资源简介

U2 Mama and Her Bank Account
Does your family have some bank accounts?
Free Talk
Do you have a wechat account?
Predict from the title
Prediction
Mama’s love for her kids
Make full use of money?
How to balance expenses?
…
Read the title and predict what would happen in the short story.
Mama's Bank Account is a novel by Kathryn Forbes, published in 1943. It is the story of an immigrant Norwegian family living in San Francisco in the 1920s, told as a series of recollections from one of the daughters. Though they are poor and struggling, the mother of the family, Mama, never fails to get the family through difficulties with her simple values and wisdom.
Background Information
Complete the story elements
{5C22544A-7EE6-4342-B048-85BDC9FD1C3A}Setting
1. years ago and later.
Character
2. , Papa, Christine (sister), Nels(brother) 3. (the writer) and Dagmar (little sister).
Plot
The family worked hard and supported each other so that they never needed to get 4. from Mom’s 5. .
When the writer grew up and became successful, she found out that 6.
Theme
Praising Mom’s 7. for the family.
20
Mama
Katrin
money
Bank Account
the Bank Account did not exist at all.
deep love
Skim the story and divide it into three parts according to the timeline.
Part1:
Part2:
Part3:
Para.1-- -- --Para.22
Para.5
Para.6
Para.15
Para.16
Every Saturday night,...
When Nels graduated from...
Last year,...
Reading tip: pay attention to the words indicating（表明）the time change.
Read Part1(Para.1-5) and answer the questions.
1.Who brought money home?
Papa (the bread winner 养家糊口的人）
2.What was the money mainly used for?
Daily expenses, such as the rent, groceries and notebooks.
3.Was the money enough and how do you know that?
Mama would look up and smile, “Good, we do not have to go to the Bank.”
(Para.5)
Yes.But it was bravely（勉强地）enough.
Read Part2(Para.6-15) and answer the questions
1.What was the main problem faced by the family?
They needed enough money for Nels’ education.
2.What does the “Little Bank” refer to in Para.7 and what was the money inside it usually used for?
A box with money inside.
For sudden emergencies.
3.Did Mama solve the problem alone? Can you give me some examples?
Focus on Para. 10-11
What did Papa’s and Mama’s actions indicate（表明）?
“That’s not enough,” Papa said. Then he took his pipe out of his mouth and looked at it for a long time. “I’ll give up smoking,” he said suddenly.(Para.10)
Mama reached across the table and touched Papa’s arm. Then she wrorte down another figure.(Para.11)
Papa
He was a little bit reluctant（不情愿）to give up smoking, but his love for the family pushed him to do so.
Mama
She was grateful to her husband for his understanding and support.
What do you think of their family values and why?
Positive family values:
harmonious atmosphere （和谐的氛围）
a sense of responsibility
team spirit / being united (团结）
mutual (相互的）undersatnding and support
self sacrifice（牺牲）for family
Read Part3(Para.16-22) and answer the questions.
1.What did the writer give to Mama?
A check acquired by selling her first story.
2.What did the writer notice for the first time?
She noticed for the first time how old Mama and Papa looked.
3.What was the truth?What was the writer’s response when told the truth by Mama?
Actually, there was no bank account. She was so suprised that she didn’t or couldn’t answer.
Discuss in pairs and analyze the title.
How many banks did the writer think the family had when she was a kid accoding to the whole story?
Two.
One was the at home.
The other one was the bank in the .
What does each bank mean to the family?
The box at home:
The bank in the downtown:
box
downtown
short-term material support
long-running spiritual （精神的）support
Discuss in pairs and explore the theme
Why did Mama tell a lie to the children and keep it a secret for many years?
“It is not good for little ones to be afraid——to not feel secure.” (Para.22)
Why was a sense of security important to the kids?
A sense of security can bring to the kids and has a(n) influence on their future development.
hope/ courage/ confidence
positive and lasting
Mama
considerate and thoughtful
optimistic
wise
confident

Analyze the characters
“Mothers are like glue(胶水).Even when you can’t see them, they’re still holding the family together.”—— Susan Gale
——
Papa
hardworking
quiet
loving
Analyze the characters
父爱如山，厚重深沉！默默守护，永恒坚固!
Dad's love is like a mountain, deep and heavy! He keeps watch quietly, always strong and unwavering!
In which person is this article written?
In the first person “I”
To bring the readers close to the text
Easier to express direct feelings
Appreciate the writing techniques

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