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1) You are going to listen to a song called “Space Oddity”, written by David Bowie, about a space mission. It was written in 1969. Why was 1969 an important year for space exploration?

2) Before you listen, match the vocabulary from the song Oddity - a strange or peculiar with the pictures. person or thing.

1: a helmet (noun) a

2: a pill (noun) b c 3: an ignition (noun)

4: a (space) capsule (noun)

5: to float (verb) d e 6: a tin can (compound noun) f 7: a circuit (noun)

8: a spaceship (compound noun) g

h 3) Now listen to the song and answer the following questions: a: Who is Ground Control? b: Who is ?

4) Listen again and write the words from exercise 1 into the correct verse or chorus (there may be more than one).

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

(Chorus)

Verse 5

Verse 6

(Chorus)

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5) Now read the lyrics to the song. Can you remember which words are missing? (Clue: They are all verbs).

"Space Oddity" Chorus For here ______I sitting in a tin can Verse 1 Far above the world Ground Control to Major Tom Planet Earth is blue Ground Control to Major Tom And there's nothing I can do ______your protein pills and ______your helmet on Verse 5 Though I'm past one hundred thousand miles Verse 2 I'm feeling very still Ground Control to Major Tom And I ______my spaceship knows which way to go Commencing countdown, engines on ______my wife I love her very much ______ignition she knows and may God's love be with you Verse 6 [spoken] Ground Control to Major Tom Ten, Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, Your circuit's dead, One, Lift off there's something wrong Can you ______me, Major Tom? Verse3 Can you ______me, Major Tom? This is Ground Control to Major Tom Can you ______me, Major Tom? You've really made the grade Can you.... And the papers ______to know whose shirts you wear Chorus Now it's time to ______the capsule if you dare Here ______I floating round my tin can Far above the Moon Verse 4 Planet Earth is blue This is Major Tom to Ground Control And there's nothing I can do. I'm stepping through the door And I'm floating in a most peculiar way And the stars ______very different today

6) Listen to the song again. Check your answers to exercise 5 and complete any missing words.

7) Now answer these questions. Use the lyrics to help you.

In which verse: A. do we learn that Ground Control have lost contact with Major Tom? ______B. does Ground Control congratulate Major Tom? ______C. does Ground Control wish Major Tom luck? ______D. is Major Tom told to take a type of nutritional supplement? ______E. does Major Tom leave the spaceship? ______F. does Major Tom express that he is missing somebody special? ______

G. What does to make the grade mean in verse 3? H. Why do the papers want to know which shirt Major Tom wears? I. Why do you think Major Tom’s spaceship is described as a tin can?

8) With a partner, try to re-tell the story of Major Tom’s mission into space.

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Answers & Useful Info

1) 1969 was the year of the space mission and the first manned moon landing (which happened 10 days after the release of the song).

2) 1-h, 2-e, 3-f, 4-c, 5-a, 6-d, 7-b, 8-g

3) a) Ground Control is NASA (or some other mission control on Earth). b) Major Tom is an astronaut on a mission into space.

4) Verse 1 pills, helmet

Verse 2 ignition

Verse 3 capsule

Verse 4 floating

(Chorus) tin can

Verse 5 spaceship

Verse 6 circuit

(Chorus) floating, tin can

5&6) take, put, check, want, leave, look, am, think, tell, hear, am

7) A. do we learn that Ground Control have lost contact with Major Tom? 6 B. does Ground Control congratulate Major Tom? 3 C. does Ground Control wish Major Tom luck? 2 D. is Major Tom told to take a type of nutritional supplement? 1 E. does Major Tom leave the spaceship? 4 F. does Major Tom express that he is missing somebody special? 5

G. It means ‘to be successful’ or ‘to reach the desired standard’. H. Because of his sudden fame (this can be read as social commentary on fame and how the media analyses every detail of a person’s life once they are in the spotlight i.e. what brand of clothes he likes to wear). I. To emphasise the insignificance of man in the vastness of space and to create a sense of vulnerability.

8) For weaker classes, check the students know the past tenses of the verbs in the song and that they understand the concept of ‘to wish somebody good luck’ and ‘to congratulate somebody’.

Possible Grammar Focus 1: This song could be used as part of a reported speech class with the students asked to report what Ground Control and Major Tom said to each other during the mission e.g. ‘Major Tom explained/reported that he was floating in a most peculiar way’.

Possible Grammar Focus 2: This could also fit into an imperatives lesson (i.e. giving and following instructions) by using the examples from the song; take your protein pills, put your helmet on, check ignition etc. Students could be asked to imagine that they are Ground Control and they have to write an extended checklist of instructions that need to be completed before launch.

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