ESL Lesson Plan

...of poet and literary figure.

A few universities feature classes with a focus on his music, his cultural impact and of course his lyrics. One example is here - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102188564.

He has just released his thirty-third album. His first release was in 1962. And his latest, Together Through Life, was just released.

My favorite Dylan albums are the ones that feature his lyrics - especially Blood on the Tracks, Highway 61 Revisited and his 1997 grammy winner, Time out of Mind.

Anyone learning (or teaching) American English would do well to use some songs of Dylan. They are filled with vintage American imagery and dreams and fantasies that are peculiarly American - yet somehow universal and timeless. His songs speak of hope and fear, determination and confusion, loss and longing. There is a fullness and an emptiness, a seriousness and a sense of absurdity in his songs that continues to appeal to me.

Dylan also references the works of many poets and writers; T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and of course Dylan Thomas are only a few.

If you want to share with your students music that aches with provocative lyric intensity, check out Bob Dylan's collections. For a Dylan retrospective, check out http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15193203.

I'll be hosting some contests soon where I'll be giving away books and CDs. Stay tuned here - and send me some of your suggestions for great books and music that help with language learning!

My best to you,

Morf

Listen, read and speak. Make your new language your own.

In May and June, I want to welcome readers to present thoughts on the ideal job. What do you most want to do? Where would you like to be? Who would you want to work with?

About the author of this entry:

Morf has a B.A.from the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington and an MAT (Master's in Teaching English) from the University of Washington (Seattle). Morf spent about six years working for a Native American Tribal College, a few years teaching various humanities, English, writing and ESL courses with the community college system in Washington State (including one year as part of a faculty exchange program with The Beijing Foreign Language University). While in China, Morf was briefly a radio host for CRI (China Radio International) and did recordings for the "English can be enjoyable" book and tape series. Morf currently teaches English and writing for a local technical/vocational college with many international students. Morf prefers international and independent films, foods he can't pronounce, music no one else likes and riding his bicycle in unlikely and ridiculous situations.