Before the activities students choose their favourite song (try not to tell them that they are going to listen to it in class).
Activity 1 The teacher tells a story (the lyrics are spoken)
This is a story about a girl
She
“…is taking her time, making up the reasons
to justify all the hurt inside
…the others explain it (she knows it from the look
in their eyes) saying:
“Mama never loved her much and
Daddy never keeps in touch.”
She
“…shies away from human affection
…can’t remember a time when she felt”
Needed
For her
“…love is like a barren place
…and reaching out for human faith is like a
journey she just doesn’t have a map for”
And
“…all her friends, they’ve been tried for
treason”
If necessary, the students and the teacher can discuss the new words (e.g. treason, shy away)
Activity 2 Questions about the story
1) What do you think about this girl?
2) What are your feelings towards her?
Are you sympathetic about her problem?
3) What do you think about her parents?
What is the relation between her mother and father?
4) Where could she live?
5) Is this girl spiritually or materialistically orientated?
6) She has problems with two spiritual values. Which are they?
Affection (love) and human faith.
7) What is her relation towards affection?
She avoids it. / She shies away from it.
8) What does she need to find human faith?
A map.
9) Who could give her a map?
10) How could she solve her problems?
Activity 3 Listening
1) Listen to the song (at this point students are usually surprised) and try to find out how she might solve her problem and who might help her.
Her boyfriend might help her. If she’ll be his girlfriend (baby), they would fly to the moon and back.
2) What does her future boyfriend have to help her?
A ticket for a world where they belong.
Activity 4 Second listening with the text
Listen to the song again and try to find the lines where the solution to their problems is described.
“So baby’s gonna take a drive and
Push the shift to overdrive
Send a signal that she’s hanging
All her hopes on the stars
What a pleasant dream, she’s saying…”
Activity 5 Follow-up (enclosed)
Imagine the life of this girl in 10 years.
Teaching material:
The lyrics of the song To the Moon and Back by Savage Garden and its audio or video clip.
These activities are suitable for students aged 15 to 19.
