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Rock superstar Prince dies at 57 (23rd April, 2016)

The Reading / Listening - Level 3

The rock superstar Prince has died at the age of 57. He passed away on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. His death comes a week after his plane made an emergency landing to take the singer to hospital. Reports were that he had dehydration and the flu. His death has shocked the entertainment world. Many celebrities have been sharing their thoughts about him on social media. Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A true visionary. What a loss. I'm devastated." President Barack Obama called him, "one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time". He added that: "Prince did it all. Funk, R&B, rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer."

Prince was the son of a jazz pianist. His real name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His father said: "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." He burst onto the music scene in the late seventies. His singing, songwriting, guitar playing, on-stage performances and producing changed the music world over the next four decades. The Washington Post called him, "one of the most popular, inventive and influential recording artists of his generation". The music icon sold over 100 million records. He is perhaps best known for his 1984 album 'Purple Rain'. The music magazine 'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

Level 0, Level 1 or Level 2

Sources

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/prince-dead-at-57-20160421
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/04/21/authorities-investigating-death-at-princes-paisley-park/
http://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/prince-iconic-purple-rain-musician-dead-57-publicist-n559946

Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

The 40 Lesson Activities on the PDF Handout

WARM-UPS

1. PRINCE: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Prince. Change partners often and share your findings.

2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?

superstar / emergency / entertainment / social media / visionary / musicians / R&B / jazz / pianist / music scene / the late seventies / guitar / recording / music icon / list

Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. ART: Who are the best artists in these genres? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

	The best?	Why?
Music
Movies
Literature
Painting
Poetry
Dance

4. MUSIC: Students A strongly believe music is the most important art; Students B strongly believe it isn't. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

MY e-BOOK

ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers

See a sample

5. GENRES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best music genres at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

• funk

• R&B

• rock 'n' roll

• heavy metal

• jazz

• hip hop

• electro

• country

6. SINGER: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "singer". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.	The singer Prince died at his home on Thursday.	T / F
b.	Prince was taken to hospital last week with a suspected heart attack.	T / F
c.	The former soccer player Maradona called Prince a "true visionary".	T / F
d.	Barack Obama said Prince was a brilliant bandleader.	T / F
e.	'Prince' was not the singer's real name.	T / F
f.	Prince first became known in the music world at the end of the 1970s.	T / F
g.	Prince sold over 200 million records.	T / F
h.	'Rolling Stone' put Prince at 27 on its all-time greatest artists list.	T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.	passed away	a.	passing
2.	death	b.	talented
3.	shocked	c.	exploded
4.	gifted	d.	most famous
5.	performer	e.	died
6.	named	f.	idol
7.	burst	g.	stunned
8.	inventive	h.	called
9.	icon	i.	artist
10.	best known	j.	creative

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	He passed	a.	entertainment world
2.	his plane made an emergency	b.	seventies
3.	His death has shocked the	c.	performer
4.	one of the most gifted and	d.	music scene
5.	an electrifying	e.	landing
6.	Prince was the son of a jazz	f.	away on Thursday
7.	He burst onto the	g.	four decades
8.	in the late	h.	prolific musicians
9.	over the next	i.	number 27 on its list
10.	'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at	j.	pianist

GAP FILL

The rock superstar Prince has died at the (1) ____________ of 57. He passed away on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. His (2) ____________ comes a week after his plane made an emergency (3) ____________ to take the singer to hospital. Reports were that he had dehydration and the flu. His death has (4) ____________ the entertainment world. Many celebrities have been sharing their thoughts about him on social (5) ___________. Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A true visionary. What a (6) ____________. I'm devastated." President Barack Obama called him, "one of the most gifted and (7) ____________ musicians of our time". He added that: "Prince did it all. Funk, R&B, rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a (8) ____________ bandleader, and an electrifying performer."

shocked
death
landing
loss
media
brilliant
age
prolific

Prince was the son of a jazz (9) ____________. His real name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His father said: "I (10) ____________ my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." He burst onto the music (11) ____________ in the late seventies. His singing, songwriting, guitar playing, on-stage performances and producing changed the music world over the next four (12) ____________. The Washington Post called him, "one of the most popular, inventive and influential recording (13) ____________ of his generation". The music (14) ____________ sold over 100 million records. He is perhaps best known for his 1984 (15) ____________ 'Purple Rain'. The music magazine 'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at number 27 on its (16) ____________ of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

