good songs for teaching english?

[bri10s]

sooo, i'm leaving for spain in just over 2 weeks (eek!) for a year (to start) teaching at an i.e.s.

i'm trying to get stuff together for teaching, and i have appreciated the suggestions in the threads.

i figured that popular songs would be a great way for both vocabulary and grammar work. i remember that my high school spanish teacher played "ave maria" by david bisbal for us to work on pronouns (reflexive, personal, etc). we had to listen to it and fill in the blanks on the lyrics sheet, ex:

(Ave María, cuando serás MIA
Si ME quisieras, todo TE daría
Ave María, cuando serás MIA
Al mismo cielo, yo TE llevaría.

DiME tan solo una palabra
Que ME devuelva la vida
Y se ME quede en el alma
Porque sin TI no tengo nada
EnvuélveME con tus besos
refugiame en TU guarida

Y cuando yo TE veo, no se lo que siento
Y cuando yo TE tengo, ME quemo por dentro
Y más...y más de TI yo ME enamoro
TU eres lo que quiero
TU eres MI tesoro

etc, etc.

ANYWAY... i was wondering.. can anyone think of any good/popular english songs that could be used in the classroom to go along with a lesson? i'm teaching at a high school, so i'm thinking barney and sharon, lois and bram (the elephant show) aren't quite going to cut it. dont know how much freedom i'm going to be given to lead my own lessons, but extra songs in my itunes library dont take up any suitcase space! might as well find what i can while i still have access to limewire

*****also, i know that most spanish kids listen to english music (umm, i couldnt get away from avril, red hot chili peppers, pearl jam, etc) . soooo, a lesson with english music for them might not work the same way it did for me back in school with unknown spanish music. though i figured it was worth a shot if anyone has any ideas

[SRedw]

I'll jump in on this one.  A favorite of time to teach the PRESENT SIMPLE vs the PRESENT PROGRESIVE is "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega.  I have the students fill in the blanks with the verb form that they hear.

I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner

I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee

And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue

He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in

"It is always
Nice to see you"
Says the man
Behind the counter

To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella

And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos

I'm pretending
Not to see them
Instead
I pour the milk

I open
Up the paper
There's a story
Of an actor

Who had died
While he was drinking
It was no one
I had heard of

And I'm turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies

When I'm feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head

There's a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?

No she does not
Really see me
Cause she sees
Her own reflection

And I'm trying
Not to notice
That she's hitching
Up her skirt

And while she's
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Is getting wet

Oh, this rain
It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening

To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice...

And of the midnight picnic
Once upon a time
Before the rain began...

I finish up my coffee
It's time to catch the train

This song also leads into the FOOD culture of the US.  What is a diner? What can you order in a diner? Is it healthy food? WHat type of food do you like to eat? Do you eat junk food? What time do you usually have breakfast? What do you normally eat for breakfast? etc . . .

A song that's great for the PRESENT PERFECT is Brandy's "Have You Ever?"  I have students fill in the pasta participle forms of the verb.

[Chorus]
Have you ever loved somebody so much
It makes you cry
Have you ever needed something so bad
You can't sleep at night
Have you ever tried to find the words
But they don't come out right
Have you ever, have you ever

Have you ever been in love
Been in love so bad
You'd do anything to make them understand
Have you ever had someone steal your heart away
You'd give anything to make them feel the same
Have you ever searched for the words to get to their heart
But you don't know what to say
And you don't know where to start
[Chorus]

Have you ever found that one
You've dreamed of all of your life
You'd do anything to look into her eyes
Have you finally found the one you've given your heart to
Only to find that one won't give their heart to you
Have you ever closed you eyes and
Dreamed that they were there
And all you can do is wait for the day when they will care
[Chorus]

What I gotta do to get you in my arms baby
What I gotta do to to your heart
To make you understand how I need you next to me
Gotta get you into my world
'Coz baby I can't sleep
[Chorus]


I also make my students sing the songs because it heps with pronunciation.

Let's see who else comes in with great ideas.

Suerte,

Shawn

[RebeccaG]

Great idea for a topic!

If you search the forum, you might find other song ideas which were previously posted.

A classic favorite of mine is "We Are the Champions" by Queen to teach present perfect. All teenagers get into that song.

I also use Hoobastank's "The Reason" when teaching how to apologize/express regret in English. My teen classes love it because it's a song they are familiar with.

Another classic is the Eagles "Hotel California". I print out the song lyrics and cut it into strips. The students first listen to the song. Then I give them the strips and they have to try and put them in order using the rhyming words as clues. Then they listen to the song again to see if they were right.

Anyone else have any other creative song ideas for teens? I teach mostly adults and have a bunch of songs that I use with them. However, those same songs don't have the same effect on the teens as they don't relate to the music.

[bri10s]

thanks for the suggestions rebecca and shawn!

i figured i would try to add one of my own....

ok, so today i was listening to a new guilty pleasure, and realized that it may be a good song for the classroom....hot ´n cold by katy perry (yes, the one that kissed a girl and liked it)

minus one line in the beginning where she tells the guy he´s PMSing like a witch, it´s pretty classroom appropriate.

i thought i may be able to work it into some kind of lesson about opposites or something. obviously, i still have no idea what role exactly i´ll have, but who knows, it may come in handy one day..

here´s the chorus for anyone that's interested...

Cause you're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down
You're wrong when it's right
It's black and it's white
We fight, we break up
We kiss, we make up
You, You don't really want to stay, no
*but* You, but you don't really want to go-o
You're hot then you're cold
You're yes then you're no
You're in and you're out
You're up and you're down


pretty basic vocab there, but sounds like it´s a song right up the spaniards alley (anyone in spain when avril's "girlfriend" first came out?? i couldn't believe how crazy they went for it)