翩翩起舞.lSimile(明喻)an explicit comparison between two things of a different kind of quality,usually introduced by“like”,“as”,“as if”or“as though”.l l(1)Breakfast without orange juice is like a l day without sunshine.l(2)He is as brave a
18、s a lion.lWhy was it better for the father to take a gun with him?lTo protect himself from animals(danger).lWhy was Ma worried?lBecause she worried about her husbands safety.l parallel having identical or equivalent syntactic constructions in corresponding clauses or phrases 排比l Why is parallel stru
19、cture used?l For emphasis.l Conversion It is the formation of new words by converting words of one class to another class,i.e.by turning words of one part of speech to those of another part of speech without changing the spelling of the words.E.g.l trade,trap,pack,milk,button,lightl(1)Noun Adj.dange
20、r(n.)danger(adj.)zonel(2)Noun Verb face(n.)face(v.)the difficultyl(3)Verb Noun He is a cheat.He is a coach.l(4)Adj.Nounl 1)Partial Conversion:They dont have plural form but can have articles.e.g.l the rich,the poor,the unemployed,the Chinese,the Danishl 2)Complete Conversion:It can have plural form
21、but it cant have articles in front of it.l e.g.Theres only one black in our class but in their class three blacks.l(5)Adj.Verb Empty the drawer.You wrong me.l(6)Adv.Verb down a plane,near the shore,back the carl(7)Noun Adv.Arrive home.Go north.l(8)Num.Adv.Wed better make a plan first.lWhy were Laura
22、 and Ma surprised to see the dark shape of Sukey,the brown cow,standing at the barnyard gate?lBecause Sukey shouldnt be there.He should be in the barn.lWhy did Laura begin to cry?lBecause she worried about Sukeys safety.lWhy was Ma trembling and began to laugh a little?lBecause she was frightened indeed but she had to pretend to be calm so as to encourage her daughter.VI.Writing Stylel(1).1st-person narration(2).figure of speech:simile,parallel,personificationlVII.Reading Skills lVIII.Homework:(1)Fast Readingl (2)Home reading l (3)Preview Unit 2
