English Festival 2007 Journey Overseas with Poetry Teachers’ Resource Pack
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About the English Festival The English Festival 2007 was organised by the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR). The aim of the Festival is to raise public interest in the learning and use of English. The British Council has participated in the English Festival since it began in 2005. In 2005 and 2006, we brought an interactive theatre group to Hong Kong. This group worked with secondary students in 2005 and primary students in 2006. In 2007 we brought Dub Poet Levi Tafari to Hong Kong to deliver 30 performances and creative writing workshops at secondary schools, as well as 8 teacher training workshops around the territory. Following Levi’s tour, there was a poetry challenge in which students from the schools Levi had visited were invited to write a poem on one of the following topics: • • • •
The environment Sports Community Identity
Poems were short listed by British Council teachers and the final selection was made by Levi. 8 poems were selected and the poets received performance training from Levi in the form of a video conference, telephone conference and half a day’s face-to-face training when Levi returned to Hong Kong in May. On May 26, the students and Levi performed together at shows in Sha Tin and Yau Ma Tei.
About the British Council The British Council is the UK’s principal agency for cultural relations overseas. Our purpose is to build mutually beneficial relationships between the UK and other countries, and to increase appreciation of the UK’s creative ideas and achievements. There are over 200 British Council offices in 109 countries in all parts of the world, including operations in China located in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The British Council has operated in Hong Kong since 1948. Promoting more effective learning and teaching of English is a core British Council objective in many of the countries where we work. In Hong Kong we engage with English language policy makers, and with teachers and learners of English. We have developed considerable experience in the management of educational programmes, including conferences, professional networks, electronic resources and competitions. In addition, we are delivering in-service courses, on behalf of the EDB, related to the English Language secondary curriculum reforms which are being introduced in 2009.
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About this resource pack This pack accompanies a video of one of Levi’s performances. The pack is intended to be used by teachers with secondary school students. There are four 40 minute lesson plans, which look in depth at four of the poems in the video. Levi introduces the subject of his poems before reciting them, so you may wish to show this to your class to help set the context. The subject matter of the poems, open up many opportunities for extension activities after the students have studied them. We hope you find this pack useful and that you and your students enjoy working with Levi’s poetry as much as those he met when he was here in March.
Gaynor Evans Project Manager British Council Hong Kong
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Resource Pack for Teachers Working with poetry Poems by Levi Tafari
All poems © Levi Tafari Reproduced with kind permission from the author. For educational purposes only, not for commercial use.
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Working with Poetry Poems by Levi Tafari Introduction This handbook provides teaching materials for working with poems by the British poet, Levi Tafari. The lessons are designed to last approximately 40 minutes each and are intended to be used in conjunction with the video. The materials are aimed at secondary school classes, with students aged 14 and over, although this will depend on the level and maturity of the group. Each lesson comprises a teachers’ guide and photocopiable materials for use in class. Lessons focus on the themes and language in each of the four poems.
Additional material Additional materials using Levi’s poetry, and about his hometown, Liverpool, are available for download from: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/download/britlit/britlit.shtml
Background Levi Tafari was born in Liverpool, England. His parents were originally from Jamaica. He wanted to find a new way of expressing his ideas and in the early 1980s he started to develop his own style of performance poetry. His work comes from the oral tradition of poetry and his poems are humorous as well as fun to participate with. He has worked a lot with reggae and soul bands as well as with The Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has performed poetry and given workshops for students all over Britain and he has visited countries in Europe, The Middle East and The USA. His visit to Hong Kong for the English Festival was his first time in Hong Kong. More recently the British Council invited Levi to China where he performed his poetry to large groups of students all over the country.
Contents 1
PLASTIC FANTASTIC
2
REACH FOR THE STARS
3
SCRIBE
4
OZONE FRIENDLY POEM
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4. Ozone Friendly Poem – Teachers notes This poem starts approximately 34.00 minutes into the video
Themes This poem deals with the nature of poetry as a force for positive communication in the world. It compares poetry with the destruction of the environment. In essence, the poem can be seen to compare two powerful forces – one positive and one negative. Activity 1
Students work together to make a mind map of words and expressions connected with ‘the environment’. Give students time to brainstorm and write down their ideas. Provide dictionaries, if necessary.
Check ideas in open class. If you have time, have students come to the board and write up some of their ideas. Check spelling and focus on pronunciation.
Play the poem all the way through. Students listen and see which of their ideas are mentioned.
Briefly round up in open class, eliciting from students which words / expressions they heard
Activity 2
Provide students with dictionaries to check the meaning of the words in the box. Students decide if the words relate to positive or negative ideas.
Check ideas in open class, paying attention to the pronunciation of the words.
Activity 3
Students use the words in activity 2 to complete the two verses. Encourage them to focus on the rhyme scheme. The words ‘OZONE FRIENDLY’ are repeated.
