Hello everyone, Today, we'll learn Unit 7, Lesson 1, masterpieces together. First, I'll take you to a virtual world of a painting. Are you ready? Let's go.
Okay, I hear some of you say, “Wow, it's amazing and fantastic,” right? Do you like the painting? Yes, I like it too. Today, we'll learn more about this painting and another two paintings. Now, I'd like to ask you a question. What do you see in the following paintings?
Now, please watch the paintings carefully, and you can use the phrases below to help you. First, I'd like to invite Amy to describe one painting. Let's welcome her.
生：In the first painting, I see a sleeping village with a lonely tree, and there are some white and yellow circles in the blue sky. It seems that they are moving across the sky. It's so amazing.
师：Thank you, Amy. She uses “a sleeping village,” “a lonely tree,” “yellow and white circles” to describe the first painting. Now it's your turn to describe the following paintings. Good, very clear description. Another question, what are the names of the three paintings? Maybe some of you know the answers, but if you don't, it doesn't matter. Let's keep reading and exploring.
Okay, now please quickly read the descriptions of the three paintings on the page, including the name of each painting and its artist. Figure out what each painting is about. I'll give you some time to finish, then we'll check the answers together.
Now, let's check the answers. The name of the first painting is The Starry Night, and the artist is Van Gogh. The first two questions are easy for you, right? Next, what is the painting about? As you can see from the text, it's what he saw from his window, including a dark, lonely tree. Are you familiar with these parts? Yes. It's just like the description of the video we watched at the beginning of the class. So, you know, the house in the video might be Van Gogh's. The name of the second painting is The Scream, and the artist is Edward Munch. The content, as you can see, shows a thin figure against a burning orange - red sky. Notice that “figure” appears 4 times in this paragraph. What does “figure” mean here? Think about it. Yes, from the context and the painting, we know “figure” here means a person, the shape of a person seen from a distance or not clearly. Okay, that's enough for this part. The last painting, the name is The Empire of Light, and the artist is René Magritte. It's a little difficult for you to pronounce his name. The stress of “Magritte” falls on the second syllable. You can read after me. Magritte. Good. The last one, what is the painting about? Yes, it shows a beautiful house lit by lights from inside, surrounded by the darkness of the night. I really hope all of you have underlined the right parts. Now you've got some general information about the three paintings. Now please read the three descriptions again. Use the diagram below to help you take notes. The diagram has three questions. Question No. 1: What does the painting show? Question No. 2: What may have inspired the painter? The last one: What did the artist think or say about the painting? Now, please read the text carefully and try to get some specific information about the three paintings. I'll give you some time to finish, then we'll check the answers together.
Okay, now let's check the answers together. The Starry Night shows the night sky with clouds, stars, and a moon. The Scream shows a thin figure with an expression of fear. The Empire of Light shows a beautiful house lit by lights from inside, surrounded by the darkness of the night. Actually, these are the descriptions of the paintings. Next question, what may have inspired the painter? For The Starry Night, it's what he saw from the window. The next one is his experience of working with friends. The last one is his thoughts and ideas. Actually, these are the inspirations for the painter. Okay, the last question, what did the artist think or say about the painting? For The Starry Night, Van Gogh thought it was a failure. For The Scream, have you found the answer? Actually, it's not mentioned in the text. For The Empire of Light, what did Magritte say? Yes, he said the contrast between day and night in the paintings was surprising. So actually, these are the artists' opinions. I really hope all of you can find the answers and have a better understanding of the three paintings. Now let's move to activity 3. Pair work. You can work with your partners, sort the expressions into the correct columns, and use them to practice introducing the paintings.