scene
icon
decades
album
pianist
list
named
artists

LISTENING - Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1)	The rock superstar Prince has died at ______
	a. the aged of 57 b. the age of 57 c. the ages of 57 d. the aging of 57
2)	His death comes a week after his plane made ______
	a. an emergent sea landing b. an emergency launching c. an emergency landing d. an emergency land in
3)	Reports were that he had dehydration ______
	a. and the flu b. and a flu c. and the flew d. and a flew
4)	Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A true visionary. ______."
	a. What a loss b. What a lost c. What a lose d. What a less
5)	He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an ______.
	a. electrify in performer b. electrifying perform a c. electrifying performer d. electrifying performers
6)	I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything ______
	a. I wanted to do b. I wanted too do c. I wanted two do d. I wanted to doing
7)	He burst onto the music scene in ______
	a. the late seventy is b. the later seventies c. the later seventies is d. the late seventies
8)	on-stage performances and producing changed the music world over the ______
	a. next for decades b. next four decades c. next four decade d. next for decade
9)	one of the most popular, inventive and influential recording artists ______
	a. of his generations b. of this generation c. off his generation d. of his generation
10)	ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest ______
	a. Artists off All Times b. Artists of Our Time c. Artists of All Times d. Artists of All Time

LISTENING – Listen and fill in the gaps

The rock superstar Prince has died (1) ___________________ 57. He passed away on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. His death comes a week after his plane made (2) ___________________ landing to take the singer to hospital. Reports (3) ___________________ dehydration and the flu. His death has shocked the entertainment world. Many celebrities have been (4) ___________________ about him on social media. Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A true visionary. What a loss. I'm devastated." President Barack Obama called him, "(5) _________________ gifted and prolific musicians of our time". He added that: "Prince did it all. Funk, R&B, rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an (6) ___________________."

Prince (7) ___________________ a jazz pianist. His real name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His father said: "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." He (8) ___________________ music scene in the late seventies. His singing, songwriting, guitar playing, on-stage performances and producing (9) ___________________ world over the next four decades. The Washington Post called him, "one of the most (10) ___________________ and influential recording artists of his generation". The music icon sold over 100 million records. (11) ___________________ known for his 1984 album 'Purple Rain'. The music magazine 'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at number 27 (12) ___________________ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.	On what day of the week did Prince die?
2.	Where did Prince go last week?
3.	Who has been shocked by Prince's death?
4.	Who said she was devastated by Prince's death?
5.	Who called Prince a gifted and prolific musician?
6.	What was the job of one of Prince's parents?
7.	When did Prince first become famous?
8.	For how long did Prince change the music world?
9.	How many records did Prince sell?
10.	What number is Prince on Rolling Stone's greatest ever artists list?

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ

1.	On what day of the week did Prince die?	6.	What was the job of one of Prince's parents?
	a) a Thursday b) a Friday c) a Wednesday d) a Saturday		a) a drummer b) a guitarist c) a violinist d) a piano player
2.	Where did Prince go last week?	7.	When did Prince first become famous?
	a) Mexico b) a concert hall c) hospital d) New York		a) 1991 b) at the end of the 1970s c) 1969 d) the early '80s
3.	Who has been shocked by Prince's death?	8.	For how long did Prince change the music world?
	a) Prince's neighbour b) the entertainment world c) his record company d) a radio presenter		a) half a century b) 16 years and 3 months c) 28 years d) 40 years
4.	Who said she was devastated by Prince's death?	9.	How many records did Prince sell?
	a) Michelle Obama b) Lady Gaga c) Adele d) Madonna		a) about 100 million b) just under 100 million c) over 100 million d) exactly 100 million
5.	Who called Prince a gifted and prolific musician?	10.	What number is Prince on Rolling Stone's greatest ever artists list?
	a) Barack Obama b) Justin Bieber c) Taylor Swift d) his manager		a) 7 b) 27 c) 37 d) 17

ROLE PLAY

Role A – R&B

You think R&B is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock 'n' roll, hip hop or techno.

Role B – Rock 'n' Roll

You think rock 'n' roll is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): R&B, hip hop or techno.

Role C – Hip hop

You think hip hop is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock 'n' roll, R&B or techno.

Role D – Techno

You think techno is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): rock 'n' roll, hip hop or R&B.

AFTER READING / LISTENING

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words 'rock' and 'star'.

rock

star

Share your findings with your partners.

Make questions using the words you found.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

age
plane
flu
social
gifted
all

real
everything
late
next
100
27

PRINCE SURVEY

Write five GOOD questions about Prince in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Now return to your original partner and share and talk about what you found out. Change partners often.

Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

PRINCE DISCUSSION

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1)	What did you think when you read the headline?
2)	What springs to mind when you hear the word 'superstar'?
3)	What do you know about Prince?
4)	What do you think about Prince and his music?
5)	Who is your favourite musician and why?
6)	What kind of life does a rock superstar have?
7)	How do you think Prince changed the world?
8)	How important are great musical artists?
9)	Who is the most gifted person you know?
10)	What kind of rock star would you be?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

11)	Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
12)	What do you think of Prince's name?
13)	How important is music?
14)	What is your favourite musical genre and why?
15)	What decade has been the best for music?
16)	Would you prefer to be a singer, guitarist or songwriter?
17)	What's your favourite song and why?
18)	Who is the most influential singer in your culture?
19)	Who are the greatest musical artists of all time?
20)	What questions would you like to ask an expert on Prince?

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

LANGUAGE - CLOZE

The rock superstar Prince has (1) ____ at the age of 57. He passed (2) ____ on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. His death comes a week after his plane made an emergency (3) ____ to take the singer to hospital. Reports were that he had dehydration and the flu. His death has shocked the entertainment world. Many celebrities have been sharing their (4) ____ about him on social media. Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A true visionary. What a loss. I'm devastated." President Barack Obama called him, "one of the most gifted and (5) ____ musicians of our time". He added that: "Prince did it all. Funk, R&B, rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist, a brilliant bandleader, and an (6) ____ performer."

Prince was the son of a jazz pianist. His real name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His father said: "I named my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." He (7) ____ onto the music scene in the (8) ____ seventies. His singing, songwriting, guitar playing, on-stage performances and producing changed the music world over the next four (9) ____. The Washington Post called him, "one of the most popular, inventive and influential recording artists of (10) ____ generation". The music icon sold over 100 million records. He is perhaps best (11) ____ for his 1984 album 'Purple Rain'. The music magazine 'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at number 27 on its (12) ____ of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1.	(a)	deadly	(b)	dead	(c)	death	(d)	died
2.	(a)	in	(b)	off	(c)	out	(d)	away
3.	(a)	laundry	(b)	landing	(c)	leaning	(d)	loading
4.	(a)	thinks	(b)	think	(c)	thoughts	(d)	thinkers
5.	(a)	prolific	(b)	protect	(c)	profile	(d)	project
6.	(a)	electrifying	(b)	electrical	(c)	electrician	(d)	electricity
7.	(a)	blast	(b)	boast	(c)	bust	(d)	burst
8.	(a)	late	(b)	past	(c)	end	(d)	behind
9.	(a)	millennia	(b)	decades	(c)	centuries	(d)	days
10.	(a)	him	(b)	he	(c)	his	(d)	them
11.	(a)	knowledge	(b)	knowing	(c)	known	(d)	knows
12.	(a)	paper	(b)	list	(c)	memo	(d)	note

SPELLING

Paragraph 1
1.	He padess away on Thursday
2.	his plane made an grenecmye landing
3.	he had eoniddrahyt and the flu
4.	riilecbeest have been sharing their thoughts
5.	A true vaiorniys
6.	an electrifying mfrepreor
Paragraph 2
7.	the son of a jazz tasinpi
8.	He rtbus onto the music scene
9.	in the late esevsenti
10.	over the next four deaecsd
11.	recording artists of his niraegetno
12.	The music nagiaezm Rolling Stone

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer."
( )	a week after his plane made an emergency landing to take the singer to hospital. Reports were that he had dehydration
( )	and the flu. His death has shocked the entertainment world. Many celebrities have been sharing their thoughts
( )	time". He added that: "Prince did it all. Funk, R&B, rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist,
( )	loss. I'm devastated." President Barack Obama called him, "one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our
( 1 )	The rock superstar Prince has died at the age of 57. He passed away on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. His death comes
( )	world over the next four decades. The Washington Post called him, "one of the most popular, inventive
( )	magazine 'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
( )	records. He is perhaps best known for his 1984 album 'Purple Rain'. The music
( )	about him on social media. Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A true visionary. What a
( )	son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to do." He burst onto the music scene in the late
( )	seventies. His singing, songwriting, guitar playing, on-stage performances and producing changed the music
( )	Prince was the son of a jazz pianist. His real name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His father said: "I named my
( )	and influential recording artists of his generation". The music icon sold over 100 million

PUT THE WORDS IN THE RIGHT ORDER

1.	57 of age the at died has Prince superstar rock The .
2.	plane emergency A his an after made landing week .
3.	world the has His entertainment shocked death .
4.	have about been him sharing their Celebrities thoughts .
5.	gifted musicians time most prolific our The and of .
6.	son of Prince a was jazz the pianist .
7.	I to I do him everything to wanted do wanted .
8.	seventies He burst onto the music scene in the late .
9.	sold over The 100 music million icon records .
10.	27 of of Number Artists list Greatest its Time 100 on All the .

