We have listened in class to Three Little Birds by Bob Marley. It's a very simple, easy to follow song. You can find the lyrics in many places over the internet, for example here. You can listen to the song below:
Here are some facts about Bob Marley. Three of them are false. Which ones do you think are the false ones?
1.Some people think he's the prophet of a religion called Rastafarianism. 2.He's the grandfather of Beyonce Knowles. 3.His father was white, and some people treated him badly for this reason. 4.He died of foot cancer. 5.He could play 9 different instruments. 6.He had 13 children. 7.He was awarded the Peace Medal of the Third world by the United Nations. 8.He is Jamaican, but he was born in Ethiopia.
It all began when two Finnish artists,Telervo Kalleinen and Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, realized people put a lot of energy into complaining. There is an expression in Finnish, "Valituskuoro", that literally means Complaint's choir. The two artists thought it would be interesting to make that expression a reality. They started in the city of Birmingham. The members of the Choir collected their complaints about everyday life and then put music to it. Soon, the Complaint's choir became a worldwide phenomenon. There are Complaints Choirs in Birmingham, Helsinki, Hamburg, St. Petersburg, Jerusalem, Melbourne and many places more. You can see the full choir list and other videos at the complaintschoir.org website, as well as the full history of the choirs.
Here is the Canadian example -- don't worry, the song has subtitles!
I think it would be nice that you listen to one of the songs of the film. The song on the video is a more animated version by the singer of the rock band Fall Out Boy
Here are the lyrics of the song. Remember you can look up any word you don't understand at the Wordreference dictionary.
What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere. What's this? There's white things in the air. What's this? I can't believe my eyes. I must be dreaming. Wake up, Jack, this isn't fair. What's this?
What's this? What's this? There's something very wrong. What's this? There's people singing songs.
What's this? The streets are lined with, Little creatures laughing. Everybody seems so happy. Have I possibly gone daffy? What is this? What's this?
There's children throwing snowballs, Instead of throwing heads. They're busy building toys, And absolutely no one's dead.
There's frost on every window. Oh, I can't believe my eyes. And in my bones I feel the warmth, That's coming from inside.
Oh, look. What's this? They're hanging mistletoe, they kiss. Why that looks so unique, inspired. They're gathering around to hear a story. Roasting chestnuts on a fire. What's this?
What's this? In here they've got a little tree, how queer. And who would ever think? And why?
They're covering it with tiny little things. They've got electric lights on strings, And there's a smile on everyone. So, now, correct me if I'm wrong. This looks like fun. This looks like fun. Oh, could it be I got my wish? What's this?
Oh my, what now? The children are asleep, But look, there's nothing underneath. No ghouls, no witches here to scream and scare them, Or ensnare them. Only little cozy things, Secure them in their dreamland. What's this?
The monsters are all missing, And the nightmares can't be found. And in their place there seems to be, Good feeling all around.
Instead of screams, I swear, I can hear music in the air. The smell of cakes and pies, Are absolutely everywhere.
The sights, the sounds, They're everywhere and all around. I've never felt this good before. This empty place inside me has been filling up. I simply cannot get enough.
I want it, oh, I want it. Oh, I want it for my own. I've got to know. I've got to know. What is this place that I have found? What is this?
That's what the people from Blackle think. According to them, a monitor uses more energy when it is displaying a white screen, so if the screen in your computer is showing a dark website, you are actually saving energy. So if the original version of Google was black, it is believed that we could all save up to 750 Megawatt-hours a year.
Critics argue, on the other hand, that the site is difficult to read, and that the energy you can save is less than the site claims. For a more detailed discusssion you can go to the wikipedia article on Blacle
What do you think? Do you think it is a useful initiative? Would you use this search engine?
The Japanese scientists that have created them claim that transparent frogs will help them observe different processes like cancer or other changes in internal organs. Besides, the frogs will not be harmed.
What do you think? Do you think it is right to experiment with animals in some cases? How about genetically modifying them? What are the advantages and the disadvantages of it? Do you think the creation of these transparent frogs is going to be useful?
The following video is a slam poem by the New York city poet and teacher Taylor Mali.
Slam Poetry is a type of poetry that is performed live and is very close to rap, but without music.The name "slam" comes from the fact that this kind of poetry is competitive. Just like with rappers (as you could see in Eminen's movie 8 Mile), there are slam poetry contests, and Taylor Mali is actually one of the most successful slammers of all time. In the United States, some people use the saying "those who can't do, teach", meaning that teachers are usually professionals who could not find jobs related to what they studied, and are "stuck" with a job that is usually not very well paid. The expression "what do teachers make?" is a pun -- the expression "what do you make" generally means "how much money do you earn", but Mali changes it to express that teachers make students work and think, among other things.
What do you think is more important? the amount of money you earn or the impact your job has in other people? (for ideas, you can check also the comments on the original youtube site for this video)
Please read the written version of the poem here. In that website you will also find information about Taylor Mali as well.
In this song, Paolo Nutini talks about how great his new shoes make him feel. First, I want you to listen to the song and see how much you understand just listening and looking at the video without looking at the lyrics.
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Artist: Paolo Nutini Song: New Shoes Album: Popular Songs
2.
Now, look at the lyrics of the song. The paragraphs are jumbled (in a different order).
Which paragraph is the chorus?
Can you order the rest of the paragraphs correctly? You can listen to the song again.
A. Hey, I put some new shoes on, And suddenly everything is right, I said, hey, I put some new shoes on and everybody's smiling, It so inviting, Oh, short on money, But long on time, Slowly strolling in the sweet sunshine, And I’m running late, And I don’t need an excuse, 'cause I’m wearing my brand new shoes.
B. Woke up cold one Tuesday, I'm looking tired and feeling quite sick, I felt like there was something missing in my day to day life, So I quickly opened the wardrobe, Pulled out some jeans and a T-Shirt that seemed clean, Topped it off with a pair of old shoes, That were ripped around the seams, And I thought these shoes just don't suit me. C. Take me wandering through these streets, Where bright lights and angels meet, Stone to stone they take me on, I’m walking to the break of dawn.
Take me wandering through these streets, Where bright lights and angels meet, Stone to stone they take me on, I'm walking to the break of dawn.
D. Woke up late one Thursday, And I’m seeing stars as I’m rubbing my eyes, And I felt like there were two days missing, As I focused all the time, And I made my way to the kitchen, But I had to stop from the shock of what I found, A room full of all my friends dancing round and round, And I thought hello new shoes, Bye-bye them blues.
3.
Now, match these words with their definition looking at the text
Words
Definition
To be short on money
To stroll/ to wander
Brand new
To top it off
Ripped
Seams
To suit
Dawn
To take a walk
To have very little money
Broken, when we refer to clothes or shoes (rasgados)
To look good on somebody
To complete something successfully
The borders of clothes or shoes (costuras)
When the day begins
Completely new
4.
What things make you feel better? Leave a comment!
