What Billie Eilish Can Teach You About The Power of Being ALONE! Teaching With Songs (My Future)

Description:

This song-based activity STEP-BY-STEP LESSON PLAN  for ENGLISH language TEACHING features the lyrics and music video for “My Future” by Billie Eilish. Students READ quotes about being alone and TALK about them, WATCH the video extract of an interview with Billie Eilish and DO a listening exercise with it, READ verses from the song and CORRECT grammar mistakes in them, LISTEN to the song, WATCH the music video and TALK about it.

OBS: OBS: This lesson plan was made to be used for ONLINE TEACHING, but it can be modified for face-to-face instruction, as well.

Language level: B2 and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: being alone vs being lonely and the power of being alone
Language/grammar: agreeing, disagreeing, grammar correction (modal verbs, spelling)
Materials: Youtube video, Vimeo video, google slide, interactive worksheet and mp3 file
Duration: around 1 hour
Downloadable materials:  instructions; google slides; song extract mp3

STEP-BY-STEP LESSON PLAN

Part 1 – Quotes

Step 1 (5 min)

Screenshare the quotes below and ask students to read it aloud.

Help them with the vocabulary.

Ask your them what the theme, topic of the quotes is. (being alone vs being lonely)

Tell them the difference between alone and lonely (being alone is having no one around. Being lonely is feeling sad because no one is around).

Step 2 (5 min)

Divide students into pairs (breakout rooms) and have them discuss the following questions:

1- Talk about the 3 quotes and say if you agree/ disagree with them and why

2- Say which one is your favorite quote and why

3- Say which one is your least favorite and why

Step 3 (5 – 7 min)

When students are back to the main room, have the pairs share their ideas. Have a mini discussion, asking other students if they agree/disagree with their classmates’ ideas.

Part 2 – Interview

Step 4 (5  min)

Tell students you’re going to play the video extract of an interview with Billie Eilish in which she talks about her new song. Their task is to find out the answer to this question:

Does Billie Eilish think that being alone is a positive or negative experience? Explain.

(she thinks it’s a positive experience because you learn and grow a lot with it)

Play the video twice, or have students watch it on their devices.

Step 5 (5 min)

Share the link to the interactive worksheet and play the video again for students to fill in the gaps. Play the video twice.

Interview - video extract script
Billie Eilish:
“It's just that growth. You know? It's growth. 
You know? I feel like, at least for me, I feel like there was… like, 
I spent -1- years and years relying on having  someone. And as soon as I didn't  -2- 
have someone, I got somebody else. And I'm not talking about relationships.-3-
 I'm talking about everything. like any... like, I couldn’t, 
I, I could never -4- be alone. 
Like, I couldn't take my own company for so long. And I don't know, 
I just felt like I needed, I needed that growth.
I needed a moment to myself -5-, and I got it. And it was really hard. like, 
It’s really, it’s so much harder than you think, to not rely on people, you know? 
to just have yourself -6- to rely on. And just, like, it’s weird. 
It’s not something you’d think about being hard. 
But when you’re in that, like, you know, alone zone, it’s a new feeling -7-.
 Like, and I really wanted to talk about it. You know, I feel like people…
everything is about love, and everything is about… you know, 
there’s nothing that talks about how being alone -8- is really powerful 
and you grow a lot and you learn a lot and like, it’s not bad, you know?”

Tell students to click FINISH!! And CHECK MY ANSWERS to see their results.

Answers:
1- spent 2- didn’t 3- relationships 4- never 5- myself 6- yourself 7- feeling 8- alone

Part 3  Musical Grammar Pieces

Step 6 (7 min)

Show the slide with 2 verses from the song, and tell them that there are 6 grammar mistakes in the verses (3 in each). Give them about 5 minutes to find the mistakes, but tell them not to give the answers now!

Just write them down to check later.

When the time’s up, play the extracts 2x for them to correct their work.

[Verse 1]
I can't to seem to focus (can’t seem)
And you don't seems to notice I'm not here (seem)
I'm just a mirror
You check your complexion
To find yours reflection's all alone (your)
I had to go

[Verse 2]
I know supposedly I'm lonely now (Lonely now)
Know I'm supposed to been unhappy (be)
Witthout someone (Someone) (without)
But aren't I someone? (Aren't I someone? Yeah)
I'd like be your answer (Be your answer) (to be)
'Cause you're so handsome (You're so handsome)

Step 7 (10 min)  

Divide students into small groups, and put them in BREAKOUT ROOMS. They are going to compare their answers and come to a final group decision on the corrections.

Step 8. (5 min) 

Back to the main room, a student from each group (the captain)  sends you (privately) the corrected sentences for the verses in the CHAT BOX. Award points to the right corrections. The group with more right corrections is the winner.

Step 9 (5 min)

Play the music video, and have students say what they thought of it to close the activity

This song-based lesson plan is sure to spice up your classes! However, would you like to think, feel and act more creatively on your own to be able to turn ANY song you want into an engaging lesson plan?
HERE are TIME-SAVING ideas that do the heavy work so you can focus on the most important: INSPIRING and MOTIVATING YOUR STUDENTS to learn CREATIVELY!

KNOW MORE IDEAS FOR ENGLISH ACTIVITIES WITH SONGS HERE

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

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