Quick Lesson Overview:
This song-based activity STEP-BY-STEP LESSON PLAN for ENGLISH language TEACHING features the lyrics extract and music video for Justin Bieber’s Running Over (CHANGES: The Movement) ft. Lil Dicky. Students WORK with synonyms and noun forms, WRITE down The lyrics of a verse dictated by the teacher, WRITE a final version of the verse in pairs and answer questions about it, CORRECT grammar mistakes in the lyrics, LISTEN to the song and WATCH the music video.
OBS: This lesson plan was made to be used for ONLINE TEACHING WITH ZOOM features like ZOOM WHITEBOARD, ZOOM SCREEN SHARE and ZOOM CHAT, but it can be modified for face-to-face instruction, as well.
- Language level: A2 and above
- Learner type: All ages
- Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
- Topic: Dating
- Language/grammar: adjectives, nouns synonyms, simple past
- Materials: Youtube video, google slide and mp3 file
- Duration: 1 hour – 1h 30 min
- Downloadable materials: instructions; google slides; song extract mp3
How to Teach English with Justin Bieber: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 (5 min)
Warm up
Write SYNONYM on the whiteboard and ask students to give you some examples. Write them on the board. If they get stuck, write down some examples: beautiful, pretty Ask students to make sentences with the words they come up with.
Step 2 (10 – 15 min)
Pairwork (breakout rooms)
Google slide 1: Vocabulary exercise (adjectives, synonyms and nouns)
Exercise 1. TRAGIC, SANE and PERSONAL are adjectives. Complete the table with their synonyms below: (students can use an online dictionary to help them)
Answers: SANE: healthy, normal TRAGIC: sad, terrible, unfortunate, awful PERSONAL: individual
Exercise 2.
Read the information below and complete the exercise with the correct noun forms of the adjectives.
ADJECTIVE ⇒ NOUN SANE ⇒ SANITY PERSONAL ⇒ PERSONALITY TRAGIC ⇒ TRAGEDY)
1- He has a very friendly _________________________. He is always smiling and talking to everyone. 2 - Her son’s car accident was a terrible ___________________. 3- That man is running in the middle of the cars in the street! I think he lost his ______________!
Answers: ´1. Personality 2. Tragedy 3. Sanity
Step 3 – (5 min)
Musical Dictation
Individual task. Tell your students that you are going to dictate the verse of a song. Students write it down. Tell them you are going to read it only twice at normal speed, and that it’s ok if they do not get all the words. However, it’s important that they write what they get, even if it’s just separate words in the sentence.
Do not tell them whose song it is yet. OBS: there are 2 grammar mistakes in the lyrics extract (it feel (felt) / you was (were) ). The students will correct them in a later step.
Lyrics extract for the dictation:
Wednesday It feel like a Tuesday when you met me I remember it like it was yesterday You just said, "Hello," I lost my sanity Thought you was lookin' through me Then you made me laugh with personality When you said goodbye that was a tragedy
Step 4 (5 min)
Play the song extract, so students can check their sentences and make changes.
Step 5 (5 min)
In pairs (breakout rooms), students compare their work and get to a conclusion on the final version
Step 6 (5 min)
Get random students to write down the first line of the verse in the CHAT BOX. Have other students correct it. Do this for the other lines until you finish correcting the verse.
Step 7 (10 min)
In pairs (breakout rooms), students answer questions about the lyrics extract (google slide 2)
1- There are 2 wrong verbs in the verse, which ones? 2- Is this a sad or a happy song? Why? 3 - Do you like it? Why (not)?
Step 8 (10 min)
Correct the mistakes and get feedback from the pairs
Step 9 (5 min)
Students watch the music video and comment on it to close the activity.
Song Activity Factory 