The power of music (P4-5)

山东省烟台第二中学  孔洁

 

I. Warming up   

Think about the following questions: 

•Have you ever listened to Katy Perry’s music?  Can you introduce one of her songs to us?

•Do you like pop music? Why or why not?

 

II. Skimming

Read the passage quickly and summarize its main idea.

•What is the article mainly about? 

•The article is mainly about the music style “purposeful pop”, which features on Katy Perry’s new album. 

 

III. Scanning 

Read the passage quickly and find the answers to the following questions.  

1. What is special about Katy Perry’s songs?

•Her songs are not just about sweet romance and heartbreaks, but usually have bigger and more empowering themes. 

•2. What is “purposeful pop”?

•It refers to pop with a social and political message. 

•3. Why did Katy support Clinton instead of Trump?

•Because Trump was a candidate with a record of disrespectful behavior toward women.

•4. Is Katy the only musician who sings purposeful pop? Can you name anyone else?

•No. A lot of pop stars have been doing purposeful pop for a while.

•Beyonce’s song Formation deals with various social problems.  

•5. What can we learn from the last two paragraphs? 

•That “purposeful pop” is becoming more and more popular. And it seems that as a singer, your songs should not only entertain people, but also draw attention to social problems. 

 

Match the songs with their themes.

 

 

IV. Language focus

Analyze the following sentence structures and pay attention to the useful expressions.  

•1. Take the songs Firework (2010) and Roar (2013) for example, where Perry sings about being our own master and discovering our true value.

•take sth for example/ as an example, for example, for instance

•Where引导定语从句，相当于in which 

•The best example of Perry’s purposeful pop is probably the song Chained to the Rhythm, in which Perry criticizes people’s obsession with their own.

 

•2. Beyonce’s 2016 song Formation, for example, deals with various social problems such as the dispute between white policemen and black citizens in the US, hoping to create change through music. 

•deal with: cope with, tackle, solve, handle 

•hoping to….现在分词短语作目的状语

 

Find the following expressions in the passage and make sentences with them.

•empowering themes

•take…for example

•daring

•be tired of doing

•be unwilling to

•think more critically about 

•when it comes to

•on its way to

•speak up

 

V. Discussion  

•Do you like purposeful pop? 

•Is there a song that you find very inspiring? Introduce it to us. 

 

 

Passing happiness on (P6)

北京市海淀区学区管理中心 王俊英

I. Lead-in

Have you ever been moved by someone?

Why were you moved? What did he/she do?

Have you ever done something that moved others? Why did you do this?

 

II. While reading 

1. Read the article quickly, and answer the question:

What’s the article mainly about?

The author used the “You Matter” card to encourage a woman who was in trouble.

2. Read for details.  Read and answer the questions.

1) How did the author meet the woman? 

They were shopping in the supermarket.

2) What situation did the woman face?

She and her family were having a tough time. 

3) What did the author want to do for the woman?

She wanted to help the woman but didn’t know how.

4) What kind of help did the author offer to the woman?

The author handed her a small card.

5) What was the woman’s reaction to the author’s help?

The woman began to cry and said, “you have no idea how much this means to me.”

6) What words were on the card? 

“You Matter.”

3. Read for depth. Read, think and answer the questions.

1) What’s the function of paragraph 5?

This paragraph describes the author’s thoughts, making what came after more unexpected.

2) Why did the author’s heart pound as she approached the woman?

Because she didn’t know how the woman would react. She felt nervous.

3) Do you think the card was the best way to help the woman? Why do you think so?

4) What’s your understanding of the phrase “You Matter”?

It means “you are important to the world, to everyone around you” and means you need to take care of yourself.

5) Why did the author order a box of You Matter cards and start sharing them later?

The author got encouragement from the You Matter card from her colleague and wanted to share this feeling to encourage others.

 

III. Language Focus

Write out the expressions mentioned in the passage according to the explanation.

1. ______________  :  doing something bad you’ve done before

2. ______________:to complete something; to survive something

3. _____________: cannot prevent or avoid sth.

4. ____________: notice

5. _____________: you are important to someone

key: be up to one’s old tricks; get through; can’t help doing; spot; You Matter

 

IV. Post-reading 

1. Discussion in groups.

Have you ever helped others?

What kind of help did you offer to others?

Have you ever been helped by others? 

What kind of help did you receive?

What do you think is the best kind of help?

If you want to help others in the future, what will you do?

2. Based on the article, do a role-play activity with your partner.

         Role 1: The author

         Role 2: The woman

         Role 3: The cashier

 

V. Homework

Writing

Choose one of the following:

1.Write a short summary to the article

2. Write down what you got from your discussion: “What do you think is the best kind of help?”