CIRCLE THE CORRECT WORD (20 PAIRS)

The rock superstar Prince has died / dead at the age of 57. He passed away on Thursday at his home in Minneapolis. His death / dead comes a week after his plane made an emergency grounding / landing to take the singer to hospital. Reports were that he had dehydration and a/ the flu. His death has shocked the entertainment world. Many celebrities / celebrity have been sharing their thoughts about him in / on social media. Madonna wrote: "He changed the world. A truly / true visionary. What a loss. I'm devastated." President Barack Obama called him, "one of the most gifted / gifts and prolific musicians of our timely / time". He added that: "Prince did it all. Funk, R&B, rock and roll. He was a virtuoso instrumentalist / instrumental, a brilliant bandleader, and an electrifying performer."

Prince was the son of a jazz pianist. His real / really name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His father said: "I named / naming my son Prince because I wanted him to do everything I wanted to doing / do." He burst onto the music seen / scene in the late seventies / seventy. His singing, songwriting, guitar playing, on-stage performances and producing changed the music world over the next for / four decades. The Washington Post called him, "one of the most popularity / popular, inventive and influential / influence recording artists of his generation". The music icon sold over 100 million records. He is perhaps best knowing / known for his 1984 album 'Purple Rain'. The music magazine 'Rolling Stone' ranked Prince at / in number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

INSERT THE VOWELS (a, e, i, o, u)

Th_ r_ck s_p_rst_r Pr_nc_ h_s d__d _t th_ _g_ _f 57. H_ p_ss_d _w_y _n Th_rsd_y _t h_s h_m_ _n M_nn__p_l_s. H_s d__th c_m_s _ w__k _ft_r h_s pl_n_ m_d_ _n _m_rg_ncy l_nd_ng t_ t_k_ th_ s_ng_r t_ h_sp_t_l. R_p_rts w_r_ th_t h_ h_d d_hydr_t__n _nd th_ fl_. H_s d__th h_s sh_ck_d th_ _nt_rt__nm_nt w_rld. M_ny c_l_br_t__s h_v_ b__n sh_r_ng th__r th__ghts _b__t h_m _n s_c__l m_d__. M_d_nn_ wr_t_: "H_ ch_ng_d th_ w_rld. _ tr__ v_s__n_ry. Wh_t _ l_ss. _'m d_v_st_t_d." Pr_s_d_nt B_r_ck _b_m_ c_ll_d h_m, "_n_ _f th_ m_st g_ft_d _nd pr_l_f_c m_s_c__ns _f __r t_m_". H_ _dd_d th_t: "Pr_nc_ d_d _t _ll. F_nk, R&B, r_ck _nd r_ll. H_ w_s _ v_rt__s_ _nstr_m_nt_l_st, _ br_ll__nt b_ndl__d_r, _nd _n _l_ctr_fy_ng p_rf_rm_r."

Pr_nc_ w_s th_ s_n _f _ j_zz p__n_st. H_s r__l n_m_ w_s Pr_nc_ R_g_rs N_ls_n. H_s f_th_r s__d: "_ n_m_d my s_n Pr_nc_ b_c__s_ _ w_nt_d h_m t_ d_ _v_ryth_ng _ w_nt_d t_ d_." H_ b_rst _nt_ th_ m_s_c sc_n_ _n th_ l_t_ s_v_nt__s. H_s s_ng_ng, s_ngwr_t_ng, g__t_r pl_y_ng, _n-st_g_ p_rf_rm_nc_s _nd pr_d_c_ng ch_ng_d th_ m_s_c w_rld _v_r th_ n_xt f__r d_c_d_s. Th_ W_sh_ngt_n P_st c_ll_d h_m, "_n_ _f th_ m_st p_p_l_r, _nv_nt_v_ _nd _nfl__nt__l r_c_rd_ng _rt_sts _f h_s g_n_r_t__n". Th_ m_s_c _c_n s_ld _v_r 100 m_ll__n r_c_rds. H_ _s p_rh_ps b_st kn_wn f_r h_s 1984 _lb_m 'P_rpl_ R__n'. Th_ m_s_c m_g_z_n_ 'R_ll_ng St_n_' r_nk_d Pr_nc_ _t n_mb_r 27 _n _ts l_st _f th_ 100 Gr__t_st _rt_sts _f _ll T_m_.

