Song Pieces: Exciting ELT Listening & Grammar Challenge [2023]

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, SONG PIECES is back! This activity is fast-paced, and provides extra energy and fun at any moment you need: Review, warm-up, consolidation, or as a simple reward activity.

Quick Lesson Overview:

In this ELT song-based activity, students WORK in teams (or individually), LISTEN to 6 different short song extracts, and IDENTIFY different grammar structures in each one.

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

Language level: (A2, B1)
Learner type : All ages
Skills : listening and writing
Grammar : frequency adverbs, present continuous, comparatives, adjectives
Materials : YouTube Video
Duration: 15 – 20 min
Downloadable Materials: instructions

How to Teach English with Song Pieces 2023: Instructions

Step 1

Divide students into pairs or trios (it can also be done individually, depending on the number of students), and tell them they are going to listen to various extracts of songs and in each one they have to listen to different grammar structures and write them down on a blank sheet of paper.

Before playing each extract, say what you want the students to listen to and make sure they know it. In order to do that, ask them if they can give you examples of the words they must listen to.

Example: Students, in this first extract, you have to listen to a frequency adverb! Do you remember what this is? Give me some examples.

Step 2

Tell them they have 3 chances to try to get the right words. Then, play the Video. Song 1 extract is recorded 3 times in a row. Pause the video. Students write down the answer for song 1. (play more times if necessary).

Step 3

Check what the teams wrote down (you can use the chat feature of the application you’re using with your online students. ex: in-meeting chat in zoom , and ask them to use it to send you the answers.

Assign points. (1 for each right comparative, if there is more than 1 item in the recording)