Traditional Songs General Activities PDF

Part 2.
1:
General Song Activities for Traditional Songs
www.americanenglish.state.gov
PART 2.1: GENERAL SONG ACTIVITIES FOR TRADITIONAL SONGS

The instructions for the various activities used in the book are described below. Parts 2.2 and 2.3 suggest
these activities for particular songs on the Traditional Songs and American Rhythms CDs and provide
accompanying materials. For your reference, an index of song units that model each activity is provided
at the end of each activity section. The index includes references to additional songs and song units,
which are available online at americanenglish.state.gov. You can use this index to locate examples of the
materials that are described in Part 2.1. However, most of the following activities can be used with any
song that you wish to teach.
Section 1: Pre-listening Activities

Listening to new songs presents unique challenges. Before listening to a song, teachers should prepare
student. Pre-listening activities can
introduce new words or phrases that students will hear in the song
activate students background knowledge about a particular topic so they can better predict what
they will hear
introduce cultural references to help students understand the song
motivate students and spark interest in the song
Pre-listening activities can be done in a variety of ways:
class games or discussions based on particular topics
the presentation of new vocabulary, phrases, or grammar structures
the practice of prediction strategies based on key ideas
the use of pictures to increase interest in the song and offer visual clues to help students
understand vocabulary and themes
Included below are 13 pre-listening general activities that you can adapt to almost any song.
Pre-listening 1:
Pre-listening 2:
Pre-listening 3:
Pre-listening 4:
Pre-listening 5:
Pre-listening 6:
Pre-listening 7:
Pre-listening 8:
Pre-listening 9:
Pre-listening 10:
Pre-listening 11:
Pre-listening 12:
Pre-listening 13:
Four Corners ................................................................................................... 02

One Title, Several Words Many Possibilities ............................................... 03
Swat ................................................................................................................. 04
Stanza Creation ............................................................................................... 05
Unscramble the Sentences ............................................................................. 06
Find Someone Who ..................................................................................... 07
What Do You Know About? ......................................................................... 09
Brainstorming and Mind-Mapping Vocabulary ................................................ 09
Picture Predictions........................................................................................... 11
Can You See What I See? .............................................................................. 12
It Could Be / There Might Be ........................................................................... 13
Picture Dictation .............................................................................................. 14
How Many Questions in a Minute?.................................................................. 15
The last five activities are specifically designed to use pictures (although many other activities include
modifications to incorporate pictures). Many pictures are provided in Parts 2.2 and 2.3. You can also find
suitable pictures on the Internet and in magazines and newspapers for these and other songs. Most
activities require very few or no materials at all. For activities that do require specific materials, you can
find examples in Parts 2.2 and 2.3 when these activities are applied to teaching specific songs. An index
of song units that model these activities is provided at the end of this pre-listening activity section
(including references to additional songs and song units that are available online.)
1
Pre-listening 1: Four Corners

Purpose: To generate interest in the song, express opinions, and make choices about controversial
ideas/statements
Level: 2 and above
Time: 15 20 minutes
Note to the teacher: This activity requires enough space for students to move around easily.
Preparation and Materials: Prepare three to five controversial statements related to the theme of the
song with which students can agree or disagree. Label four corners or areas of the classroom with
posters or signs that say
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree
Instructions:
1. Write one of the controversial statements on the board. Example:
Women can do physical work just as well as men.
2. Ask all the students to walk to and stand in the corner that matches how they feel about that
statement.
3. Once everyone is in a corner, ask students to share with the others in the same corner why they
feel that way about the statement. After small group discussions, each corner can then explain to
the rest of the class the various reasons why their group feels this way.
4. Repeat the procedure for each of the prepared controversial statements.
Modifications:
A.
+ time
B.
C.
- difficulty
+ difficulty
Choose several lines from the song and write controversial statements
that correspond to those lines. Write the controversial statements on
the board and follow Steps 1 4 above. After listening to the song,
write the corresponding line from the song next to each controversial
statement. Follow up with a discussion.
Instead of controversial statements, use topics, activities, or objects
that students may like or dislike. Topics can relate to music in general
or to specific themes in the song. Use emotive words to label the
corners of the room. Examples:
Really Like! Like Dont Like Yuck!
Use multiple-choice questions that have four answers and label the
corners of the room A, B, C, and D. Ask students to stand in the corner
that matches their preferred response. The topics of the questions can
relate to music in general or to specific themes in the song. Example:
Which type of music is the best?
A. Classical
B. Rap C. Pop D. Rock
D.
+ large classes
- space
- movement
- time
Ask students to respond by raising their hands or holding up cards with

their choices. Then select a few students to explain their answers.
E.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
Instead of controversial statements, write the title of the song on the

board. Find four large pictures that relate in some way to the title or
theme of the song, and hang them in four places in the room. Have
students read the song title and choose which picture represents the
title or possible themes in the song. Ask them to explain their choice.
After they listen to the song, allow them to change their opinion.
2
F.
+ extension
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ writing
+ time
Modifications (continued)
Instead of controversial statements, write the title of the song on the
board. Divide the class into four groups and ask each group to write on
large posters or sheets of paper one or two sentences predicting what
the song will be about. Hang the four predictions in the corners of the
classroom. Tell students to go to the corner with the prediction that they
think is most accurate. After listening to the song, hold a class
discussion to discuss which prediction was most accurate.
Pre-listening 2: One Title, Several Words Many Possibilities

Purpose: To predict the content, generate interest, and introduce vocabulary for the song
Time: 15 20 minutes, plus the length of the song
Level: All
Note to the Teacher: If students make predictions in their first language because they do not have the
vocabulary to express themselves, you may wish to teach them some keywords. However, limit the
number of new words to approximately five to eight. (+ time)
Preparation and Materials: Write the title of the song on the board. Select five key content words from
the song. Students will use these words to generate predictions about the song.
Instructions:
1. Tell students that the line on the board is the title of a song that they are going to listen to. Explain
any of the words in the title that students may not know.
2. Ask students to guess what the song is about. Appoint individual students or invite all students to
call out ideas. Write their ideas on the board.
3. Write on the board the five key content words that you pre-selected from the song. Ask students if
they want to change their predictions. Write any new ideas on the board.
4. After listening to the song, ask students to check whether their predictions were correct.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
+ writing
+ time
Divide students into groups of four or five. Ask them to discuss and
write down their predictions. Then ask each group to share their ideas
with the whole class.
B.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
Write the song title on the board along with question words relevant to
the song. Provide simple, short answers to these questions, and get
students to suggest the plot or theme of the song. Example (for On Top
of Old Smokey):
Who? Someone in love
Where? On top of a mountain
What? She lost her true lover
C.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
Write the song title on the board along with question words that are
relevant to the song (not all words will be relevant for every song):
Who? Where? What? Why? When?
Ask students to think of a brief response (as in Modification B) that
predicts what will happen in the song.
(optional)
+ groups
3
Modifications (cont.)
Repeat the process in Modification C above, but this time ask students
to think of a Wh-question and then predict the answer to the question.
Example: Students might have these questions:
Who will be the main character in the song?
Where will the song take place?
What will happen in the song?
Why will this happen?
When will the action take place?
D.
+ difficulty
+ questions
+ time
E.
+ groups
+ time
+ art
Ask students to draw a picture of what the song might be about. Divide
the students into groups of four or five so they can share their pictures
and predictions with their group.
F.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
Prepare large pictures that represent the keywords to help students

learn the words. Follow Steps 1 through 4 above.
Pre-listening 3: Swat
Purpose: To introduce vocabulary from the song, and make print and sound connections
Level: All
Time: 15 20 minutes
Note to the Teacher: This activity involves swatting or slapping words or pictures, and requires enough
space in the classroom for students to move around. However, the activity can also be done by pointing
to or circling the target item.
Preparation and Materials: Choose eight to ten key vocabulary words (or phrases) from the song. Add
additional words that sound similar, look similar, or are related to the keywords so that you have a set of
15 20 words. Write all of the words on the board in random order. Provide a flyswatter or rolled-up
newspaper for each team.
Instructions:
1. Point to each word, say the word, and have the students repeat the word after you. Explain the
meaning of the words, if needed.
2. Divide the class into two, three, or four teams. Give each team a flyswatter or a rolled-up
newspaper. Tell the teams to stand in lines at an equal distance away from the board.
3. Explain that you will call out a word. The first person from each team must race to the board and
hit the word with the flyswatter or newspaper. The team that hits the correct word first gets a
point.
4. Tell the first person to give the flyswatter or newspaper to the next person on the team and to
proceed to the back of the line.
5. Call out words in random order. You can use words more than once. As the game continues,
each person on the team should have a chance to swat the words. At the end of the game, the
team with the most points wins.
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
+ sound
discrimination
Select all of the rhyming words from the song, and choose additional
words that rhyme with those words or that look similar (such as who
and how). Then follow Steps 1 through 4 above.
4
B.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
Hang up large pictures that represent the key vocabulary words with
the word written underneath. Tell students to race up to swat the picture
as you call out the vocabulary words.
C.
+extension
+time
Once students have learned the words, let students take turns calling
out the words to swat.
D.
+ difficulty
- movement
+ spelling
Give each group a poster or large piece of paper to write on, and tell
them to write on their poster the word that you call out. The first group
to write the word with the correct spelling gets one point.
E.
+ difficulty
+ phrases
Write on the board phrases or lines from the song instead of single
words. This works well for songs with idioms or common phrases.
F.
+ extension
+ difficulty
+ synonyms
Create two sets of words. Set 1 has eight to ten words from the song.
Set 2 has eight to ten synonyms of the words from the song. Write Set
2 (the synonyms) on the board in random order. Call out the words from
the song (Set 1) and have students swat the correct synonym (Set 2).
G.
+ difficulty
+ word forms
Choose five to eight words from the song, some that have regular forms
and others that have irregular forms. On the board, write many different
forms of each word in random order. Include incorrect items so that
students must choose between correct and incorrect forms. Example:
For child, you could write
childrens children childs
Have students race to swat the correct word based on clues:
Swat the plural form of the noun child.
Possible features to include: plural/singular nouns, verb forms (past
tense of eat ate vs. eated), comparative/superlative adjectives
(shorter vs. more short).
Pre-listening 4: Stanza Creation

Purpose: To predict the content, generate interest, and introduce vocabulary for the song, and write
phrases and sentences
Level: 3 and above
Note to the Teacher: This activity may be extended over several class sessions. Session 1 (Steps 1
4): 20 25 minutes; Session 2 (Steps 5 6): 10 15 minutes.
Preparation and Materials: Choose a stanza from the song. Select eight to ten keywords for the stanza
and write them on the board in random order.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into groups of three or four.
2. Elicit or teach the features of song stanzas: they are similar to poems; they tend to have four
lines; and they use rhythm, repetition, and rhyme for coherence.
3. Explain that each group should write a stanza using all of the words or phrases on the board.
Explain that they may add as many words as they like, but they must use all of the keywords on
the board.
5
4. Give the groups 10 15 minutes to write their stanzas, helping them when requested.
5. When the time is up, ask groups to share what they wrote.
6. During the first listening of the song, ask students to compare their stanzas to the actual song.
Discuss or comment on how similar the students stanzas were to the original song.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
+ time
To use more than one stanza from the song, write different word sets
from multiple stanzas on separate sections of the board. Assign a
different set to each group. You may have several groups working on
each stanza. Follow Steps 1 6 above.
B.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ time
Have groups use the whole song and create more than one stanza.
C.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
Use complete phrases or sentences instead of individual words. Have

students combine the phrases or sentences to create the stanza.
D.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
+ competition
Create a worksheet of lyrics for the stanza with gaps for eight to ten
words. Tell students to create versions of the stanza by choosing words
to fill each gap. Give one point for each word that is used in the original
gap in the stanza. (Note: this activity is similar to a gap-fill activity, but
allows students to fill in the stanzas creatively rather than listening to
the stanza first.)
E.
- difficulty
+ art
- writing
Ask students to generate ideas for the theme of the stanza based on
the words on the board. You can provide all of the words for the stanza
in one grouping, or create groups of words that correspond to each line
in the stanza.
Have students draw a comic strip to illustrate their
predictions for the content of the stanza.
Pre-listening 5: Unscramble the Sentences

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary and grammar from the song, and write phrases
and sentences
Level: 2 and above
Preparation and Materials: Select five to eight of sentences from the song. You may choose all of the
sentences from the same stanza or a set of sentences from the entire song at an appropriate level for
your students. For each sentence, write the words in random order on a slip of paper. You will need at
least one slip for each group of students.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into small groups of three or four.
2. Pre-teach any new words from the selected sentences.
3. Explain to students that they will have to recreate a sentence from words you will give them.
4. Give each group the words from one mixed-up (scrambled) sentence. Ask each group to create
one sentence using their knowledge of sentence structure and vocabulary. Students can cut apart
the words and re-arrange them on their desks, or you can provide space for students to rewrite
the sentences below the scrambled words.
5. When they have created a sentence with their words, ask them to write it on the board.
6
6. Ask the class to look at each sentence written on the board to determine if it is correct. If not, ask
the class how to correct it.
7. If you are using all sentences from a stanza, ask students to recreate a complete
verse of the song by unscrambling the sentences and putting the lines on the board
in the right order.
8. Play the song for students to check their answers.
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
+ time
Create a handout with multiple scrambled sentences, and have each

group unscramble all of the sentences. First, groups can compare their
version with the other groups versions and then compare their version
with the lyrics of the song.
B.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
Give students clues about the word order and then get them to recreate
the rest of the sentence. Two possible clues:
Indicate the first and last word
Group words into phrases
C.
- groups
Write the words or phrases in large letters on separate pieces of paper.

