English

Topic: Music and Teen Pregnancies and ghetto lifestyle.

 

Target group: 8-9th grade.

 

Content and Material: Drawing and writing down a felling. According to Sir Ken Robinson I will try to meet the children in their element. It might not be all children who are learning best by reading a song, some might learn more about the song by listening. So I will try to use the differences in each student, by having them come up with their feelings. But as a main topic I will give them “teen pregnancies and ghetto lifestyle”. This is something for them to focus on and that will be clear for them to work with. Most people know the feeling of being different, doing something people do not agree in and being judged. But also, we all have prejudices.

They will listen to the song “Brendas got a baby” by 2pac.  At first they are all to draw a pictures of the first thing they think about, when they hear this piece of music. Second time they have to write down what individual feeling they get, when listening to the song. Third time they have to write down what they think the song is actually about. Then they have to walk around among each other, first showing their drawings and explaining what they have drawn, and then they have to walk around sharing their feelings. In the end they will walk around and share with each other, what each person thinks the song is about. Just explaining in a few words. In groups they will answer some questions. For example:

•           What information is given about Brenda?

•           What do we learn about Brenda’s family?

•           How did the birth of Brenda’s baby happen?

•           How did Brenda support herself after her family kicks her out?

•           What happened to Brenda in the end?

We will afterwards talk about the song in the class, and what it is trying to tell us.  

Each group will then sit by them self and watch the music video and answer new question, like:

• Is the music video true to the lyrics?
• Why do you think the music video is filmed in black and white?
• Why is there black people involved in the video?
• What role does 2pac play in the video?

 

In the class we will afterwards talk about black people and how we tend to have prejudices, what 2pac is trying to tell us by using black people and how we tend to listen to rap and think black.

They will then in groups have to come up with different songs that tell something about how it is to live in the ghetto.  The main gold is to have them find a way to explain to the rest of the class, what the specific chosen song is about. They can do it by using powerpoint, telling it by pictures, showing it theatrical, it will be their choice. 

 

Aim: The aim is to have the students believing in their own feelings, that the feeling they gain when listening to a piece of music, is not wrong, because we each get different pictures in our head when hearing a song. Also this is to "fælles mål" a time where the students are to work with cultural meetings which could be black people, growing up, pregnancy, ghetto, teenage life and so on. A lot of teenagers listen to music, and by this I will include something they know (music) with something they could learn more about (the theme). The aim is also to have them come up with different products in the end by giving them the freedom to use their creativity. Learn on their own and from each other.