13th Year (Year 5) Overview: Students focus on preparation for their final exams, the ‘maturità’. In recent years it keeps changing, but what has been constant is that Language program students have to speak in English in front of the exam commission to demonstrate their level of English. Officially language program students are expected to be at a C1 level of English, but examiners generally accept a B2 level. The goal for this year is to have students practice presenting and to be comfortable making connections between English language and culture and history, current events and literature.
Unit 1 – War song history presentations. Students treat song lyrics in the same manner as poetry to analyze and connect the song to a civil or international conflict in English speaking countries throughout history. Students should explain the historical context of the song lyrics, citing names, dates and lines in the song which describe the conflict and / or the artist or song’s main character’s point of view on war. Below is a list of songs about war to choose from. Students, make sure that no other student has already chosen your song (each student should present one song from the list).
1) Bob Marley, War
Fascist Italian invasion of Ethiopia
2) U2, Sunday Bloody Sunday
What Sunday in history does this song refer to?
3) Paul Mcartney, Give Ireland back to the Irish
4) Black eyed peas, Where is the love
5) Creedence Clearwater Revival, Fortunate Son
6) Edwin Starr, War what is it good for
7) Bob Dylan, Masters of War
https://www.songfacts.com/facts/bob-dylan/masters-of-war
8) Sting, Children’s Crusade Symbolism of Poppy flowers in WW1
9) Elvis Costello, Oliver’s Army
‘White Nigger’ compares the way the Irish are treated by the English to how African Americans are treated by caucasian Americans
10) Bruce Springsteen, Born in the USA
The Vietnam war draft (american teenagers were forced to go to war). ‘V.A. Man’ = Veterans Affairs worker (person in charge of helping soldiers after they came back from war (veterans)
11) John Lennon, Imagine
Religious wars, ‘above us only sky’ atheism
12) Radiohead John Patch (in memory of)
Who is John Patch?
13) Simon & Garfunkel, “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night”
14) Eric Bogle and John Munro, No Man’s Land
15) Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story, Song by Jedi Mind Tricks
16) The Cranberries, Zombie
17) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, ‘Ohio’ https://www.lyricinterpretations.com/neil-young/ohio
18) Eminem, Nowhere Fast
19) John Lennon, Happy Xmas (War is Over)
20) Bob Marley, Buffalo Soldier
21) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Enola Gay
22) “Chicken Fried,” Zac Brown Band – patriotic song (war is necessary)
23) Neil Young, Living with War