Unit 4 Pygmalion

Reading Fateful Meetings

Teaching Goals:

1. To learn about the content of Act One of the play.

2. To develop Ss’ some basic reading skills

3. To arouse Ss’ interest in appreciating literature.

Teaching Procedures:

Step 1. Lead-in

　　　Purpose: To arouse Ss’ interest in learning about the play.

1. Show some pictures about My Fair Lady. Ask Ss to answer the following questions.

　　　　 Boyish and ordinary girl elegant charming and beautiful lady

Do you believe the two girls are the same person? This is about the story My Fair Lady. Do you have any interest in reading the story? Let’s learn the act one Fateful Meetings today.

Step 2 Pre-reading

Purpose: to arouse Ss’ curiosity of the play’s plot.

Predict how the fateful meetings happened.

Eliza was selling flowers to passers-by when Higgins noticed her terrible English..

Step 3. Fast reading

Purpose: To get a brief understanding of Act One.

1. Ask Ss to find out the information of the 4 characters

Eliza Doolittle(E): a poor flower girl who is ambitious to improve herself.

Professor Higgins(H): an expert in phonetics, convinced that the quality of a person’s English decides his/her position in society

Colonel Pickering(P): an officer in the army and later a friend of Higgins’ who sets him a task.

Gentleman (G): a gentleman who passes is asked to buy some flowers by Eliza.

2. Ask Ss if they are curious about the plot in the play and then give them some time to read the text. While reading, ask them try to find out the information as quickly as possible

When, where, who, what.

Suggested Answers:

when 11:15 pm, in 1914

where outside a theatre in London

who Eliza, Colonel Pickering, Higgins, Gentleman

What happened They were sheltering from the rain outside a theatre. Eliza, the poor flower girl spoke terrible English, which caught Higgins' attention.

2 .Read through the text quickly and then choose the best answer.

(1). Eliza greeted to the gentleman in order to __ask him to buy some

flowers from her.

(2) Why did Eliza begin to cry? Because _she thought Professor Higgins

would arrest her

(3) Professor Higgins believed that he could judge a person by ___his conversation_.

Step 4 Careful reading

Purpose: To get Ss to have some more details in the text.

We have 3 tasks in this part. Divide the act one into 3 parts according to characters’ appearance.

1. Read from Line 11 to 25 and answer Qs.

T/F: (1). Eliza are selling beautiful flowers to people.

　　　(2). Gentleman is uncomfortable and annoyed when asked to buy some flowers by Eliza.

2. Read from Line 26 to 36 and fill in the blanks

Eliza is worried and even begins to cry when she sees Higgins taking notes, because she thought he is a policeman in disguise. But Higgins comes up to call Eliza silly girl and gives her a handkerchief.

Read the rest of the play and answer Qs

(1). Who is Higgins anxious to meet?

(2). Where has Pickering been living and what has he studied?

(3) What is Eliza wants to be?

Ask Ss to read the text carefully again and try to get more details from the text and then find out the evidence including their language and behavior indicating their social positions.

Analyses character’s language and behavior that indicate their status

Colonel Pickering: How did you do that, may I ask?

Pickering who had been watching the girl, now speaks to Higgins

higher class

Henry Higgins: There, there. Who’s hurting you, you silly girl? Who do you take me for?

carelessly throws handful of money into her basket

middle class

Eliza Doolittle: Come over’ere, cap’in, and buy me flowers off a poor girl.

listened quietly when spoken to

Lower class

2. What is their attitude towards each other?

3. What made their attitude different to different people?

Status or social position.

4. What other things show one’s status in society?

clothes you wear

　　expensive possessions (like cars or jewellery)

　　attitudes and behaviour

　　education level

　　how many foreign languages spoken and countries visited

Step 5. Discussion

Purpose: If you were Higgins, what would do to help Eliza become a upper class lady?

Step 6 Consolidation

Purpose: to consolidate the theme of the play and encourage Ss to keep up spirits when meeting with difficulties.

Pygmalion Effect: People tend to behave as you expect they will.

Encouragements: Believe yourself ! Every time you come across difficulties ,never give up . Just give yourself a hint

" Yes ,I can do it ! I am the best!” then you will have the courage again to overcome them and keep making progress.

One day ,you will succeed.

Step 7 Homework

Finish Ex5 in P31

Think about how the play continues and make a new scene for the play and design an interesting ending for the play.