True Stories Behind the Songs

by Sandra Heyer

Sample

page

s

iii

contEntS

Introduction .......................................................................................................v

THE POWER OF THE SUN .............................................................................. 2 Song: “Here Comes the Sun” ..................................................................... 3 Story 1: The Day Off ................................................................................... 5 Story 2: Victor’s Private Guatemala ............................................................ 9

LOVE CONQUERS ALL .................................................................................. 12 Song: “Ring of Fire” .................................................................................. 13 Story 3: Say Yes ....................................................................................... 15 Story 4: The 6,000 Steps .......................................................................... 19

MEMORIES AND MIRACLES ......................................................................... 22 Song: “My Melancholy Baby”................................................................... 23 Story 5: The Lifesaver ............................................................................... 25 Story 6: Matej’s Perfect English ................................................................ 29

TAKING CHANCES ........................................................................................ 32 Song: “Breakaway” .................................................................................. 33 Story 7: Take a Chance ............................................................................ 35 Story 8: The Dare ...................................................................................... 39

WORK AND PAY ............................................................................................ 42 Song: “Pay Me My Money Down” ............................................................ 43 Story 9: Sing a Song or Get a Lawyer? .................................................... 45 Story 10: The Bonus Checks .................................................................... 49

LOVE FOR CATS, BIG AND SMALL .............................................................. 52 Song: “I Will Always Love You” ................................................................ 53 Story 11: The Reunion .............................................................................. 55 Story 12: The Library Cat ......................................................................... 59

THE GREAT DEPRESSION ............................................................................ 62 Song: “Happy Days Are Here Again” ....................................................... 63 Story 13: Happy Days?............................................................................. 65 Story 14: Keeping Time ............................................................................ 69

ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL .................................................................... 72 Song: “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?” ................. 73 Story 15: Louis Armstrong in the Haboob ................................................ 75 Story 16: Welcome to New York City ....................................................... 79

To the Teacher ................................................................................................ 82Answer Key .................................................................................................... 96Acknowledgments ....................................................................................... 100

UNIT1

UNIT2

UNIT3

UNIT4

UNIT5

UNIT6

UNIT7

UNIT8

Sample

page

s

UNIT

1THE POWER OF THE SUN

THE SONG Close your book and listen to the song. In which month do you think the •songwriter wrote it? Take a guess. Then look in the Answer Key to see if you guessed correctly.

The song repeats the expression “It’s all right.” What does that mean? •Discuss the expression with your teacher and the class.

Now open your book and listen to the song again. Read the words as •you listen.

2

1009_TSBTS_Unit 1-3.indd 2 7/15/10 1:24:17 PM

Sample

page

s

3The Power of the Sun

HERE COMES THE SUN

Listen to the song again. Lip-sync • 1 the words in italics.

1 Lip-sync: to pretend you are singing—to move your lips, but not speak; pronounced “lip-sink”

Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, And I say, it’s all right.

Little darling, it’s been a long, cold, lonely winter.

Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here.

Here comes the sun.Here comes the sun,And I say, it’s all right.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces.

Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been here.


Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.Sun, sun, sun, here it comes.

Little darling, I see the ice is slowly melting.

Little darling, it seems like years since it’s been clear.


Here comes the sun.Here comes the sun,And I say, it’s all right.It’s all right.


Sample

page

s

4 Unit 1

1 PRE-READINGLook at the picture.

Who are the men in the photo? Tell the class what you know about them. ➤

Do you like their music? Which song is your favorite? ➤

The men ➤ worked in London, England. Tell the class what you know about the weather in London.

2 READINGGeorge Harrison wrote the song “Here Comes the Sun.” How did he feel on the day he wrote it?

Read the story to fi nd out.