Hang the words/phrases on the board in random order. Ask individual
students to come to the board and reposition one of the words/phrases
based on suggestions from the class. Continue to invite students up
until the sentence is unscrambled correctly.
D.
+ difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
+ writing
Mix written words together with pictures. Find small pictures to

represent three to five words in the sentence. Include the remaining
words in written form. Ask students to determine the correct word and
write it underneath the picture. Then get students to recreate the
sentences. Example:
with
on
from
oh
come
my
my
Pre-listening 6: Find Someone Who

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary for the song, activate background knowledge
about the topic, and ask and answer questions
Level: 2 and above
Time: 30 minutes, plus the length of the song
Preparation and Materials: Prepare eight to ten yes/no questions. The list of questions should: 1) be
about students qualities, abilities, and experiences; 2) be related to the theme of the song; and 3)
practice some of the vocabulary in the song. Write the list of questions on the board or create a handout
containing the questions.
Instructions:
1. Introduce the activity by speaking about your own past experience(s) that relate to the theme of
the song.
2. Ask students to look at the list of questions on the board or handout. Explain any new vocabulary.
3. Explain that the students will need to ask each other these questions. For each question, they
must find one person who can answer yes to that question. Instruct the students to write the
name of the person next to the question. They may not use the same person for more than one
question. The first person to complete the task wins.
7
4. Tell the students to stand up and walk around while completing this task. Circulate among them
and make sure they are asking and answering questions.
5. Announce the winner when the first student has completed the task.
6. After the game is finished, review the list of questions, asking students to speak about the
classmates who answered yes to certain questions.
7. Tell them to listen to the song and to circle all of the words in the questions that are also in the
song.
Modifications:
A.
+ large classes
+ groups
B.
+ groups
- difficulty
+ materials
Only prepare four to six questions. Divide students into groups of eight
to ten, and carry out the activity as described above.
Divide students into smaller groups of four to six. Instead of writing the
questions on the board, create small cards with one question on each
card. Each group should have one card per group member, and each
group member should have a different question
The group sits in a circle with the cards in the center. One at a time,
each group member takes a card, reads the question, and passes it to
the person sitting to the right. Each student then writes an answer (yes
or no) on the card before passing it to the right again. Repeat this
process until the card gets back to the student who picked it from the
center. That student reads the card and then summarizes the most
common response to the question for the rest of the group.
C.
+ difficulty
+ speaking
+ verb forms
+ questions
Create one set of questions using the present perfect. Example:

Have you ever ridden on the railroad?
Then create follow-up questions in the past tense:
When did you ride on the railroad?
Get students to practice answering the questions using the verb tense /
aspect modeled in the question.
D.
+ difficulty
+ writing
+ time
Provide keywords from the song, and have students form questions as
they complete Steps 3 7 above. This activity can be extended into a
second class session. Session 1 (writing questions): 15 20 minutes;
Session 2 (Steps 3 7 above): 15 20 minutes.
(optional)
+ groups
E.
- difficulty
+ pictures
Provide pictures that represent the key vocabulary items (objects or

action verbs) from the song. Teach students two question forms. For
example, if you use verbs from the song, you might teach questions in
the following forms:
Have you ever ________?
Do you like __________?
8
Pre-listening 7: What Do You Know About?

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary for the song, and activate background
knowledge about the topic
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a short, fun quiz on the same topic as the song. The quiz should
contain general information questions to activate students background knowledge. The quiz could
contain true/false, multiple choice, or short-answer questions. It can be read aloud or you can create a
handout.
Instructions:
1. Organize students into small groups of three or four.
2. Write the topic of the song on the board. Tell students that you are going to give them a quiz on
this topic. The team that answers the most questions correctly is the winner.
3. Distribute the quiz handout or read the first question aloud to the students. Allow them time to
discuss the question in their groups and decide on the first answer. Students should record their
groups answer on a piece of paper. Go on to the next question.
4. At the end of the quiz, go through the questions again and tell the students the correct answers.
Reward the group with the most correct answers with a prize or applause.
5. Discuss which words from the quiz might be in the song. Listen to the song to check students
predictions.
Modifications:
A.
+ extension
+ writing
+ time
Tell students the title of the song. Ask groups to prepare a quiz
containing three to five questions about the topic. Then groups will
exchange questions with other groups and take the quiz.
B.
+ difficulty
+ writing
+ time
Create open-ended questions that require students to respond by

writing one or two sentences.
C.
- groups
- time
Create a quiz with multiple-choice answers. Read the questions aloud

and have students raise their hands to vote for the correct answer.
Record the number of votes for each possible response.
D.
+ difficulty
Create difficult questions that require students to work together to

answer them. The first group to answer a question correctly gets a
point.
Pre-listening 8: Brainstorming and Mind-Mapping Vocabulary

Purpose: To generate interest, activate background knowledge about the topic, and introduce
vocabulary related to the song
Level: All
Time: 10 15 minutes
Preparation and Materials: Choose a word, phrase, or sentence that relates to an important topic or
theme from the song as the starting point for brainstorming. You can use a phrase or a line from the song,
or a popular expression.
9
Instructions:
1. Write the chosen word, phrase, or sentence in the middle of the board and circle it.
2. Encourage students to call out any thoughts that come to mind when they see the word, phrase,
or sentence. Write the students ideas on the board, or have students come to the board and
write down their own thoughts.
3. Ask the students to look at these ideas to see if they can be grouped into subtopics. Write the
suggested subtopics in smaller circles around the main idea and connect them with lines to the
main circle to create a mind map.
My
friends
Family
Home
Country
Where I
sleep
4. Ask the students to contribute new ideas based on these subtopics.

5. Try to extend these ideas whenever possible to include content/vocabulary connected to the
song.
6. Play the song. Ask students to mark which of their ideas/words are actually in the song.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
+ time
Choose several words, phrases, or sentences that relate to the song.

Divide students into small groups. Circulate several pieces of paper,
each with different words/phrases/sentences as the starting points for
brainstorming. Ask each group to write down their ideas on one paper,
pass it to another group, and generate ideas for a new mind map.
Continue this activity until everyone has shared ideas, and then ask
each group to report on the paper that they have in front of them.
B.
+ difficulty
+ time
Repeat the same instructions (Steps 1 6 above), but let the students
create their own mind maps at their desks. Then post these mind maps
on different sections of the board and compare them, noting any
similarities or differences.
C.
+ materials
+ pictures
Use a picture as the starting point for brainstorming.
D.
+ groups
+ competition
+ time
Divide students into small groups, and give each group the same
starting point. Ask students to brainstorm in their groups for five or ten
minutes. The group with the most detailed mind map is the winner.
E.
+ extension
+ competition
+ time
After generating the mind maps, according to the activity in Modification

E, play the song and ask students to identify any ideas that they wrote
down and that appear in the song. The team wins who came up with
the most ideas also in the song.
10
Pre-listening 9: Picture Predictions

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary related to the song, and activate background
Time: 15 20 minutes
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a large picture or a photograph related to the theme of the song
and hang it on the board. Optional: you may write the title of the song underneath the picture to help
students make their predictions.
Instructions:
1. Show the picture to the students and explain that it represents a story.
2. Tell the students that together they are going to create the story.
3. Prompt the students to help them create the story. You can begin by asking them who the
characters are, where they live, when the story took place, what happened first, etc.
4. Invite students to construct the story orally as a whole class, prompting them when necessary
and teaching them vocabulary when needed. Alternatively, you can divide the class into small
groups to write the story.
5. Tell students they are going to listen to a song about the same picture, and they should compare
their story to the one they hear in the song.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
- difficulty
Divide the students into small groups of three or four. Show them the
picture, and ask each group to create a title for the song (instead of a
story) based on the picture. Ask each group to read their title aloud.
The class can vote on the funniest or most creative title. Tell them the
real title and see which prediction was the closest. Move on to
predicting what the song is about.
B.
+ groups
Divide the students into small groups and tell them the title of the song.
Ask the students to predict what will probably be in the picture.
C.
- difficulty
+ art
Give the students the title of the song, and teach them any new
vocabulary words. Ask them to draw a picture to go with the song.
When they finish, they can compare their pictures with the one you
have.
D.
+ difficulty
+ past tense
Use questions to prompt the students to re-tell the story using the past
tense. Example questions:
When did the story take place?
What happened first?
What happened second?
E.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
Use several pictures to help students predict the possible content of the
song, especially for longer songs or for topics that the students may not
have much background knowledge about.
11
Pre-listening 10: Can You See What I See?

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary from the song, and activate background
Time: 25 30 minutes
Level: All
and hang it on the board. The picture should contain many items or details that students will find in the
picture. Optional: choose a line from the song that corresponds to the picture.
Instructions:
1. Divide students into small groups of three or four. Tell them that in each group there should be
one recorder who writes down what the other students say. Ask the recorder to write the letters of
the alphabet down the left side of a piece of paper.
2. Tell students that they have ten minutes to complete the alphabet list. They need one word
beginning with A, one word beginning with B, one with C, and so on; however, all of the words
must be in the picture you are going to show them. Any word that appears in the picture and is
listed next to the correct letter will be counted as correct. They will get one point for each correct
word on their list.
3. Show the groups the picture. If groups at the back of the class are having trouble seeing it, you
can allow them to move back and forth between the picture and their group recorder. You can
help students if they are having difficulty. (For example, students will often write girl for G and or
boy for B, but they forget things like arm for A.)
4. When time is up, tell the recorders to stop writing. Ask each group to exchange lists with another
group, and ask the new group to count the number of correct words. Reward the winning group
with a prize or applause.
5. Tell students that the picture relates to the song. (Optional: write the corresponding line from the
song next to the picture.) Ask them to predict what the song may be about. Ask them to predict
which of the words on their lists will be in the song.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ memory
- time
Show the students the picture for only 45 seconds. Have all of the
students in the group look at the picture. As a group, have the students
make a list of all the things they remember seeing in the picture
(without listing them alphabetically). You may show the picture to the
students a second time, if desired.
B.
+ difficulty
+ synonyms
Show students the picture, and ask them to name as many things in the
picture as possible. Then have students come up with synonyms for
each of the words. The group with the most words wins.
C.
- difficulty
- time
Choose eight to twelve items in the picture for students to find. Tell the
students the letters that these words start with, and have them find one
word that starts with each of those letters.
D.
+ difficulty
+ word forms
Write on the board the words for eight to ten items that can be seen in
the picture in both their singular and plural form. You can provide some
distractors that are incorrect. For example, you might write child,
children and childs on the board. Have students circle the correct form
of the word to match whether that item appears in the picture once or
multiple times.
12
E.
Create a worksheet that contains one line for each item that you want
students to find. On the line, provide one blank for each letter in the
word, and fill in the first letter. Ask students to find and fill in the rest of
the letters. If needed, you can provide more than one letter in the word.
An example is given below.
- difficulty
- time
m
b
n__
____ ____ ____ ____
n ___ ___ ___ p ___ ___ ___ ___

s
h ___ ___ ___
Pre-Listening 11: It Could Be / There Might Be

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary from the song, and activate background
Level: 2 and above
Time: 10 15 minutes
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a large picture or photograph related to the theme of the song and
hang it on the board. Cover the picture with about five or six strips of plain paper so that the students
cannot see the picture. Optional: choose one line or phrase from the song that is related to the picture.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into pairs. You may need to pre-teach language forms necessary for guessing
(It might be; It could be; I think it is ; I am sure there is ).
2. Tell students that you will show them only part of the picture, and using the language forms
presented in Step 1, they should try to guess what the picture is about.
3. Remove one strip of paper so that only one part of the picture is revealed.
4. Ask students to describe what they see. Then ask them to guess what else might be in the picture
based on what they can see. They can discuss their guesses in pairs.
5. Then remove another strip of paper revealing more of the picture. Again, in pairs, students can
make predictions. Their predictions will become more definite as the activity continues.
6. When all the slips of paper are removed, you can then ask students to predict, based on the
picture, what the song might be about. Optional: once all the slips of paper have been removed,
write the line or phrase that you selected from the song on the board next to the picture. Using
the picture and the line or phrase ask students to make their predictions.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
+ time
Instead of putting the picture on the board, cut the picture into four to
six pieces. Divide the students into the same number of groups as you
have picture pieces, and give each group one piece. Ask each group to
guess what the picture might be without looking at the picture pieces
held by other groups. Ask each group to share their guesses with the
class. Then the whole class together puts the picture back together on
the board. Compare the classs guesses with the re-assembled picture.
13
B.
For pictures that portray a single item or vocabulary word, draw blanks
on the board, one for each letter in the word. As students guess what
the picture is, also ask them to guess the letters in the word. You can
provide some of the letters in the blanks if the students need more
clues. Example:
- difficulty
C.
+ difficulty
n .
Follow the steps for Modification B, but instead of using a vocabulary

word, have students spell out the title of the song. Example:
t
s
y
h
r .
p .
Pre-Listening 12: Picture Dictation

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary from the song, activate background knowledge
about the topic, and learn to recognize prepositions
Level: 2 and above
Time: 10 15 minutes
Preparation and Materials: Prepare one picture or a photograph related to the theme of the song.
Optional: choose a line from the song that corresponds to the picture.
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to take out a blank piece of paper and a pencil. Tell them this will be a picture
dictation, because they are going to draw instead of write.
2. Slowly start describing the picture. Give the students time to draw as you describe it. Example:
In the bottom, left-hand corner there is a rabbit.
Next to the rabbit is a tree.
There are apples in the tree.
3. When you are finished, students can share what they drew either with the students next to them
or with the whole class.
4. Display the original picture and see which students pictures most resemble it.
5. Optional: write the line that you chose from the song on the board next to the picture.
6. Move on to predicting what the song might be about based on this picture (and the line from the
song, if using one).
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
Divide students into pairs or small groups. Ask them to sit so that one
+ difficulty
student is facing the board and can see the picture, while the other
+ speaking
student is facing away from the board and cannot see the picture. The
+ time
student who can see the picture describes it for his or her partner. The
partner listens and draws a picture. Optional: prepare two pictures so
that students can switch roles.
14
B.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ speaking
+ time
C.
+ groups
+ materials
- art
Divide students into pairs as in Modification A. Show Student A only
half of the picture with instructions to describe this half to Student B.
Then have the students change positions and reveal the other half of
the picture to Student B. In this way both students will have the
opportunity to dictate half of the picture to their partner and to draw half
of it.
Make enough copies of the picture for each group to have one, and cut
out each of the objects in the picture. Divide the students into small
groups. Give one set of cut-out objects to each group. Then describe
the locations of each of the objects based on the complete picture.
Have the groups re-create the picture by arranging them on their desks.
When they have finished, let students compare their pictures to the
original.
Pre-Listening 13: How Many Questions in a Minute?

