Posted by Kaleigh Bangor on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 in Reading, Reflections.

Friedrich Schiller’s lyrics “Freude, schöner Götterfunken…” (or even his name for that matter) might not be immediately recognizable to someone new to learning German. Luckily for language instructors, Beethoven’s decided to wed this poem to his iconic melody in fourth and final movement of his Ninth Symphony (refer to the video link below). Even a few short measures of Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” should have students nodding their heads; swimming in thoughts of familiarity. After establishing this connection between two giant German figures, the importance of this poem and correlating musical setting serves as the motivation for understanding the genre, reading the lyrics and beginning to comprehend the historical period.

Another objective in introducing Schiller’s text with the help of Beethoven is to spark the student’s thoughts and emotions in order to help them brainstorm ideas about what they already know and can also assist them in initially skimming through the text. Beginning with Beethoven, also opens up the possibility for concluding comparisons to more contemporary adaptations and usages of these works. The background knowledge of a text can definitely help students engage with the details and promotes the fact that reading is a process, not just involving learning the pieces or the vocabulary words for a text, but rather the demands you to draw meaning using multiple strategies.

Beethoven Symphony No.9 Ode An die Freude (with German Lyrics)

For a comprehensive lesson plan, click on the link below!

The Joy of Reading_lesson plan