Sample

page

s


3 VOCABULARYWhich words have the same meaning as the words in italics? Write the letter of your answer on the line.

1. f George was in a musical group. a. sign

2. He had to write his name on a lot of papers. b. just

3. Sometimes the Beatles spoke in angry voices. c. off

4. George was so sad that he couldn’t go to work. d. all right

5. The sun came out for only a minute. e. argued

6. “Everything is going to be OK,” George thought. f. band

7. He wrote a song on a day when he didn’t go to work. g. depressed

THE DAY OFFOn a February morning in 1969, George

Harrison was driving to London. He was one of the four Beatles, a very popular band, and he was driving to their music studio. He didn’t want to go.

As he drove, George thought back to the early 1960s, when the Beatles were a new band. Work was fun then. It was fun to travel with the other Beatles, it was fun to perform, and it was fun to record music in the studio.

Now the Beatles’ music was a big business, and work wasn’t fun anymore. When the Beatles went to the studio, sometimes they didn’t make music. They talked about money and they signed papers—lots of papers. Sometimes they argued. It made George sad. The other Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr—were George’s best friends. He didn’t want to argue with them.

The weather made George feel sad, too. It was cold, cloudy, and rainy—a typical English winter day. “When was the last time I saw the sun?” George thought. He couldn’t remember.

George was so depressed that he couldn’t go to work. Suddenly he turned off the road to London. “I’m not going to the studio,” he decided. “I’m going for a walk.”

George drove to a friend’s house, where there was a big garden. George walked around the garden with a guitar in his hands. And then—just for a minute—the sun came out. The sunshine on George’s face made him feel better. He began to play the guitar and sing a new song. “Here comes the sun,” he sang. “It’s all right.”

George Harrison wrote more than 100 songs. “Here Comes the Sun” is one of his most popular songs. And he wrote it on a day he didn’t go to work.


Sample

page

s

6 Unit 1

4 PRACTICING PRONUNCIATIONThe underlined words are in the story. If you can say them correctly, you can say the words below them correctly, too. Practice with your teacher.

cold make went lot than rightfold bake bent dot can fi ghthold cake lent hot Dan fl ightmold lake sent not man lightsold take spent pot pan nighttold wake vent spot ran tight

5 COMPREHENSIONRemembering Details

Read the summary of the story “The Day Off.” There are 11 mistakes in the summary. Find the mistakes and cross them out. Write the correct words. (The fi rst one is done for you.)

On a July morning in 1989, George Harrison was driving to Paris. He was driving to the

Beatles’ movie studio.

George didn’t want to go to the studio because the Beatles didn’t make music there. They

talked about music, and they signed a lot of papers. That made George happy. The weather

made him sad, too. It was cold, sunny, and rainy—a typical English summer day.

George drove to a friend’s apartment. He was walking around the garden when the stars

came out. George wrote the book “Here Comes the Sun.” It is one of his most popular songs.

February


Sample

page

s


Understanding Pronouns

Read the sentences below. What does the word it mean? Write the letter of your answer on the line.

1. c It was a big business. a. his friend’s house

2. It made George feel sad, too. b. “Here Comes the Sun”

3. It had a big garden. c. the Beatles’ music

4. George was holding it in his hands. d. the sunshine on his face

5. It made George feel better. e. the rainy weather

6. It is one of George Harrison’s most popular songs. f. a guitar

6 DISCUSSION/WRITINGGeorge Harrison wrote “Here Comes the Sun” when he took a day off. Imagine this: You are taking an afternoon off. You are not doing any work! What are you doing?

Draw a picture in the space below. In the picture, you are enjoying your afternoon off. Answer the questions under the picture. Write your answers on the lines. Then share your picture and your writing with a partner.

Where are you?

What are you doing?


Sample

page

s

8 Unit 1

1 PRE-READINGLook at the picture.

What is the man doing? ➤

Why is he sitting next to the big light? ➤

2 READINGIn the last story, you read about George Harrison, who wrote the song “Here Comes the Sun.” George felt sad on a cold, rainy day, but he felt better when the sun came out. In the next story, you will read about another man who felt sad. Why was he sad? What made him feel better?

Read the story to fi nd out.


