Music History CLIL Unit: Beethoven’s 9 Symphonies
Victoria Cano Sánchez Alicia Althea Romero Iglesias May, 2017
CONTENTS 1. Contextualisation
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2. Objectives
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3. Competences
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4. Contents of the subject
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5. Language contents
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6. Activities 6.1 Summary of the sessions 6.2 Detailed explanation of the sessions
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7. Methodology
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8. Resources
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9. Evaluation criteria
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10. Evaluation
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11. Bibliography
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1. Contextualisation
This CLIL unit has been designed for students of second-year of ESO (Secondary Compulsory Education). It intents to introduce the concepts of the subject History of Music in English to a sector of students which are in need of more than just communicative and linguistic necessities, but rather language in use to topics of content subjects such as Music. This unit will be carried out in the English sessions, thus the coordination will be done between the Music Department and the English Department. Language and content will be combined, with common objectives later described, although with two different specialised teachers. It will follow the current normative, ruled by the Real Decreto 1105/2014, 26 de Diciembre, por el que se establece el currículo básico de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y del Bachillerato, as well as the Decreto 87/2015, de 5 de junio, del Consell, por el que establece el currículo y desarrolla la ordenación general de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y del Bachillerato en la Comunidad Valenciana. The center in which this unit will be carried out is a public high school located in San Vicente. The majority of the students’ families are from a medium socioeconomic level, with a high number of foreign students. Diversity is a very important fact for our high school and so, we will endeavour to deal with it accordingly throughout our unit. In order to do so, the methodology chosen is task-based, making our students work in heterogeneous groups to achieve understanding and the appropriate values. For an overall perspective about this CLIL unit click here.
2. Objectives
Foreign Language teachers have to develop a variety of specific objectives for the development of a syllabus. We have taken the general stage objectives into consideration and have adapted them for the teaching of the sessions in this unit: 1. Describe the main musical features of the two periods encompassed in our didactic unit:
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Romantic and classic periods. 2. to elicit the main features of the Three B’s. 3. To properly employ the main vocabulary related to the unit. 4. To properly employ the comparative and superlative structures, both in oral and written texts. 5. To make a correct use of the present tenses, both simple and continuous. 6. To employ the past tenses, both simple and continuous with the correctly composition of the irregular and regular verbs needed to form them. 7. To know the main biographical points of Beethoven’s life and musical works. 8. To show a broad understanding about the historical and musical context in which this unit is focused.
3. Competences
This didactic unit will be specifically focused on the development of the following main competences: ●
Lingüístic: The learning of a foreign language directly contributes to the development of this competence, enriching and contributing to the learning of new comprehension strategies and expression to the communicative capacity in general. The knowledge of lexis, functional grammar and the principal elements in the verbal interaction are directly related to this competence.
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Cultural: The English language allows students to express creatively their ideas and emotions through different media, including music or literature. The adequate development of this area should help students understand cultural and linguistic diversity at an international level by developing a positive attitude.
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Digital: It involves the confident and critical use of Information Society Technology (IST) for work, leisure and communication. This competence consists of having the skills to search, obtain, process and communicate information and transform it into knowledge through the web.
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Autonomy: The ability to assume the risk of being wrong, to plan and manage what is being
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transmitted, being aware of the context in which communication is developed, determining one’s own strengths and weaknesses in terms of knowledge and using strategies for readjustment or reformulation are all transferable to multiple situations on our daily life related to this competence. Due to all these reasons, it is evident that students should develop selfconfidence, motivation and determination when employing the English language, an entrepreneurial spirit based on creativity, autonomy, initiative, teamwork and critical sense.
4. Contents of the subject 1. Beethoven’s bibliography and main musical works. 2. Musical and historical context. 3. The three Bs: 4. Main musical features of the Classical period. 5. Main musical features of the Romantic period. 6. Study of the four family instruments through the 9 symphonies.
