songs for esl – Song Activity Factory

Songs for Teaching 1: Email Feelings

Most English language teaching professionals feel that English songs have a fitting place in the ESL/EFL classroom. However, trying to find a ready-made song activity which features neither an activity with an ‘ancient’ song nor the dreaded gap-filling exercise is time-consuming.

With this in mind, Song Activity Factory will start featuring posts on how to create different song activities with step-by-step suggestions, in a flexible template format, to facilitate and save precious time for busy teachers and ESL/EFL professionals.

Activity Idea 01 – EMAIL FEELINGS

How about preparing your students for the Cambridge English First (FCE) writing and speaking papers and, at the same time, providing some relaxing fun time with a song/music video? That’s what ‘EMAIL FEELINGS’ is all about.

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Teaching with SONG PIECES 2!

song pieces

SONG PIECES is back! By using various short song extracts, it injects variety and liveliness to English language teaching classes. It generates student interaction and collaboration to identify specific things in the lyrics, in a light and fun way.

SONG PIECES is fast-paced, and its variety provides extra energy and fun at any moment the teacher needs:
Review, warm-up, extra grammar practice, or as a simple reward activity

Description:
In this ELT song-based activity, students work in teams and listen to 7 different short song extracts, and have to identify different grammar structures and vocabulary in each one.
Language level: all levels
Learner type: All ages
Skills: listening and writing
Topic: varied
Language and grammar: nationality, clothes, adjectives, parts of the body, modal verbs (can/could), nature words connected to water
Materials: edited mp3 files for the songs used 
Duration: 20 - 30 minutes
Downloadable materials:  instructions; Song Extracts (mp3 files)

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Mother’s Day Flashback: Losing My Religion

losing

Description:
This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features “Losing My Religion” by REM, and its official music video. Students review ways of expressing opinions, agreeing and disagreeing, talk about the meaning of the song, read and discuss people’s opinions about it, watch the music video, and talk about its connection with the lyrics

Language level: intermediate (B1+) and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking (Cambridge English First Exam - FCE preparation), and reading.
Topic: song meaning and sharing opinions in Cambridge exams 
Language: Vocabulary related to opinions, agreeing, disagreeing, and interaction
Materials: Youtube video, worksheets, and mp3 file
Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30min
Downloadable materials:  instructions; Lyrics worksheet+ opinions; song mp3

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Broken & Beautiful – Kelly Clarkson

kelly

Description:
This song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching features the song Broken & Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson and the official music video. Students talk about movies, do a crosswords exercise with words from the lyrics, listen to the song and do a gap-fill listening exercise with the words found in the crosswords

Language level: Basic (A2) and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: Movies
Language: Vocabulary related to movies, expressing opinions
Materials: Youtube video, worksheets pdf, and mp3 file
Duration: 1 hour 
Downloadable materials:  instructions; worksheet; song mp3

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Better Man – Westlife

westlife still

Description:

This short and fun song-based activity for English language teaching features the song “Better Man” by Westlife. Students talk about Music, work in small groups, listen to the song and order a set of words according to the order they are sung. As an optional extension (part 3), students watch the music video and do a speaking exercise.

Language level: Basic (A2) and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: Listening, group interaction, collaboration, teamwork
Topic: Music, simple vocabulary
Language: group interaction
Materials: cut-out worksheet pdf, and mp3 file (youtube video - optional)
Duration: 20 - 30 min (without part 3)
Downloadable materials:  instructions;  cut out worksheet; song mp3

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Song Lottery & Writing Emails

SASHA

Description:

This ELT song activity is based on the song “Older” by Sasha Sloan and its official music video. Students talk about family, play a song lottery game, watch a video and write an email.

Language level: B1 and above
Learner type: All ages
Skills: speaking, reading, listening and writing
Topic: family
Language: Vocabulary related to family, expressing opinions and writing e-mails
Materials: Youtube video, worksheet pdf, and mp3 file
Duration: 1 hour - 1h 30 min

Downloadable materials:  instructions; song lottery worksheet; song mp3

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Song Pieces! Adding Novelty to ELT

 Image by Thomas Breher from Pixabay

Introducing a new, fun and original ELT activity, SONG PIECES! containing short song extracts from which students have to listen to specific things in the song lyrics.

Description:
In this song-based activity lesson plan for English language teaching, students work in teams and listen to 10 different short song extracts and have to identify different grammar structures and vocabulary in each one.

Language level: all levels
Learner type: All ages
Skills: listening and writing
Topic: varied
Language and grammar: prepositions, clothes, adjectives, parts of the house, frequency adverbs, comparatives, superlatives, simple past verbs, colors, numbers, will future
Materials: edited mp3 files for the songs used 
Duration: 20 - 30 minutes

Downloadable materials:  instructions; Song Extracts (mp3 files)

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