Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
Rain and cold. Not enough food. Bad sanitation. Huge crowds. Sounds like a disaster, not a party, right?
The 1969 music festival known as Woodstock faced all these challenges and more. Still, the festival was a great success. In three days, 32 musicians, including legends like Jimi Hendrix and The Who, performed for a crowd of 500,000 people. Woodstock was attended by hippies who wanted to end the war in Vietnam and bring peace, love, and freedom to the world. It’s now considered one of the most important events in music history.
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Listen to Marni and Dale talk about what Woodstock means to them.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
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Dale: It’s the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.
Marni: Yes it is. Were you ever a flower child?
Dale: Actually, I wasn’t a flower child. But you know, I’m amazed at how great they put that together. I mean, they were expecting 100,000 people, it turned out to be 500,000 people. Rain. And everybody just got along.
Marni: I think it was a pretty monumental time and I still think that it is poignant today because it was a time in our history where we were at war, and people were very conflicted. Nothing like this had ever happened, where people came together and, you know, through all these trials and tribulations just made it happen.
Dale: They tried to do something similar like that in 1999, and I remember just hearing the nightmares about it.
Marni: Yeah. Well it’s interesting, ‘cause it’s definitely associated with the whole hippie movement, and everybody was on acid and whatever. You know, you can paint that picture. I just heard this really interesting thing, though. They actually wanted Roy Rogers to close the show, because they thought it would be so interesting if he played “Happy Trails.” But of course, Jimi Hendrix playing the Star Spangled Banner is still so famous.
Dale: It’s still amazing.
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Neither Marni nor Dale was alive when Woodstock took place. But they are still impressed and moved by the event. Dale can’t believe how successful the festival was, in spite of the rain and huge crowds. Everybody worked together to make it a positive and memorable experience.
Marni points out that Woodstock took place during a difficult time in America’s history. Many people were angry about the war in Vietnam. Woodstock was a symbolic event. It stood for peace, harmony, and freedom. It’s also associated with the hippie movement, free love, drugs, and rock n’ roll.
One of the most famous moments from Woodstock is when Jimi Hendrix played the Star Spangled Banner on his electric guitar. Marni heard that this almost didn’t happen, because a different singer was originally supposed to play when Hendrix did.
Do you think Woodstock is still relevant today? What does Woodstock mean to you? Do you know anyone who is a flower child?
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