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Song lessons-SOS!!!

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Songs sung in English are listened to around the world and students can often feel real progress in their level of English when they can begin to sing along to the chorus or even just to be able to separate what at first seemed to be a constant stream of words! I am going to split this article into using music and using songs and I will share twelve of my favourite activities with you.

Before bringing music into the class, it may be worthwhile to do a music survey or questionnaire to find out what the students enjoy listening to. As much as possible try to use music they will like. I have found that the students' motivation levels are the determining factor in whether or not a song will work with them. If the students really like the song and the artist they become determined to understand. If you choose the task carefully even lower levels will be able to get something out of working with tricky songs where the language is way above their level of English.

Using music
Music in the classroom doesn't always mean listening to a song and using the lyrics in some way. Music can be used in the classroom in a multitude of ways. Here are just five ways to use music in your classroom.

Set the scene: If music is playing as students enter the class it can be a nice way to settle the group. Give the class a few minutes to settle down and then turn the volume down slowly and use the end of the music as an indicator to the students that the class will begin.

Change the tempo: Music can be used to calm down an over excited class or to wake up a sleepy one. If you know that your students have high energy levels and sometimes need to calm down, try playing some relaxing music to put on as they work. At first they may find it strange but they will get used to it. With sleepy teenagers, try putting some of their favourite tunes on as they work. It may help to increase their energy levels.

Classic gap-fill: Every language student at some point has been given a song to listen to and the lyrics with gaps in for them to fill in as they listen. This activity is not as simple as it sounds and before making one yourself think about why you're taking out certain words. It may be better to take out all the words in one group, such as prepositions or verbs, and tell students what they should be listening out for. Another option is to take out rhyming words. Don't be tempted to take out too many words, eight or ten is normally enough. To make the task easier you could provide the missing words in a box at the side for the students to select, or you could number the gaps and provide clues for each number.

Spot the mistakes: Change some of the words in the lyrics and as students listen they have to spot and correct the mistakes. As with the gap-fill limit the mistakes to a maximum of eight or ten and if possible choose a word set. You could make all the adjectives opposites for example. Another example of this for higher levels is to show the students the real lyrics and you correct the English and make it proper! E.g. 'gonna' change to 'going to' 'we was' change to 'we were' etc. This is a good way to focus on song language.

Comic strip: Songs that tell stories are great for students to make comic strips out of. You have to choose your song carefully and spend time looking at the lyrics with the students and making sure they have understood the main ideas. Lower levels may need guidance as to how to divide up the song into suitable chucks that can be represented pictorially. Avril Lavigne's Skater Boy song from last year was a good one for this activity.

Order the verses: With low levels this is a very simple activity. Chop up the lyrics of the song by verse and give a small group of students the jumbled verses. As they listen they put them in order.

Discussion: Certain songs lend themselves to discussions and you can use the song as a nice lead in to the topic and a way to pre-teach some of the vocabulary. One I used recently was 'Where is the love?' by the Black Eyed Peas to lead in to a discussion about war.

Translation: Although some teachers oppose all use of the mother tongue in the language classroom, some students really enjoy translating lyrics into their own language. If you do ask students to do this ensure the lyrics are worth translating!

Write the next verse: Higher levels can write a new verse to add to a song. Focus on the patterns and rhyme of the song as a group and then let students be creative. If they are successful, the new verses can be sung over the top of the original! Norah Jones' Sunrise was a good one for this.

Time limits: Instead of telling students they have two minutes to finish a task, or with very young learners a minute to tidy the room up after a craft activity, tell them they have until the end of the song. Play the music and when the song ends students should be paying attention ready to listen to the instructions to change tasks.

Feelings: Different types of music will provoke very different reactions within your students. You can explore this by playing a selection of different types of music for a minute or so each and asking students to write some adjectives of how they feel when listening to the different types.

Musical drawings: Give each student a piece of paper and some coloured pencils. Tell them that you are going to play some music and you want them to draw whatever comes into their heads. As music is playing, all students should be drawing. After 20 or 30 seconds, stop the music. Students stop drawing and pass their picture to the person to the left of them in the circle. Play the music again and they continue with the drawing the person next to them had started. Stop the music again, pass pictures on and this continues until the end of the song. When you have finished each student will have a picture that several students contributed to. Then it's up to you what to do with the pictures. They can be used to describe to the group, to write a story about, or to pretend they were a dream the student had last night. The rest of the class can try to analyse the meaning of the dream.

