SNAPSHOTS OF THE UNITED STATES

Introduction

No one can feel indifferent about the United States. “Hey Brother”, one of the most famous songs at present, is sung by a Swedish artist, Avicii, but the video shows two boys living in America while the Vietnam war was going on. During that war protest and rock’n’roll met at Woodstock, the most famous music festival ever. But Woodstock is only one of the icons of American culture. How about a unique sport like American football? And who doesn’t know the golden arches of McDonald’s? And …

Learn about the highlighted topics and complete the tasks.

 









































Task

Work in group. Visit the websites given and complete the activities below.

MUSIC AND WAR

http://www.lyricinterpretations.com/avicii/hey-brother interpretations

http://www.ryanseacrest.com/2013/12/11/avicii-hey-brother-video  VIDEO and meaning

http://www.musicinsideu.com/2013/09/hey-brother-avicii.html lyrics

Read different interpretations of Avicii’s song and its video and give your interpretation.

http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/p/woodstock.htm  HISTORY OF WOODSTOCK

http://vi.uh.edu/pages/buzzmat/htdtiswoodstock.html   WOODSTOCK AND VIETNAM WAR

Read and find out

What icon Woodstock has become - other names it has – who the organizers were – what their idea was – how much the tickets cost – why they had to change location a month and a half before the festival – how many people arrived - what kind of message was Woodstock’s – what the media focussed their attention on – artists that took part in the event – who performed the American anthem – what Country Joe said – what some young men did – what the media celebrated

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

http://www.understanding-american-football.com/history_of_football.html HISTORY

http://www.ducksters.com/sports/football.php   HISTORY AND SCORING

http://www.kids-sports-activities.com/american-football-rules.html  RULES AND EQUIPMENT

Read and find out

Who the father of American football was - American football roots and its early forms – what happened in 1878 - NFL – how to score a goal – the field – the equipment – a match duration and timing – how players can play the ball – what a dead ball is – fouls

MCDONALD’S

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/history-of-mcdonalds-1806.html  MCDONALD’S

http://www.ehow.com/about_5269842_happy-meal-introduced.html  HAPPY MEAL

 Read and find out information about

The 1st McDonald’s  - who opened it and where – how much a hamburger cost – when the 2nd McDonald’s opened and what it introduced – what Ray Kroc started – the Hamburger University – when and where the first restaurant outside the US was opened - when and where the 3000th restaurant opened – other McDonald’s restaurants in the world – who the father of the Happy Meal was – when the first Happy Meal was introduced – what it included – how much it cost – the most popular Happy Meal toys – why the Happy Meal has included healthier options recently – example of a healthier menu





Process

 

Prepare a group PPT presentation about your topic (SNAPSHOTS OF THE UNITED STATES).

You'll have to use it to present the topic to your classmates.

Don't write too much on the PPT slides. Insert pictures, key words and data only.


Evaluation

Assessment of speaking skills

oral production, pronunciation, intonation, fluency, accuracy, vocabulary and voice quality.





Conclusion

There are so many aspects of the United States that would be worth talking about.

 

What images come to mind when you hear the country USA?

What do you think a typical American person is like?

Would you like to live in the USA? Why? Why not?