The Time of My Life

Age: Teens and Adults
Focus: Simple Past & Past Continuous/ Articles

The activity below was made for the song "THE TIME OF MY LIFE" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes and "THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE"by Green Day. In both, students have the opportunity to write about and share when they had the time of their lives , which is the ultimate goal. 

THE TIME OF MY LIFE: Students first share whether they have seen the film Dirty Dancing and what it's about. After that, they listen to the song and choose the right words to complete it. Finally, they share when they had the time of their lives.

THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE: First elicit from students what they may know about the band Green Day (They are given a few words to be put in a logical sequence in order to briefly explain the story of the band.) Then, they listen to the song and fill in the banks using articles. After that, they analyze the use of the articles in pairs and make sure they understand the rule. Finally, they share when they had the time of their lives.

The Time of Your Life - Activity - Downloadable Material

The Time of My Life - Activity - Downloadable Material

  

Writing for a Magazine

Age: Adults
Focus: SHOULD for Advice

The activity below was made for the song "STARTING TODAY" by Elvis Presley. Although SHOULD is a grammar point learned by teens as well, this song is not suitable for them, so in case the target group is a teen group, I suggest that you adapt this activity for a song performed by a young band or singer. Keep in mind that the song must be about someone with a problem. Bands such as Good Charlotte or Simple Plan have lyrics that teens relate to.

The target audience here is an adult group, so students first share in pairs what they might know about Elvis. They play a brief Q/A game after searching  for information online. After that, they listen to the song and find out what the song is about. To wrap it up, students write a letter giving advice to someone. In the end, you could have students read their letters and choose the best advice or tape them to the wall.

Activity - Downloadable

Talking About Art

Age: Teens & Adults
Focus: Reflection & Discussion

The activity below has been designed for the song "VINCENT" by Don McLean. Students engage into a brief discussion on the importance of art. Then, they answer a questionnaire, so they give the teacher an idea of how much they know about art. After that, they walk around and look at the walls, where pictures of different pieces of work by different artists have been posted on (including the one described in the lyrics). At this point, don't tell them anything but let them guess who painted what. Then, they are handed the lyrics (without the tittle) and try to guess who the song is about. After they listen to the song, they identify in the lyrics both the artist and the piece of work (at this point, allow them to refer to the pictures on the walls). In the end, they share how they feel about the song.

Activity - Downloadable