Teaching With Songs: MUSICAL GRAMMAR PIECES!

WELCOME to the SONG ACTIVITY FACTORY!

Here is the place to be if you believe in the power of songs to teach English!

The place to find Creativity, Inspiration, Teaching Ideas and Resources to bring Musical Innovation to your English Language Teaching Practice!

Whether you teach English online or not, teaching with songs has a wider scope than you might think, and it does not only mean gap-fill!. Check my older posts and don’t be afraid to try something new!

This week, the Song Activity Factory features:

MUSICAL GRAMMAR PIECES is an activity that contains short song lyrics extracts which students read and correct the grammar, and then collaborate in groups to reach a final decision about the correction.

DESCRIPTION: Students read the lyrics extracts, correct them individually, listen to the extracts to check, compare answers in small groups and decide on the final corrected version for a group competition. This activity focuses on verbs (simple present, present continuous, passive voice, simple future) and object pronouns. (us)

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

Language level:  (B1) and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: grammar correction
Language: varied
Materials: genial.ly presentation and mp3 files
Duration: 45 min - 1 hour 
Downloadable materials:  instructions; mp3 files

STEP-BY-STEP LESSON PLAN

Step 1 (5 min)

Ask them what their favorite kind of music is, etc. Tell your students that in this class they are going to work with songs and correct grammar mistakes in the lyrics.

Screen-share the slide with the first MGP (Musical Grammar Piece) with the grammar/spelling mistakes.

Step 2. (3 min)

GIve 2 minutes for the students to correct the THREE mistakes (individually in the main room). But tell them not to give the answers now.

Step 3 (5 min)

Screen-share the second lyrics extract. And repeat step 2

Step 4 (5 min)

Screen-share the third lyrics extract. And repeat step 2

Step 5 (10 – 15 min)

PLAY the lyrics extracts so they can check their work. Play the extracts 2 or 3 times.

Step 6

(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 7. (5 – 10 min)

Back to the main room. A student from each group (the captain) will send you (privately) the corrected sentences for the first extract in the CHAT BOX. Award points to the right corrections. Then, do the same with the other extracts. The group with more right corrections is the winner.

ANSWERS:
MPG1 - Passenger - Sword from the stone
How are your Mum and Dad (is)
How’s your Brother too
My folks are holding up (hold)
My sister’s pulling through
And both the cats say hi (says)
I know they miss you too

MGP2 - Sam Feldt - Stronger (ft. Kesha) 
I fight my way through the darkness
I battle hard, that's how I'm made (make)
And I may not heal from all these bruises (healing)
But I'll be better off this way (been)

MGP3 Tate McRae - Rubberband 
Does it make me the criminal? (makes)
That I let you go (to)
That I broke us and left (we)
I hate that I never know
Why you're still so caught up in my head

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!