Song Groups

This activity is a longer-term activity and can be given to students as group project work.

Preparation

Give the group one week to prepare. Students may require materials such as colored pens/markers, glue, and paper for making posters.

Procedure

1. Divide the class into small groups with five or six students per group. 2. Whenever you want to use a song in class, select one group to prepare the presentation to make to the whole class. A different group can do the next song. 3. Assign a different role/task to each member of the group. Their roles are described as follows:

The Leader introduces and moderates the presentation. The leader should design a listening task for the students to do when listening to the song. This could be answering particular questions, writing down certain words, or doing certain actions.

The Verse Choosers choose a favorite or interesting line(s) from the song, explain the message of the line(s), give examples to illustrate the meaning of the line(s), and discuss why they chose those lines.

The Culture Explorer finds out about the song’s role in American culture in the past and present, and tells the class what s/he has learned.

The Performers sing the song (or lip-sync) for the class in their choice of singing style. They can then explain why they chose that particular style. 4. On the day of the activity, allow the group to lead the presentation: introducing the song, explaining the verses and culture, giving the performance, and listening to the song.

Variations

1. Have students find a song that is similar in their own culture and discuss the similarities. 2. Vary song genres in order to expose students to different types of music (rock, country, blues, jazz, etc.).

When to Use It

• To lower students’ inhibitions about using language before an audience by giving presentations and singing • To improve research skills • To develop teamwork

Level

Skills

Practice

Materials

Lyrics and copy of the song for the group (or a link to find it on YouTube), colored pens/ markers, glue, and paper

Preparation Time

10–20 minutes for instructor (if you need to type the lyrics); a week or longer for student groups

Activity Time

30–45 minutes

Possible Resources

Sing Out Loud: Traditional Songs https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/singout-loud-traditional-songs Sing Out Loud: Children’s Songs https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/singout-loud-childrens-songs