Group+E+5-A-1+Workspace

=Home > Learning Activity 5-A-1: Edison Sound Recordings > Group E 5-A-1 Workspace=

__**FINAL VERSION**__

**Developing the NARA Worksheet**
6/28 Hi, Steve. I know it is early in the module/week, but I was wondering if you had a preference to the sound recording for analysis. Let me know. -Tara

6/29 Hi, Steve. I was going to send you a message on our class site, but I do not know your last name (and there are two Steve's in class). I have listened to a few of the recordings. I found one entitled, "Till the Boys Come Home" that would fit in with my project, but I am not 100% sure what your topic is. Would a recording like this work for you? If not, let me know, what might be of interest to you. Thanks-Tara.

6/29: Tara, Sorry I'm late getting to this...I haven't looked closely at the subjects yet, but "Till the Boys Come Home" sounds great to me! It doesn't correspond to my local project but that's OK.

6/29: Tara, I attached a NARA worksheet...feel free to revise as you think appropriate.

6/29 Hello. I had a chance to look at the NARA worksheet, and to be honest, there is not anything that I feel needs revision. Thanks for typing it up. I guess we can move on to the questions for discussion. I will paste them below this discussion.// Evidence of collaboration. CK .//

**Discussing the Selected Recording**

 * Describe your reasons for selecting this particular recording. Explain why you believe this recording could be effective with students.**
 * There are two main reasons that I selected this particular recording. The first reason being the lyrics. I thought they gave a unique perspective on the war. I thought this mainly because of the chorus. I think the chorus really speaks to those family members back at home. In most cases, war songs were addressed to soldiers, where as this one is aimed at a different audience. The second reason I picked it is because I am always intrigued by relationships (in whatever it is I am studying). I think this sheds true light on relationships during WWI.
 * I definitely think this recording would be effective with students. In my experience, students are usually engaged by music. More importantly, this music is different than what students today are accustomed to. I think this sheet music gives students a different perspective on the war. The learning moves beyond facts and dates and allows students to connect to the emotion of the time period. // This is a good point. I would not surprised if some students never even heard music like this. It would be a good thing for them to experience. CK .//


 * Describe at least 5 ways the recording you selected could be used in the classroom. Try to expand ideas for different subject areas and/or grade levels. For each lesson idea, include a brief description of how this activity could help promote critical thinking skills in students.**

1. I could see this song being used in high school English class in correlation with a novel based on war. I think it would be very interesting for students to study these lyrics to gain an understanding of the emotions of the time period. Once they had an understanding of the emotions and causes for the emotions, I would have students compare those understandings to the Iraq War of today. As a culmination, students could write song lyrics to show how our war affects the emotions of the people of today.// This is an excellent idea-comparing it to the current war and then having them write lyrics .//

2. I can imagine this song being studied in a 9th or 10th grade cross-curriculum classroom involving both English and World History classes. Students would listen to the song and be provided a hard copy of the lyrics. Based on their previous knowledge of the events that precipitated the outbreak of WWI, students would analyze the lyrics and explain what the various references are. For example, the line, "Overseas there came a pleading, help a nation in distress" refers to the German invasion of Belgium. it was Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality that forced England to declare war. By explaining the lyrics in this way, students will demonstrate their understanding of WWI, and make connections between the events of that time and the literature and poetry those events inspired.

3. I can see this song being used in a co-taught English and American History course. Students would complete an NARA worksheet on the recording as well as the lyrics. Then, based on their historical knowledge from the history class and their writing skills from the English class, students could hypothesize and discuss how music affected the lives of the soldiers as well as the people on the home front. As a culminating activity, students could write an essay which examined the role music played in the lives of World War I soldiers.// The NARA approach to both the recording and the lyrics will help students in preparing the essay. CK .//

4. This song would be an effective subject for an 11th grade English literature class. Students would listen to the song and study the lyrics. The teacher would then introduce WWI poetry written by soldiers on the front, such as the poems of Wilfred Owen or Siegfried Sassoon. Students would contrast the poems by noting the difference in tone, who the intended audience is, purpose of the poet in writing the poem, etc. The students would make a distinction between the sentiment of a poem meant to generate support for an increasingly unpopular war, and poems written by common soldiers on the front.

5. Students of either World History or American History, preferably 10th or 11th grade, would listen to this song, read the lyrics and complete a NARA worksheet for it. Students would then listen to "The Ballad of the Green Berets" (written in 1967, as support for America's involvement in Vietnam was beginning to deteriorate) and complete the NARA worksheet for it. Then the teacher would lead a class discussion comparing the two songs. What was the intent of the lyricist? Who is the audience? What similarities are there in the musical style? What is the historical background of each song? An alternative procedure would be to listen to the two songs, hold a classroom discussion to review the historical context, and then have students complete a Venn diagram for them. Students will see that despite the different era, country, musical style, and scope of the war, there are still significant similarities between the British experience in WWI and that of America in Vietnam.// You could probably use these questions as a way to guide the discussion, if you went that route. CK .//