Sample

page

s


161 cm x 61 cm

3 VOCABULARYFind the word that means the opposite. Write the letter of your answer on the line.

1. b end a. cooler

2. cloudy b. beginning

3. dry c. private

4. different d. bright

5. fi ne e. terrible

6. warmer f. humid

7. dark g. sunny

8. public h. similar

VICTOR’S PRIVATE GUATEMALAVictor is from Guatemala, but now he lives

in New York City. Victor arrived in New York at the beginning of August. The weather in New York was sunny, hot, and humid—similar to the weather in Guatemala. That month Victor felt fi ne. In September and October, the weather was cooler, but there were a lot of sunny days. Victor felt fi ne then, too. Then came November, December, and January. The weather turned cloudy and cold.

Victor began to feel terrible. He had stomachaches and headaches. He was always tired, and he slept a lot—12 or 13 hours a day. He ate a lot, too. Sometimes he ate ten candy bars in 15 minutes. And he was always sad.

Victor went to the doctor. The doctor did some tests and told him, “I think you’re going to be fi ne. You need sunshine.” The doctor explained that many people in the North have Victor’s problem: They feel terrible in the winter because they need sunshine. “How much time do you spend outside?” the doctor asked.

“Almost none,” Victor answered.

“I want you to go outside every day. It’s especially important on sunny days.”

“But it’s cold outside!” Victor said.“I know,” the doctor said. “You need to buy a

warm jacket and hat. Just 15 minutes in the sun will help. Take a walk at noon if you can. And I want you to buy a light box.”

“A light box?” Victor asked. “What’s that?”“It’s a big light, about two feet by two feet.1

Sit next to the light box for half an hour every day.”

Victor bought a warm jacket, and now he goes outside every day. He also bought a light box, and he sits next to it for a half hour every morning. He feels much better.

Sometimes when Victor sits next to the light box, he closes his eyes. He imagines he is sitting on a beach in Guatemala. He imagines the sun is shining on his face. Outside, it is cold and cloudy. It is New York City in the winter. But inside, next to the light box, it is warm and bright. It is Victor’s private Guatemala.


Sample

page

s

10 Unit 1

4 COMPREHENSIONUnderstanding the Main Idea

Circle the letter of the best answer.

1. Victor felt terrible in the winter becausea. his family was in Guatemala.b. he spent too much time outside.c. he needed sunshine.

2. Victor sits next to the light box becausea. it shows pictures of Guatemala.b. it gives Victor the light that he needs.c. it is an excellent reading light.

Understanding Details

One word in each sentence is not correct. Find the word and cross it out. Write the correct word.

1. Victor arrived in New York at the end of August.

2. The weather was sunny, hot, and dry.

3. Victor began to feel terrible in September.

4. He had stomachaches and backaches.

5. Sometimes he ate two candy bars in 15 minutes.

6. The doctor told Victor he needed medicine.

7. Victor goes outside every week.

8. He sits next to a light box for half an hour every evening.

9. He imagines he is sitting on a mountain in Guatemala.

beginning


Sample

page

s


Understanding Dialog

Below is the conversation between Victor and the doctor. Some words are missing from their conversation. Write the missing words on the lines. Then practice the conversation with a partner. One student is speaker A, and the other student is speaker B.

A: I think you’re going to be fine . You need sunshine. How much time

do you outside?

B: Almost .

A: I want you to go every day. It’s especially important on

days.

B: But it’s outside!

A: I know. You need to buy a jacket and hat. Just 15 minutes in

the sun will . Take a at noon if you

can. And I want you to buy a light box.

B: A light box? What’s that?

A: It’s a big light, about two feet by two feet. Sit next to the light box for

an hour every day.

B: OK, I’ll try it.

5 DISCUSSION/WRITINGA. With your classmates, make a list of words that describe weather (for example,

foggy, windy, rainy).

B. Write about the weather in your native city during two times of the year—in August and in January. Complete the sentences below. Then tell a partner about the weather in your native city.

In August,

.

In January,

.


Sample

page

s

Documents

True Stories Behind the Songs