Route 66 is a symbolic two-lane road in United States of America (USA) and was

well known as the Great American Highway that connected Chicago to Los Angeles from
1926 to 1985. John Steinbeck called it the Mother Road, and indeed it was. (CITE) It
became a golden road and it was called the Mother Road to the Promised Land that inspired
Bobby Troup, a songwriter from Pennsylvania, in 1946 to write a song which captures the
spirit of adventuring along Route 66. The country-pop mix with the rhythm and blues version
of the song Route 66 sung by John Mayer in 2006 is a perfect choice for an English
language lesson for year 5. [ADD TOPIC/UNIT FROM YEAR 5 SYLLABUS]
It is presented in a catchy and more upbeat tempo that suits the pop-rock culture of
todays younger generation. [ADD SOME QUOTES ABOUT STUDENTS LIKE MORE
CATHCY]. In the relation to the pedagogical principle, the song and its lyrics are suitable for
the age and proficiency level of students of year 5 since it brings challenging new words into
the lesson but still based on the basic language knowledge that second language learners in
Malaysia can comprehend. The song also explores entirely different culture than in Malaysia.
The culture of American people going to a California Trip is a new exposure to the students
about the cultural norm*in USA that is absent in Malaysia. Route 66 may be a song about a
road, however, the historical values of that route makes it a legend and it can be used in the
Malaysian classroom.
Aristotle once said, All men by nature desire knowledge (CITE) and in the case of
choosing a song for learning English, the song must offer new things for students to
discover. The primary dimension showed in Route 66 is the world of knowledge. According
to the Curriculum Specification for Year 5, the world of knowledge should focus on topics
regarding building and places of interest. The title, Route 66 itself is interesting to attract
students attention to learn more about this historic highway. The title is the identity of the
song and it provides a new insight to places in United States of America which contrast to
the environment in Malaysia. [SO?] Other than its intriguing title, the chorus is the mine gold
of this song. The chorus is pact with names of various states in USA which one would pass
driving along Route 66. Examples of states named in the chorus are St Louis, Missouri,
Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico, and many more. This list of places not only provides new
knowledge to the students but also allows the students to experience the adventure of
driving along this new route. The song build imagery scene of the road and it allows the
listener to live the experience and this is the reason why the song is perfect for English
language students of Year 5.