EFL Listening Lesson with Song | Three Little Birds

If you're looking for a fun, uplifting English listening lesson for your students to do that gets away from the typical 'text book' or 'exam listening', this is a fantastic lesson to do with your class. We're using Bob Marley's famous song ​Three Little Birds. This lesson is adaptable to most levels from white belt to purple belt students. 

Lesson Plan

LESSON: Three Little Birds
OBJECTIVES: a. Listening identification and comprehension b. Build vocabulary
LEVEL: White Belt+ (Most Levels)
TIME: 20-30 minutes (Depending on how many exercises your class does

Pre-Listening

·  Answer the pre-listening questions (4-6 minutes)
· Choose some answers and work with building correct sentences on the board. (3-5 minutes)
· Label the vocabulary that they see in the pictures.

Listening

·      Listen one time and do the matching.
·      Listen a second time and finish the matching. (if necessary)
·      Do any of the 3 options for the listening activity. Higher level classes might do all three.

Post Listening

·      Review and check the answers. Make language corrections in their exercises.
·      Write a sentence with one new expression from today’s lesson.
 
Good luck! Let me know how it works for you and if you have any special touches that I can try in my classes:

Get A PDF or .doc Worksheet for Your Classroom

Pro Tips:

- Each time you play the song should have a task directly related to it for the students to perform.

- Play the song as many times as necessary for the students to do the task (but not too many to become bored).

- Play the song WITHOUT showing the lyrics the first couple times.

- Higher level students can focus more on pronunciation and rhythm of combining words.

Easter Egg Lessons

Encouragement - Their English time with you will have good vibes and feelings with this lesson to be encouraged to do more.

Pronunciation - Have them follow the pronunciation as it says in the song (ex. gonna be alright)

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Student Worksheet

Pre-Listening - Answer these questions before we listen

1. What do you know about Bob Marley?


2. What Bob Marley songs do you know?


3. Look at the pictures below. Label things you see in the photo.​

Listening Options - Choose which ones you want for your class.

 I.  Match the two parts of the following sentences from the song.
 

1. Don’t worry                                                                 a. gonna be all right.
2. ‘Cause every little thing’s                                          b. this morning
3. Singing ‘Don’t worry                                                  c. ‘This is my message to you.’
4. Rise up                                                                       d. about a thing
5. Smiled with                                                                e. sit by my doorstep
6. Three little birds                                                         f. about a thing
7. Singing sweet songs                                                 g. the rising sun
8. Singing                                                                       h. of melodies pure and true

 
II. Write as many lines of the song that you can remember. (Only look at this page.) / Write more as we listen again.
 

1. _____________________________                      5. _________________________
2. _____________________________                      6. _________________________
3. _____________________________                      7. _________________________
4. _____________________________                      8. _________________________

 
Note:   ‘cause = because
            gonna = going to + verb
 
 
 III. Answer the following questions.
 

1. What was the weather like when the singer woke up?


2. Was the singer happy when he woke up? How do you know?


3. What did he hear?


4. Where were the birds?


5. What message did the birds’ song have?


6. Is this song an optimistic or pessimistic song? Why?​
   
   

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