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Home , Adam Clayton, Beautiful Day, Bono, The Edge, U2

SONG ACTIVITY – by

Name: Group: Date: / /

1. Work in small groups. Read the definition for the word “resilient”. Discuss the questions.

resilient /rɪˈzɪliənt/ adj 1 able to become strong, healthy or successful again after something bad happens. 2 able to return to an original shape after being pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.

Adapted from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resilient

a. Can you think of a situation in your life when you or a person you know were resilient? Talk about it. b. What can teenagers do to develop resilience? c. What do you usually do when you are having a difficult day?

2. Work with a partner. You are going to listen to the song Beautiful Day, by U2. The words in the cloud are in the lyrics of the song. How do you associate them with a beautiful day? Discuss your ideas and take notes in the lines below.

______

3.  Now listen to the song. Were the words in Activity 2 associated to the idea of a beautiful day in the way you imagined?

SONG ACTIVITY – Beautiful Day by U2

4.  Listen to the song again. Check (✓) the alternative that best explains the lines in italics, in the context of the song.

a. The heart is a / Shoots up through the stony ground.

[ ] Love is resilient and can overcome all difficulties. [ ] Love is blind to all problems and difficulties.

b. The traffic is stuck / And you’re not moving anywhere.

[ ] Traffic jams can ruin even the most beautiful day. [ ] Your life is paralyzed and you can’t go on.

c. You thought you’d found a friend / To take you out of this place.

[ ] You imagined someone could help you, but you were wrong. [ ] Your new friend will help you escape from town.

d. It’s a beautiful day / Don’t let it get away.

[ ] It’s a beautiful day – make the best of it. [ ] Although it’s a beautiful day, we can’t escape of life.

e. You’re on the road / But you’ve got no destination.

[ ] You don’t know how to get away from the city. [ ] You don’t know what to do in your life.

f. Teach me / I know I’m not a hopeless case.

[ ] I need you to have faith in me. [ ] I need a teacher.

g. See the world in green and blue / See China right in front of you.

[ ] Appreciate nature and the wonders of the world. [ ] Observe how different cultures deal with adversity.

h. What you don’t have you don’t need it now.

[ ] Not having material things makes people unhappy. [ ] You shouldn’t focus on the need for material things.

5. Read the lines in Activity 4 again. Underline the ones that are inspiring and offer hope to the listener.

6. Discuss these questions with your teacher and classmates. a. In the book U2 by U2, , the lead singer of the , says about Beautiful Day that “the lyric expresses amazement, really, that whatever situation you find yourself in, as uncomfortable and upsetting as they can be, if you’re alive and you are awake, then you have perspective on it”. Do you agree with the singer? Why (not)? How is his explanation for the song related to the concept of resilience? b. Do you think that looking on the bright side – focusing on the good things – during times of trouble can build resilience? Why (not)? SONG ACTIVITY – Beautiful Day by U2

TEACHER’S NOTES

Target audience (age): Ensino Fundamental and Ensino Médio. Aims: Discuss how people can build resilience. Expand vocabulary. Develop listening comprehension. Duration: 50 min. Organization: group work / individual / whole class. Material: worksheet. Preparation: Make copies of the  worksheet (1 per student). Check the website with the song. (http://goo.gl/UNVFXi). Procedure: Pre-listening (Activities 1 and 2) • Warm up students by asking if they are familiar with U2 and which songs from this band they know. Explain that U2 is from Ireland, and as March 17th is Saint Patrick’s Day – a special date to celebrate the patron saint of the country – you are going to work with an Irish band. You can share with the class the information from the band in below. U2 is an Irish postpunk band that by the end of the had established itself not only as one of the world’s most popular bands, but also as one of the most innovative. The members are Bono, , and Larry Mullen Jr. Adapted from: https://www.britannica.com/topic/U2 • Next, hand out the  worksheets. • Organize students into small groups. Draw students’ attention to Activity 1. Read the definition for resilient aloud with the students, helping them understand the meaning, if necessary. Then, allow groups some time to discuss the questions. Answer(s): a., b., c. personal answers. Note: it is important to respect students who don’t feel comfortable discussing personal issues with their classmates. • Now focus on Activity 2. Allow students some time to analyze the words in the cloud. Encourage students to use their dictionaries to look up the words they are not familiar with. Also, help them come up with ideas for words that are not usually associated with a beautiful day, such as “mud” and “China”. You can provide the class with some words to complete the chart, on the board.  Answer(s): personal answers. Listening (Activities 3, 4 and 5) •  Play the song for students to do the task in Activity 3. Check answers with the whole class.  Answer(s): personal answers. • For Activity 4, have students go through the lines before listening to the song again. Then  play the song for students to do the task. Check answers.  Answer(s): a. Love is resilient and can overcome all difficulties. b. Your life is paralyzed and you can’t go on. c. You imagined someone could help you, but you were wrong. d. It’s a beautiful day – make the best of it. e. You don’t know what to do out of your life. f. I need you to have faith in me. g. Appreciate nature and the wonders of the world. h. You shouldn’t focus on the need for material things. Note: Students can use their dictionaries to look up words they are not familiar with before they listen to the song. • Allow students some time to do the task in Activity 5. Check answers with the whole class.  Answer(s): It’s a beautiful day / Don’t let it get away. and See the world in green and blue / See China right in front of you. After listening (Activity 6) • Discuss the questions in Activity 6 with the whole class.  Play the song in the background during the discussion.  Answer(s): personal answers. For the SONG ACTIVITY – Beautiful Day by U2

question in a., students can say that the song is about becoming resilient, becoming able to cope with difficult times and situations. Wrap-up activity • Students can sing along with the song. Extra •  Watch the video InBrief: How Resilience is Built (2min17s) with students, with the closed captions on. (http://goo.gl/CdAUux). • Go through a list of things people can do when they are having a bad day (http://goo.gl/X7wQHF). Students can say if they agree with the suggestions and if they have done any of the things suggested when they were upset.