Purpose: To generate interest and introduce vocabulary from the song, activate background knowledge
about the topic, and practice asking and answering questions
Level: 3 and above
Time: 15 20 minutes
and hang it on the board.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into small groups of three. Everyone should be able to see the picture.
2. Assign a different role/task to each group member. Suggested the following roles:
The Questioner asks as many questions about the picture as possible in three minutes.
Questions can be about anything in the picture. Examples:
What is the girl doing?
What color is this?
Why do you think the girl is swimming there?
The Answerer answers the questions.
The Counter counts how many questions were asked during the time limit.
3. After they have finished, students should switch roles. Repeat this activity two more times so that
every student has a chance to play each role.
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
Tell the Counter to count only questions when they are formed
grammatically. If there is a problem with the question, the Counter
should ask the Questioner to reformulate the question correctly before
proceeding to the next question.
B.
+ difficulty
Have the Questioner use each of the question words that you write on
the board:
Who? What? Where? Why? How?
C.
- difficulty
+ competition
+ time
Divide students into groups. Give the groups five or ten minutes to
come up with as many questions as they can. The group who creates
the most questions wins. Then rearrange the students in new groups,
and tell them to ask one or two of questions developed by their former
group. The new group members should answer them.
15
Index of Pre-Listening Activities for Traditional Songs Units
1. Ive Been
Working on the
Railroad
2. Shell Be Coming
Round the
Mountain
5. Home on the
Range
*D
*D
*
*A
*
*
*
*
13. How Many

Questions
*B
*
*
10. Billy Boy
12. Picture
Dictation
*
*D
*A
*
*C
13. Hes Got the

Whole World in His
Hands
Letters indicate which modification in the pre-listening activity applies
11. It Could Be
/There Might Be
10. Can You See

What I See?
7. Red River Valley
*
*
12. Down in the

Valley
9. Picture
Predictions
*
*
6. Yankee Doodle
*B
9. Clementine
8. Brainstorming
and Mind-Mapping
7. What Do You
Know About?
6. Find Someone
Who
4. On Top of Old
Smokey
11. Oh! Susanna
5. Unscramble the
Sentences
3. Michael, Row the

Boat Ashore
8. Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot
4. Stanza Creation
3. Swat
2. One Title,
Several Words
Traditional
Songs Units
1. Four Corners
Pre-Listening Activities
16
Section 2: Listening Activities

After preparing students for the song with pre-listening activities, the next step is the actual listening
activity. Sometimes this step is referred to as while-listening or during-listening. When using songs or
listening activities, it is important that the students have a specific task to complete while listening.
Students can do many things while listening that help to focus their attention on particular aspects of the
songs. Among other things, students can be asked to listen:
for particular sounds or words
for detailed information
for the main ideas
Teachers often wonder how many times songs should be played for students. The answer depends on
your own students needs and interests. You should play the song enough times that most students can
understand at least some of it, while still keeping the students interested and focused on the song.
Remember that you can play the song again during singing and post-listening activities.
Included below are a number of listening activities that can be used with almost any song. The amount of
time required will vary depending on the length of the song and the number of times you choose to play it.
Listening Activities:
Listening 1: Relax and Enjoy! .................................................................................................... 18
Listening 2: Mixed-Up Lyrics ..................................................................................................... 18
Listening 3: Mixed-Up Pictures .................................................................................................. 19
Listening 4: Dictation ................................................................................................................. 20
Listening 5: Listening for Rhyming Words ................................................................................. 20
Listening 6: Listening Gap-Fill ................................................................................................... 21
Listening 7: Musical Words ........................................................................................................ 22
Listening 8: Song Bingo ............................................................................................................. 23
Listening 9: Find the Mistakes ................................................................................................... 24
Listening 10: Did You Hear What I Heard? ................................................................................. 25
Included activities require very few or no materials. You can find examples of activities that require
specific materials in Parts 2.2 and 2.3 of the book, where there are specific lesson menus and
accompanying materials for all of the songs included on the Sing Out Loud: Traditional Songs and
American Rhythms CDs. For your reference, an index of song units that model listening activities is
provided at the end of this section (including references to additional songs and song units that are
available online).
17
Listening 1: Relax and Enjoy!

Purpose: To enjoy listening to the song
Time: 10 15 minutes (the length of the song plus time for discussion)
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Prepare two to five questions to guide the class discussion about the song.
Some questions you might ask include the following:
Does it seem like a happy or sad song?
Does it seem to be a serious or humorous song?
Do you like the song? Why or why not?
Does the song remind you of any other songs you know?
Instructions:
1. Tell the students they are going to hear a song and that you want them to focus on how the song
makes them feel and what it reminds them of.
2. Play the song once.
3. Have a general class discussion about the students ideas and feelings using the questions that
you prepared.
4. After the discussion, select another activity for the second listening.
Listening 2: Mixed-Up Lyrics

Purpose: To listen for specific words or phrases, and make print and sound connections
Level: 2 and above
Time: 15 25 minutes (depending on the length of the song)
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a handout that divides the song into sets of lines. Cut the sets
apart. For lower level classes, you may divide the song into four or five sections, and for more advanced
students, you can use every line or sentence. You may use only a section or part of the song. For the
standard procedure, you will need one copy of the handout for every three students in the class.
Instructions:
1. Divide students into groups of three.
2. Explain that you are going to give them the lyrics from the song, divided into sections. They
should read through the lyrics and put the sets into the order they think is correct. Give them
about five minutes to do this. Clarify any new vocabulary.
3. Tell students that as you play the song they should check their work and put the strips in the
correct order.
4. Play the song two or three times so the majority of students have the strips correctly ordered.
Then check their answers.
Modifications:
A.
+ movement
- difficulty
Count how many lines there are in the song and prepare one strip of
paper for each line of the song. Divide the class into groups with this
number of students in each group. (For example, if the song has 15
lines, then each group should have 15 students.) Give each student
one line of the song. Ask the students to stand up. Tell them that as
they listen to the song they need to stand in the correct order according
to their sentence and what they hear.
18
B.
- groups
+ difficulty
C.
+ difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
+ time
Give students a page of lyrics (or put them up on the board), with the
lines out of order. Tell students to put them in the correct order as they
listen to the song by numbering the lines correctly.
Find a picture to represent the meaning of each stanza. Divide students
into small groups. As you play the song, pause after each stanza to
allow groups to discuss which picture might represent the theme of that
section of the song. You may play each section more than once, if
needed. Repeat this procedure for all stanzas. Ask groups to compare
the order in which they put the pictures.
Listening 3: Mixed-Up Pictures

Purpose: To listen for specific words or ideas
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a set of large pictures related to the main ideas or keywords in the
lyrics and hang them on the board in random order. Put a letter under each picture: A, B, C, and so on.
This activity works best if you choose words that occur only one time in the song.
Instructions:
1. Show the pictures to the students. Make sure they know what the pictures represent and the
correct pronunciation of any vocabulary represented in the picture.
2. Tell the students to write the numbers 1 to X (depending on how many pictures you have) on a
piece of paper. For example, if you have ten pictures, students should number from one to ten.
3. Explain to the students that they are going to listen to the song, and they need to decide which
picture was mentioned first, second, third, and so on. They should write the correct letter next to
the number on their paper.
4. Play the song two or three times so that most of the students ordered the pictures correctly.
Check their answers.
Modifications:
A.
+ materials
+ time
B.
C.
(optional)
+ groups
+ difficulty
- materials
- pictures
+ movement
+ groups
+ time
Divide students into groups. Photocopy and cut up the same set of
pictures for each student (or each group). Follow Steps 1, 3, and 4
above and have students work individually or in groups to put the
pictures in order by arranging them on the desk.
Instead of using pictures, write the vocabulary words or phrases from
the song on the board in random order. Follow Steps 1 and 2 above
and tell students to write down the words/phrases in the order that they
hear them. You can also mix pictures and words on the board.
Prepare copies of the pictures that students can hold. Divide the
students into equal groups, each group containing the same number of
students as pictures. Position each group in different parts of the room,
and ask each student in the group to hold up one of the pictures. As
they listen to the song, have the group members move around so that
they are standing in the same order in which the pictures are mentioned
in the song. At the end, compare the arrangement of each group.
19
Listening 4: Dictation
Purpose: To listen for details, and write phrases and sentences
Level: 2 and above
Note to the Teacher: Students should not be able to view the lyrics of the song before the activity.
Preparation and Materials: None
Instructions:
1. Play the song and pause after each line or couple of lines. Determine when to pause according
to the pace of the song.
2. Allow time for students to write what they heard before continuing with the song.
3. After listening to the song a couple of times in this manner, ask students to check what they
have written by comparing and discussing with others.
4. Ask the students to read the lines they heard, or write their lines on the board.
5. The class can then look at the board, compare what they have written, and, if there are
differences, try to decide which is the correct version.
6. Play the song again so that everyone can check their work.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ time
Divide the students into small groups. Allow a longer

section of the song to play (up to six or eight lines). Tell
students to write down as much as they can understand.
Then give them time to work together to recreate the lyrics.
B.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
Give each student a worksheet for writing the dictations.

Provide some lines of the lyrics on the page, followed by a
blank line for the students to fill in. This allows students to
focus on producing accurate but shorter dictations.
C.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ writing
+ time
This activity can also be combined with Crazy Lyrics

(Singing / Music Activity 8). Divide students into groups,
and ask each group to come up with a new version of the
song or stanza. Then, combine two groups together to
listen to and write down the other groups new version of
the song as it is dictated.
D.
- difficulty
- time
For longer songs, you may choose to use only one stanza
or the chorus of the song.
Listening 5: Listening for Rhyming Words

Purpose: To listen for details, and recognize and discriminate between similar sounds
Level: 2 and above
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a handout containing the song lyrics. Select three to five words
from the song that rhyme with other words in the song.
20
Instructions:
1. Write the words that you have selected on the board, pronounce them for the
students, and make the students practice saying the words.
2. Tell the students that they will listen to the song and identify words that rhyme with
the words you have written on the board by circling or underlining the rhyming words
on their copy of the song.
3. Working individually or in pairs, have the students listen to the song and identify
rhyming words.
4. Students may check their work with each other.
5. Play the song again so that everyone can double-check their answers.
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
- materials
+ dictionary
B.
+ extension
+ competition
+ time
(optional)
+ dictionary
Ask students to write down all of the rhyming words that

they hear without looking at the lyrics. Students can also
use a dictionary to check the spelling.
After finding the rhyming words in the song, students can try to extend
their rhyming lists. Using a dictionary and/or working in groups,
students can find as many words as possible that rhyme with the words
on the board. This activity may be carried out as a competition to see
whose list of rhyming words is the longest.
C.
+ difficulty
Ask students to identify all the rhyming words in the song,

or all the rhyming words that occur at the end of each line
of the song. Use this modification only for songs that have a
limited number of rhyming words.
D.
- materials
Write the lyrics on the board. Ask individual students to

come to the board to circle rhyming words as the class
listens to the song.
Listening 6: Listening Gap-Fill

Purpose: To listen for details
Level: 2 and above
Note to the Teacher: Traditional listening gap-fill activities require preparation of a handout with the
songs lyrics printed on it. Some of the words in the song are omitted and replaced with gaps. The teacher
decides which words to remove based on whether you want the students to focus on an element of
grammar or particular vocabulary words.
Preparation and Materials: Create a gap-fill handout using the song lyrics (you may use only part of the
song). Make a copy of the handout for each student or group of students.
Instructions:
1. Distribute the gap-fill handout. Tell students to work individually or in pairs to guess the missing
words before listening to the song. Tell them to write their guesses in the blank spaces.
2. As you play the song, students check what theyve written (or fill in the missing words if they have
not written anything in the space).
3. After students have listened several times, ask them to compare answers with a partner.
4. Then play the song again so that everyone can double-check their answers.
21
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
- time
Play the song once. Students may listen without guessing the missing
words beforehand. Then ask them to write down the missing words as
they hear the song for the second time.
B.
+ sound
discrimination
Prepare a gap-fill worksheet in which each gap contains two rhyming

words or two similar-sounding words. Have students listen and circle
the word they think is correct. Example:
Send it by (mail / rail).
C.
+ difficulty
+ sound
discrimination
Create a gap-fill by removing all of the rhyming words in the song.
D.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
Provide small pictures that the students can use to complete each gap
instead of writing. Or provide two small pictures in each gap and tell
students to circle the picture that matches the word that they hear.
E.
- materials
Write the gap-fill activity on the board, providing a number for each gap.
Have students write down their answers for each gap on a piece of
paper.
F.
- difficulty
Provide a synonym or other rhyming word underneath each gap-fill line

as a hint for students.
Listening 7: Musical Words

Purpose: To listen for and write specific words or phrases
Level: 2 and above
Preparation and Materials: Choose several places in the song where you plan to stop the music. If
possible, write down how many seconds between each stopping place to help you stop the music at the
same times the next time through. Optional: make a copy of the song lyrics for each student or group of
student.
Instructions:
1. Tell students that you are going to play a part of the song and then stop the song suddenly.
2. Explain that they need to write down as many words as they hear while the song is playing.
3. Play the song. Have the students write down any words they hear.
4. Stop the song suddenly and tell the students to stop writing.
5. Have students call out the words that they wrote down. On the board, generate a list of all of the
words they heard for that section of the song.
6. Play the next section of the song and repeat Steps 4 and 5. Repeat the procedure until you have
finished the rest of the song.
7. Listen to the song a second time, again stopping at the same places. As they listen to each
section, ask students to check the list on the board for each section, crossing off any words that
did not appear in that section. Optional: you can provide a copy of the song lyrics to help
students check the lists.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
- time
Complete this activity with only one or two stanzas (or the chorus) of
the song.
22
Divide students into small groups and let each group generate its own
list of words. After listening to the song one time, have each group
exchange lists with another group. Play the first section again, and tell
the groups to check their lists, giving one point for each correct word.
Record on the board each teams score for that section. Repeat this
procedure with the remaining sections. The team with the most points
at the end wins.
B.
+ competition
+ groups
+ difficulty
C.
+ groups
+ main ideas
After listening to a section of the song, divide the students in groups.

Ask each group to generate a description of the theme or topic of that
section of the song.
D.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ main ideas
+ time
Divide students into groups and have each group write a paraphrase for
each line, stanza, or section of the song.
Listening 8: Song Bingo

Purpose: To listen for specific words, introduce vocabulary from the song, and make print and sound
connections
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Choose 20 30 words from the song and write them on the board in
random order.
Instructions:
1. Make sure that the students know the meaning and pronunciation of all of the words.
2. Tell the students to draw a blank 3 x 3 grid (see below) on their papers. Instruct them to write one
word from the board in each square.
3. Tell them that you are going to play the song and they should cross off the words in their grids
when they hear them. The first student to cross off all nine of their words should shout Bingo!
4. After the first student has finished, play the song once more so that the whole class can check
their answers.
Example: 3 x 3 grid
23
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
+ verb forms
Write five to ten verbs that occur in the song on the board. Tell students
to fill in their grids by choosing a verb and writing down one form of that
verb (for example, the past tense or the present tense in third person
singular).
B.
+ difficulty
+ time
Instruct students to draw a larger grid and use more words to fill in the
grid.
C.
+ difficulty
+ phrases
Instead of using individual words, use phrases in the boxes. This works
especially well for common word combinations.
D.
+ difficulty
+ definitions
+ time
Tell students to select nine words for their grids. Instead of writing the
word, have them write a definition for each word in the grid.
E.
+ materials
+ pictures
Do this activity using pictures. Provide small pictures for each of the
words, or get the students to draw their own pictures of the vocabulary
items in the grid.
Listening 9: Find the Mistakes

Purpose: To listen for details and for specific words or phrases
Level: 2 and above
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a handout in which a number of the words from the songs lyrics
have been changed. You will need at least one copy for every three students. For long songs, you may
use only part of the song or the chorus.
Instructions:
1. Divide students into small groups of three.
2. Tell the students that they are going to read the lyrics of a song as you play it, but there are a
number of mistakes in the written lyrics.
3. Explain that when they find a mistake they should try to fix it by writing down the correct word.
4. Hand out the mistake-filled lyrics. Allow students a couple of minutes to read through them.
5. Play the song two or three times so that the students can find most of the mistakes.
6. Play the song once more to check the answers.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
B.
+ difficulty
+ active/passive
voice
Tell students the number of mistakes contained on the worksheet as

well as the type of mistakes. Example:
There are two wrong words, two verb tense errors,
and two incorrectly formed plural nouns.
Change a number of verbs from active into passive voice. Tell the
students to rewrite the lyrics in the active voice, and then compare their
revised version with the original song.
24
Listening 10: Did You Hear What I Heard?

