DESCRIPTION:

This song-based step-by-step Lesson Plan for English language Teaching features the lyrics and music video for “23” by Sam Hunt. Students TALK about virtual reality, COMPARE photographs (Cambridge English First), TALK about images from the music video, GUESS about the music video, and WATCH the music video to check their ideas; work with the lyrics with an INTERACTIVE
WORKSHEET.

OBS: This lesson plan was made 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, writing 
Topic: virtual reality
Materials: YouTube Videos, genial.ly Presentation, worksheets
Duration: about an hour
Downloadable materials: Instructions.pdf, Worksheet.pdf

OBJECTIVES OF THIS LESSON PLAN:
- To develop students' speaking skills by having them describe virtual reality experiences and compare photographs.
- To improve students' listening skills by having them listen to the music video and identify words in the lyrics.
- To enhance students' writing skills by having them find spelling errors in the lyrics and fill in gaps in the song according to descriptions.

Welcome to the Song Activity Factory! Here, we follow the rules of The Creative Jedi Code:

STEP-BY-STEP LESSON PLAN

Step 1 (5min)

Slide 01 GENIALLY PRESENTATION LINK Show the picture and ask students to describe it.

Ask students if they’ve ever worn virtual reality goggles and say what the experience was like. Or if they would like to and why.

Step 2 (7 min)

Comparing photographs

Note: In part two of the speaking paper (paper 4) of the Cambridge English: First and First for Schools according to the handbook “(…) candidates are given the opportunity to speak for 1 minute without interruption. Each candidate is asked to compare two colour photographs, and to make a further comment about them in response to a task that is read out by the interlocutor. A prompt is given to the candidates in the form of a direct question; this is written above the photographs. Candidates are expected to point out similarities and differences between the photographs and then move on to deal with the question, answering it with reference to both photographs.”

It might be a good idea to teach/review some useful language for contrasting, comparing, speculating, before your students do the next step.

Slide 2: Review the useful expressions below and ask students to give you example sentences with them.

Comparing: In the same way, Similarly, Likewise, Also. Contrasting: By contrast, On the other hand, However, Whereas, While. Speculating: I guess, I imagine, I suppose, Perhaps, Possibly, Look(s) like, Seem(s) like, Might.

Step 3 (10 min)

Comparing photographs avatar video

Play the video. If you’re doing this online, ask students to turn off their mics and do the exercise by following the time in the video. If you are doing this in person, put students into pairs (Candidate A and Candidate B)

After your students are ready and have decided who is A and B, play the video and all students A will do it at the same time with the video, while the students B who are just listening, pay attention to comment on the student’s performance later.

Tell them that there is also a question for Candidate B at the end of the 1 min. And they must answer, too. When the timer stops after candidate B’s answer. Pause the video and ask several students to comment on the exercise: was it difficult? Could they speak for the whole

minute? Did they have time to compare the photographs AND answer the question? Did they use varied expressions to compare the photos?

After this, it’s Candidate B’s turn to compare the photographs, follow the same procedure.

Step 4 (5min)

Slide 3. Ask students to describe the people in the pictures and say how they are feeling.

Step 5 (7 min)

Slide 4. tell students to Imagine the people in the pictures are going to have a Virtual Reality Experience, and ask: Which one of the experiences below do you think they will choose and why?

Step 6 (3 min)

Play the music video for them to check their ideas.

Step 7 (15 min)

Interactive worksheet LINK Get the PDF worksheet HERE

Instructions: 1- Students read the Lyrics and find 9 spelling errors (and click on them).

2- Then, they listen to the song, identify the WORDS and write them in the right gaps according to the descriptions [1 – 8].

answers:

spelling mistakes: marri (marry); realy (really); whine (wine); fisrt (first); be (been); raide (ride), hapy (happy)
words: 1 nights 2 California, Tennessee, 3 architect 4 blonde 5 father, 6 July 7 skirts 8 train

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!