The American Frontier Podcast

The Frontier spirit

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Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Step 1 : Take a quiz to see what you know !

1- Flash the QR with your phone (alone or in pairs) 2- Answer the quiz

Start

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Question : How is the frontier history deeply connected to the american identity today ?

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Final Mission : In groups of 3, record a podcast about the american frontier

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Step 1 : What is the frontier ?

The historical point of view...

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Activity 1 : In groups of 4, describe and analyse the painting. Be ready to say minimum two sentence each to the class

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Lesson : What is the American Frontier ?

WHAT and WHEN ? WHERE and WHY ? WHO ?

Lesson : What is the American Frontier ?

WHAT and WHEN ? All these pictures deal with (traite de) the frontier which is : the westward expansion of the European settlers from the 17th c. to the 19th century. WHERE and WHY ? This huge, wild and awe-inspiring (imposant) new land represented new hopes and opportunities for thousands of emigrants. The expansion was seen as a "Manifest Destiny", a religious mission to transform the wilderness into a modern society. WHO ? The frontier land gathered all types of rugged (rude) people : outlaws, traders, miners, hunters and adventurers.

28000 Y. ago : Arrival of asian hunters : Native Americans are their descendants

1620 : The pilgrim fathers arrived

A brief timeline of Westward expansion

17h c. : Settlers claimed Native lands for themselves

1492 : Columbus landed in America

Brief Timeline of Westward Expansion

1776 : Independence of the USA

1830 : Indian Removal Act

1890 : Closure of the Frontier

1803 : Louisiana Purchase + Lewis and Clark expedition

1848 : Mexican Cession

Brainstorm

Activity 2 : In pairs imagine and write the pionneer's harships (= épreuves) ? 5 min

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Brainstorm

Pioneer's hardships

Brainstorm

Activity 2 : Watch the video and complete your ideas about the pioneers hardships

Start

Brainstorm

Pioneer's hardships

50

15

95

present perfect

expérience

probabilité

must have been

may have suffered

must have met

might have come across

may have seen

must have met

can't have come across

must have felt

The pioneers must have been sick sometimes.

Some pioneers might have been crushed by wagon wheels.

The pioneers may have suffered from cholera.

Some settlers might have been attacked by bears like in the Revenant movie.

Emigrants must have attacked Native American tribes to settle on their lands.

The pioneers can't have seen the Aborigenes.

Do the webquest about Lewis and Clark expedition and complete the worksheet.

Take notes : 1- What is the misconception about the frontier ? 2- Dates ? 3- Keywords ?

Lesson : What were the consequences of the frontier ?

Physical consequences ? Psychological consequences ?

Correction of the oral comprehension :

1- The misconception we have about the frontier is that the new land was only wilderness : in fact there was a huge Native American presence. Before the arrival of the settlers, the NA controlled and cultivated ancestral lands for centuries . 2- In 1890, Frederick Jackson Turner supported the idea that the frontier "shaped the american character". This ambitious but also violent history is a "part of who they are". If Americans go west, they are reminded of their ancestors and the assembling of their country piece by piece.

The Manifest Destiny

Some politics used the idea of "Manifest Destiny" to justify american imperialism after the closure of the Frontier in 1890 : New Mexico, Phillipines, and later Irak...

A few mistakes :

- le 's montre l'appartenance (on met juste un ' après un nom finissant par S ) : Ex : the pioneers' harships = les épreuves des pionniers - Ne pas oublier HAVE dans la structure : modal + present perfect - Ne pas oublier BE si la phrase est passive. Ex : Ils ont du ETRE attaqués = They must have been attacked - Ne pas oublier le "s" à la 3ème pers du présent : Ex : The frontier represents ...

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Step 2 : How is the frontier represented in the art ?

The artistic point of view...

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Activity 1 : In pairs, read your document and answer the questions

Ask questions about the other document and fill in the chart (le tableau)

Kerouac wants to reach the West coast through Route 6. He travels in order to find inspiration for his book ?

Kerouac is walking on the "pioneers" steps and has even read books for months. He makes a reference to the wilderness and hardships of the road.

