What Are Some Effective Ways To Design A Lesson Plan That Uses Song Lyrics To Teach The Present Perfect Continuous Tense To Intermediate-level ESL Students, While Also Incorporating Authentic Materials And Avoiding Copyright Infringement When Selecting Songs And Distributing Lyrics To Students?
Lesson Plan: Teaching Present Perfect Continuous with Song Lyrics
Objective:
Students will understand and use the present perfect continuous tense through the use of song lyrics, authentic materials, and engaging activities, while adhering to copyright guidelines.
Lesson Structure:
1. Warm-Up (10 minutes)
- Activity: Review the present continuous tense.
- Write sentences on the board (e.g., "She is studying," "They are playing").
- Ask students to identify the structure and its uses.
- Purpose: Activate prior knowledge and set the context for the lesson.
2. Grammar Explanation (15 minutes)
- Explanation: Introduce the present perfect continuous tense, using a timeline to illustrate its use for ongoing or repeated actions.
- Structure: "have/has been + verb-ing."
- Examples: "I have been studying," "She has been living here."
- Contrast: Differentiate from simple present and past continuous tenses.
3. Song Lyrics Analysis (20 minutes)
- Song Selection: Choose a song with clear present perfect continuous examples (e.g., "Still Crazy After All These Years").
- Activity: Play a verse and chorus, focusing on target structures.
- Discuss lyrics, highlighting tense usage.
- Use a handout with blank spaces for students to fill in the correct verbs.
- Copyright Note: Use a small portion of the song, ensuring fair use for education.
4. Controlled Practice (15 minutes)
- Exercise: Provide sentences from the song with missing verbs.
- Students complete sentences using the present perfect continuous.
- Alternative: Play the song again; students identify the tense in use.
5. Production Activity (15 minutes)
- Pair Work: Students create sentences about their lives using the tense.
- Class Discussion: Share sentences, encouraging natural language use.
6. Wrap-Up and Homework (5 minutes)
- Recap: Summarize key points.
- Homework: Ask students to find a song using the tense and discuss it next class, focusing on snippets to avoid copyright issues.
Materials Needed:
- Whiteboard and markers
- Handouts with song excerpts and exercises
- Access to selected song for in-class play
- Optional: Timeline printouts for visual aid
Assessment:
- Informal monitoring during activities.
- Review of worksheets for understanding.
Extension:
- Consider a follow-up where students write their own verses or a class song using the tense.
This lesson plan integrates authentic materials, adheres to copyright guidelines, and engages students through music, promoting effective language learning.