Simple and Deep 簡單中見深意

圖片取自：http://bemadedesigns.blogspot.tw/2012_04_01_archive.html
今年基測前，關於「閱讀素養」特招的議題吵得沸沸揚揚。

我和這位教數學的同事，教育理念相仿，我們兩人剛好都配到教彼此班級的數學和英語。
學生帶了三年，今年畢業，很高興這兩班學生愛思考，愛挑戰。
她問我協助閱讀素養試題定錨的工作坊，結果如何。
我一派輕鬆，這哪有什麼好討論的。
我給她看題目，她也很驚訝的說，她幾百年都沒怎麼碰英語了，也看得懂一些。
倒是題目問得挺有技巧的。

昨天和今天在新接的8年級兩個班做實驗，
這兩個班各有一半的同學在暑假上了我的英語閱讀策略，對英語閱讀漸有信心。
我拿下方這篇短文來測試學生的思考力。
這篇是在十幾年前，我在台中偏鄉國中任教時，編給當時九年級的學生練習的閱讀測驗。
（來源不可考，若侵犯版權，請來信告知，必當刪除。）

     Mrs. Andrews was very fat. “ Don’t eat bread or cakes,” her doctor said to her; and her husband said, “ I’m going to stop her eating them, doctor.”
     Mrs. Andrews made a beautiful cake, and her husband ate half of it. Then he went out, and his wife cut a very small piece and ate it. It was very good. She cut a bigger piece and ate that. In a few minutes she finished the cake, “ My husband’s going to be angry,” she said. “ What am I going to do? ” She made another cake very quickly, ate half of it, and put the other half on the table. Her husband came back later, saw the half of the cake on the table, and was quite happy.
 
1. Why was Mr. Andrews going to stop Mrs. Andrews eating bread and cakes?
                                                                     
2. How many cakes did Mr. Andrews eat?
                                                                  
3. How many cakes did Mrs. Andrews make?
                                                                       
4. What was Mrs. Andrews worried about?
                                                                       
5. Why was Mr. Andrews quite happy when he came back?

                                                               
孩子感受到第五題要多思考一些。
我仿照當時閱讀素養試題定錨的分析，給0-2分。
0分當然是沒答，或答非所問。

1分比較多人說：
-- Because he saw a half cake on the table.（只是照抄文章內容，未見深思考）
-- Because his wife didn't eat the cake.(這答案顯然比上面的答案更好，但並不對。) 

我引導好久，這兩班終於在今天有一個人修正後說出完整的答案，得到2分：
-- Because he thought his wife didn't eat the cake.

差一個  "thought"， 差個十萬八千里。
孩子們一直以為閱讀素養試題就是很難的閱讀題，
一看我這樣引導，都覺得問題不在文章難易，而在思考力。
孩子的胃口被我挑起來後，竟然吵著以後要挑戰閱讀素養題。
我喜歡！

閱讀素養不是拿很難的閱讀試題來嚇孩子，
而是在文章裡找到值得深思考的點。
即使是陳腔濫調的三隻小豬，這本The Three Pigs (中譯「豬頭三兄弟」)  竟然改編得到大獎，
也是我喜歡在表演藝術課裡帶的活動之一，遊戲劇遊戲引導到閱讀與思考。

如果對這本簡單的繪本有興趣，這位國外的老師設計的教案精彩豐富，給各位英語老師參考。

再回來說，我為何找上面那張標頭圖片？
那是一個室內設計師的作品。
一個毫不起眼的小角落，花點巧思就是一個很棒的交流、閱讀天地。
帶孩子閱讀與深思考，何嘗不是這樣？
不是文學巨著才有深意，一花一草，一景一物都可蘊含雋永寓意。
從短文練習起，何必拿艱澀文章來嚇孩子？
愛閱讀，自然會挑戰長篇閱讀，甚至依自己喜好嘗試更深的文學作品。
讓孩子親近閱讀，想讀，敢挑戰，靠大人自己先從簡單中找到深思考。

圖片取自：http://www.expressinstyle.com/2013/04/life-is-simple-word-with-complex-meaning.html