The Hidden Meaning of Colors

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The Hidden Meaning of
Colors

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• ???

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Objectives

• 1.To learn the hidden meaning of different
  colors
• 2.To practice reading strategies for prediction
• 3.To practice defining words by their usage in
  context
• 4.To learn how to describe our favorite colors
• 5.To compare different hidden meaning of colors
  in different cultures.

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(No Transcript)
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Before you start

• What is your favorite color?

Is there a color you never wear? What is it?
Do you like wearing bright colors (pink, yellow,
red, bright blue, and so on)? When? Where?
Do you like wearing dark colors (black, brown,
gray, dark blue, and so on)? When? Where?
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Can you guess what they mean?
Hed been feeling blue all week. A. happy
B. free C. sad
The future looks pretty black, Im afraid. A.
hopeful B. hopeless C. unsure
The students are still green. A. excited
B. young C. creative
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• Suppose there are some candies, which are of
  different colors, on the table. Which one would
  you like to have first?
• A. whiteB. yellowC. pinkD. blackE.
  green

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white purity
yellow excitement and desire
pink love
black power
green creativity
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Do you know?

• _____ and _____ are the two colors which
  are considered lucky in Japan.
• In Japanese weddings, for guests, men
  shouldnt wear _____ ties while ladies shouldnt
  wear _____ dresses.

White
red
black
white
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Read the story
In the Red

• My name is Ed. I manage a college
  bookstore. Once a year, students can bring their
  old textbooks to the bookstore. We buy the used
  books from the students. Later, we sell them
  again for a very low price.
• This year I asked my student aide, Jim,
  to help me. Jim sat at a table and took the
  students books. The students had to sign their
  names on a form. Then they took the form to the
  cashier. The cashier gave them money.
• Most of the students signed the forms
  and got their money. But some students just stood
  at the table. They looked upset. They didnt sign
  the forms. Jim was puzzled. He asked me what was
  wrong.

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Can you guess?

• Work in groups. Answer these questions.
• Why the students didnt sign the forms?
• Didnt they want the money?
• Can you think of an explanation?

Key words
Jim red pens Korean Buddhists culture
write a name die
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Lets find out
The Explanation

• Jim put some pens on the table for the
  students to use. They were red pens. Some of the
  students were Korean Buddhists. These students
  were upset. In their culture, they write a
  persons name in red when the person dies. These
  students did not want to sign their names in red.
  Signing their names in red was like asking for
  death.
• Ed explained the students problem to
  Jim. Immediately, Jim removed the red pens. He
  put blue pens on the table. The students were
  relieved. They signed their names in blue and got
  their money.

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Vocabulary
Please find these words in the story. Guess their
meanings from the context. Then match them with
the correct definitions.
manage
direct the business of
student aide
a college student who has a part-time job in the
college
a person whose job is to receive or pay out money
cashier
people who believe in the teachings of Buddha
Buddhist
remove
take sth. away from one place to another
be relieved
feel better
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Story Retelling

• Work with your partner. Student A retells Eds
• story. Student B retells the explanation.

Student A Ed. bookstore, students, textbooks,
buy, sell, low price, student aide, sat, took,
sign, names, form, cashier, money, upset, puzzled
Student B Jim, pens, Korean Buddhists, upset,
culture, write, name, red, die, removed, blue
pens, relieved
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Our Own Stories
Would you like to tell us what your favorite
color is? And why do you like it?
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Example

• Red has always been my favorite color, and
  I think it will continue to be so.
• I have several reasons for this
  preference. First of all, red is vivid(???) and
  energetic
• Another reason is that it is the color of
  courage
• In my eyes, red is a noble colorSo I like
  red.

confidence, intelligence, purity, goodness,
peace, hope, joy, energy, passion, danger, love,
excitement, creativity, death, elegance,
mystery, youth
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• Some colors have special meanings in the
  United States. Wedding dresses are white because
  white means goodness and purity. Babies and
  children also wear white at special times. Black
  makes people think about death. People wear black
  clothing to funerals.

Culture Capsule
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• Colors can have more than one meaning.
• In the United States, a day when good things
  happen is a red-letter day. Red roses mean
  love. But teachers use red pens to show mistakes
  on students papers. And when a business is in
  the red, it is losing money.

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Culture Exchange

• What
  do different colors mean in the countries you
  know about? Work in groups and share what you
  know, then complete the form.

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Follow Up

• A reporter from New York Times wants to interview
  
• you on the hidden meaning of colors in your
  culture.
• And he has prepared some questions to ask you

1. Which color is considered the luckiest?
2. What color do people wear at festivals? To
weddings? To funerals?
3. Are there any Chinese sayings related to
colors?
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Assignment
Answer these questions and rewrite it in a way of
a composition.
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Summary
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Thank you