The Fire Burns On
Most of you were born in the years 1986 or 1987. How much do you know about the events of those years? What headlines were topping the news? Who won the World Series? Do you know who was President or what was popular at the movies?
Find the Spark
Your task is to take on the role of a member of a songwriting team. You are competing for the job of writing a remake of Billy Joel's hit, "We Didn't Start the Fire". The competition is stiff. The producers want a song that describes important events which occurred during the years 1986 and 1987. The song needs to reflect the areas of World Events, U.S. Events, Sports, and Arts & Entertainment. When he wrote his song he listed many references to people and events that had a profound effect on the world. The producers now want something a little different. They want you are to explain the events you choose, not just list them.
Fighting the Fire
- Think about the parts of the original song we examined in class. Also, remember how we rewrote part of the song so that the events were described instead of just listed. This will help you decide what information you should include in your remake. It will also provide a model for you to base your remake on.
- Assign responsibilities within your group. Have each person research one of the following areas; World News, U.S. News , Sports, and Arts & Entertainment. Look at the events that occurred during the years 1986 and 1987. Each team member must decide on what he or she thinks are the 3 most important events. Then, explain why you chose each of the events in a paragraph. Write one paragraph explaining each event.
- Meet with your group and share your choices. Decide upon how you want your song organized.
- Write and record your song! Design a CD cover to accompany it.
The Smoke Detectors
Use the links provided on each of the pages to gather information about events and people that dominated the news during 1986 and 1987. Also, use print resources to round out your search. Possible books to use are listed on each page.
Fire Safety
For your team to win the bid, you really have to work together to integrate your information. Use both print and Internet resources. Help each other. Listen to ideas about writing your song from ALL group members. Remember, you are a team and need each other to be successful.
Where There's Smoke, There's Fire
Now you know a little more about what happened around the time you were born. Listen to the songs written by the other teams. Were their opinions of events similar to yours? How do you think life might be different now if some of those events had not occurred? What can you do to shape events of the 1990s?
This page designed by K. Wilson KD72@aol.com November, 1997.