Use different types of music to get different types of pictures. I've found that reggae and samba produce happy beach scenes and dance music gets futuristic city scenes.
Beware - with teenagers this activity can be quite an eye-opener as it tends to reveal what is going on in their minds!

Using songs
Songs provide a valuable source of authentic language and there are hundreds of ways to exploit them in the classroom. The internet has made it very easy to find the lyrics of songs. A search on google with the name of the band, the song title and the word 'lyrics' will bring up a selection of sites you can use. Once you have copied and pasted the lyrics into a word document it is quick and easy to make an effective worksheet. Here is a selection of ideas for you to try.

I hope that at least some of these ideas will be good for your classes. The more you use music in the classroom the more uses you will find for it. If you have any ideas to share why not send them to the discussion list.

Internet links
http://www.freeplaymusic.com/ This site has short music clips on which can legally be used for educational purposes.
http://www.ohhla.com/ This site has a vast collection of hip hop lyrics. Be careful which ones you choose as some have bad language.
http://www.mtv.com/ This is the MTV homepage and has links to loads of potential materials.

By Jo Budden

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Songs sung in English are listened to around the world and students can often feel real progress in their level of English when they can begin to sing along to the chorus or even just to be able to separate what at first seemed to be a constant stream of words!

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"Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought." E. Y. Harburg

Song Activity Factory came to life mainly to help English language teaching professionals who feel that music in the form of songs surely has a fitting place in the ELT classroom. However, trying to find a ready-made song activity that features neither an 'ancient' song nor the most boring - and dreaded by students - type of exercise: gap filling, is time-consuming and mostly fruitless.

The song-based activities and lesson plans you find at Song activity Factory aim to motivate and engage students in a creative and fun way. In this post, you will see 5 ideas plus examples of song-based activities you can use to make your students speak more.

Continue reading Using Songs to Teach English: Five ideas to make students speak (and enjoy the process)

Posted on Categories Ideas for Song Activities, Song Activity

Description:

This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the song Hold Me While You Wait by Lewis Capaldi and its lyric video. Students talk about hugging and relationships and compare photographs (Cambridge English: First and First for Schools), speculate about the meaning of a song, guess words from lyrics, watch a lyric video, and rewrite the chorus of a song.

: Language level: B1+ B2Learner type: All agesSkills: speaking, reading, listening and writingTopic: Hugs and relationshipsLanguage: Vocabulary related to relationships, contrasting, comparing, speculatingMaterials: Youtube video, worksheets and mp3 fileDuration: 1 hour - 1h 30 minDownloadable materialsinstructions; Photograph worksheet; Chorus worksheet; song mp3

Continue reading Lewis Capaldi [a Lesson Plan for English Language Teaching]

Description:

This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the song Birds by Imagine Dragons and its animated music video. Students talk about music and the band Imagine Dragons, do a google search race in groups, participate in a running dictation (biography race), play a kahoot! (optional), watch a video, write a short narrative, do a listening exercise with the lyrics (optional) and talk about the song and the video.

: Language level:  (A2+) and aboveLearner type: All agesSkills: speaking, reading, listening and writingTopics: Music and life backgroundsLanguage: Vocabulary related to music, instruments and bandsMaterials: Youtube video, worksheets and mp3 file, mobile devices and Internet access (for the google search race and the optional kahoot!)Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30 minDownloadable materialsGoogle search worksheet; Biography Race Text + group Questions worksheet; Lyrics worksheet; instructions; song mp3

Continue reading Birds - Imagine Dragons [a Lesson Plan for English Language Teaching]

Posted on Categories Song Activity

Description:

This is a song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching, in special Cambridge English: First (FCE) exam preparation. This lesson plan features the song "To be human" and its official music video. Students talk about Organized Protests and do a vocabulary matching exercise, watch a video, talk about protest-related pictures, do a Use of English Part 2 exercise, listen to the song, talk about its meaning. It also includes a bonus listening pronunciation exercise by TubeQuizard.