5. Language contents 1. Vocabulary: ● Basic vocabulary related to the family’s instruments: wind, metal, strings and percussion. ● Basic vocabulary related to musical notes: note, chord, pitch, rhythm, tempo, timbre, duet, etc. ● Basic vocabulary related to musical instruments and orchestra: conductor, flute, trombone, cello, trumpet, drum, harp, guitar, etc. 2. Structures: ● English verb system: ○ Present tenses: simple and continuous. ○ Past tenses: simple (regular and irregular forms) and continuous. ● Comparative and superlative adjectives structures:
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○ Short adjectives (-er and -est endings). ○ Long adjectives (more, most). 3. Skills/Type of speech: ● Developing reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. ● Developing knowledge and critical use of the ICTs. ● Cooperative work reinforcing discussion in the target language. ● Main presence of descriptive texts and speech.
6. Activities 6.1 Summary of the sessions
SESSION
ACTIVITY
TIMING
GROUPING
SPACE
1
Introduction to the topic:
55 min
Individual work
Classroom
55 min
Group work
classroom
● Reading: Beethoven the Musician: text and reading comprehension exercises (20 minutes). ● Introduction of musical instruments and families (handout). Practice of the comparative and superlative adjectives (35 minutes). 2
● Reading: Beethoven Romanticism Era and Symphonies (25 minutes). ● WebQuest: classic and romantic music period (30 minutes).
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3
â—? Review of previous content through kahoot!(10 minutes). â—? Final task: mural elaboration (45 minutes).
55 min
Individual work
Classroom
Group work
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6.2 Detailed explanation of the sessions SESSION 1 ● Reading: Let’s get to know our author
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● Reading Comprehension: Starting to work 1. Answer the questions with long answers. a. Who was Beethoven living with in Vienna? ________________________________________________________________________ b. Why couldn’t he hand in his Piano Concerto in time? ________________________________________________________________________ c. How did the trombone players read the composition? ________________________________________________________________________ d. Which types of instruments did he write for? ________________________________________________________________________ 2. Find a synonym in the text for: a. Musician (paragraph I): ____________ b. Troubles (paragraph II): ____________ c. Say (paragraph III): ____________ d. Think (paragraph III): __________ 3. Some family instruments and musical concepts are introduced in the texts, let’s have a look at a few of the m.
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4. Now, let’s try to use the comparative and superlative adjectives learned in class to describe the instruments below.
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SESSION 2 ● Beethoven and Romanticism
Classicism- music-Romanticism-choir-movement-compositions-sonatas-orchestra-operasymphonies-Brahms
When Beethoven was born in 1770, the ideal in society was Classicism. It was a disciplined and structured worldview, according to which the form of things was important. Value was given to poetry, literature, painting, and music that was restrained and rational. By the 1800s, ______ was giving way to ______, and Beethoven’s music led the change in Classical music. Romanticism valued imagination and emotion over intellect and reason. It was based on a belief that people are naturally good, that physical passion is splendid, and that political authority and rigid conventions should be overthrown. Beethoven’s Romanticism transformed every kind of music he composed. One of his most popular_______is the Moonlight Sonata, the second of two_____ making up Opus 27. It became known as the Moonlight Sonata well after Beethoven’s death, when poet Ludwig Rellstab said that it reminded him of moonlight rippling on the waves of Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Like all Romantic art, it appeals to the senses first. Beethoven’s Romance no.1 for Violin in G, Opus 40 and his Romance no. 2 for Violin in F, Opus 50, written between 1798 and 1802, were called romances for their light, sweet tone, almost like a song. This is typical of the Romantic period in _____: many pieces lend themselves to being sung as well as played. Beethoven’s _______ away from Classicism and toward Romanticism is clearest in his_______. Before Beethoven, symphonies had conformed to the ideals of Classicism with clear structure and rational form. Beethoven’s Romantic symphonies broke out of those confines and became large, sometimes epic structures that plumbed emotional depths. Beethoven’s first symphony was presented in 1800. Although the ____ members were not sufficiently skilled to play the music, and the critics were unforgiving, it became widely known if not always liked. In 1802, Beethoven completed his Second Symphony,
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which has been described as “full of summer air and summer flowers.” Beethoven had intended to dedicate the Eroica, his third and possibly favourite symphony, to Napoleon because he thought that Napoleon would free Europe from the iron-fisted control of royalty. In 1804, Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor. Beethoven raged: “So, he is just like the rest, after all. He will become a greater tyrant than the others.” He grabbed the title page and scratched out the dedication so violently that he tore the paper. In 1804, Beethoven composed his only____, Fidelio. It is interesting to listen for the musical ideas that appear in the Third, the Fifth, and the Ninth Symphonies. The Fifth Symphony, with its “da-da-da-daaa” beginning, is one of the world’s most famous pieces of music. Beethoven took these simple tones and rhythms and built the whole first movement around them. It has been suggested that these four notes represent the sound of Fate knocking at the door. The Sixth Symphony, the Pastoral, draws on Beethoven’s love of nature, which he depicts in a series of musical scenes. Very different from Classical structure, Pastoral is longer and more complex. By the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven had incorporated poetry, vocal soloists, and_____, as well as starkly contrasting moods. All these innovations paved the way for such Romantics as Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn,____, Mahler, Wagner, and Strauss. -
Text adapted from ArtsAlive.
