Songs to Teach English: Connecting Videos, Narratives and Songs Creatively

ron-hamlin-G7H9dDHGCZ0-unsplash
Photo by Ron Hamlin on Unsplash

Description:

This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the songs ‘Clementine’ by Halsey, ‘Your Light’ by the Big Moon and ‘South of the Border’ by Ed Sheeran feat Camila Cabello  & Cardi B, and their official music videos. Students talk about music videos and do a matching exercise with videos and song extracts, write a short narrative based on the videos and choose a theme song, read the lyrics of a song, watch music videos and make comparisons.

Language level: B1 and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: Music Videos and comparisons
Language: Vocabulary related to music videos, songs, expressing opinions and making comparisons
Materials: Youtube/ Vimeo videos, and mp3 files
Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30 min
Downloadable materials:  instructions.pdf; videos.mp4 Song extracts mp3; QR codes Lyrics.pdf 

Continue reading Songs to Teach English: Connecting Videos, Narratives and Songs Creatively

Using Songs to Teach English: Song Challenge and Chat Stations

chang-duong-wT7qu4SZib4-unsplash
Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash

Description:

This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the songs ‘Sunday’ by Neffex, ‘Something Special’ by Debby Smith and ‘Teeth’ by 5 Seconds of Summer and their official music videos. Students think and talk about connections between different things, listen to a song challenge and find out the word in common, watch music videos, read lyrics extracts, work together to make posters, evaluate each other’s work and explain and present their own work to others.

Language level: B1 and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: Connections
Language: Vocabulary related to connections, and presentations
Materials: Youtube videos, Chat station pdf and materials to make posters
Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30 min
Downloadable materials:  instructions; Song Challenge MP3 files; Chat Stations pdf

 Continue reading Using Songs to Teach English: Song Challenge and Chat Stations

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

“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)

Lewis Capaldi [a Lesson Plan for English Language Teaching]

hold me coveer

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+ B2 
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: Hugs and relationships
Language: Vocabulary related to relationships, contrasting, comparing, speculating
Materials: Youtube video, worksheets and mp3 file
Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30 min
Downloadable materials:  instructions; Photograph worksheet; Chorus worksheet; song mp3

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

Birds – Imagine Dragons [a Lesson Plan for English Language Teaching]

birds

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 above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topics: Music and life backgrounds
Language: Vocabulary related to music, instruments and bands
Materials: 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 min
Downloadable materials:  instructions; Google search worksheet; Biography Race Text + group Questions worksheet; Lyrics worksheet; song mp3

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

Songs for Cambridge English: First (FCE) To be Human – Marina

mariina to be human

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 ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: Organized protest
Language: Vocabulary related to protests, agreeing/disagreeing and expressing opinions 
Materials: Youtube video, worksheets and mp3 file
Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30 min

Downloadable materials:  instructions; Vocabulary worksheet; Use of English worksheet; photos;  song mp3

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

FCE Practice with song lyrics: Reading and Use of English (Part 1)

WORKSHEET 01

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! 🙂