Telling Love Stories

1
Learning English
through
Telling Love Stories

• Kate Liu, August/2003
• Based on a lesson plan made by
• ???Jill Kao ???, Nico Chan ???, Janet Chiueh
  ???, Michelle Chang ???
• in English Teaching Methodology
• Spring, 2003, SOCE, Fu Jen
• Teacher Yu-chih Doris Shih

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Outline

• Target, Time and Purposes
• Workstation Map
• Wk 1
• 1-1. Animation Re-Telling (50 mins)
• 1-2. Myth Revision Discussion (50 mins)
• Wk 2
• 2-1 Film Clips Reading Role Play (100 mins)
• Wk 3
• 3-1. Song Listening Drawing (50 mins)
• 3-2 Final Discussion (50 mins)

Wks 1-2-3 Collective Writing (outside
classroom)
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Target Students, Time Purposes

• High School and College Students
• Time a mini unit of 6 class periods (50 mins x
  6)
• Purposes
• Uses and combines different multimedia materials
  to train students four English skills
• Uses a topic of common interestlove to inspire
  students to talk and write in English.
• Stimulates students to think critically about
  different kinds of love and relationships.
• The texts in this lesson plan are arranged in
  such a way that the students get exposed to a
  variety of English on different levels.
  Thematically, these texts can all serve as a
  contrast to each other.

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Workstation Map
3-1. Song Listening Drawing (50 mins)
1-1. Animation Re-Telling (50 mins)
2. Film Clips Reading Role Play (100 mins)
1-2. Myth Revision Discussion (50 mins)
3-2. Final Discussion (50 mins)
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Wk 1 Work Station Design

• If equipments allow it (e.g. two screening
  rooms), the texts in wk 1 can form two
  mini-stations for students to watch in groups,
  with the third mini-station for students to work
  on their own stories. The groups then get back
  to the whole class for general discussion.

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1-1. Re-Telling Work Station

• Text George and Rosemary

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1-1. Re-Telling Work Station

• Purpose
• -- train students listening comprehension and
  attentiveness to details
• Text George and Rosemary
• Time 50 mins.
• Teacher asks questions to get the students to
  fill in details.

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Re-Telling Station

• Process
• Introduces the animation
• Plays the video once
• Asks the students to summarize the story and then
  flesh out the details together
• Plays the video again but turns off the sound so
  that one or two students can narrate the story on
  the side.
• (alternative) Asks them to write a dialogue for
  some moments of the story.

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1-2. Myth RevisionDiscussion Work Station

• Text Atlanta

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1-2. Myth RevisionDiscussion Work Station

• Purpose
• -- trains students listening comprehension
• -- starts students to think about different views
  of love and marriage for people of different
  ages.
• Text Atlanta
• Time 50 mins.
• Teacher Tells the story of Atlanta in Greek
  mythology first so that the students can discuss
  the major points of revision.

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Atlanta in Greek mythology

• Melanion then ran his race with Atlanta carrying
  the golden apples (given by Aphrodite) with him.
  When Atlanta caught up to him he tossed the first
  apple at her feet. The sight of the magic golden
  apple was irresistible to Atlanta. She stopped to
  pick it up, confident that she could make up the
  time. Soon enough she was once again passing
  Melanion. He threw the second apple, this time
  further to the side. Again, she lost time
  retrieving the apple. As she again caught up the
  finish line was near and chasing the third thrown
  apple cost her the race.
• Melanion thus won Atlanta, but he forgot to
  sacrifice to Aphrodite as he promised. The
  latter, in anger, turned the two into lions, who,
  according to the Greeks then, only mated with
  leopards. Now show the modern version
  (in EngSite).