● WebQuest Activity 1. Sounds like an instrument For this first activity, we will be listening to several of Beethoven’s compositions. In order to do so, you must follow this link here. You must complete the table below naming the instruments you hear in each composition.
Composition
Instruments
Moonlight Sonata Piano nº 14 Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91
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5th Symphony. 1st Movement 6th Symphony. 1st Movement 6th Symphony. 5th Movement 9th Symphony. Ode to Joy Activity 2. Timeline for his works Because we have been working with Beethoven’s compositions, we need you to organise the previous ones in a timeline to place them in its right Musical Movement. Here you have a timeline template you must complete with the information given in this website.
Activity 3.Research and answer the questions We should delve a little bit more on Beethoven’s works and information. Shall we start?
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How many of the following works did he compose? Write the number next to the type of composition:
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Symphonies _____
Mases ____
Sonatas for Piano ____
Concerts for Piano ____
Operas _____
Obertures ____
Strings Quartet ____
Sonatas for violin and piano ____
His best-known works are his nine symphonies. Write the year in which each of them was composed:
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1st Symphony ____
4th Symphony ____
7th Symphony ____
2nd Symphony ____
5th Symphony ____
8th Symphony ____
3rd Symphony ____
6th Symphony ____
9 Symphony ____
His third symphony was actually composed with some curious anecdotes. Who did he dedicate it to in the first place and how did he call it in his/her honour? Why did he take it back? What was the new name given?
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The 9th Symphony is one of Beethoven’s most recognisable works, being accepted in the UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Describe here the two places where you might have heard this composition.
Activity 4. Try to guess the composition In this activity, the class will be divided into team A and team B. Since we have already played the most important and recognisable of Beethoven’s compositions, we will now try to guess which one the other team has been assigned to. Each team will be given a list of his works and they will have to play it as best as possible with the instruments provided by the music teacher, whilst the other team will have to guess.
Activity 5. Let’s play a game! Now that is all for our hard work, let’s enjoy this easy game with the identification of musical instruments, which we have worked during the previous session. SESSION 3 ● Review: the corresponding review of the whole
didactic
unit,
including
the
vocabulary and structures planned, as well as the skills and types of speech already studied, will be properly review throughout a Kahoot which will last around 20 minutes.
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● Final task: Students will form four groups of six and a family of instruments will be assigned to each group. They will be then asked to create a mural with the role of their instrument’s family throughout the 9 symphonies,
adding
at
the
end
their
own
interpretation. This final task is an attempt for creating an educational project for international cooperation and education for peace.
7. Methodology With this didactic unit, we endeavour to assign the methodology an integrated focus, that is, it will take into account the needs of our students as individuals in their social context. It will entirely depend on the motivation and characteristics of every student, as well as the nature of the resources. Therefore, our second year of ESO English as a Foreign Language (EFL) unit will mainly follow a task-based methodology, as well as a learner-centred approach. This methodology will have the role of driving force of the unit. Furthermore, students will be distributed forming a u-shaped classroom layout.