Purpose: To listen for the main ideas and specific details
Level: 2 and above
Note to the Teacher: Just as you can use questions for listening in class, you can use questions with
songs. These can be gist questions that focus on the main ideas or detail questions that focus on
specific pieces of information within the song. The difficulty of the questions should be tailored to your
students age and level.
Preparation and Materials: Write two or three questions about the main idea, theme, or story of the
song. If you wish, prepare some additional questions focusing on the details of the song. Write the
questions on the board, or prepare a handout containing the questions.
Instructions:
1. Tell the students that as you play the song, they should try to answer the questions on the board.
2. After the song is finished, ask the students to compare their answers in groups of three or four.
3. Play the song again, if needed.
4. Let the students work in groups and then check the answers with the whole class.
5. If an answer is wrong, help the students to understand why it is not correct.
6. If you have additional questions about specific details, use the same procedure.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
Focus on main idea questions only.
B.
+ difficulty
Focus on detail questions.
C.
+ difficulty
Focus on inference questions.
D.
+ groups
+ extension
+ questions
+ time
Divide students into groups and give each group a copy of one stanza
from the song. Have each group develop two or three questions for
another group to answer.
25
Index of Listening Activities for Traditional Songs Units
2. Shell Be Coming
Round the Mountain
3. Michael, Row Your
Boat Ashore
*A,
B
9. Clementine
9. Find the
Mistakes
10. Did You Hear

What I Heard?
8. Song Bingo
7. Musical Words
5. Listening for
Rhyming Words
6. Listening GapFill
*
*
*
*A
*
*A
10. Billy Boy
*
*
*C
*
12. Down in the Valley
*C
8. Swing Low, Sweet

Chariot
*C
*
7. Red River Valley
5. Home on the Range
11. Oh! Susanna
4. On Top of Old
Smokey
6. Yankee Doodle
4. Dictation
3. Mixed-Up
Pictures
1. Ive Been Working

on the Railroad
2. Mixed-Up
Lyrics
Traditional Songs
Units
1. Relax and
Enjoy!
Listening Activities
*C
*
*
*
*
13. Hes Got the Whole

World in His Hands
Letters indicate which modification in the listening activity applies
26
Section 3: Singing / Music Activities

Singing along to a song newly learned is not only fun, it can also be educational and pedagogically
sound. Students not only practice using grammatical chunks of language and pronouncing new words,
they also become more familiar and comfortable with rhythm and stress in English. In turn, this may help
their intonation skills. Thus, it is recommended that teachers include class time after the listening activities
for students to sing the song.
Some teachers may feel awkward asking students to sing in class, however, and some students really do
not like singing and do not want to sing in front of others. Here are some ways that you can help students
to relax and enjoy singing:
Encourage students to tap their fingers on the desk to practice the rhythm, as other students sing.
Ask students to listen and lip sync (move their lips according to the lyrics without actually singing).
Refrain from asking students to stand up front. Allow them to stay at their desks to sing.
Direct students to sit in a large circle with their backs to the center of the circle and their faces
looking outward. Students will not be able to see the other students and may be less selfconscious about singing.
Give students small instruments, such as drums or shakers, to focus on while singing.
Instructions for making several simple instruments are provided in this section.
Allocate different movements to go with different lyrics, such as swaying back and forth when
they hear the word wind.
Ask students to draw pictures to accompany the words in the song and hold up the correct picture
when they sing that word.
By having the students focus on something else, such as playing an instrument or doing particular
movements, students are less likely to be nervous and will enjoy singing.
Included below are nine singing activities that you can adapt to almost any song. Instructions for making
four homemade instruments are also included in this section.
Singing / Music Activities:
Singing 1: Sing Along With Me ................................................................................................... 28
Singing 2: Disappearing Song .................................................................................................... 28
Singing 3: Old Song, New Song ................................................................................................. 29
Singing 4: One Theme Many Songs ....................................................................................... 30
Singing 5: Show Me the Word .................................................................................................... 31
Singing 6: Your Moves ............................................................................................................... 32
Singing 7: Drum and Instrument Circles ..................................................................................... 32
Instrument 1: Can and Bottle Shaker ................................................................................... 34
Instrument 2: Rattle Stick ..................................................................................................... 34
Instrument 3: Rain Stick ....................................................................................................... 35
Instrument 4: Bottle Xylophone ............................................................................................ 35
Singing 8: Crazy Lyrics ............................................................................................................... 36
Singing 9: The Halls Are Alive With the Sound of Singing ......................................................... 37
Although most of the activities included here require very few or no materials, students may feel more
comfortable singing if they can see the lyrics to the song written on the board or on a handout. Thus, the
lyrics to each song on the Sing Out Loud: Traditional Songs and American Rhythms CDs are included on
the second page of each song unit in Parts 2.2 and 2.3 so that they may be photocopied as handouts.
Examples of activities that require specific materials appear in Parts 2.2 and 2.3 when these activities are
applied to specific songs. For your reference, an index of song units that model these activities is
provided at the end of this section (including references to additional songs and song units online).
27
Singing 1: Sing Along With Me

Purpose: To practice pronunciation and intonation
Level: All
Note to the Teacher: This technique is especially useful in lower level classes or in mixed ability
classes. Sometimes students can become overwhelmed with the pace of a song and lose their place. If
this happens, it can be difficult for them to catch up. Having the teacher indicate on the board where they
are in the song can help.
Preparation and Materials: Write the lyrics on the board or on a large poster.
Instructions:
1. Practice singing the song with the students. While singing, use a large stick, ruler, or your hand to
point on the board to the words as they are sung so that students dont lose their place in the
song.
2. If some students learn the song quickly, they can come to the front and point to the words on the
board. Different students can take turns.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ time
If the melody of the song is a bit difficult, start by humming it. Ask the
students to hum along as you hum the first time through the song. The
second time work with them on singing the refrain and hum the
remaining verses. Next, depending on the difficulty of the song, you
may introduce one or two verses.
B.
+ groups
+ time
Depending on the song, you can divide the students into call-andresponse groups where one group or person sings a line and the other
group responds with the next line. For example, in the song Billy Boy,
one group could sing the mothers lines and the other group could
respond with Billys lines. This approach also works well when there is
repetition in the song.
C.
- time
For long songs, sing only one stanza or section of the song.
Alternatively, you can sing along with the chorus each time it appears in
the song.
D.
+ groups
+ time
If the song contains long lines, divide students into groups and assign
each group one or two lines to sing.
Singing 2: Disappearing Song

Purpose: To practice pronunciation and intonation, and to recall words and phrases
Level: 2 and above
Note to the Teacher: This activity involves singing the song multiple times and asking students to recall
words that you have erased from the songs lyrics. The number of words that you choose to erase and
the pace with which you remove them will depend on the length of the song, the difficulty of the lyrics, and
the level of your students. You do not need to erase a high percentage of words for the activity to be
engaging and challenging. For long songs, stop after Step 4 while 50% of the words still remain.
28
Preparation and Materials: Write the lyrics on the board.

Instructions:
1. Practice singing the song with the students, line by line.
2. Erase approximately 10% of the words. Draw a blank space under each erased word. Practice
singing the song again with the students. Make sure that they can remember and sing the
missing words.
3. Erase another 10% of the words and follow the procedure in Step 2.
4. Erase an additional 20 to 30%, so that only about 50% of the words remain. Practice singing the
song again.
5. Finally, erase an additional 20 to 30% so that about 20% of the words remain. Sing the song one
final time.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
Erase only key content words from the song. Replace the written form
of the word with a picture of the word to help students remember the
word.
B.
+ groups
+ materials
+ time
Divide students into groups of four or five. Give each group a copy of a
different stanza of the song. Ask groups to decide which words to
delete from the song by cutting the word out or by coloring over words
with a pen or marker. Then tell the groups to exchange stanzas and
sing their new stanza.
C.
+ groups
- difficulty
Divide students into groups. Give each group one or two lines to sing.
Singing 3: Old Song, New Song

Purpose: To explore the rhythm of words
Level: 2 and above
Time: 40 55 minutes
5): 25 30 minutes; Session 2 (Step 6): 15 25 minutes, depending on how many groups there are.
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a handout with the lyrics of the song, or write the lyrics on the
board.
Instructions:
1. Discuss with the students what types of music they like and which ones are currently popular,
such as rap, hip hop, jazz, and so on. Talk about the special features of these types of music.
2. Divide students into groups of three to five based on their favorite types of music. You can have
more than one group for each type.
3. Give students the lyrics. Play the song (more than once, if necessary) and ask students to follow
along with the lyrics.
4. Tell the students that you want them to sing the same song with the same words, but in the new
genre. Students may use the lyrics to help them learn the song.
5. Divide the students in groups to discuss their ideas and prepare their song. You may wish to give
them time to practice either in class or as homework.
6. Ask each group to sing in their new song style for the class. You can encourage the groups to
teach the other students their new song style. Students could vote on the best new version.
29
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
+ creativity
Instead of changing the type of music, tell students to adapt the lyrics
and explain how they should change the song. For example: to make it
more fun, make it happier, or make it sadder. Each group can be
encouraged to sing their new song for the group.
B.
+ creativity
Ask the students to think of their favorite singer or to think of a very

famous singer. Tell the students in the group to practice singing the
song imitating their famous singer. Example: Sing the song like
Michael Jackson might have sung it.
C.
- difficulty
- time
Have students complete this activity just using the chorus or another
section of the song.
D.
+ difficulty
+ creativity
+ time
Instead of changing the type of music or individual words, the students

could write a new stanza for the song. Have them develop a sequel to
the story told by the song. Then write a new stanza to tell that story.
Singing 4: One Theme Many Songs

Purpose: To create a song, and practice pronunciation and intonation
Level: 3 and above
Time: 60 75 minutes (depending on the number of songs to be performed)
Note to the Teacher: This activity may extend over several class sessions. Session 1 (Steps 1 2): 25
30 minutes; Session 2 (Step 2): 15 20 minutes; Session 3 (Steps 4 5): 20 25 minutes (depending
on the number of songs to be performed).
Instructions:
1. Divide students into small groups of four.
2. Tell the students they should work together to write original lyrics for a two-stanza song related to
the theme of the song they just learned. They can use the same melody or choose a different
one; however, they should avoid using the same words that were in the song they learned.
3. Give the students time to rehearse their songs.
4. Have each group perform their song. Depending on the level of the students, they can explain
why they chose those lyrics and melody.
5. This activity can be made into a contest with the students in the class voting for the best song.
Applause or a small reward can be given to the winning group.
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
+ rhyming
B.
+ scaffolding
+ materials
If the original song contains many rhyming words, tell students to find
and use words that rhyme as they compose the lyrics for their new
song.
Create a handout that will help guide students in the creation of their
stanza. Include information such as how many lines to create, and how
many syllables the students should use in order to mimic the stress
pattern in the melody of the original song.
30
C.
+ scaffolding
D.
- time
Provide students with a list of words or phrases as a bank to help
them generate ideas for the new lyrics. This bank can be provided on a
handout, or you can generate the word bank as a class by
brainstorming possible words that are related to the theme of the song
and writing them on the board. Elicit nouns, verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs that students can use.
Ask each group to create one new line for the new song. Then, as a
class, combine the lines into a stanza.
Singing 5: Show Me the Word

Purpose: To make print and sound connections, and learn vocabulary from the song
Time: 20 30 minutes
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Provide paper or cards for the students to write words on. Choose
approximately 20 words for the students to focus on and write them on the board.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into small groups. They will divide the words among them. Example: for a
group of five, each student will have four different word cards.
2. Have students copy the 20 words onto 20 separate pieces of paper or cards. Tell them to
distribute the words so that each student has an equal number of word cards.
3. Tell the students that the class will sing the song as they sit in their groups. Whenever students
hear and sing any of the word on their cards they need to raise the corresponding card above
their heads.
4. Play the song and ask students to sing along, raising their words whenever they sing those
words.
5. To make it more competitive, you could select a class judge to watch the groups and make sure
they raise the correct words.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ art
Select only ten different words. Distribute two words to each student.
Tell the students to draw a picture of the two words assigned to them.
Then play the song and follow Steps 3-4 above.
B.
+ phrases
Instead of individual words, you can provide phrases for students to

write down, sing, and hold up.
C.
+ movement
Students need to position their chairs around the room, spreading out
so that they can easily jump up and sit back down. As students raise
the word cards above their heads, they also jump in the air with their
cards. Have a judge determine which students can do this the fastest.
D.
- difficulty
+ materials
+art
Prepare a large picture to represent each word that you write on the
board. Hang the picture on the board next to the written word. Have
students copy the word, draw a similar picture, or do both on their word
cards.
31
Singing 6: Your Moves

Purpose: To learn vocabulary from the song, and represent word meanings with actions
Time: 20 30 minutes
Level: All
Preparation and Materials: Choose a set of 10 15 keywords or phrases from the song that can be
represented with motions or gestures. If a few words are repeated often in the song, then choose fewer
keywords or phrases. Prepare a handout containing the lyrics of the song or write the lyrics on the board.
Circle the keywords that you have selected. For long songs, you may choose to use only one stanza, one
section, or the chorus of the song.
Instructions:
1. Give students a handout of the lyrics or show them the lyrics on the board.
2. Elicit possible motions that could be associated with each keyword or phrase. Example: Possible
motions for the word tall
a) students reach their hands up straight toward the sky, or
b) students hold one hand up at eye level with the palm facing the floor
3. After the students have suggested a number of different mimes for the keyword or phrase, then
ask the class to choose the one they like the best.
4. Practice that mime and then go on to the next keyword until each keyword has a mime. Practice
all of them so that students can remember them.
5. Play the song and have the students sing along and do the correct mime when they hear the
word or phrase.
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
+ time
Go through the song line by line and have students offer an

interpretation of the meaning of the lines or stanzas. Ask students to
think of a mime or series of mimes to represent those interpretations.
Play the song and get students to perform the mimes.
B.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ competition
+ time
Divide students into small groups that need to come up with their own
mimes for the selected words. Ask each group to perform their version
of the song, and let the class vote on the best performance.
C.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ competition
+ time
- materials
Choose two groups to compete against each other. Then have students
perform the mimes at the same time and vote for the group that
performs the correct mimes most often.
D.
If students have sung the song before, write the keywords or phrases
on the board (without providing a handout with the lyrics). Follow the
steps above to elicit movements, and then sing the song, pointing to
each phrase on the board as it is sung.
Singing 7: Drum and Instrument Circles

Purpose: To explore the rhythm of words
Level: All
Note to the Teacher: Instructions for making four homemade instruments, which can be used with this
activity, follow these instructions. Instruments can be made during a class period before you want to sing
the song.
32
Preparation and Materials: Collect and bring in different types of drums or other rhythm instruments
(such as can and bottle shakers, rattle sticks, rain sticks, and bottle xylophones). If this is not possible,
then students can clap their hands or tap on the desks.
Instructions:
1. Ask students to stand or sit in a circle. Give each one a drum. If there are not enough drums, they
can share or some students can clap their hands or tap on the desks.
2. Provide a model of how the song can be sung with the beats by tapping out a few words or a line
of the song. Focus on the coordination of word stress and the drum beats. Ask the students to
repeat the model back to you using the instruments.
3. Go through the song one time, pausing periodically to allow students to get back together.
4. As the students become more comfortable with the idea of coordinating the stress and beats, you
can introduce different speeds and rhythms.
5. After practicing, sing the song one more time and have students play the drums or instruments
while they sing. If you wish, ask students to take turns being the drum circle leader.
Modifications:
A.
+ materials
Invite students to bring in their own rhythm instruments from home on

the day you wish to sing the song. You can sing the song along with
your new class orchestra.
B.
+ materials
+ time
Before the song lesson, do a separate lesson on making instruments.

