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A Brief Discussion on the Role of Classical Novels in Teaching

Chen Chien Nan【Malaysia】

The combination of reading and writing is a teaching philosophy advocated by the new Chinese language curriculum standards, and it is a fundamental means of improving students' practical abilities in Chinese language. Mr. Ye Shengtao said: "Reading is absorption, while writing is disclosure." Famous works are life classics that have been washed through the long river of history. They are the essence of culture and the carrier of truth. Teachers should especially guide students to read famous works, cultivate noble sentiments, broaden reading horizons, touch the deep meaning of human culture, and then improve students' exercises from reading famous works.

The "Chinese Composition Department" aims to guide students to read classic works from the perspective of writing, point out the highlights of classic works from a writing perspective, and guide students to learn and draw inspiration from them. Guide students to approach the masters of Chinese and foreign literature, understand the skills of observing life and understanding society, learn the methods of choosing words and sentences, selecting materials and ideas, and arranging and planning articles. It has a golden key to unlocking the mysteries of reading and writing classic works.

Firstly, let's talk about Li Juan's "My Altay". The article describes lively rural dances, and after reading it, one feels as if they are immersed in the scene described by the author. How did the author depict such a vivid and infectious scene? How do readers feel the joy and liveliness of the scene?

The "Literary Analysis" column of the "Chinese Composition Series" has annotations, such as "There should also be key parts in the scene, so as to have both points and surfaces, and everything is complete". It is briefly mentioned in the text, which is the surface? What is the point? How are dots and surfaces combined? I personally feel that this should be the focus of the scene description, but it is not detailed enough. Below, based on my own teaching experience, I would like to boldly share my rough ideas.

Firstly, of course, it is the scene of characters singing and dancing at the ball. Ati Kanmu is already an old man in his seventies or eighties, intoxicated by his own dance music, with endless appearances; The beautiful girl Nabila had a bright singing voice, and everyone in the audience followed her undulating singing softly; At the age of five, Kulan danced with a rhythm that she couldn't stop at all, going crazy, jumping, and twisting; There are also housewives such as Azatiguli and young people who join in the fun with laughter... A grand and lively dance party is not just about a few people, and the author will definitely not introduce everyone in the party one by one. How did the author write about the other people? There are descriptions of "a group of people", "each of them", and "dancers around" in the text.

The author portrays a very lively scene through the behavior and language of the characters. Among them, there are descriptions of all the characters in the entire scene, as well as specific descriptions of one person in the entire scene. A person is a point, a point is a point in a scene, and this description is a bit nuanced. In the description of characters, there are more general descriptions of the entire scene and fewer descriptions; The description of points is mostly specific and extensive, which requires the scene description to be more detailed in describing the key characters, that is, the points in the face, and to exert force on the points.

In addition to the activities of the characters, music and bonfires throughout the night, the environment in the scene can also create a lively and extraordinary atmosphere.

After analyzing the classic novel 'Rural Dance Party', we arrived at the scene of the tug of war competition. First of all, let's talk about the environment. It's already the twelfth month of winter, and although the weather is extremely cold, there are cheers and support from classmates during the competition, as well as their own hard work. Naturally, my heart is warm and even excited. The colder the weather, the more it accentuates the students' high emotions and hot blooded mood.

Moving on to the essay guide for 'Remembering a Tug of War Competition', present photos from the competition and then freeze the most memorable photo for the students. Most students paid attention to the photos of two classmates, one is the class strongman and the other is the fattest "big lump" in the class. The "strongman" focuses on his expression, "his face is tense", "his mouth is wide open enough to swallow the sky", "his brow is furrowed enough to hold an apple"... The "big lump" focuses on his movements, although the movements are frozen, through the replay and forward buttons in his brain, one student used ten consecutive movements to form a fragment of the photo in language. At this point, with a slight hint, students can easily notice that these are two points in the scene description, and they have already described the two classmates very specifically through expressions or actions, achieving point by point exertion.

How to achieve a combination of point and surface? How to describe that 'face'? Some students mentioned the cheerleading team I led, while others immediately questioned, "Teacher, that's not right. This way, they're not even on the same page." Some students added, "The dots should be on the inside of the page, the two dots in front are tug of war members, and that page should be all tug of war members." After observing the photos and recalling for a moment, students had descriptions such as "hands like pliers," "feet like nails nailed to the ground," and "bodies leaning back.

In the subsequent writing, one student used a total score structure when describing this scene. In addition to describing the three shots above, she also wrote about her own psychology. After reading, everyone will evaluate based on the combination of "point and surface, point and apply force". I followed the trend and asked, 'How many points did this student write?' After a moment of contemplation, some students realized that they had also written about themselves.

Another student added, 'Her own psychological description should also be more specific.' Combined with this student's overall fractional structure, an unexpected highlight of this lesson was generated - the combination of dots and surfaces can 'point on the face', and this student's description is one side with three dots.

Immersed in the lively rural dances and tug of war competitions, what one cannot let go of is not only the atmosphere of the scene, but also the obsession with literary appreciation - how to lead from reading classic works to writing guidance, the composition department is like a "big play", requiring teachers to lead students to watch, think, and appreciate with heart.

The "Chinese Essay Series" breaks down classic works into fragments, making it easier for students to absorb. Classic literature is rich in content, which is difficult for primary and secondary school students to digest. By selecting fragments of classic literature that students are interested in, we provide students with a reading package of classic literature, which facilitates students' better understanding of the literature, absorbs its nutrients, nourishes students in terms of conception, material selection, writing, expression skills, language style, etc., and helps students improve their writing skills.

After the classic literature, there are discoveries of sensitivity, cognitive strategies, and writing techniques, which facilitate students' learning and absorption. Breaking down the classic literature into ways that students like makes it easier for students to absorb bit by bit. Through the guidance of classic literature and reading and writing training, reading, writing, and thinking training are integrated, promoting the development of students' writing thinking and improving their abilities.

The role of classic literature in major teaching is self-evident, and more importantly, we should persistently infuse writing guidance into reading in our daily teaching. Through textbooks and classic literature, we can discover and practice the characteristics of expression, and learn certain techniques, making classic literature reading a "workshop" for piling up vocabulary, consolidating methods, and training writing strategies.





ISSN: 3066-229X  E-ISSN:3066-8034   Copyright © 2024 by Reviews Of Teaching

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