Class theme/topics discussed:
Русский шансон
How did you pick this theme or topic?
This genre of music is very important in Russian culture, and its association with a specific group of people and experiences gives a broad context for discussions and for exploring this phenomenon.
How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
Handouts, general discussion, video.
How did students react?
They talked a lot, and discussed their experience in Russia with this type of music.
Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes.
What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
Handouts, map, laptop, TV screen.
Please attach a copy.
Lesson 7_Sept 21_Магадан
Would you recommend this activity for a future class? Why or why not?
Yes, I would.
Advanced Conversation
Lesson 7
September 21, 2010
1. News of the day.
2. Introduction to the topic – word ШАНСОН on the board.
What is it? What do you know about it? Any examples?
Make sure to explain that there’s a stereotypical perception of this type of music as solely “criminal”-style-oriented, but in reality it is an umbrella term for various styles of singing – городской романс, авторская/бардовская песня, «воровская» песня и т.д.
Tell about the origin of the word – it is French.
Tell about the experiences and environment that evoked this genre (or ask the students to guess an talk about it)
3. Pre-listening:
Introduce the song. Ask them about its name – Магадан. What do they know about Magadan? What is it famous for? Etc. Ask to show it on the map.
4. First listening – without the lyrics. What did they understand? What’s the story tht the song tells us?
5. Distribute the lyrics – work with the vocab in the song.
Lesson 7_Sept 21_Магадан
6. Second listening – with the text.
7. Opinions, feedback.
Is the song serious? Is it a tongue-in-cheek song? Etc.