Give different sets of directions to different groups on how to make
simple instruments. Photocopy the example directions on the following
two pages. Either bring in the materials that the students need or ask
them to bring in materials from home. Finally, after the instruments
have been constructed, the groups can play them while singing along.
C.
+ difficulty
Have some students follow the steps above while others sing along
with the song.
33
Homemade Instruments
Instrument 1: Can and Bottle Shaker (Maracas)
Materials:
An empty metal drink can or plastic/glass bottle
Small pebbles, dried beans, or uncooked rice
Paper
Tape
Instructions:
Wash out the can or bottle and let it dry completely. Put a small number of pebbles (or dried
beans or uncooked rice) in the bottle. Cover the top or the hole with your hand. Shake it and
listen to the sound. Decide whether you need to add more pebbles/beans/rice. Cut the paper
into a circle large enough to cover the top of the can or bottle. Place the paper circle on the top
and tape it into place to seal the pebbles/beans/rice into your shaker. Decorate the outside of
the shaker with pictures or stickers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instrument 2: Rattle Stick

Materials:
Six metal bottle caps
A stick, approximately 6 12 inches (about 15 30 centimeters) long
One large nail and three small nails
A hammer
Markers or paint to decorate the stick (optional)
metal bottle cap
Instructions:
Using a large nail, hammer a hole into the center of each bottle
cap. Next, using a smaller nail, fasten two bottle caps (smooth
sides facing each other) on the side of the stick near one end. The
two caps should be nailed in loosely so that they rattle in a similar
fashion to the bells in the picture. Then nail the next two bottle
caps under the first set (so that they are not touching the first set),
and nail the final two under that. If you wish, decorate the handle
of the stick.
34
Instrument 3: Rain Stick

Materials:
One cardboard tube, any length
20 30 nails that are as long as the diameter of the
tube
One to two cupfuls of dried beans or pebbles
Fabric and paper to cover the ends and the outside
of the tube
Glue
Tape
Instructions:
Starting at one end of the tube, gently hammer or push nails into the spiral seam of the tube.
The nails should go across the tube to the other side, but they should not stick out the
other side. Turn the tube and continue pushing in nails following the spiral pattern. If the
tube does not have a seam, push the nails along the length of the tube in a spiral
pattern (pictured at the right). The nails should be about one-half inch or one inch apart.
Cover one end of the tube with paper and tape it closed. Pour enough beans or pebbles
into the tube to fill it about half way. Cover the other end of the tube with paper and tape
it closed. Now wrap the entire tube in paper or fabric and glue it down so that the nails
do not come out. Slowly tilt the rain stick back and forth. Listen to the beans or pebbles
pouring past the nails, like rain on a metal roof.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Instrument 4: Bottle Xylophone

Materials:
Five or six glass bottles
Water
A stick or spoon to tap the bottles
Instructions:
Put a different amount of water into each bottle to create six distinct sounds. When you tap each
bottle you can produce a different tone.
35
Singing 8: Crazy Lyrics

Purpose: To explore the rhythm of words, use different parts of speech, and think about why words are
appropriate and inappropriate in particular contexts
Level: 2 and above
Time: 20 30 minutes
Note to the Teacher: This works well as a follow-up or extension activity after students have practiced
singing the song using one of the other activities in this section.
Preparation and Materials: Provide each group with a crazy lyrics handout. To create a crazy lyrics
handout, first underline a number of keywords (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) in the lyrics of the
song. Under each underlined word, write its part of speech. Then erase or white out the actual word so
that you have lyrics with blank spaces with the part of speech printed under each blank. Example:
A _______________ was in her mouth; a ________________ was in her eye.
(noun - thing)
(noun - thing)
I said I come from _______________; Susanna, dont you ____________!
(noun place)
(verb)
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into groups of four and assign one recorder per group. Give a copy of the
crazy lyrics to the recorder and tell him/her not to show the paper to the other members of the
group.
2. Tell the recorder to ask the other group members to suggest the different parts of speech or types
of words that are missing. Example:
Give me a noun, a thing, and one team member says cat;
Give me another thing, and another team member says banana;
Give me a place, and one member says France; and
Give me a verb, and one member says teach.
The recorder then writes the words the members say into the appropriate blanks. For the
example above, this could be:
A cat was in her mouth; a banana was in her eye.
I said I come from France; Susanna, dont you teach!
3. The recorder can now read the new crazy song to the group.
4. Play the song so that the group can practice singing the new crazy song. If they wish, encourage
the groups to sing their crazy songs for the whole class.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
- time
B.
C.
- difficulty
+ materials
+ pictures
+ difficulty
+ verb forms
Provide students with a list of potential words to use in the song.

Include 20 30 potential words, and make sure to include several
words for each of the types of words indicated on the crazy lyrics
handout.
Provide pictures that students can use to complete the new song.
Pictures can either be provided in the blanks, or on a separate handout.
Remove the verbs from the song. Underneath the blank line, write the
tense in which the verb should occur. You can change the tense
requirement to make the lyrics seem funnier. Or you can practice
forming plural/singular and present/past tense verbs.
36
Singing 9: The Halls Are Alive With the Sound of Singing

Purpose: To write and perform dramatic dialogue
Level: 3 and above
Time: 50 70 minutes (more time may be necessary for rehearsing and performing, depending on the
number of groups)
Note to the Teacher: A musical is a dramatic play with songs in it. Examples: The Sound of Music,
West Side Story, Cats, and The Lion King. This activity may extend over several class sessions. Session
1 (Steps 1 3): 20 25 minutes; Session 2 (Steps 4 5): 30 45 minutes.
Preparation and Materials: Make a copy of the songs lyrics for each group or write the lyrics on the
board.
Instructions:
1. Write the word musical on the board and ask students what it means. Discuss or explain the
concept and list any famous musicals that they know. Teach (or model!) the phrase and idea of
bursting into song.
2. Tell students that they are going to write a short three- to five-minute play. Make sure students
have a copy of the lyrics. They must use at least six lines from a song they have learned in class
and integrate those lines into their play. Tell them that when they are finished writing the play they
will perform it for the class. They will speak the new lines that they wrote and sing the lines they
used from the song.
3. Divide the students into small groups of four or five. Allow them time to write their play. Help them
with their different drafts.
4. Give the students time to rehearse their plays during or outside of class.
5. Ask each group to perform their musical for the class. The other classmates can listen and
evaluate the musical based on some agreed criteria. Examples: the funniest, most creative, most
carefully pronounced, most dramatic, etc.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ mime
- time
B.
- music
Lower level classes can be encouraged to create a melodrama based

on the song. Each group can mime what is happening during the story
that the song tells. Take turns having one group of students sing the
song while another group performs their mimes.
This activity can also be done as a play instead of a musical. Select a
main theme from the song that would lend itself to different dramatic
interpretations. Example: a girl breaking up with her boyfriend. Ask the
students in groups to write a short skit on the theme, to practice and
perform it for the rest of the class.
37
Index of Singing / Music Activities for Traditional Songs Units
2. Shell Be Coming
Round the Mountain
*B

Boat Ashore
*A
*
*
*
*C
*B

World in His Hands
*
*
*
*
*
*
11. Oh! Susanna
9. Clementine
10. Billy Boy
*
*
6. Yankee Doodle
7. Red River Valley
9. The Halls Are

Alive With the
Sound of Singing
*A
8. Swing Low, Sweet

Chariot
8. Crazy Lyrics
4. On Top of Old
Smokey
7. Drum and
Instrument Circles
6. Your Moves
5. Show Me the
Word
4. One Theme
Many Songs
1. Working on the
Railroad
3. Old Song, New

Song
Traditional Songs
Units
2. Disappearing
Song
1. Sing Along With

Me
Singing / Music Activities
*
*D
*
*
Letters indicate which modification in the singing activity applies
38
Section 4: Post-listening Activities

While it is possible to stop after doing only pre-listening, listening and singing activities, it can be very
valuable to extend the instructional sequence to include a number of post-listening activities to increase
the educational value of the song. These activities can focus mainly on one skill (speaking, writing, or
reading), or they can integrate several skills.
The post-listening activities included in this book are divided into three main sections: 1) Speaking, 2)
Reading, and 3) Writing. Although these activities are categorized by one particular skill, they often
integrate multiple skills.
The post-listening activities below can be used with almost any song. Select several activities from these
sections based on your students needs and interests. Experiment by using different activities with
different students, different levels, and different songs. Most of the activities require very few or no
materials. If they do require specific materials, you can find them in Parts 2.2 and 2.3 of the book, which
provides specific lesson menus and accompanying materials for the songs on the Sing Out Loud:
Traditional Songs and American Rhythms CDs.
Section 4.A: Post-listening Speaking Activities

Activities to practice speaking are important in helping students use English for communicative purposes.
The activities in this section are intended to give students a communicative task that allows them to
produce extended spoken language. While some activities ask students to produce spontaneous speech,
other allow for more planning time and scaffolding before students are expected to speak.
Included activities require the students to rely upon and practice a range of critical thinking and personal
interaction skills, such as working together to make choices, to find out and summarize classmates
opinions, and to be creative with language.
Following are five activities that students can do to practice their speaking skills. An index of model units
is provided at the end of this section.
Post-listening Speaking Activities:
Post-listening Speaking 1:
What Do YOU Think? ................................................................... 40

Act the Part ................................................................................... 41
Small Group Discussion and Summary ........................................ 42
Silly Story ...................................................................................... 43
Id Like to Ask You About .......................................................... 44
39
Post-listening - Speaking 1: What Do YOU Think?

Purpose: To ask and answer questions, and summarize and present information
Level: 3 and above
Time: 40 50 minutes
4): 20 25 minutes; Session 2 (Steps 5 8): 20 25 minutes.
Preparation and Materials: Pre-teach the ideas of surveys and results. Explain the purpose of a survey,
the types of questions to be asked, and how to calculate and present results.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into small groups of four or five.
2. If needed, review what a survey is, which involves asking a set of questions to a large number of
people and then summarizing the answers in some sort of visual chart, diagram, or list.
3. Tell the students that they are going to conduct a class survey based on the song (or based on
music in general). Tell them that in their groups they will need to write at least five questions. You
may need to help by giving them some suggestions. (See examples below.)
4. Tell the students that they can work together in groups to write the questions, but that every
student will need a copy of the questions. Give the students 10 15 minutes to plan their survey
and write their questions.
5. When the groups are finished preparing questions, tell the students that everyone in the group
must now ask four or five other students (depending on the class size) to answer the questions.
6. Make sure students write down their answers carefully.
7. After the students have finished, get them to sit back down in their original groups. Tell them they
will present their findings to the class (either orally or visually by means of a poster). You may
wish to teach language related to presenting findings. Examples:
six out of ten students; the majority of the class likes;
most of the students; 20 percent of the students felt
8. When they are ready, allow each group to make an oral presentation or display their posters.
Some sample survey ideas:
1. Personal opinions about the song. Example questions:
Did you like the song?
How did it make you feel?
Why did you feel that way?
2. The theme of the song. Example questions for the theme love:
Have you ever had your heart broken?
How many times?
Are you romantic?
3. Their general tastes in music. Example questions:
Do you like pop music?
Which pop musicians do you like?
Whats your favorite song?
Modifications:
40
A.
- movement
- time
B.
- movement
- time
C.
- difficulty
- time
Prepare the surveys for the students. Distribute them to the groups,
who will use these surveys to ask questions, summarize results, and
eventually make an oral presentation.
D.
+ extension
+ charts/graphs
+ time
Have students prepare (during class or as homework) charts or graphs

that display their survey results for use in an oral presentation.
Have groups pair up and exchange questions. After Step 4 above, put
two groups together. Each member of Group A should ask a member of
Group B one of the prepared questions and write down each persons
response. Then Group B asks Group A one question. Continue to ask
and answer questions in this manner.
Get students to develop multiple-choice survey questions. Have the
groups take turns coming to the front of the classroom to ask their
questions. Have the class choose responses by raising their hands.
After all groups have asked their questions and recorded the answers
the class gave them, allow the groups five minutes to summarize their
results. Finally, ask each group to present their results orally.
Post-listening - Speaking 2: Act the Part

Purpose: To practice pronunciation and intonation, and use critical thinking skills to resolve a problem
Level: 3 and above
Time: 25 30 minutes
Note to the Teacher: It is not necessary for every group to perform their role-play in front of the class.
Groups can work on their own trying to solve the problem and then report on what they discussed.
Preparation and Materials: Choose a situation that is related to the theme of the song, and that
contains some sort of problem that the students need to resolve through their chosen roles. Prepare a set
of cards that describe a situation in which the students might find themselves and possible roles the
students will play when solving the situation.
Instructions:
1. Briefly introduce the situation that will be the focus of the role-play.
2. Tell students that they will be divided in groups and each member of the group will be assigned a
different role.
3. Divide the students into groups according to the number of people in the role-play. For example, if
there are three roles, the class should be divided into three groups.
4. Distribute the role cards so that everyone in the same group has the same role card. For
example, if you have roles for mother, daughter, and father, then you will have all of the mothers
in one group, all of the daughters in a second group, and all of the fathers in a third. Give the
students time to discuss their roles and to brainstorm things they might say.
5. Have the students in each group count off so that each student is assigned a number. Then tell
all of the 1s to sit together, all of the 2s to sit together, all of the 3s, and so on. In this way there
will be one person representing each role in each new group. For example, one group would
contain one mother, one daughter and one father.
6. Give the students a specific
amount of time to conduct the role-play.
41
Remind them again of what the situation is and what problem or issue they are trying to resolve.
7. Each person acts according to his or her role as they discuss the situation or problem. Go around
monitoring the groups and helping them if they have any difficulties.
8. When the time is up, lead a class discussion that focuses on the situation or problem. Ask each
group if they resolved the problem and how they resolved it.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
- time
Give the students a partially completed script or skit to use in the roleplay.
B.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
Provide simple sentences/phrases that students should try to

incorporate into the role-play in a creative way. You can use
lines/phrases adapted from the song or develop your own.
C.
+ extension
+ time
Have several groups perform their role-plays for the class. Then hold a
class discussion about the similarities and differences between the roleplays.
D.
+ difficulty
- materials
+ creativity
Do not provide role cards. Instead, briefly describe the roles orally and
allow students to develop the roles in their groups.
Post-listening - Speaking 3: Small Group Discussion and Summary

Purpose: To think critically and express opinions
Level: 3 and above
Time: 25 35 minutes
Note to the Teacher: The quality of class discussions often depends in part on the quality of the
questions. Make sure that the questions you select are not too difficult for your students. If students do
not have sufficient language to discuss the topic, they will not be able to complete the task.
Preparation and Materials: Prepare discussion questions that are related to the theme of the song and
write them on the board.
Instructions:
1. Divide the students into small groups of four or five. A larger group will make it difficult for all
students to contribute to the discussion.
2. Tell the students their task is to discuss the questions. You can assign them all of the questions
or assign different questions to different groups.
3. When all groups have finished their discussions, the teacher can ask each group to comment on
one aspect: the most surprising opinion, the funniest opinion, or the similarities and differences
among groups.
Modifications:
42
A.
+ extension
+ summary
+ time
B.
+ equal participation
C.
- difficulty
- time
Create controversial statements with which students can agree or

disagree instead of open-ended discussion questions. Students are to
explain aloud why they agree or disagree with these statements.
D.
+ extension
+ difficulty
+ questions
+ time
Give students a topic and have groups develop their own discussion
questions. Then these questions are exchange among groups.
Proceed to follow Steps 1-3 above.
Select one member of each group to record the groups comments.