Play verses 2 and 3 in the video. Students listen and check their answers.
Discuss what students understand by ‘psych your mind’. (Answer: this expression refers to propaganda which aims to change the way people feel about things. Propaganda has negative connotations in English and usually refers to politics or warfare)
Extension activity Read through the ‘Did you know … ?’ box with students. Discuss different types of pollution (air, water, land, noise and light) and find out what they think are problems where they live.
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Activity 4
The words all come from verses 4 and 5 and are not in the correct order. Give time for students to check they understand the words. This could be done using dictionaries or by checking meaning in open class.
Focus on pronunciation, using the example. If necessary, do another example with class. Students continue the activity in pairs, marking the syllables and main stress in each word.
Check students’ ideas in open class. Play the video for students to listen and hear the words.
Students put the words in the correct order from the poem. If necessary, play the video again for students to check their answers.
Activity 5
Demonstrate with the whole group, using the example. Students work individually to match the beginnings and endings of the lines from verse 5. Students briefly compare ideas with a partner.
Play the video for students to check their answers A6, B5, C2, D1, E3, F4
Activity 6
Read through the question with students. Ask them for their ideas on how we could protect the environment.
Play the video. Students listen and note the 3 ideas mentioned in the verse. Check together in open class. (recycle, regenerate, don’t waste energy)
Extension activity If you have more time, you could get students to listen and reconstruct the verse with a partner, Students finally compare their version with the poem.
Hand out the poem. Students listen and read along with the poem.
Project work
Lead in using the example. Elicit other suggested solutions for the problem.
Design a
Students brainstorm environmental problems in their area and how they could help
campaign to
solve these problems.
improve the
Students make a poster to help the environment and present it orally to their
environment
classmates.
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Ozone Friendly Poem by Levi Tafari – Class handout 1. Work in pairs. How many words or expressions can you think of connected with the environment? Make a mind map with your ideas.
Watch the video. How many of your ideas did you hear?
2. Check you understand the words in the box. Which words in the box relate to negative ideas and which relate to positive ideas? great,
damage, pollute, poison, ozone friendly, instruct, violating, communicate, creative
3. Use the words to complete the first two verses. Listen and check. What does Levi mean by psych your mind? It won’t ………… the EARTH Or …………… the sea
Did you know ….
It won’t psych your mind Neither your body These words have power When used properly Because This poem is ………….. Words can be ………… Words can sound ……….
46 per cent of Hong Kong people live five minutes from a road with heavy traffic; 26 hours per week is spent outdoors; and 12 hours near a busy road? Do you live near a busy road? What do you think about air pollution in Hong Kong?
We can use words to ………. And to ……………. These words are not destructive …………. a tree Because This poem is ……………… Photocopiable materials © British Council 2007
4. Use a dictionary to check the meaning of the following words. How many syllables are there in the each word? Mark the main stressed syllable.
regurgitate
organised
additives
pesticides
positive
manufactured
factory
digest
Listen and check your answers. In what order do you hear the words? 5. Can you match the beginning and end of these lines from verse 5? Listen and check your answers. Example A, 6
A B C D E F
These words are I can They won’t Beyond the You can In a
1 2 3 4 5 6
sky destroy the OZONE LAYER analyse this poem laboratory testify SAFE
You’ll find This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY 6. Listen to the final verse of the poem. Which three ideas does Levi give to help protect the environment? Extra : Design a campaign to improve the environment a)
Work in groups. Make a list of the environmental problems where you live. Problems Too much air pollution …….
Solutions Stop people from driving cars and encourage them to use public transport instead. ……..
b)
What solutions can you think of to help solve the problems?
c)
Make a poster for your ideas and present it to the class.
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OZONE FRIENDLY POEM By Levi Tafari It won’t damage the EARTH Or pollute the sea It won’t psych your mind Neither poison your body These words have power When used properly ‘Cause This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY
Digest these words Feel positive Don’t panic get stressed They’re free from additives You won’t regurgitate them Like smoke from a factory ‘Cause This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY
Words can sound creative Words can sound great We can use words to instruct And to communicate These words are not destructive Violating a tree ‘Cause This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY
These words are SAFE Well I can testify They won’t destroy the OZONE LAYER Beyond the sky You can analyse this poem In a laboratory You’ll find That this poem is OZONE FRIENDLY
My words take shape They are organised They won’t burn the EARTH’S skin Like pesticides They’re not manufactured using CFC’s ‘Cause This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY
Recycle, regenerate Don’t waste energy Conservation of the EARTH Is a part of the Key I’ll keep using these words Well yes, naturally ‘Cause This poem is OZONE FRIENDLY I said this poem is OZONE FRIENDLY I said this poem is OZONE FRIENDLY
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