The road is described as a "long red line" seen on maps and books. And then it is wild and mountainous.

This is an extract of the novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac. It was published in 1942.

The singer is experiencing the beauty of the wilderness "all the life"and the hardships of the road like the pioneers "skin red" / "out in the rain".

The singer travels in order to reconnect with himself by experiencing a lonely journey with "no one to give you no pain".

First, the road is viewed as a beautiful landscape. But in the end, the road is also painful and depressing sometimes.

This is an extract of the lyrics of the song A horse with no name by the band America released in 1972.

Activity 2 : Let's analyse a classic western: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by John Ford in 1962

Describe the 4 main characters

Activity 2 : Let's analyse a classic western: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by John Ford in 1962

Activity 2 : Let's analyse a classic western: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance by John Ford in 1962

In the classic westerns, you may find : 1) The official hero 2) The outlaw hero 3) The villain

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Correction and debate over exercise 2 :

1) The official hero 2) The outlaw hero 3) The villain

Correction and debate over exercise 2 :

1) The official hero 2) The outlaw hero 3) The villain

Correction and debate over exercise 2 :

1) The official hero 2) The outlaw hero 3) The villain

Lesson step 2 :

Lesson : All these films share the same pattern (modèle) of the official hero, outlaw hero and villain. Those heroes are presented as both the solution and the problem, the paradox of the american identity. Women are represented as the new path of civilization as the official hero.

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Step 3 : New representations of the frontier spirit

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New Frontier Speech by JFK

"Uncharted (inexploré), unsolved, unconquerered, unanswered" This repetition emphasizes (mettre en valeur) the idea of a whole space to discover, like a new continent to explore.

According to Kennedy, the "new frontier" is the science and technological frontier. He had the space race with the russians in mind.

He refers to the frontier of racism. The Civil Rights Movement is pushing forward the limits in the 60's.

He refers to the Cold War and the Vietnam war (1955-1975)

Westworld trailer :

Westworld is an amusement park where customers can experience the frontier life. Since (vu que) the actors are robots customers can live a full cathartic experience... (= effet purgatif de regarder ou vivre une expérience violente)

It reminds me of the first pioneers who wanted to start afresh (tout recommencer) in the USA in the 19th century.

Dolores represents the new official hero for 2 reasons : 1- She is a rugged woman who is taking control of her destiny. 2- She represents the technological frontier, a cutting edge (de pointe) robot.

Dr. Ford can be seen as the villain because he is responsible for the violence in his park. He is acting as a godly figure (figure divine) playing with puppets ! The serie is denouncing the dangerous ways science can take without regulatory systems.

Pros and cons of the Westworld amusement park :

- Some customers may want to stay in the park and lose touch with reality (like an endless VR game).

- You may experience the life as a pioneer, a glimpse of (un aperçu) your ancestors life.

- You can see the landscape and the wilderness as it was before. You may reconnect with nature.

- Some robots might want to go out of this hell.

- Creators are pulling the strings like god figures.

- You can live a violent and cathartic experience without any risks.

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Theme 8 : Territory and Memory + Theme 5 : Fiction and reality

Step 4 : Create a podcast about the frontier and the american identity.

Start

1) Make notes on the pronunciation of difficult words 2) Pay attention to the pronunciation of the letter “i” 3) Make sure to smile and look at my partners 4) Give my opinion and illustrate it with personal examples 5) Talk about the women in the American West 6) Use vocabulary seen in the unit 7) Use interaction expressions 8) Organise my text by using link words 9) Copy and paste content I found online. 10) Explain to what extent the Frontier represents new hopes and opportunities 11) Proofread my text 12) Describe a pioneer's living conditions, hopes and ambitions 13) Use in order to 14) Use the past tenses 15) Make references to people I studied in the unit 16) Use dates and information from the unit 17) Use the correct translation of “sentir” 18) Use modals

CO : A song by Gene Pitney. Write a maximum of keywords : ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CO : A song by Gene Pitney. Write a maximum of keywords : ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________