Focus on activity: Emotions, feelings, and verb tense review

Target audience (age): Ensino Fundamental 2, Ensino Médio, Language schools

Lesson link: English ID 2, Unit 9; Upgrade, Unit 9; Our Way 3, Unit 8; Log In 4, Unit 2
Aims: identify and practice vocabulary related to emotions and feelings; review verb tenses
Duration: 20-25 min.
Organization: pair work
Materials: internet access and videos on YouTube: <www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFood_
bTOX4> – “How Am I Supposed to Live without You” (Michael Bolton); or <www.youtube.com/
watch?v=q-9kPks0IfE&list=PL59BFDAB1FF614BD4> – “I’ll Be There for You” (The Rembrandts)

Preparation:
• Watch the chosen video and check the appeals for personal action and emotions. Plan questions that
might help students figure out the appeals/characteristics/emotions of the songs.

“ How Am I Supposed to Live without You”

Suggested questions: Describe the location of the video. When was that song famous? (In the 1990s.)
Describe the clothes the singer is wearing. Are they married? Are they happy together? Why is he sad
then? Did they break up? Why do you think so?

If you decide to check the verb tenses in the songs, you’ll identify:

Verb tenses:

When I heard the news today – Simple Past

They said you were leavin’ – Past Continuous

Tell me all about it – Imperative

How am I supposed to live without you? – Simple Present

Now that I’ve been lovin’ you so long – Present Perfect Continuous

Photocopiable – Teacher’s copy

“I’ll Be There for You”

Suggested questions: Describe the location of the video. When was that song famous? (In the
1990s.) Describe their clothes. What’s their relationship like? Are they happy together? Why?
Verb tenses:
Your job’s a joke – Simple Present
Your mother warned you there’d be days like these – Simple Past
I’ll be there for you – Simple Future
You’ve burned your breakfast so far – Present Perfect

Lyrics links:
• Lyrics and song: “How Am I Supposed to Live without You”
< www.vagalume.com.br/michael-bolton/how-am-i-suppose-to-live-without-you.html>
(accessed on March 17, 2014).
• Lyrics and song: “I’ll Be There for You”
<www.vagalume.com.br/the-rembrandts/ill-be-there-for-you.html> (accessed on March 17, 2014).

Procedures:
• Divide students into groups of four or five.

• Give a blank sheet of paper per group.

• Tell students they are going to watch a musical video and ask them to take notes about
the appeals of the song, characteristics of the video that link it to the 90s, and words that
represent emotions and relationships. If you want to review verb tenses, ask students to write
down sentences with different tenses they can distinguish in the song.
• Explain the aim of the task, which can be writing down words/sentences related to emotions
and relationships (and verb tense review).
• Play the video twice or three times and let students take notes.

• Have students explain the relationship between the characters in the song, what’s working
out, what’s not, and any other details they can notice.
• Ask students to talk about the lyrics and relate them to real life.

Wrap-up:
• Have students talk in groups and write a paragraph expressing feelings towards a friend, a
relative or a pet, for example. Ask them to read their production out loud. Monitor students by
walking around the classroom.

Photocopiable – Teacher’s copy