1) Beethoven had a strong, difficult personality that enabled him to overcome obstacles but also caused problems in his personal life.
2) As a young man he moved from Bonn to Vienna to pursue his career as a composer despite losing his hearing later in life.
3) His strong personality traits both helped and hindered his work and relationships throughout his life.
1) Beethoven had a strong, difficult personality that enabled him to overcome obstacles but also caused problems in his personal life.
2) As a young man he moved from Bonn to Vienna to pursue his career as a composer despite losing his hearing later in life.
3) His strong personality traits both helped and hindered his work and relationships throughout his life.
1) Beethoven had a strong, difficult personality that enabled him to overcome obstacles but also caused problems in his personal life.
2) As a young man he moved from Bonn to Vienna to pursue his career as a composer despite losing his hearing later in life.
3) His strong personality traits both helped and hindered his work and relationships throughout his life.
A 1:21 VOCABULARY (Possible response: His strong personality made him
Suggested 5 Your actual an unpleasant person who often lost his temper and teaching time: minutes teaching time: behaved selfishly. But it was also his strong personality that enabled him to fight the obstacles and keep ● Have students listen to the words and study the working when he lost his hearing.) definitions. Then ask students to listen and repeat the words chorally. LANGUAGE NOTE Infamous means well known for being ● To check comprehension, have volunteers use the words bad; aristocratic circles refers to groups of people in the in sentences about people they know. Encourage them highest social class that had a lot of land and money; to give examples of this person’s character or actions. For temperament is a person’s character or personality; to example, My friend Ted is gifted. He can play the piano, mutter is to speak in a low incomprehensible voice; to guitar, and drums like a professional musician. neglect means to fail to look after something, or to pay little Option: [+5 minutes] On the board, write Do you think attention to something. you have a creative personality? Why? Why not? Option: [+5 minutes] The following activity can either In pairs, have students discuss if they think they have a be used as a listening activity or a reading activity. On the creative personality. board, write: Vocabulary-Building Strategies Difficult personality Eccentric behavior B READING WARM-UP Egotistical behavior Suggested 5 Your actual teaching time: minutes teaching time: Point out that the biography gives specific examples illustrating each personality trait listed on the board. Have ● On the board, write genius. Ask What is a genius? students listen for the examples and take notes. Go over the (a person who has an extraordinarily high level of answers as a class. (Difficult personality: He once emptied intelligence, mental skill, or ability) As a class, brainstorm a plate of food over a waiter’s head; Eccentric behavior: names of some people who are considered geniuses. He walked through the streets muttering to himself and (Possible responses: Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, stamping his feet; he neglected his personal appearance; scientist Stephen Hawking, businessman Warren Buffet) Egotistical behavior: He stopped playing and walked away ● In small groups, have students discuss the warm-up when people started talking while he was performing.) questions. Encourage them to give examples to support their opinions. Reading Strategies ● Bring the class together and have volunteers share their opinions with the class. D INFER INFORMATION Suggested 5–10 Your actual Option: [+5 minutes] Ask Do you know anyone who you teaching time: minutes teaching time: think is gifted? Does this person have an eccentric or difficult personality? ● Write the word infer on the board. Elicit the meaning. (to conclude something based on available information and facts) Call on a volunteer to read the first item and C 1:22 READING infer the year as a class. Focus students’ attention on the Suggested 15 Your actual teaching time: minutes teaching time: first paragraph of the reading. Ask Does the paragraph specify what year Beethoven moved away from Bonn to ● Ask a volunteer to read the title of the article aloud. Write Vienna? (no) Can we figure out what year he moved to Beethoven on the board. Have students share what Vienna? (yes) How? (We know he was born in 1770 and they know about Beethoven. (Possible answers: He was a that he was 16 years old when he moved away, so if we famous German composer. He wrote nine symphonies— add the two numbers we get the year 1786.) the Fifth Symphony is the best known.) Tell students they ● Have students work in pairs to infer the other information. will read and listen to a short biography about Beethoven. You can hint to students which paragraph to focus on for ● As students read and listen, tell them to underline each item. On the board, write Item 2: Paragraph 6; Item information in the article that will help them answer 3: Paragraph 6; Item 4: Paragraph 7 and Paragraph 1. the focus question in the direction line (What effect did Point out that unlike items 1, 2, and 4, which focus on Beethoven’s personality have on his life?). numbers, item 3 focuses on carefully reading the context ● In pairs, have students discuss the focus question. Then and inferring what made Beethoven cry. bring the class together and call on volunteers to share. Extra Reading Comprehension Questions