8 Easy Ways to Teach English with John Lennon’s ‘Happy Xmas’

Breathe New Life into Your Lessons with John Lennon’s Classic!

Quick Lesson Overview:

This engaging lesson plan for English language teaching uses John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s song “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” to inspire meaningful discussions about personal reflection, peace, and hope. Students will reflect on their past year, analyze song lyrics through guided questions, complete a fun word search activity, and fill in missing lyrics with the words. They’ll also compare their imagined visuals of the song with the actual music video to deepen their understanding of its message. A follow-up discussion activity encourages further critical thinking and communication.

Objectives Of This ESL Song Lesson Plan:

• Enhance Language Skills: Improve students’ listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills.
• Foster Reflection: Encourage meaningful conversations about themes like personal actions, peace, and hope.
• Develop 21st-Century Skills: Integrate technology, creativity, communication, and teamwork into the learning experience.

How to Teach English with John Lennon’s ‘Happy Xmas’: 8 Easy Ways

1. Start with Reflection

Step 1 (5 min)

Slide 1 from the Genially Presentation (link): Show the slide and have students answer the question:  Is it important to think about what we did during the year? Why? Write their answers on the board. Ask students to give their thoughts about it and share their experiences.

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Share your own thoughts to make students feel more comfortable sharing theirs.
• Praise all contributions to create a positive and open atmosphere.

2. Analyze the Lyrics

Step 2 (5 min)

Slide 2 from the Genially Presentation: Tell students that these lines are from the lyrics of a song. Have a student read them. Then ask the class: What do these lines tell us about thinking about the past and the future? “And so this is Christmas / And what have you done?  / Another year over / And a new one just begun

Tips and Suggestions:  

• If students are shy, read the lines yourself first to set an example.
• Acknowledge all answers to build confidence, even if they are not entirely accurate.

This activity fosters critical thinking and prepares students to interpret the song more deeply.

3. Predict the Song’s Theme

Step 3 (5 min)

Slide 3: Tell students they are going to listen to the song they are going to work with. Before playing it, ask them if they recognize the song by those lyrics. If they do not, ask them what kind of song they think it’s going to be based on the lines (e.g., slow, fast, happy, sad, music genre, etc).

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Assure students that there are no wrong answers when predicting the song type.
• Provide examples of different song types to help students make more informed guesses.
• Give students a moment to think before they respond, and encourage them to share their thoughts.

This step promotes creativity and sets the stage for active listening.

Step 4 (5 – 7 min)

After listening, ask students to pair up (breakout rooms) and discuss what they understood about the song’s message. After a while, have each pair share their ideas with the rest of the class.

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Clearly explain the task and provide an example of what a discussion might look like.
• Walk around the room or check in on breakout rooms to ensure students are on task and provide support if needed.
• If students are reluctant to share, start by summarizing one pair’s discussion to model how to present their ideas.

4. Musical Word Search

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Clearly explain how to complete the word search and demonstrate if necessary.
• Offer help to students who may be struggling with the word search.
• Celebrate all efforts, not just the fastest, to maintain a positive atmosphere.

This activity encourages vocabulary acquisition in an engaging way.

5. Complete the Lyrics

Step 6 (10 min)

Exercise two. Students complete the blanks with the words they found in the word search. Then, play the song for them to check their work. (see answers in the instructions.pdf)

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Praise students for their efforts and correct answers to build confidence.
• Walk around the classroom to offer assistance and ensure students understand the task.
• Play the song more than once if needed to give students ample time to check their work.

This step enhances listening comprehension and gives students a sense of accomplishment as they recognize key phrases.

6. Discuss the Song’s Message

Step 7 (10 min)

Ask the following questions and have a mini discussion to close the activity:

1. Did your understanding of the song’s message change after listening to it and reading the lyrics? How so?
2. Listening to the song again after completing exercise two, did you notice any details or nuances in the lyrics that you missed the first time? Share your observations.
3. Have your opinions about the song changed after this activity? If so, in what way?

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Prepare your own answers to these questions to share if students are hesitant.
• Encourage all students to share their thoughts, even if they are unsure.
• Validate all contributions to create a supportive environment.

This activity fosters collaboration and meaningful conversations while connecting the song to real-world contexts.

7. Compare Visuals

Step 8 (10 min)

Ask students to imagine what the music video for the song could be like. Play the music video for them to check (slide 4) and then use the questions below.

Follow-Up Discussion: Ask students to compare their imagined video with the real one. Questions: 

1. How did the actual video compare to your imagination? 
2. Were there any surprising elements in the video? 
3. Do you think the video effectively conveys the song’s message? Why or why not?

Tips and Suggestions:  

• Encourage students to be as detailed as possible in their imagined music video descriptions.
• After watching the actual video, facilitate a discussion on the differences and similarities between their ideas and the real video.
• Prompt students to think critically about the effectiveness of the video in conveying the song’s message.

This activity encourages critical analysis and creative thinking.

8. Reflect and Set Goals

Step 9 (5 min)

Conclude the lesson with a personal reflection:
“What is one thing you want to change or achieve in the upcoming year?”
This step ties the song’s message of hope and action to students’ personal goals, reinforcing both language and life skills.

Why Use Songs Like ‘Happy Xmas’ in Your ESL Classroom?

Songs are powerful tools for teaching English, especially when they connect to universal themes like peace, reflection, and hope. “Happy Xmas” provides the perfect balance of emotional depth and linguistic richness, making it ideal for fostering critical thinking, creativity, and communication skills.

By using these 8 easy activities, you’ll save planning time, engage your students, and inspire them to see English as a means to express themselves and connect with the world.

For more Xmas themed ESL Lessons, check out the links below:

Conclusion and Next Steps

An activity like the Musical Word Search seems so simple on the surface, doesn’t it? But it’s about so much more than just finding words.

It’s about giving our students the confidence to connect with a powerful message, to think critically, and to walk away with the song’s heart truly in their minds. And that’s what this is all about, right? Creating those moments of real, meaningful learning.

If this is the kind of energy you want to bring to your classroom every month, I would LOVE to invite you to explore my Exclusive Subscriber Club. It’s where I share brand-new lesson plans every single month, always using the most popular songs of right now—we’re already working with the biggest hits of 2025! It’s my way of making sure you ALWAYS have something fresh, creative, and impactful ready to go.

Happy Teaching!

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