.

1. Discuss in pairs:

What do you think about the educational system in your country? What skills or knowledge besides traditional subjects were you taught at school?

2. Look through the lyrics ignoring the gaps and in pairs discuss the following question:
Is the person in the song satisfied with what he was taught at school? Why?
When I was young, it seemed that life was so 1), a miracle, oh it was 2).., 3).. And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so 4), 5).., 6).... watching me. But then they sent me away to teach me how to be 7)., 8) ., 9) ., 10) And they showed me a world where I could be so 11) ., 12) .., 13) ., 14). . There are times when all the world's 15) the questions run too 16) for such a simple man. Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am. Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical , liberal, 17) , 18) . Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're 19), 20), 21).., a vegetable! At night, when all the world's 22).., the questions run so 23) for such a simple man. Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am. wonder beauty / magic happiness joy / play sense logic / responsibility/ practice depend clinic / intellect / cynic sleep depth

12

fanatic /crime accept / respect / present sleep depth

3. Complete the gaps with the correct form of the word given in the right column. Check the answers with your partner and name the parts of speech youve written. Now listen to the song and check your answers.

4. Look at line 12. Why do we use an adjective and not an adverb here? Can you give other examples of such cases? 5. Match the adjectives from the song with their meanings:

a) _____________ = reliable, trustworthy b) _____________ = having good social standing or reputation c) _____________ = overenthusiastic, obsessive d) _____________(behavior)= is considered to be morally or socially good enough e) _____________ = believing the worst of human nature and motives f) ______________ good enough, proper g) _____________, _______________ = reasonable h) _____________ = well-educated

6. Decide which of the adjectives mentioned in the song have positive and which negative meaning and group them accordingly. Underline those that can have both meanings. Compare your list with your partners one.

7. Discuss in pairs: What qualities are important to have in todays world? Why? Give examples Is it possible to teach such qualities at school? How? Questions to older students: How have things changed since you finished school? Are these changes positives or negative? Questions to younger students: Imagine you were a principal of your school. What changes would you make in your school?

TEACHERS COPY

1. Discuss in pairs:

2. Look through the lyrics ignoring the gaps and in pairs discuss the following question:
When I was young, it seemed that life was so 1) wonderful, a miracle, oh it was 2) beautiful, 3) magical And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so 4)happily, 5) joyfully, 6) playfully watching me. But then they sent me away to teach me how to be 7)sensible, 8) logical, 9) responsible, 10) practical And they showed me a world where I could be so 11)dependable, 12) clinical, 13) intellectual, 14) cynical There are times when all the world's 15) asleep the questions run too 16) deep for such a simple man. Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned 12 I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am. Now watch what you say or they'll be calling you a radical , liberal, 17) fanatical, 18) criminal Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're 19)acceptable, 20)respectable, 21)presentable, a vegetable! At night, when all the world's 22)asleep, the questions run so 23) deep for such a simple man. Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am.

What do you think about the educational system in your country? What skills or knowledge besides traditional subjects were you taught at school?

Is the person in the song satisfied with what he was taught at school? Why?
wonder beauty / magic happiness joy / play sense logic / responsibility/ practice depend clinic / intellect / cynic sleep depth

fanatic /crime accept / respect / present sleep depth

3. Complete the gaps with the correct form of the word given in the right column. Check the answers with your partner and name the parts of speech youve written. Now listen to the song and check your answers.
1. Even at upper-intermediate level some students write ll in the suffix ful, confusing it with the adjective ful. Draw their attention to the way we write adjectives like beautiful, wonderful, and what happens when we form adverbs from these adjectives. 2. Draw students attention to gap 15 and the word asleep. Ask students what makes this adjective different from other adjectives in the song (such adj never appear before nouns). Ask students what other adjectives like that they know (awake, alike, afraid, alive, alone, ill, glad ). 3. Students might have problems with gap 16. Draw their attention to the collocation run deep (=If a feeling or problem runs deep, it is strong or serious and has existed for a long time (definition from Cambridge Dictionary)

4. Look at line 12. Why do we use an adjective and not an adverb here? Can you give other examples? (after stative verbs like sound, feel, look, seem, appear we use
adjectives and not adverbs)

Decide which of the adjectives mentioned in the song have positive and which negative meaning and group them accordingly. Underline those that can have both meanings. Compare your list with your partners one.

7. Discuss in pairs: What qualities are important to have in todays world? Why? Give examples Is it possible to teach such qualities at school? How? Questions to older students: How have things changed since you finished school? Are these changes positives or negative? Questions to younger students: Imagine you were a principal of your school. What changes would you make in your school?

Songwriters: DAVIES, RICHARD / HODGSON, ROGER When I was young, it seemed that life was so wonderful, a miracle, it was beautiful, magical And all the birds in the trees, well they'd be singing so happily, joyfully, playfully, watching me But then they send me away to teach me how to be sensible, logical, responsible, practical And they showed me a world where I could be so dependable, clinical, intellectual, cynical There are times when all the world's asleep The questions run too deep for such a simple man Won't you please, please tell me what we've learned I know it sounds absurd but please tell me who I am I said now, watch what you say, now we're calling you a radical, a liberal, fanatical, criminal Won't you sign up your name, we'd like to feel you're acceptable, respectable, presentable, a vegetable But at night, when all the world's asleep The questions run so deep for such a simple man Won't you please (Won't you tell me), (You can tell me what) please tell me what we've learned (Can you hear me?) 5. Match the adjectives from the song with their meanings: a) dependable reliable, trustworthy I know it sounds = absurd, (Won't you help me) please tell me who I am, who I am, who I am, who I am
b) respectable = having good social standing or reputation c) fanatical = overenthusiastic, obsessive d) acceptable is considered to be morally or socially good enough But I'm thinking(behavior)= so logical e) cynical = believing the worst of human nature and motives f) presentable good enough, proper Did you call, one two three four g) logical, sensible = reasonable h) intellectual = well-educated