: Language level: (B1+/B2)Learner type: All agesSkills: speaking, reading, listening and writingTopic: Organized protestLanguage: Vocabulary related to protests, agreeing/disagreeing and expressing opinionsMaterials: Youtube video, worksheets and mp3 fileDuration: 1 hour - 1h 30 minDownloadable materialsVocabulary worksheet; Use of English worksheet; photos;  instructions; song mp3

Continue reading Songs for Cambridge English: First (FCE) To be Human - Marina

WORKSHEET INFO:

This is a free Reading and Use of English part 1 exercise to practice for the Cambridge English: First (FCE) exam. It uses the lyrics to Sing it with me by JP Cooper & Astrid S. This exercise can be used in conjunction with this song-based lesson plan.

To download the Worksheet and answer key click here.

Happy Teaching! 🙂

:   Description: This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the song Sing it with me by JP Cooper/ Astrid S and its official music video. Students talk about photos and create characters and life backgrounds, write and compare short narratives, watch a music video, do a listening exercise with the lyrics, and write a story. Language level: B2 and aboveLearner type: All agesSkills: speaking, reading, listening and writingTopic: Character, feelings, life storiesLanguage: Vocabulary to describe appearance, character, feelings, and narrative tensesMaterials: Youtube video, worksheet, photos, and mp3 fileDuration: 1 hour - 1h 30 minDownloadable materialsinstructions; Listening worksheet; Photos; song mp3

Continue reading All Language Skills in One Song for the Cambridge English: First (FCE) - Sing It With Me, JP Cooper

:  Description: This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the song On a Roll by Ashley O (Miley Cyrus) and its official music video. Students talk about success and do a vocabulary exercise, watch and compare music videos, listen to the song, and do a listening exercise with the lyrics.Language level: B1 and aboveLearner type: All agesSkills: speaking, reading, listening and writing (with backchannel)Topics: success, musicLanguage: success idioms, expressing opinions, comparisonsMaterials: Youtube videos, worksheets, and mp3 fileDuration: 1 hour - 1h 30 minDownloadable materialsvocabulary and lyrics worksheet; song mp3instructions;

Continue reading On a Roll - Ashley O (Miley Cyrus)

Posted on Categories Tags Song Activity ashley o miley cyrus song activity worksheet, backchannel for esl idea, black mirror fifth season worksheet for esl, English lesson plans for songs, learning activities with songs, lyrics to on a roll ashley o miley cyrus for esl, miley cyrus ashley o on the roll mp3 download, nik peachey article Oxford tefl blog paperless, song activity factory free wrksheets, song-based activity lesson plan, success vocabulary for esl efl elt song activity, using technology in esl efl elt

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"Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought." E. Y. Harburg Song Activity Factory came to life mainly to help English language teaching professionals who feel that music in the form of songs surely has a fitting place in the ELT classroom.

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Listening and speaking activity for B1 and up

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This is a video-based lesson for intermediate and upper-intermediate students, focusing on listening, speaking and vocabulary. Use it to your heart's content.
Look at the photo and discuss the questions. How much do you have in common with your partner(s)?
1. If your phone was running out of space, which of these apps would you delete first / last? Why?
2. Which one do you spend the most time on during the week? How about on the weekend?
3. In general, do you spend more or less time on social media compared to the people closest to you?
4. How would you have answered question 3 five years ago?
5. What social media habits, if any, would you like to change?
PART TWO
FIRST VIEWING You are going to watch a woman talk about quitting social media (video 1). Choose the correct options. There is no need to take notes at this point - just look at the screen!
1. She was a [heavy / light] social media user.
2. The first few days were [not that / very] hard.
3. She says her life has [gotten better / changed very little].
PART THREE
SECOND VIEWING Watch a few selected excerpts from the video (video 2) and answer the questions on the screen. You can take notes this time. Each excerpt is repeated with subtitles on so you can check your answer. PART FOUR
POST-VIEWING DISCUSSION Discuss questions 1-6 with a partner.
1. In general, how did the woman strike you?3. She said it took her about a week to get "cured." Why do you think she chose this particular word?
2. Of all the changes she went through, which was, in your opinion, the most positive? Why?

