Blowing in the Wind

During the mid-term oral exams, I asked students to suggest one thing that they wanted me to teach in class. Then about one third of them suggested I teach them some English songs in class. Therefore, I taught the first English song in today's class--Blowing in the Wind. Before teaching the song, I asked my students if they had known this 48-year-old song. Nobody had heard it before! Well, it's not surprising at all because some of students' parents are even younger than the song.
At first, I gave each student a worksheet--the lyrics with some blanks. Then I played three versions of the song respectively sung by Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter Paul & Mary. While listening to the song, students needed to fill in each of the blanks with the word they hear. Before we worked on the lyrics, I asked students which version they liked most. To my surprise, most of them liked Peter Paul & Mary's Blowing in the Wind. I've always liked Joan Baez's version because there's more hope and power in her voice.
The next step is the most important part--explaining the lyrics. At first, I explained what rhetorical questions are and their purpose. After giving some examples, students had better idea about the rhetorical question. Then we tackled the 9 questions posed in the song one by one. When I taught "how many times can a man turn his head and pretend he doesn't see" and "how many years must one man have before he can hear people cry", I challenged my students by asking them when they last tried to help someone in need. Then I asked them to share their reflections or feelings in groups of four. Watching students' young faces while they were talking, I thanked God for this job--I can at least influence my students to be brave and helpful! 

It takes courage to take a stand, especially stand firm in front of a tank.