Check out these tools for learning English…

When Kaplan International asked over 500 ESL teachers about tools they used to teach English, 86% said that they have used music for lessons in their classrooms. I am definitely part of the 86%! Music is one of the best tools for learning English.

How can you use music to learn English? Here are 3 fun activities you can do on your own:

Watch the video embedded below of the music video “Heart Runs” by my favorite artist, John Mark McMillan. Any time you hear a simile (a comparison using “like” or “as”), write it down. When the song is over, look at your list of similes and write down why you think the songwriter compared these two things. Free write about this simile, and see if you can discover it’s meaning.

Ex: “Like a thirsty animal, my heart is for your love.” Here McMillan compares his heart for the person he loves by saying it’s like a thirsty animal. I imagine a camel walking through the desert for many days, and then finally seeing a pool of water. That’s some strong love!
Listen to the music video “Paradise” seen below by Coldplay, and listen for the following words: expected, stormy, fly (verb), underneath, paradise, heavy, waterfall, flew. Research their meaning if you do not know their definitions. Then use those words to write an original story. Be creative! You can do this with any song. Just look up the lyrics to your favorite song and pick out the most interesting words in that song to create a story with.
LOVE THIS ONE! Katy Perry created a lyric video that uses emoticons for a lot of the words in the song “Roar”. It’s a great way to practice your listening skills. Here’s the activity: Whenever you see an emoticon substituted for a word, write down the word you hear. See if you can get them all correct. Then check your answers here.