4. At one point, she mentioned the term FOMO, which stands for fear of missing out. What do you think it means exactly and how might it affect our lives? (Click on the link to find out more.)
5. Would you ever consider doing a social media detox like hers? Why (not)?
6. If so, would you be willing to post a video on YouTube describing your experience? Why (not)?
PART FIVE
USEFUL VOCABULARY A. Read sentences 1-7, taken from the video, and try to remember the missing words - in some cases we have provided the first letters. Then watch video 3 and check.
1. I realized just how often I (=look quickly) down just to see if I have a notification.
2. I'm hoping with this social media fa__________ (=period of time without social media) that my brain kill kind of recalibrate itself.
3. I hope to become more (=able to concentrate), more productive... for my brain to be a little less and 4. The first day of my social media was a Friday. I spend nine hours a day staring at a screen at my job, and (=reducing) screen time outside of the office has changed my world.
6. We've got to focus on ourselves for a little bit and not every ran__________ stranger (=someone you have no real connection with) you're friends with on Facebook.
7. I'm not feeling like I m__________ out on (=didn't have a chance to become involved in) anything because I'm not seeing it.
B. Find a new partner. Discuss questions 4-6 from part one again. Use at least four of the blue words and expressions. First, spend a minute or two planning what to say.

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This is a video-based lesson for intermediate and upper-intermediate students, focusing on listening, speaking and vocabulary. Use it to your heart's content. Look at the photo and discuss the questions. How much do you have in common with your partner(s)? 1. If your phone was running out of space, which of these apps would you delete first / last?

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Audio scripts-GREAT ideas how to use them

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Here's a question for you. How often do you use the listening scripts in the back of the book for follow-up work or additional activities? Be honest! Now, I'm going to guess most of you are thinking 'not often', and you wouldn't be alone. From my experience of doing countless observations I have to say I've never seen a teacher use them other than to give students the chance to read and listen or to role play before moving onto the next task. But why not? We virtually always mine reading texts for language, but rarely do the same with listening scripts (which are just another type of text). This is all the more puzzling because listening scripts are often an absolute goldmine for language, specifically spoken language.
Collocation Hunt
This is a super easy task and requires absolutely no teacher preparation. Simply ask students to turn to the audio script (or give them printed Word versions if available) and, working independently or in pairs, identify and underline/highlight as many chunks, collocations, set phrases as possible. Students will invariably 'find' different ones, so it's always a good idea to pair the pairs up to compare ideas. As a follow up you can then get students to choose their favourite phrase and then write a sentence about themselves using it. The students then share their sentences and explain to their group why they chose it. The reason why this is such a great activity is that it highlights just how common these chunks and set phrases are in spoken English and gets them using them. It also builds students' vocabulary knowledge and helps with strategies for effective listening and reading.
Mixed Up Scripts
This activity works well when you have a dialogue. Simply cut up the conversation and get students to re-order it before listening to the audio. If you want to add an extra challenge, then you could cut up two different dialogues, mix them up and then get students to re-order them. They then listen and check.
Spot The Difference
This is a really task to do if you have the audio scripts available in Word format. Simply change as many details as you want and give the students the updated script. They then listen and see if they can 'spot' all the differences. This is particularly good for encouraging students to really focus on individual words.
All Mixed Up
For this activity the teacher should chooses a number of phrases or expressions from the audio script and then put them on the board in a random order. In pairs the students then discuss what the context of the phrases was as well as the order in which they appeared in the listening. They then listen and check their ideas.
Be The Teacher
This activity could be done before the main listening activity or after. Give students a copy of the audio script and ask them to write 4-5 questions each on a piece of paper. The students then switch questions before listening to the audio again and answering their partners' questions. This activity works well as it gives students control, which they love, can be highly motivating, as well as giving them practice at writing question. It also allows for differentiation in the class.
Scriptwriter
This is quite a creative and challenging activity which I've found students can really engage students, especially at higher levels. Choose an appropriate dialogue and remove all of the words from one of the speakers, essentially providing half the script. In pairs the students must then complete the script with their own ideas, using the context of the other speaker's words to help them. As follow up you can then get students to perform their new conversations for the class.

How do you plan to maximise scripts in your classroom? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Here's a question for you. How often do you use the listening scripts in the back of the book for follow-up work or additional activities? Be honest! Now, I'm going to guess most of you are thinking 'not often', and you wouldn't be alone.