This land is their land

Today the Oral English class focused on folk songs, in particular on one folk song: This Land is Your Land. I handed out a copy of the Woody Guthrie tune and explained that this is a song dear to the heart of many Americans and expresses the way they feel about their country. I explained the chorus and verses and connected them to aspects of the American continent, pointing out where on my map of America on the board the various verses refer to. The chorus of course goes:

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the redwood forests to the Gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

And the first verse
As I was walking that ribbon of a highway
I saw above me, the endless skyway
I saw below me the golden valley
This land was made for you and me

SO then I put the students in groups and had them come up with their own chorus and verse about China. The thing that got them interested in this assignment is that I brought my guitar and sang "This Land" on the guitar and told them they would have to sing their version in front of class accompanied by me. Although they of course objected, they in fact could not wait to get in front of class. These kids love to perform, and to watch performances. Karaoke, or KTV as its called here, is huge.

Here is my favorite sample of a student verse.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From Hei long Jian to the Hai nan islan
From the roof of the world, to the island of Taiwan
This land was made for you and me
As I was walking the famous Silk Road
I saw in front of us, forefather’s footsteps
I saw behind us, the trace of our won
This land was made for you and me

Next time, though, I have to remember to bring my map of China because I had no idea where many of the place names they mentioned were located, and it would have been nice to have them point them out to me. Still, things went pretty well, and this lesson plan is certainly a keeper.