That person will make a summary report to the whole class after all
questions have been discussed. When all groups have finished their
discussions, ask the students who were appointed to give summaries
to speak to whole class. You may limit the oral summary to one or two
questions so that the summaries do not become too long. The teacher
and other groups can comment on the opinions that were expressed
by members of other groups.
Give each student in the group three small slips of paper. When
someone speaks, that person must put one of their slips of paper into
the middle. Whenever a student has used up their three slips, then he
or she is not allowed to speak again until the other group members
have also used up their three slips of paper.
Post-listening - Speaking 4: Silly Story

Purpose: To tell stories, and practice using new vocabulary in sentences
Level: 2 and above
Time: 15 20 minutes
Preparation and Materials: Choose 15 18 key content words from the songs (either verbs or nouns)
and write them on small cards. Each group of five students will need one set of cards.
Instructions:
1. Divide students into groups of five. Have them sit around a table or move their desks to face each
other. Place the pack of cards face down in a stack on the table or desk, so that the students
cannot see the words.
2. Tell the students that they are going to tell a story using the words on the cards. The first person
in the group selects the top card and makes up a sentence using that word. Example: If the word
is rain, the first student might say, Once upon a time a little girl was walking in the rain.
3. The second person then selects the next card. That person must continue the story by making up
a sentence using the word on the card. Example: If the word is yellow, the person might say,
The little girl was wearing a yellow coat.
4. Students continue telling the circle story until they have gone through all of the cards.
5. At the end of the activity, you can ask a few groups to tell what happened in their stories.
Modifications:
43
A.
+ extension
+ writing
+ time
Ask the students to write down their stories. Post all of the stories on
the walls around the classroom. Ask the students to read the other
stories and vote on which one is the best, the funniest, or the most
creative.
B.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
+ pictures
Include both a small picture and the written word on each card.
C.
- difficulty
+ writing
+ time
D.
+ humor
Give each group a smaller set of words. Have students write down their
sentences/short stories. Have each group share their short story. Then,
as a class, come up with transition sentences that link all of the short
stories together into one longer story.
To make a really silly story, have the first student follow Step 2 above.
Then, have the second student choose a card, but this time they must
repeat the sentence that the first student came up with, replacing one
word in the sentence with the word on the card. Repeat until all of the
word cards have been used, and a really strange story results.
Post-listening - Speaking 5: Id Like to Ask You About

Purpose: To ask and answer questions
Time: 40 50 minutes
Level: All
Note to the Teacher: This activity may be extended over several class sessions. Session 1 (Steps 1 3):
20 25 minutes; Session 2 (Steps 4 5): 20 25 minutes.
Instructions:
1. Initiate a general class discussion about the characters in the song:
Who are they? Male or female? Old or young?
2. Ask the students which character they think is the most interesting. Write that characters name
on the board. If the character doesnt have a name in the song, then elicit an appropriate name
for the character.
3. Divide the students into pairs. Tell them that they are radio reporters and they are going to
interview the song character for a popular radio show. Tell them to compose between eight and
ten questions to ask the character. Give the students about 15 minutes to do this.
4. When they are finished, tell one student in the pair to be the reporter and the other student the
character to be interviewed. Instruct the reporters to stand up, walk around the room, and find
one sitting character to interview. The reporter should sit with their new partner, and together the
new pair carries out the interview with one student asking the questions and the other student
answering as if he/she were the song character.
5. If you like, at the end, ask the students to go back to their original pairs where they can switch
roles and the characters have a chance to be the reporters.
Modifications:
44
A.
- difficulty
- time
Generate the questions as a whole class instead of having students

create the questions in pairs.
B.
- difficulty
- time
Have students come up with only four or five questions.
C.
- movement
- time
Divide students into groups of four to six students instead of pairs.

Have groups generate the questions. Then, have one member of each
group serve as the radio reporter, and assign each of the remaining
students a character from the song. Complete the interviews in the
small groups without moving the reporters.
D.
+ extension
+ difficulty
+ writing
+ time
Have each group write a report that summarizes how different

characters responded to the questions.
45
Index of Post-listening Speaking Activities for Traditional Songs Units
1. Working on the
Railroad
5. Id Like to Ask
You About
4. Silly Story
3. Small Group
Discussion
2. Act the Part
Traditional Songs
Units
1. What Do YOU
Think?
Speaking Activities
2. Shell Be Coming
Round the Mountain

Boat Ashore
4. On Top of Old
Smokey
*
*
6. Yankee Doodle
7. Red River Valley

8. Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot
*B
*
9. Clementine
10. Billy Boy
11. Oh! Susanna

World in His Hands
Letters indicate which modification in the speaking activity applies
46
Section 4.B: Post-listening Reading Activities

In Parts 2.2 and 2.3 of the book there are short readings that accompany each song on the Sing Out
Loud: Traditional Songs and American Rhythms CDs. These readings are based on the history of the
song, its composer or singer, a theme related to ideas in the song, its musical genre, or a combination of
these topics. The level of the readings varies; most of those that accompany the Sing Out Loud:
Traditional Songs units are suitable for students at Level 2 (see page 7); others (especially those included
in the Sing Out Loud: American Rhythms units) may be more appropriate for Level 3 and above. If you
think the reading text is too difficult for your students, you might either find a different reading passage
related to the theme or simplify the reading task.
As with listening activities, when introducing a reading text to students it is very beneficial to use a prereading activity. Pre-reading, like pre-listening, can help students practice their prediction strategies,
introduce them to particular vocabulary and cultural references, and give them a specific reading task.
Some of the pre-listening activities in the book may be adapted to pre-reading activities, or you may wish
to develop your own.
Following are five activities that students can do while reading the texts. You may try a variety of these
activities, however, the specific texts related to each song on the Sing Out Loud: Traditional Songs and
American Rhythms CDs found in Parts 2.2 and 2.3 may also be used for general comprehension-based
activities. An index of model units is provided at the end of this activity section.
Post-listening Reading Activities:
Post-listening Reading 1:
A Range of Questions .................................................................... 48

Main Ideas and/or Specific Details ................................................. 49
Jigsaw Reading .............................................................................. 50
Our Land, Your Land ...................................................................... 52
Reading Groups ............................................................................. 54
47
Post-listening - Reading 1: A Range of Questions

Purpose: To read for factual details, and to combine, infer, evaluate, and reflect on information in a
reading text
Level: 2 and above
Time: 20 40 minutes, depending on the length of the reading text
Note to the Teacher: Many teachers give students comprehension questions to answer while they are
reading a text. However, it is important to give students a range of question types so that they practice
different critical thinking skills. Examples of question types:
focusing on one piece of factual information: How old is Tom?
combining several facts from the reading to get one answer: Who is older, Tom or Bob?
inferring the answer based on the text: Tom was caught stealing. Based on the rest of the story,
what punishment do you think he received?
evaluating parts of the texts: Do you think the description of the brothers was good?
relating the text to ones own personal experience or opinion: What would your mother do if she
caught you stealing?
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a number of questions based on the reading text. Include at least
one question of each type above. Make a copy of the reading text for each student.
Instructions:
1. After doing a pre-reading activity, write the questions on the board. Ask students to read through
the questions. They do not need to copy them.
2. Set a time limit for the students to read the text and answer the questions. Students can work
individually on the questions.
3. When they are finished, divide students into pairs or groups of three to check their answers
together. Give them sufficient time to compare their answers.
4. Go through the answers with the students. When they give incorrect answers, help them to
understand why they are incorrect.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
+ difficulty
+ questions
+ time
Divide students into groups. Ask students to read the text, and create
their own comprehension questions based on the text. Have groups
exchange and answer each others questions. After all groups have
answered one other groups questions, the class can discuss a few of
the questions.
B.
- difficulty
- time
Create true/false or multiple-choice questions.
C.
- difficulty
Provide hints along with the questions that indicate where in the text
students should look for the answers. Example:
look at paragraph 2
D.
+ difficulty
+ materials
+ writing
Put the questions on a worksheet. Give students the worksheet and

have them write short answers to the questions.
48
Post-listening Reading 2: Main Ideas and/or Specific Details

Purpose: To write and answer questions that focus on main ideas and details
Level: 3 and above
Time: 30 40 minutes in class (part of this activity can also be given for homework)
Note to the Teacher: To read for the gist means to search for the main ideas. There may be one
overall main idea plus separate paragraphs may have their own main idea. To read for detail is to find
specific information within a text. Details give support to the main ideas. A main-idea question asks about
the general ideas of a text or paragraph. Example: Why have many wild animals become extinct?
A detail question is much more specific and often can be answered with a name, a date, or a fact.
Example: How many buffalo were killed by the frontiersmen who settled the Great Plains?
Preparation and Materials: Prepare copies of a short reading text related to the theme of the song.
Instructions:
1. Explain to students the difference between a main-idea question and a detail question.
2. As a homework assignment, tell students to write questions based on the reading text. Two or
three of the questions should be about main ideas and four or five questions about specific
details.
3. In class, have students exchange their questions with classmates. Tell them to answer the
questions they received, and encourage them to discuss their answers with whoever wrote the
questions.
Modifications:
A.
- time
Assign the above activity, but in class, choose a number of students to

write one main-idea question and one detail question on the board.
Then ask the rest of the students to think of answers for the questions
while they are reading.
B.
+ groups
+ time
Divide the class into small groups of four. Ask each group to write eight
questions for the text: three main-idea questions and five detail
questions. Have each group exchange their questions with another
group. Give them time to answer the new questions. Pass the papers
back to the original groups to correct the answers.
C.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
Provide one question of each type as a model for students.
D.
+ extension
+ groups
+ materials
+ time
Prepare a handout with three to five main-idea questions, three to five

details questions, and three to five questions of some other type. Divide
students into groups, and have students choose two main-idea and two
details questions to ask another group. Have students explain why they
think each question is a detail or a main-idea question.
49
Post-listening Reading 3: Jigsaw Reading

Purpose: To summarize information presented in texts, speak and listen in order to present information,
practice note-taking, and collaborate as part of a team
Time: 50 60 minutes
Level: 2 and above
Note to the Teacher: A jigsaw reading activity begins with the separation of a text into sections or
paragraphs, which are handed out to different groups to read. Each group reads a different section of the
text. (Jigsaw readings are not the same as scrambled readings in which a text is cut up and one group
has all of the pieces to put together.) This activity may be extended over several class sessions. Session
1 (first grouping): 25 30 minutes; Session 2 (second grouping): 25 30 minutes.
Preparation and Materials:
I. Copies of the Paragraphs. Divide the number of students in the class by the number of paragraphs in
the reading to figure out the number of copies of each paragraph you will need. Example: If you have 28
students in your class and the reading text has four paragraphs (28 4 = 7), you will need seven copies
of each paragraph.
Label the copies of each paragraph with corresponding numbers and letters in the following way: Copies
for Paragraph 1 should be labeled 1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D and so on; for Paragraph 2, 2-A, 2-B, 2-C, 2-D, and
so on. Label the other paragraphs in the same way.
In this activity, students are assigned to groups two separate times: the first time, all of the students in
one group will read the same paragraph together (for example, all Paragraph 1 or all Paragraph 2).
Students should not be able to see the other paragraphs of the text while they are reading their
paragraph.
In the second grouping, students form new groups that contain one student from each of the previous
groups so each group member represents a different paragraph. Thus, each student in the group has a
different paragraph to explain (from the first grouping) to the rest of the group. In the end, everyone
understands the whole reading.
II. Note-taking Forms. Students will need to make a note-taking form for this activity. Tell students to take
a sheet of paper and divide it into sections by drawing lines to separate the page into the same number of
sections as the number of paragraphs. They should use one section for their notes about their own
paragraph, and one section for each of the other paragraphs that they will learn about in the second
grouping. Example:
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
50
Instructions:
First Grouping:
1. Divide the class into groups. There should be the same number of groups as there are
paragraphs in the reading. Example: If there are three paragraphs, then there should be three
groups; if there are four paragraphs, then there should be four groups, etc.
2. All of the students in the group receive the same paragraph from the reading. Example: All of the
students in Group 1 are given Paragraph 1.
3. Instruct students to read their paragraph and to write summary notes in the appropriate space on
the note-taking form they made.
4. Tell them to identify and define three to five keywords in their paragraph, so that they will be able
to explain these words. Students can help each other to complete this task.
5. Emphasize to students that they will each be responsible for sharing the information and words
from the paragraph. The group must be sure that each member has adequate notes and can
speak about the ideas in that paragraph.
6. As students move to new groups for the second grouping, the teacher should take the
paragraphs away from them so that they must rely on their notes.
Second Grouping:
1. Ask students to move to their second group by finding the other students who have the same
capital letter printed on their copy. All of the As sit together, all of the Bs sit together, and so on.
2. Instruct the students who read Paragraph 1 to begin. They should explain their paragraph and
vocabulary to the rest of their groups. As students are explaining paragraphs, the others in their
group take notes in the space provided on their note-taking form, in the box for Paragraph 1.
3. Next the students who read Paragraph 2 should speak, then the students with Paragraph 3, and
so on.
4. When everyone in the group has finished speaking, each student should have a complete set of
notes that summarizes the reading.
5. Next are several options: You could lead the class in a discussion of the reading and highlight
keywords that aid in understanding it. You could ask students to write a summary of the reading
based on their notes. You could give students a quiz about the reading and see which group took
the best notes.
Modifications:
A.
+ scaffolding
+ make decisions
This jigsaw reading activity could be used as a decision-making task.

Tell students that you need to make a choice about something.
Example:
What type of car should you buy for your family?
What is the best way to stay healthy?
Use a series of paragraphs that give information about different items
or options, and ask students to complete the jigsaw task as described
above. Once everyone in the second grouping has completed the set of
notes, ask the groups to make a recommendation and state reasons.
B.
- difficulty
- time
Provide a partially completed outline or summary for each paragraph.

