Steps to teach songs in class-Teacher Rosa Guevara

Objetives Grammar point: the Present Perfect (I've seen it, you've seen it, she's seen it...)
Learners secondary grade 15 years old
Song We are the champions

• 1. Listen to the song

• Showing a video clip .Ask learners if they’ve heard it before, and don’t overload them with tasks at this point; simply
let them enjoy the music.
• 2. Ask some questions about the title and the genesis of the song
• For Queen’s classic ‘We are the champions’:
• ‘What is a champion?’
• ‘What kinds of champions are there in the world?’
• ‘What activities have champions?’
• Such questions tend to work really well as conversation starters in group three or four learners together and then get
feedback from each group on their thoughts.
• A best strategy is to give three or four words from the song and ask to them to listen out for the words that rhyme
with them. You could also brainstorm possible rhymes before listening.
 Steps to teach songs in class
Objetives Grammar point: the Present Perfect (I've seen it, you've seen it, she's seen it...)
Learners secondary grade 15 years old
Song We are the champions
•3. Listen to the song again, this time with lyrics
• At this point you might do one or more of the following activities:
•Learners can just read the lyrics while they listen. They can possibly highlight unknown words for later
discussion.
•You can make a lyric worksheet as a gap fill; learners fill in the gaps as they listen.
•You can make cut-out strips of selected missing words and again make a lyric worksheet as a gap fill.
•4. Focus on a particular verb tense or aspect of grammar
•This song features the use of the Present Perfect, which is used to describe past experiences, or to
• refer to actions from the past that have some connection to the (e)________. For example, "I’ve
•broken my arm, which is why I can't play tennis." Extract I've paid my dues, time after time, I’ve
•(9)______________my sentence, But committed no crime, And bad mistakes, I've (10)
•_________________a few…..
 Steps to teach songs in class
Objetives Grammar point: the Present Perfect (I've seen it, you've seen it, she's seen it...)
Learners secondary grade 15 years old
Song We are the champions

• My suggestion is to start with questions such as these:

• How many examples can you find of the present perfect in the lyrics?
• Why did the writer of this song choose this verb tense?
• 5. Focus on vocabulary, idioms and expressions
• We’ve noted that many songs bend the rules of grammar. It’s also useful to focus on the creative
and artistic use of vocabulary we encounter in lyrics. Start with questions like these (again, for
Queen’s classic song ‘We are the champions’):
• What does ‘I’ve paid my dues’ mean?
• What does ‘my share of’ mean?
• What does ‘I’ve taken my bows’ mean