Teacher Discussion Forums

Hi there ...
Today, I would like to ask you for some nice activities for valentine's day. I would like to have new ideas for songs. How to use a song in a different way than fill in the blanks, or run and put your sentences on the board when you hear it. I always use these two ways in my classroom...so PLEASE URGENTLY any other ways to give songs and teach them in a nice way for valentine... (song suggestion will be nice too)
thankssssssssss a 100000000000000000000

An activity I've used several times with great success is the lyrical letter activity. This activity is based on the rationale that students can absorb a song better if they work with the lyrics before hearing the song. It involves all 4 language skills and usually takes at least an hour and a half to complete. It works like this:

Write out the lyrics to a song (the lyrics should be addressing a lover) as if they were a letter. Leave a few gaps here and there, as in a cloze exercise. Make copies for your class.

On the day of class, hand out copies of the letter. (Don't tell your students it's a song!) Have them read over the letter, and tell them not to fill in the blanks just yet. Then have them discuss these questions in pairs:

How was the writer feeling when he wrote the letter?
What does he want to reciever of the letter to do?
How will the recipient of the letter feel when he or she reads the letter?
What do you think he or she will want to say after reading the letter?

After a few minutes of discussion, ask them for their answers. Write up the answers on the board.

Next, get them to guess at which words go into the blanks. Put their guesses up on the board without correction.

Then have the students work in pairs to imagine that they are the recipient of the letter, and compose a short letter back to the author. When they are finished, they can read their letters aloud or post them up on the walls.

Finally, you tell them that what they have been reading is not a letter, but song lyrics. Play the song and get them to fill in the blanks with the correct words.

If you know the song row row row your boat, it can be sung with alternative Valentine's lyrics:

Val, Val, Valentine
Wo-on't you be mine
I love to see your pretty face
Be my Valentine

You can then have your students break into 3 groups and sing this as a round.

I also like the lyrical letter activity. A co-worker of mine used to use this activity with the song "I will survive".

I have had great success with poems by getting the students to act out what is happening in each line. This has been with primary students. Then they get marks for doing the actions and saying the poem correctly. The TPR side to it really helps comprehension. Maybe you could adapt this approach. Put the students into teams and ask them to think of actions for the song and then get them to act out the song as they sing it. Might be fun for a romantic song..LOL.

I would like to thank u all for your nice ideas. I can definitely use them in my classes...
However, I am teaching adults. so any songs in mind...do you think have I ever told you for Rod Stewart is a good and nice one for an activity???

Thabk u again..U r greattt!!!

The webpage for Reward (MacMillian publishers) has a good Valentine's activity this week. But only this week! http://www.reward-english.com/e-lesson.htm .

Hi showem!

A superb link!



Sita

I agree! Lots of useful information. Thanks!
*taking a lesson from your page, sita*

Helloo...Thank you very much for all the replies and ideas. I've also created some other ideas that you might be able to use for valentines.

1. - Give one word to each student. (The words must be related to the
topic, not very hard or depending on the level).
- Put definitions all over the class...so sts must find the correct
definition for their words.
- Check together as a reading/listening activity and let other sts say if
the definition matches or not.

2. - To consolidate this vocabulary activity, get sts to do on a written
record match letters (the words) and numbers (definitions). So, like
that they would have done it twice.
- When finished, check together or in pairs.
- Put sts in two rows (A/B) facing the board. Give markers to the first
pair. They have to listen to the definition you give, and run to the
board and write the correct word. The group with the most correct
answers wins....GOOD LUCK!!!

I am sorryyyy This was very long... BUTTTTT it should work beautifully in class...Do it and have fun I mean it is a nice idea bye!!!

It sounds useful!
One could also use it for other topics too!

Sita