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1-2. Myth RevisionDiscussion Questions

• Process After showing the animation, the
  students can break into smaller groups to discuss
  the following questions first and then get back
  to the larger class.
• Questions
• How are the stories of George and Rosemary and
  Atlanta (original and revised versions)
  different from one another?
• What makes George and Rosemary interested in each
  other, but not Atlanta and Prince George? How
  about the Atlanta and Melanion in Greek
  mythology?
• Revision how does it deal with the figures of
  authorities and power in traditional myth?
• Do you find marriage necessary, at your young age
  and when you are older? What would be your main
  reasons for loving a person and wanting to marry
  him/her?

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1-2-3. Collective Writing E-mail Station

• Purposes
• While talking about several love stories,
  students create their own in groups.
• To work together, they not only exercise their
  imagination, but also practice their writing and
  communicative skills.

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E-mail Station

• Teacher
• Joins students first-round discussion and give
  general feedback to their plotlinein class or
  via email.
• Facilitator reminds students what they need to
  accomplish each week and helps solve the problems
  in communication.

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Wk 1 in class before wk 2
1. plotline, divided into three parts 2.
central point.
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Introd (setting character description).
Wk 2 -3 before wk 3
Smooth the whole story
Part II.
Add Dialogue Description
Part III.
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Assignments for Wk 2

• Produce a general plotline and central point with
  a group
• Watch clips of Romeo Juliet 1968 1996 Read
  the lyrics of What is a Youth?
• Think of a first encounter story to perform in
  class. (This can be part of the first story the
  group creates.)

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2. Film Clips Viewing, Reading Role Play

• Romeo Juliet 1968 1996

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2-1. Film Clips Viewing, Reading Role Play

• Purpose
• -- Uses the first encounter scene of two film
  versions of Romeo and Julia for students to
  appreciate and compare both their English
  languages and performances.
• -- inspires students to tell a story of first
  encounter in their own words, at the same time
  embodying their ideas through role play.
• Text two versions of Romeo and Juliet and the
  lyrics of the older versions sound track
• Time 100 mins.
• Teacher Increases students understanding by
  explaining 1) the general plot of these films 2)
  the contexts of the first encounter. (synopsis
  http//www.bardweb.net/plays/15.html ) 3) the
  lyrics.

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ROMEO AND JULIET References for Teachers

• ROMEO AND JULIET NAVIGATOR (http//www.clicknotes.
  com/romeo/welcome.html )
• Romeo and Juliet and Westside Story Time Stands
  Still in Literature http//www.yale.edu/ynhti/curr
  iculum/units/1986/1/86.01.06.x.html
• Comparison of the two films
• 1. http//www.geocities.com/Hollywood/9251/table.h
  tml
• 2. http//homepage.mac.com/jonathansick/school/eng
  lishdocs/jsick-rjmovie.pdf

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2. Film Clips Viewing, Reading Role Play (2)

• Process
• 1st hour 1. The students watched the clips and
  read the lyrics at home first.
• 2. Briefly introduces the two versions
  Zeffirellis in 1968 and Luhrmanns in 1996.
  (Ref.http//www.filmwritten.org/reviews/1996/romeo
  juliet3K.htm )
• 3. Plays the clips again and analyze their
  differences.
• 4. Analyses on the lyrics of What is a Youth
• 2nd hour 5. Asks students to perform a short
  play of love at first sight or first
  encounter.

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Wk 2 Work Station Design

• If equipments allow it (e.g. two screening rooms
  one CD player), the two texts in wk 2 can form
  two mini-stations for students to watch in
  groups.
• After about thirty mins group viewing/discussion
  time, the teacher then leads general discussion
  for about 10 mins.
• Students then get back to their own group for
  role play practice, the ideas of which they
  should have thought about before class.
• The last 30 minsstudents performances.

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"What is a Youth"

• What is a youth? Impetuous fire. What is a
  maid? Ice and desire. The world wags on, a rose
  will bloom.... It then will fade so does a
  youth, so does the fairest maid. Comes a time
  when one sweet smile has a season for a
  while.... Then love's in love with me.
• (The underlined parts are about youthful passion.
  For the song and its annotation, please go to
  EngSite.)

