Songs can be a good starting point for a discussion or a presentation.
Discussion of themes
Choose a song that deals with a topic of interest to your students (e.g. Imagine by John Lennon which is about peace and brotherhood, Money by Pink Floyd or Money Money Money by Abba etc), do a listening activity like a gap fill, then follow up with a careful reading of the song and a discussion on its theme(s).
Presentations
In most of the world a class of teenagers will be full of music fans. I have yet to find a teenager who likes no music at all. By using the theme of music with children of this age group, they will be more motivated than if the topic is of no interest to them.
- Students can work individually, in pairs or small groups
- They choose a favourite singer, group, musician, composer
- They research (internet, magazines etc) the above
- They produce a presentation – which can cover the biography of their chosen musician(s), their career. It can be a talk, a role play, interview, sketch
- They can use cassettes or CDs, posters, handouts to support their presentation
- This could also take a written form – be produced as a poster, booklet, magazine article
Other ideas for using songs in classs
Teenagers: Songs 1: Music in the background
Teenagers: Songs 2: Music as a stimulus for speaking
Teenagers: Songs 3: Music as a stimulus for writing
No comments yet