This poem was written by Zhenya Dudina, 20, of Samara, Russia.
Step 1
Try to fill in the missing words. They will rhyme with the final word of the preceding line, so that and the context are your clues.
Teenage Years, what are they for?
A time to study and to (1) __________,
A time to look and to sound cool,
A time to daydream while you’re at (2) __________,
A time to wear shabby jeans,
A time to read teen (3) __________,
A time to hit cafes with friends,
A time to believe that life never (4) __________,
A time to hang out at clubs all night,
A time to believe that you’re always (5) __________,
A time to fall in love at first (6) __________.
Key: 1- explore, 2 – school, 3 – magazines, 4 – ends, 5 – right, 6 – sight
Step 2
Afterwards listen to the song and check your answers.
Teenage years, what are they for?
A time to study and to explore,
A time to look and to sound cool,
A time to daydream while you’re at school,
A time to wear shabby jeans,
A time to read teen magazines.
Teenage years, what are they for?
A time to study and to explore,
A time to hit cafes with friends,
A time to believe that life never ends,
A time to hang out at clubs all night,
A time to believe that you’re always right,
A time to fall in love at first sight.
Step 3
Now you’ve read Zhenya’s poem and heard Kevin’s song, it’s your turn to write a similar poem.
You’ll work in pairs or groups, and your song will be short, so don’t panic! You’ll also have a model to follow. Choose your own subject, a period of time, like “Childhood Years” or “Summer Nights” or “School Days.” In the remaining lines you’ll describe actions or events or lessons learned during that time. You may be poignant or comical. Your poem may rhyme, but it doesn’t have to.
[title] ___________________________
(1) ________________, what are/were they for?
(2) That’s the time to ________________,
(3) A time to ________________,
(4) A time to ________________,
(5) A time to ________________,
(6) A time to ________________,
(7) A time to ________________,
(8) A time to ________________,
(9) A time to ________________,
(10) A time to ________________,
(11) A time to ________________.
When you’ve finished you can read the poem to the class. Or you might create a gap-fill activity, just like with “Teenage Years.” You may decide to post the poems on the wall of the classroom, or even put them up on the web.
The final task, and the most fun, is to sing your song. You can create your own music if you like, or you may use the karaoke version of “Teenager Years.” Listen to it and adjust your words so that they fit.