PUNCTUATE THE TEXT AND ADD CAPITALS

the rock superstar prince has died at the age of 57 he passed away on thursday at his home in minneapolis his death comes a week after his plane made an emergency landing to take the singer to hospital reports were that he had dehydration and the flu his death has shocked the entertainment world many celebrities have been sharing their thoughts about him on social media madonna wrote "he changed the world a true visionary what a loss i'm devastated" president barack obama called him "one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time" he added that "prince did it all funk r&b rock and roll he was a virtuoso instrumentalist a brilliant bandleader and an electrifying performer"

prince was the son of a jazz pianist his real name was prince rogers nelson his father said "i named my son prince because i wanted him to do everything i wanted to do" he burst onto the music scene in the late seventies his singing songwriting guitar playing on-stage performances and producing changed the music world over the next four decades the washington post called him "one of the most popular inventive and influential recording artists of his generation" the music icon sold over 100 million records he is perhaps best known for his 1984 album 'purple rain' the music magazine 'rolling stone' ranked prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 greatest artists of all time

PUT A SLASH ( / ) WHERE THE SPACES ARE

TherocksuperstarPrincehasdiedattheageof57.HepassedawayonThu
rsdayathishomeinMinneapolis.Hisdeathcomesaweekafterhisplane
madeanemergencylandingtotakethesingertohospital.Reportsweret
hathehaddehydrationandtheflu.Hisdeathhasshockedtheentertainm
entworld.Manycelebritieshavebeensharingtheirthoughtsabouthimo
nsocialmedia.Madonnawrote:"Hechangedtheworld.Atruevisionary.
Whataloss.I'mdevastated."PresidentBarackObamacalledhim,"oneo
fthemostgiftedandprolificmusiciansofourtime".Headdedthat:"Princ
ediditall.Funk,R&B,rockandroll.Hewasavirtuosoinstrumentalist,abri
lliantbandleader,andanelectrifyingperformer."Princewasthesonofaj
azzpianist.HisrealnamewasPrinceRogersNelson.Hisfathersaid:"Ina
medmysonPrincebecauseIwantedhimtodoeverythingIwantedtodo."
Heburstontothemusicsceneinthelateseventies.Hissinging,songwriti
ng,guitarplaying,on-stageperformancesandproducingchangedth
emusicworldoverthenextfourdecades.TheWashingtonPostcalledhi
m,"oneofthemostpopular,inventiveandinfluentialrecordingartistsof
hisgeneration".Themusiciconsoldover100millionrecords.Heisperha
psbestknownforhis1984album'PurpleRain'.Themusicmagazine'Rolli
ngStone'rankedPrinceatnumber27onitslistofthe100GreatestArtists
ofAllTime.

FREE WRITING

Write about Prince for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

_____________________________________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITING

Music is the greatest art. Discuss.

_____________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about Prince. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. PRINCE: Make a poster about Prince. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?

4. GREATEST ARTISTS: Write a magazine article about the greatest musical artists of all time. Include imaginary interviews with people who knew them.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on Prince. Ask him/her three questions about the star. Give him/her three of your thoughts on him. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

a

T

b

F

c

F

d

T

e

F

f

T

g

F

h

T

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.	passed away	a.	died
2.	death	b.	passing
3.	shocked	c.	stunned
4.	gifted	d.	talented
5.	performer	e.	artist
6.	named	f.	called
7.	burst	g.	exploded
8.	inventive	h.	creative
9.	icon	i.	idol
10.	best known	j.	most famous

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.	A Thursday
2.	Hospital
3.	The entertainment world
4.	Madonna
5.	Barack Obama
6.	Jazz pianist
7.	In the late seventies
8.	Four decades
9.	Over 100 million
10.	27

MULTIPLE CHOICE - QUIZ (p.9)

1.

a

2.

c

3.

b

4.

d

5.

a

6.

d

7.

b

8.

d

9.

c

10.

b

ALL OTHER EXERCISES

Please check for yourself by looking at the Article on page 2.
(It's good for your English ;-)

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Breaking News English Lesson on Prince

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Rock superstar Prince dies at 57 (23rd April, 2016)

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