WORKING WITH SONGS

                          
                              WORKING WITH SONGS                                        

         In order to work with songs in a different way, I have already practised some very useful ideas and strategies provided by Neda in our weekly sessions. And I must admit that the result has been a complete success.

                                      

OBJECTIVE: Conditional Sentences for 4ºESO. Making hypotheses.(Type II)

MATERIALS AND ACTIVITIES:

1)      Work with the song “If I were a boy” by Beyonce. (Devote one session).

a)      The students listen to the song and individually they write down on their notebooks ten words they can understand.

b)       In groups of three, students share and exchange vocabulary and ideas, trying to guess the topic or plot of the song story. If possible for advanced students, they can also rewrite the parts of the song they get to understand.

c)      Every group read their handouts to the rest of the class.

d)     The teacher projects the lyrics and plays the song while the students check their notes.

e)      Sing the song and enjoy it.

                                            If I were a boy        by BEYONCE

If I were a boy even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted
And go drink beer with the guys

And chase after girls
I'd kick it with who I wanted
And I'd never get confronted for it
'Cause they stick up for me

If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man

I'd listen to her
'Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted
'Cause he's taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed

If I were a boy
I would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it's broken
So they'd think that I was sleeping alone

I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
'Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for me to come home, to come home

2)      Write a composition about a topic that is related to the song. The composition steps are explained to the students in class ( devote one session ) and an example of a guided composition is written on the blackboard jointly in class. Use “brainstorm” and “mind maps” to elicit information and ideas from the students and teach them how to do it the same at home.

COMPOSITION TOPIC: Who would you be if you were a famous character from a novel

                                             you have read?

POSSIBLE TITLE:   If I were a different person, I would be…

                                    (explain the use of “were” with the 1^st person sg).

COMPOSITION CONTENT: The answers to the following questions may help you with your

                                                     composition:

-Why would you like to be that character? Describe him/her physically, his/her personality and

  behaviour and give reasons for your choice.

-How would you behave?

-What would you do?

-How would your new life be?

COMPOSITION STRUCTURE:

-Your composition must have three paragraphs as a minimum:

-INTRODUCTION: very brief information about the plot of the book you have read and the

                                   character chosen.

-COMPOSITION BODY: one or two paragraphs Cincluding,among many other ideas, those in the

                                           previous step ( composition content ).

-CONCLUSION: Your opinion about the experience. Would you really like to be a different

                              person or are you happy and proud of yourself?

-Grammar you must use in your composition:

-Descriptive structures: adjectives (remember word order), relative sentences.

-Conditional sentences: Conditional Sentences Type I and II (hypothesis).

-Verbal Tenses: simple past, present perfect, conditional “would”, present simple (descriptions ).

-Connectors : Temporal ( firstly, then, to conclude…) ,Cause or Reason (because), Conditional (if,

                       unless)

-Comparative structures: in the conclusion you may compare your current life with your

                                         hypothetical life.