This will help students to identify the information they need to
summarize.
C.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
Provide three to five questions to each group in the first grouping. They
should try to answer these questions for their paragraph. Then in the
second grouping, have the groups use the answers to those questions
to create their summary.
D.
+ extension
+ writing
+ time
Have all of the students use their complete set of notes to write a full
summary of the text either in class or as homework.
51
Post-listening - Reading 4: Our Land, Your Land

Purpose: To think critically, make connections between the reading and the world, practice comparative
adjectives, and develop an understanding of geography
Level: 3 and above
Time: 40 minutes
Note to the Teacher: This activity works well with readings that contain information about places or
geographical features, but may not be appropriate for readings without this type of information. Examples
of reading texts that work well with this activity: see the units for Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and Down in
the Valley.
Preparation and Materials: Prepare maps of the United States and your own country. Gather
information about the geographical features of both countries. Get students to read the text for
comprehension.
Instructions:
1. Ask students to circle any references to geography that they can find in the reading, such as
mountains, rivers, or plains. (Students should have already read the text for comprehension.)
2. Draw a basic outline of a map of the United States on the board. Ask students to copy it and to
draw the geographic features from the reading onto the map. You might also tell them about other
features of U.S. geography.
3. Then ask the students to draw a basic outline of their own country and put in the main geographic
features.
4. Review comparative language, such as The U.S. has longer rivers than our country; Our country
has a bigger desert than the U.S.
5. Divide students into small groups and ask them to see how many comparisons they can make
between the two maps. You can ask them to find both similarities and differences.
Modifications:
A.
+ history
Some of the readings in Part II focus on U.S. history. After reading the
text for comprehension, ask the students to circle any references to
historical dates. Put these dates on the board and ask students what
was happening in the U.S. at that time. Then ask them about the history
of their own country. Ask them to explain what was happening in their
country at the same time.
52
53
Post-listening - Reading 5: Reading Groups

Purpose: To practice reading comprehension skills, conduct research, think critically, and collaborate as
part of a team
Level: 3 and above
Time: 45 50 minutes in class (groups may need much more time outside of class)
Note to the Teacher: This activity can be used throughout the course. Choose a different group of
students to carry out this activity for different songs throughout the year. Allow the assigned group one
week to prepare before the presentation.
Preparation and Materials: Assign this project as a group activity. Students may need materials such as
colored pens/markers, glue, and paper for making posters.
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into small groups of five or six.
2. When you want to use a reading in class, select one group to prepare for that reading. On the day
that you use the reading, it is their task to be the reading teachers. A different group will be
assigned for the next reading.
3. Assign a different role/task to each member of the group. Suggested roles are as follows:
The Leader introduces the activity and moderates the presentation. The Leader monitors the
time and makes sure that class members participate.
The Historian/Geographer presents background information about the reading. Depending
on the reading, this could be historical, cultural or geographical information.
The Wordmasters look up keywords and teach the new vocabulary to the class. They write
sentences or draw pictures to illustrate the meanings of the words.
The Questioners create reading comprehension questions based on the reading. After the
Wordmasters and the Historian/Geographer present their information to the class, then the
Questioners write the comprehension questions on the board. The class reads the text and
tries to answer the questions. After that the Questioners call on students to answer.
The Discusser creates discussion questions related to the reading. These questions should
elicit students opinions about the reading and the topic. The Discusser and the Leader
organize the rest of the class into small groups to complete the discussion.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
- time
B.
- difficulty
To make this an in-class activity only, divide the class into groups. Give
each group one paragraph from the reading, and within each group
assign roles according to Step 3 above. For an in-class activity, have
the Historian/Geographer present a summary of the paragraph rather
than background information, and the Questioners and the Discussers
come up with one or two questions. Once groups are ready, go through
the text one paragraph at a time.
Divide students into five groups, one group for each of the five roles
described above. Assign each group one of the roles. Have the groups
work together to complete the tasks described above. In the following
class, divide students into new groups that contain one person for each
role. Have each group go through and discuss the reading with each
person leading the discussion about their assigned topic/role.
54
Index of Post-listening Reading Activities for Traditional Songs Units
1. Working on the
Railroad
5. Reading Groups
4. Our Land, Your

Land
3. Jigsaw Reading
2. Main
Ideas/Specific
Details
Traditional Songs
Units
1. A Range of
Questions
Reading Activities
2. Shell Be Coming
Round the Mountain

Boat Ashore
4. On Top of Old
Smokey
6. Yankee Doodle
7. Red River Valley
8. Swing Low, Sweet

Chariot
*A
*
9. Clementine
10. Billy Boy
11. Oh! Susanna
*A

World in His Hands
Letters indicate which modification in the reading activity applies
55
Section 4.C: Post-listening Writing Activities

Writing in a foreign language offers unique challenges for many students, but it also offers an opportunity
to focus explicitly on language forms along with the functions that those forms serve in real
communicative situations. The writing activities included in this book can be completed by students
individually or working together to produce a short text. Each of the activities below asks students to focus
on a particular communicative task. While some activities are more creative, others require students to
conduct background research, form critical opinions, summarize and present information, or use
language to communicate with individuals outside the classroom.
As with listening, when introducing a reading text to students, it is very beneficial to use a pre-writing
activity. Pre-writing can help students plan before they carry out the writing task, introduce them to
particular vocabulary and cultural references, and give them a specific writing task. You may be able to
adapt some of the pre-listening activities in Section 1 as pre-writing activities, or you may wish to develop
your own.
Following are six activities that students can do to practice their writing skills in a communicative task. An
index of model units is provided at the end of this section.
Post-listening Writing Activities:
Post-listening Writing 1:
Songwriter Histories ......................................................................... 57

I Think This Song Rocks! .................................................................. 57
Paragraph Posters ............................................................................ 59
Story Extensions ............................................................................... 60
Guest Musicians / Speakers ............................................................. 60
56
Post-listening Writing 1: Songwriter Histories

Purpose: To write short narratives in the past tense
Level: 2 and above
Time: 40 50 minute
5): 25 30 minutes; Session 2 (Step 6): 15 20 minutes.
Instructions:
1. Divide students into pairs or small groups of three. Ask them to brainstorm some ideas about the
mood of the song: happy, sad, joyful, and so on. Ask them to explain why they feel that way.
2. Then ask the students to brainstorm about the songwriter: age, personality, background, and so
on.
3. Finally, ask the students why they think the songwriter wrote this song. Example prompts:
He was sad about
She was angry about
He was happy that.
4. Tell the students that they are going to write a short story about the life of the songwriter before
he/she wrote the song.
5. Give the students time in their groups to discuss their ideas and write their stories. You may wish
to review the past tense with them and chronological connectors such as:
first
next
after that
finally
6. When the students are finished, post the stories on the walls of the classroom for other students
to read, or have the groups read their stories aloud. You can give a round of applause or a small
reward for the funniest or most clever stories.
Modifications:
A.
+ prediction
Alternatively, students can write about the songwriter and what

happened after the song was written.
B.
+ prediction
+ future tense
+ conditionals
Pretend that the song is brand new. Ask students to write a story about
what will happen as a result of the song, both in the world and to the
songwriter.
C.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
Provide a comic strip or picture that could represent the sequence of

events that led up to the writing of the song. Ask students to write a
story or the dialogue to accompany the comic strip.
D.
+ difficulty
+ research
+ time
As homework, assign students to research the songwriter outside of

class. Have them bring in this information to use in writing their stories
in groups.
Post-listening - Writing 2: I Think This Song Rocks!

Purpose: To critically evaluate a piece of music, and write a short, persuasive review of the song.
Level: 3 and above
Time: 40 50 minutes
5): 30 35 minutes; Session 2 (Step 6):
10 15 minutes.
57
Preparation and Materials: Gather information about song reviews. Prepare a list of topics related to
the theme of the song, its musical genre, or types of instruments used in the musical arrangement.
Examples:
Types of instruments
Adjectives about music
Nouns about music
Instructions:
1. Divide students into groups of three. Each group needs one recorder, who takes notes while the
other students speak. Tell the students that you are going to shout out a topic, and they need to
make a list of all of the words they know on that topic in two minutes.
2. When the students are ready, shout Types of instruments. The recorders in the groups should
write a list of instruments while the other students make suggestions.
3. After two minutes, shout STOP and ask the groups to count how many words they have.
Continue with a second race, this time shouting Adjectives about music and a third race,
Nouns about music.
4. You can reward the team with the most words after each race or the total words after all of the
races.
5. When the races are finished, ask each team to write five to ten of their words on the board.
Check that the students know the meanings of these words.
6. Put the word Review on the board and tell the students what a song review is. Explain that a
review normally follows the following pattern:
(Name of Singers) new song (Title) is (strong opinion).
Four to six sentences to justify the writers opinion about the song; details about the song
characteristics, such as the lyrics, beat, rhythm, melody, instruments, vocals, and so on.
Concluding remark or prediction.
7. In their groups ask students to listen to the song again and then write a review (see example
below). Groups can share their reviews with other groups, or post reviews on a class bulletin
board.
Example of a song review: Jippney Sears new song Thistle is absolutely delightful. The funky and
hypnotic mandolin introduction is fabulous, while the thumping bass beat makes you want to jump up and
dance. The lyrics, written by Bob Jones, are both clever and cynical. Even with her typically thin vocals,
Sears delivers them with style. Thistle may well make people reevaluate Ms. Sears and is sure to top
the charts all year.
Modifications:
A.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ materials
B.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
+ time
Provide a partially completed review, along with a bank of descriptive

words that can be used in the review. Ask students to complete the
review by choosing descriptors based on their opinions of the song.
Pre-teach phrases that help students express their opinions about the
song. Examples:
I like this song because
This song sounds
58
Post-listening Writing 3: Paragraph Posters

Purpose: To write cohesive paragraphs, and represent ideas visually
Level: 2 and above
Time: 100 130 minutes (students may do some preparation outside of class)
Note to the Teacher: This activity may be extended over several class sessions:
Session 1 - learning about paragraph type (Step 1): 30 minutes
Session 2 writing (Step 2): 30 40 minutes
Session 3 - poster preparation (Steps 3 4): 20 30 minutes
Session 4 - poster display (Step 5): 20 30 minutes
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a topic related to the song. (optional) Gather crayons or markers,
old magazines, glue, and poster paper. Prepare a model paragraph for the students to study.
Instructions:
1. Tell the students what kind of paragraph you wish them to write: descriptive, persuasive,
classifying, and so on. Present the features of this paragraph type by analyzing model
paragraphs, working on topic sentences, and looking at the language typical of that paragraph
type.
2. Describe a particular topic related to the song. Ask students to write the type of paragraph for that
topic that you have been discussing. Example: students could write a descriptive paragraph
about their hometowns or a classification paragraph about types of pollution.
3. When finished, students create posters using pictures from magazines or their own drawings.
They can glue their paragraph onto the poster or write it directly onto the poster.
4. Instruct students to write their names only on the back of the posters.
5. Ask students to put their posters on a classroom wall. Give students a reading task, such as
guessing the posters author or choosing the best paragraph poster. Criteria for recognizing
outstanding paragraphs can be determined by the teacher. Example: most creative, best written,
best use of vocabulary, etc. Tell the students to walk around the room, read the paragraphs, and
complete the task.
Modifications:
A.
+ groups
Have students write the paragraph and make the poster in groups.
When the poster is displayed, tell half of the members of the group to
stand by the poster and explain its content to their classmates while the
other members of the group move around the classroom and look at
the other groups posters. They can then switch roles.
B.
- space
- time
Have students write out their paragraphs on paper instead of posters.

Divide students into small groups, and have each student read his/her
paragraph to the group.
C.
- difficulty
+ scaffolding
As a whole class generate ideas for the content for the paragraph.
Then have students write paragraphs individually or in small groups.
(optional)
+ groups
59
Post-listening Writing 4: Story Extensions

Purpose: To write creative narratives
Level: 2 and above
Time: 45 55 minutes
Note to the Teacher: This activity may be extended over several class sessions:
Session 1 (Steps 1 6): 25 30 minutes
Session 2 (Steps 7 8): 20 25 minutes
Preparation and Materials: Prepare a handout with the lyrics of the song or write them on the board.
Instructions:
1. Divide the class into three groups: A, B, and C.
2. Make sure students understand the meaning of the lyrics.
3. Decide, with input from the students, who the main characters in the song are and give them
names, if they do not have any in the song.
4. Individually or in pairs, tell students in Group A to write a narrative paragraph about something
that could have happened to the characters before the events described in the song.
5. Individually or in pairs, tell students in Group B to write a narrative paragraph about what did
happen to the characters according to the song.
6. Individually or in pairs, tell students in Group C to write a narrative paragraph about what could
happen to the characters after the events in the song.
7. Assemble new groups with one student from Group A, one from Group B, and one from Group C.
Have them read their stories to each other in sequence. Some of the story combinations may be
humorous, while others may seem nonsensical.
8. Ask them to make changes so that they have one coherent story. Then invite one or two groups
to share their combined stories with the class.
Modifications:
A.
- groups
- time
Instead of putting students from different groups together, students in

each group can write stories individually and then share their stories
with their group members. They can then select the groups best story
and have its author read it to the rest of the class.
B.
+ competition
- difficulty
Divide students of three. Have every group write only about what will
happen after the song. Tell the students to post their paragraphs on the
wall so that everyone can vote on which paragraph has the best
ending.
C.
+ songwriter
If the song does not have a clear main character, have students write
the narrative about the songwriter or singer of the song.
Post-listening Writing 5: Guest Musicians / Speakers

Purpose: To generate interest in music and the arts, host a guest in the classroom, and write invitations
and thank-you letters
Level: 3 and above
Time: 120 170 minutes (for the complete activity; much less if only parts of the activity are completed)
Note to the Teacher: The complete activity will extend over a period of time and should be divided
between several class sessions:
60
Session 1 - writing the invitation (Steps 1 3): 30 40 minutes