When it comes to error treatment, there will be several types of correction performed during class activities. We will provide feedback, mainly indirectly, through the following: ●
Recast: without indicating the student’s sentence was incorrect, the teacher will reformulate the error. If necessary, the teacher will ask other students or provide the correction.
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Clarification request: the teacher will indicate that the message was not understood through phrases such as “excuse me?” implying a repetition from the student.
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Elicitation: the teacher will elicit the correct form from the student by asking questions requiring more information from him/her or reformulating the utterance.
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Repetition: the teacher will repeat the student’s error and adjusts intonation to draw the student’s attention to it.
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8. Resources The sessions presented in this didactic unit, as it has been previously stated, will be carried out through different teaching materials. We will employ both physical and visual resources in order to develop competences in the language, as well as in the knowledge of technologies, that is, being capable and critical users and researchers. Accordingly, we can list our additional resources as follows: - Blackboard - Classroom computer - Projector - MOODLE - WebQuest - Handouts: mainly taken from ISLCollective and the British Council website.
9. Evaluation criteria The official evaluation criteria for the 2nd year of ESO students is stated in the Real Decreto 1105/2014, de 26 de diciembre, por el que se establece el currículo básico de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y del Bachillerato. Accordingly, we will assess students in their ability to achieve the aforementioned objectives with the contents provided through the following evaluation criteria: 1. To be able to identify the main family instruments. 2. To be able to describe the main musical features of the two periods encompassed in our didactic unit: Romantic and classic periods. 3. To be able to elicit the main features of the Three B’s. 4. To be able to employ the main vocabulary related to the unit. 5. To be able to properly employ the comparative and superlative structures. 6. To be able to employ the present tenses, both simple and continuous. 7. To be able to employ the past tenses, both simple and continuous with the correctly composition of the irregular and regular verbs needed to form them. 19
8. To be able to describe the main biographical points of Beethoven’s life and musical works. 9. To be able to demonstrate a broad understanding about the historical and musical context in which this unit is focused.
10.Evaluation We will implement the following types and instruments of assessment for students, which also translates into different percentages of grading criteria according to each instrument: ● Formative assessment (60% of the grade): ○ Direct observation of class work (20% of the grade). ○ Writing activities: recorded in MOODLE in order to provide direct feedback (10% of the grade). ○ Speaking activities: participation, debates and oral presentations (20% of the grade). ○ Attendance (10%). ● Summative assessment (40% of the grade): ○
Final task: mural on Beethoven’s Nine Symphonies.
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11.Bibliography Laszlo,
P.
Internet
Second
Language
Collective.
All
documents
retrieved
from:
https://en.islcollective.com/ [Consulted 15-04-2017] Pérez Torres, I. (2009). Apuntes sobre los principios y características de la metodología AICLE; en V. Pavón, J. Ávila (eds.), Aplicaciones didácticas para la enseñanza integrada de lengua y contenidos. Sevilla: Consejería de Educación de la Junta de Andalucía-Universidad de Córdoba (p. 171-180). The
British
Council.
Teaching
English
Website.
All
documents
retrieved
from:
https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/ [Consulted 12-04-2017] Real Decreto 1105/2014, de 26 de diciembre, por el que se establece el currículo básico de la Educación
Secundaria
Obligatoria
y
del
Bachillerato.
https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2015/01/03/pdfs/BOE-A-2015-37.pdf
Retrieved
from:
[Consulted
15-03-
2017] Decreto 87/2015, de 5 de junio, del Consell, por el que establece el currículo y desarrolla la ordenación general de la Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y del Bachillerato en la Comunitat Valenciana.
Retrieved
from:
http://www.gva.es/downloads/publicados/2015_5410.pdf
[Consulted 15-03-2017] Zukerman, P. Introducing Beethoven: Teacher Resource Kit. Canada National Arts Centre. Retrieved
from:
http://artsalive.ca/en/mus/musicresources/pdf/Beethoven_e.pdf
[Consulted 08-05-2017]
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