TEACHING ENGLISH WITH SONGS: MUSICAL DICTATION – Song Activity Idea for ZOOM features (4 Skills)

Strategy Insights: Musical Dictation

The Core Shift: Transmute the standard dictation exercise into a collaborative Pedagogical Flow, utilizing teacher-led audio input and digital tools to bridge the gap between individual perception and collective understanding.

Main Concept: A visionary approach to dictation that leverages song extracts to anchor Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Listening practice.
Key Framework: An adaptable lesson plan designed for the virtual alchemy of Zoom features (Breakout Rooms, Whiteboard) or traditional face-to-face instruction.
Teacher Benefit: Simplifies the delivery of multi-skill activities while fostering an environment of high-level Communication and Critical Thinking.
Practical Application: Directing students to transcribe dictated verses, refine versions in pairs, and deep-dive into meaning through guided discussion and music video analysis.

Expert Author: Márcia Bonfim
Source: Song Activity Factory

MUSICAL DICTATION is an IDEA for an adaptable song activity along with a suggested step-by-step LESSON PLAN for English language teaching with ZOOM features like BREAKOUT ROOMS, SCREEN-SHARING, WHITEBOARD, etc. but it’s also perfect for F2F.

Students WRITE down the lyrics of the verse of a song dictated by the teacher, LISTEN to that song extract to check, and in pairs, WRITE a final version of the verse. They also answer questions about it, TALK about its meaning and watch a music video.

There is focus on SPEAKING, READING, WRITING & LISTENING and students practice COLLABORATION, COMMUNICATION & CRITICAL THINKING during this activity.

That’s it for this week! I hope this activity is helpful and enjoyable!

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