Conversation Class Lesson Summary
Language and Section: Russian Advanced 13
Date: April 9, 2015
Class theme/topics discussed:
Joseph Brodsky: poetry and wisdom; English-language poetry in Russian
Goal of the class:
Prepare for the Russian tea April 15, learn about Joseph Brodsky, talk about life and wisdom, read well-known English-language poems in Russian
Structure of the class (unless you attach your lesson plan below):
Activity 1 Warm-up – Who is Joseph Brodsky? – 5 minutes
We discuss what they know, look at the Wikipedia page and other sources
Activity 2 Handout 1 – “Don’t leave the room” – 10 minutes
We listen to the dub-step version of Brodsky reading one of his best-known poems, “Don’t leave the room” and discuss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyRAK5Pqv2k
Activity 3 Handout 2 – Brodsky’s Life Advice – 25 minutes
We read the highlights of the famous Ann Arbor Speech – and I read from the full text on http://fit4brain.com/408 Discuss. What’s your favorite piece of advice? What is the most relevant today? How can we tell this was meant for American students?
Activity 4 Handout 3 – Poetry in translation – 20 minutes
Each student gets one poem, they take time to read and try to guess what it is (they’re really famous mostly). We discuss.
What technology, media or props did you use? (satellite tv, internet resources, playmobiles, etc.)
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The class went very well – poetry is always so much fun! And they loved the life advice. More pair work next time.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
Please attach your lesson plan and handouts for this class below – if you used any.