Session 2 - preparing for the guest speaker (Steps 5 7): 30 50 minutes
Session 3 - guest speaker (Step 8): 30 40 minutes
Session 4 - writing thank-you letters (Step 9): 30 40 minutes
Preparation and Materials: If possible, identify a musical guest from your community who might agree
to come and speak to the class in English. You should speak to potential guests before initiating this
project. Prepare sample invitations and thank-you letters.
Instructions:
1. Ask the students to brainstorm a list of musical guests that they would like to invite to speak to the
class. These musicians should be real people in the community or country who might possibly
come. You may wish to add to the list one or two people who you know will definitely come.
2. Divide students into groups of four, and tell them to select one person from the list.
3. First, they need to send the person an invitation. Teach the correct format for writing letters of
invitation. (See notes and examples below.) Show the students some examples and discuss
salutations, content, and complimentary closings. Each group should write a letter of invitation to
their chosen person. Help the students to find the addresses and mail the letters.
4. Wait for any responses!
5. If a group gets a positive response, instruct the class on how to introduce a guest speaker. (See
notes below.) Discuss the parts of an introduction including the opening, providing biographical
information about the speaker, the welcome, and the time limit.
6. Divide students into pairs and tell them to interview each other briefly. Then get them to practice
introducing one another to the whole class. Decide which student will introduce the guest
speaker.
7. Divide students into small groups. Tell them to brainstorm questions they would like to ask the
guest. Each group should make a list of around five questions. They may practice asking each
other these questions.
8. Invite the guest to come to class and have the class ask their questions after the presentation.
9. During the next class, teach the correct format for writing thank-you letters. (See notes and
examples below.) Show the students some examples and discuss salutations, content, and
complimentary closings. Assign each group write a thank-you letter to the speaker and deliver
these letters.
Modifications:
A.
- time
- difficulty
Have the students complete Steps 1 3 (writing the invitation), but do

not send the invitations. Choose someone they will pretend to invite.
Ask students to research or brainstorm information about that person to
use in their invitations. All students or groups can write invitations to the
same person, or choose different people.
B.
+ creativity
If you can find the mailing addresses of internationally famous

musicians, then you can ask students to invite these people to come.
Although it is highly unlikely that a famous musician will accept the
invitation, their publicist might send a photo or a letter thanking the
students for the invitation.
C.
+ role-play
If you are unable to have a musician come to class, you could complete
the activity as a role-play. The teacher or another student could pretend
to be the musician.
D.
+ extension
+ time
Gather information about different ways to send invitations (for

example, by email, letter, postcard, poster). Discuss with the students
when each type of invitation might be appropriate. Divide students into
groups, and have each group write/create a different type of invitation.
61
Notes for the Teacher

This section includes some general information about the form and content of invitations and thank-you
letters, in addition to information about hosting a guest speaker in the classroom. While brief examples
are included below, additional examples can be found online.
Invitation letters
Invitation letters consist of three parts: a greeting or salutation, the body of the message in which you
explain the invitation and give the details of the event, and a closing. (Sample provided below).
Salutations:
Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs./Dr./ or an honorific title depending on the persons position or occupation
Body of an Invitation:
We would like to invite you to the (name of school) to speak to (the specific class) about (topic of the
presentation) and / or to perform (name of musical work) for (the specific class).
Our school is located at (address) and a student will meet you at the entrance on the day of your
presentation.
If you are able to accept our request, please reply by sending a confirmation to (person) at the address
above or by telephoning (person) at (phone number).
Closing:
Thank you very much for considering our invitation.
(Signature)
Sample invitation letter:
62
Jackson Heights High School

123 Jackson Road
Trent, VA 22200
November 12, 2xxx
Mr. George Peters
567 Jones Road
Trent, VA 22200
Dear Mr. Peters,
We would like to invite you to the Jackson Heights High School to speak to Grade 9
English class about your musical career. If possible, it would be wonderful if you could
also perform one of your songs for us.
Our school is located at 123 Jackson Road in Trent. A student will meet you at the
entrance on the day of your presentation.
If you are able to accept our request, please reply by sending a confirmation to Ted
Jacobs at the address above or by telephoning our teacher Ms. Brown at 799-2345.
Thank you very much for considering our invitation.
Yours sincerely,
Ted Jacobs and Barry Bailey
Introducing a Speaker
When introducing a speaker, it is customary to tell the audience about the persons current work and
provide them with any background information that the audience would find interesting or the speaker
would like them to know about.
In preparation, the person who introduces a speaker should contact him or her in advance of the
appearance to obtain that information.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a good introduction is usually brief; thirty seconds to one minute is
considered an appropriate amount of time.
Commonly used phrases for introducing someone:
It is my pleasure to introduce (name of speaker).
I am delighted to introduce (name of speaker).
I am honored to introduce (name of speaker).
(Brief details about the speaker).
Please join me in welcoming (name of speaker). [applause]
Please help me to welcome (name of speaker). [applause]
Thank-you Letters
Thank-you letters should also include a salutation and a closing. The body of the letter should be
personalized to the guest speaker and thank them for coming to the class. (Sample provided below).
Salutations:
Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs./Dr./ or an honorific title depending on the persons position or occupation,
Body of a thank-you letter:
63
Thank you very much for your fine performance for/excellent presentation to (the specific group) at our
school on (date of performance or presentation).
(Some details about the performance or presentation).
We appreciate your willingness to come to our school and hope that you will be our guest again.
Complimentary closings:
Sincerely,
Yours sincerely,
(Signature)
Very truly yours,
Sample thank-you letter:

December 3, 2xxx
Dear Mr. Peters,
Thank you very much for your fine performance and your excellent presentation to our
Grade 9 English class at Jackson Heights High School on December 1 st.
We loved hearing you sing and listening to your stories. We especially liked the story
about when you were young and had to walk to school with your brother.
We appreciate your willingness to come to our school and hope that you will be our
guest again.
Thank you again. It was a great day for us!
Yours sincerely,
Ted Jacobs and Barry Bailey
64
Index of Post-listening Writing Activities for Traditional Songs Units
1. Working on the
Railroad
5. Guest
Musicians/
Speakers
4. Story
Extensions
3. Paragraph
Posters
2. I Think This
Song Rocks!
Traditional Songs
Units
1. Songwriter
Histories
Writing Activities
2. Shell Be Coming
Round the Mountain

Boat Ashore
4. On Top of Old
Smokey
*
*
*
6. Yankee Doodle
7. Red River Valley

8. Swing Low, Sweet
Chariot
*A
*A
9. Clementine
10. Billy Boy
11. Oh! Susanna

World in His Hands
*
*
Letters indicate which modification in the writing activity applies
65
Section 5: Extended Classroom Approaches

If your students find it fun, motivating, and rewarding to use songs in their English classroom, you may
want to involve them more comprehensively in planning and carrying out instruction using songs. The
activities in this section are extension activities that invite students to take a leading role in researching,
introducing, and presenting songs to their classmates.
These activities work best after your students have become familiar with using songs in the classroom.
While many activities require more time for students and teachers in terms of pre-class preparation and in
the classroom, you and your students should find them rewarding and engaging. They can be used
throughout the year, and different groups of students can be asked to help with activities for different
songs, giving each student a change to participate.
Extended Classroom Approaches:
Extended Classroom Approaches 1: Using a Skit as a Hook .................................................... 67
Extended Classroom Approaches 2: Song Groups .................................................................... 68
Extended Classroom Approaches 3: American Pop Star .......................................................... 69
66
Extended Classroom Approaches 1: Using a Skit as a Hook

Purpose: To generate interest in the song, and practice pronunciation and intonation
Level: 2 and above
Time: Preparation time with individual students 45 minutes to one hour
Time allowed for performing the skit in class five to ten minutes
Preparation and Materials: The main preparation for this activity requires that the teacher meet with the
students who will perform the skit before class to prepare and rehearse the dialogue. The teacher should
prepare a list of keywords from the song to include in the dialogue.
Instructions:
1. Choose two students to be the actors in the skit. Before class, meet with the students and
introduce the song to them. Let them listen to the song, and then brainstorm ideas for a skit that
focuses on some aspect of the song. Examples:
General theme of the song
Genre or style of music
History of the song or song writer/performer
Specific ideas that are represented in the lyrics
2. After an idea has been selected, draft a dialogue with the students who will be performing. The
dialogue should have two speaking parts and contain between 14 and 20 lines (an equal number
of lines for both actors). The skit should contain keywords taken from the song and even some of
the lines from the song.
3. Depending on the level and age of the students, give them a day or two to rehearse the skit as a
homework assignment.
4. Before listening to the song, have the students perform the skit at the start of class.
5. Introduce the song by making comments about the skit in relation to the theme of the song.
Possible ways to make connections between the skit and the song:
ask students to make predictions about the song and the themes that will be in it based
on the skit
divide students into small groups and ask them to summarize the skit, focusing on
questions like who, what, where, why, and when
give students one or two lines from the song that relate to the skit and ask them to
interpret what those lines might mean
Modifications:
A.
+ difficulty
B.
- difficulty
The number of actors and the length of the dialogue in the skit may
increase depending on the students proficiency level.
Lower-level students can use mime or limited vocabulary to introduce
the concepts from the song rather than a skit with scripted lines.
67
C.
+ groups
+ vocabulary
D.
- difficulty
+ writing
(optional)
+ art
E.
+ difficulty
- time
This activity can be an activity for the whole class. Divide the students
into groups of four or five. Tell them the theme of the song and give
them five or six vocabulary words from the song to include in their skits.
Tell them that they need to write a very short skit (three or four minutes
long) on this theme involving all of the students in their group. Perform
the skits. You may have the class vote on the best skit. Then follow
Step 6 above.
Instead of preparing a spoken skit, the students can work in small
groups to create a comic strip or short illustrated story. Give students a
series of pictures related to a theme in the song, and tell them to write
the dialogue to go along with the comic. Or you can have students both
draw the comic and write the dialogue. After they complete the comic,
have students read the comic aloud to the class. Then follow Step 6
above. This activity can be completed by two students as in the basic
activity, or in conjunction with Modification C.
Provide the dialogue/skit for students. Leave blanks in the dialogue that
can be filled with vocabulary items from the song. Have students select
words to complete the dialogue, practice, and then perform the skit
during class as described above.
Extended Classroom Approaches 2: Song Groups

Purpose: To conduct research, present information, and collaborate as part of a team
Level: 3 and above
Time: Explain the task 20 30 minutes
In-class presentation 20 30 minutes (plus preparation time outside of class)
Note to the Teacher: This activity can be used throughout the course. Choose a different group of
students to carry out this activity for different songs throughout the year. Allow the assigned group one
week to prepare before the presentation. You may want to give the group the reading text provided in
Part II of this book to help them research the song.
Preparation and Materials: Assign this project as a group activity. Students may need some materials,
such as colored pens/markers, glue, and paper for making posters.
Instructions:
1. Select a group of five or six students to prepare a presentation to make before the whole class. A
different group can do the next song.
2. Assign a different role/task to each member of the group. Suggested roles are as follows:
The Leader introduces and moderates the presentation, which might involve writing on the
board or giving directions.
The Teacher designs a listening task for the students to do when listening to the song. This
task could be answering particular questions, writing down certain words, or performing
certain actions.
The Verse Selector chooses a favorite or interesting line(s) from the song, explains the
message of the line(s), gives examples to illustrate the meaning, and discusses why he/she
chose these lines. This
student should also help to define new
68
vocabulary in the song.

The Culture Explorer finds out about the songs role in past and present American culture
and tells the class what they have learned.
The Performers sing the song for the class in their choice of singing style. They can then
explain why they chose that particular style. (This could include the whole group, or just one
or two students.)
3. On the day you plan to teach the song in class, allow the group to lead the presentation by
introducing the song, explaining the verses and culture, giving the listening task, and listening to
the song.
Extended Classroom Approaches 3: American Pop Star

Purpose: To perform and listen to a variety of songs, and build confidence in language skills
Level: All
Time: 40 minutes or more, depending on how many students volunteer
Note to the Teacher: In this activity students perform a number of different songs in class in a
competition format. This activity works best after the class has learned several songs. If many students
want to participate, you can hold several American Pop Star competitions throughout the school year.
This activity may be extended over several class sessions. Session 1 (Steps 1 2): 10 15 minutes;
Session 2 (Steps 3 7): 30 40 minutes.
Preparation and Materials: If possible, obtain a microphone or device for amplifying the voices of the
singers.
Instructions:
1. After students have learned to sing a number of different songs in class, tell them that the class is
going to have an American Pop Star competition. Ask students to volunteer to sing the songs in
front of their classmates. Each volunteer should choose their favorite song to perform. It could be
one of the songs they learned in class or another song in English that they know. You will need
between five and ten volunteers to take part in the competition.
2. Explain that there will be a preliminary competition; the students will sing their favorite songs and
their classmates will vote for the two best renditions. Later, the winners of this contest will
compete in a final singing competition.
3. On the day of the performances, students in the audience vote by secret ballot for their favorite
singers. Set the criteria ahead of time. They could be quality of performance, singing the correct
lyrics, and originality. Students can be involved with selecting the criteria.
4. Hold the competition. The two highest vote-getters win the semi-final round of the contest and
move on to the final to be held later in the academic year.
5. Later in the semester, repeat this procedure with a new group of songs.
6. Finally, the winners of the preliminary rounds compete in a final competition. At end of the final
round, students vote by secret ballot for the three best renditions.
7. Awards may be given to the three top finalists.
69

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Part 2.

PART 2.1: GENERAL SONG ACTIVITIES FOR TRADITIONAL SONGS

Section 1: Pre-listening Activities

Four Corners ................................................................................................... 02

Pre-listening 1: Four Corners

Ask students to respond by raising their hands or holding up cards with

Instead of controversial statements, write the title of the song on the

Pre-listening 2: One Title, Several Words Many Possibilities

Prepare large pictures that represent the keywords to help students

Pre-listening 4: Stanza Creation

Time: 30 40 minutes, plus the length of the song

Use complete phrases or sentences instead of individual words. Have

Pre-listening 5: Unscramble the Sentences

Time: 20 30 minutes, plus the length of the song

Create a handout with multiple scrambled sentences, and have each

Write the words or phrases in large letters on separate pieces of paper.

Mix written words together with pictures. Find small pictures to

Pre-listening 6: Find Someone Who

Time: 30 minutes, plus the length of the song

Create one set of questions using the present perfect. Example:

Provide pictures that represent the key vocabulary items (objects or

Pre-listening 7: What Do You Know About?

Create open-ended questions that require students to respond by

Create a quiz with multiple-choice answers. Read the questions aloud

Create difficult questions that require students to work together to

Pre-listening 8: Brainstorming and Mind-Mapping Vocabulary

4. Ask the students to contribute new ideas based on these subtopics.

Choose several words, phrases, or sentences that relate to the song.

Use a picture as the starting point for brainstorming.

After generating the mind maps, according to the activity in Modification

Pre-listening 9: Picture Predictions

Pre-listening 10: Can You See What I See?

____ ____ ____ ____

n ___ ___ ___ p ___ ___ ___ ___

h ___ ___ ___

Pre-Listening 11: It Could Be / There Might Be

Follow the steps for Modification B, but instead of using a vocabulary

Pre-Listening 12: Picture Dictation

Pre-Listening 13: How Many Questions in a Minute?

Index of Pre-Listening Activities for Traditional Songs Units

13. How Many

10. Billy Boy

13. Hes Got the

10. Can You See

7. Red River Valley

12. Down in the

11. Oh! Susanna

3. Michael, Row the

Section 2: Listening Activities

Listening 1: Relax and Enjoy!

Listening 2: Mixed-Up Lyrics

Time: 15 25 minutes (depending on the length of the song)

Listening 3: Mixed-Up Pictures

Time: 20 25 minutes (depending on the length of the song)

Divide the students into small groups. Allow a longer

Give each student a worksheet for writing the dictations.

This activity can also be combined with Crazy Lyrics

Listening 5: Listening for Rhyming Words

Time: 10 20 minutes (depending on the length of the song)

n _ _ _ p _ _ _ ___

h _ _ ___