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"What is a Youth (2)

• Some they think only to marry, others will
  tease and tarry. Mine is the very best parry.
  Cupid he rules us all. Caper the cape, but sing
  me the song, Death will come soon to hush us
  along. Sweeter than honey... and bitter as gall,
  Love is a task and it never will pall.

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Assignments for Wk 3

• 1. Listen to Two Beds and a Coffee Machine by
  Savage Garden and And So It Goes by Billy Joel,
  and read their lyrics.
• 2. Finalize the story written with a group
• 3. Choose one moment or one emotion from one of
  the above stories and try to draw a picture of it
  (or find a picture or an object to represent it).
  

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3-1. Listening Drawing Station

• Two Beds and a Coffee Machine by Savage Garden
  

• And So It Goes Billy Joel

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3-1. Drawing Station

• Purpose
• -- trains students listening comprehension and
  understanding of English expressions
• -- activates students visual intelligence by
  asking them to visualize the stories or emotions
  in the songs.

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Drawing Station

• Text Two Beds and a Coffee Machine by Savage
  Garden And So It Goes by Billy Joel
• Time 50 min 
• Teacher moderator (compared with Romeo and
  Juliet, these two songs are easier, so the
  teacher can ask students to be totally in
  charge.)

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Drawing Station

• Process
• Before this unit, students listen to of the songs
  and read its lyrics at home.
• In class, students are the teachers to explain
  the meanings of the songs, one group at a time.
• After they explain the general meanings, they
  pick up a scene or an emotion from one of the
  songs, or from their own stories, and then draw
  it for the other groups.
• The other groups, in turn, try to say
  back--describe what they see on the picture and
  what they feel about it.

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Two Beds and a Coffee Machine For the song and
its annotation, please go to EngSite
(.)

• And she takes another step
• Slowly she opens the door
• Check that he is sleeping
• Pick up all the broken glass and furniture on the
  floor
• Been up half the night screaming
• now its time to get away
• Pack up the kids in the car
• Another bruise to try and hide
• Another alibi to write Another ditch in the road
• You keep moving
• Another stop sign You keep moving on

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Two Beds and a Coffee Machine (2)

• And the years go by so fast
• Wonder how I ever made it through
• And there are children to think of
• Babys asleep in the backseat
• Wonder how theyll ever make it through this
  living nightmare But the mind is an amazing thing
  
• Full of candy dreams and new toys and another
  cheap hotel Two beds and a coffee machine
• But there are groceries to buy
• And she knows shell have to go home

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Two Beds and a Coffee Machine (3)

• Another bruise to try and hide
• Another alibi to write
• Another lonely highway in the black of night
• But theres hope in the darkness
• You know youre going to make it
• Another ditch in the road Keep moving
• Another stop sign You keep moving on
• And the years go by so fast
• Silent fortress built to last
• Wonder how I ever made it

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And So It Goes (1) Billy Joel

• In every heart there is a room
• A sanctuary safe and strong
• To heal the wounds from lovers past
• Until a new one comes along
• I spoke to you in cautious tones
• You answered me with no pretense
• And still I feel I said too much
• My silence is my self defense
• And every time Ive held a rose
• It seems I only felt the thorns
• And so it goes, and so it goes
• And so will you soon I suppose

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And So It Goes (2)

• But if my silence made you leave
• Then that would be my worst mistake
• So I will share this room with you
• And you can have this heart to break
• And this is why my eyes are closed
• Its just as well for all Ive seen
• And so it goes, and so it goes
• And youre the only one who knows
• So I would choose to be with you
• Thats if the choice were mine to make
• But you can make decisions too
• And you can have this heart to break
• And so it goes, and so it goes
• And youre the only one who knows

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3-2. Final Discussion

• Thematically, the texts cover
• Young and passionate love, and love between the
  elderly
• Choice of ones interest/ideal over marriage,
  family violence and marital problems
• Stories the students write and/or revise.
• All of these stories, together with the stories
  they write, can stimulate the students to talk
  more about their views of love and human
  relationship.