This listening lesson plan aims to enhance the listening skills of secondary level students. The lesson will have students listen to two songs, order the mixed lyrics of the songs, and compare and contrast the topics and tones of the songs. Students will work in groups and use a Venn diagram to describe the tones of the singers. Post-listening activities include imagining alternative endings to the love stories in the songs and relating a painful personal experience that was turned into something creative.

1. Mixtape
Listening Lesson Plan
By: Faten Romdhani
fromdhani2010@gmail.com

2. Listening Lesson Plan
Level: Secondary Levels
Topic: Enhance the listening skills of teens
Aims: The main objectives of the lesson are:
*To enhance the listening skills of the learners
*To challenge the learners to order the lyrics of
two different songs.
*To compare /contarst between the songs’ topics

3. Time: 1 hour
Aids: Laptop, songs recorded on the laptop
(mp3), video clips of the two songs,video
projector, visuals, handouts, whiteboard, glue,
blank papers,…
Anticipated problems:
*Students might witness difficulties in using

4. comparison and contrast linkers.
*Students would need to brush up the linkers
beforehand or need the teacher to model up for
them, with contextualised examples.
Procedure of the Lesson:
*Lead in: The teacher displays two visuals of the
singers themselves ( cut and saved from

5. the video clips).
*Learners are asked about the two men’s names,
jobs, nationalities, etc.. (this is a good occasion to
introduce/ brush up the linkers of comparison &
contrast : (both, while, but, whereas …)
*Learners write the sentences on the board.

6. *The While:
*Learners are divided into groups of three/ or four
students to collaborate together.
*They listen to the two songs once.
*Then, they listen to one song and are handed the
lyrics of the two songs in forms of strips of
papers ...

7. *The teacher hands the learners a blank paper and
some glue to stick the ordered lyrics, while
listening to the songs.
While-Listening:
*Learners are handed handouts to answer gist
questions about the two songs.
*Learners are invited to compare between the

8. two singers’ tones, feelings and message …
*The learners enjoy the music and recycle the
usage of compare and contrast linkers.
*As a last activity in the while listening, the
students are asked to fill in the venn diagram with
correct words from the list ( the words are
adjectives to describe the singers’ tones).

9. Post-listening activities:
*Students are asked to imagine a different end to
each love story.
*Students are asked to think critically. Is every
painful situation we face in our lives, a dead end?
The end of the world? Or is it an
opportunity to be creative and look forward to

10. brighter future?
*Aren’t they blessings in disguise?
*All in all, students are invited to think of a
painful situation they lived and thanks to their
wise decision, they turned it into something
creative and beneficial to everyone? Did they
turn to Art to feel at ease with themselves?

11. *Learners are free to choose the ways they can
respond the songs. The singers have responded to
pain via singing. What about learners?
Do they like to write a poem? Lyrics of a
song? Draw a painting? Write a speech? Write a
letter to the singer?

12. Materials :
Mixed lyrics of the two songs ( in strips of
paper):
My life is brilliant
My love is pure
……………………………………………………
Well you only need the light when it’s burning
slow
……………………………………………………

13. only miss the sun when it starts to snow.
……………………………………………………
I saw an angel of that i’m sure
She smiled at me on the subway
……………………………………………………
Only know you love her when you let her go
Only know you’ve been high when you’re

14. feeling low.
……………………………………………………
She was with another man.
But I won’t lose no sleep on that
‘Cause I’ve got a plan
……………………………………………………
Only hate the road when you’re missing home

15. Only know you love her when you let let her go
and you let her go.
……………………………………………………
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful
it’s true.
……………………………………………………

16. Staring at the bottom of your glass
hoping one day you’ll make a dream last
……………………………………………………
I saw your face in a crowded place
And I don’t know what to do…
……………………………………………………

17. But dreams come slow and they go fast
You see her when you close your eyes.
……………………………………………………
‘cause i’ll never be with you
Yes, she caught my eye
As we walked on by
……………………………………………………

18. Maybe one day you’ll understand why
Everything you touch, oh, it dies!
……………………………………………………
She could see from my face that I was
flying high
And I don’t think I’ll see her again,
……………………………………………………

19. Staring at the ceiling in the dark
Same old empty feeling in your heart.
……………………………………………………
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful
you’re beautiful, it’s true.
……………………………………………………
‘cause love comes slow and goes so fast

20. There must be an angel with a smile on her face.
When she thought up that I should be with you.
……………………………………………………
Well you see her when you fall asleep
But never to touch and never to keep

21. But it’s time to face the truth,
I will never be with you.
……………………………………………………
‘cause you loved her too much and you dive too
deep.
……………………………………………………

22. Targeted vocabulary
*Literary words:
-Stanza, chorus, ...
-Tone,...
*Adjectives:
-Hopeless, helpless, homesick, nostalgic, lonely,
low, blue, memorable, infatuated, charmed,
irresistible, gloomy, sad, fatalistic,...

23. Targeted structures
*Compare and contrast linkers:
-both………………………………..
-.....................while………………..
-.....................whereas……………
-.....................but………………….

24. Post-listening
All kinds of reactions to the two songs are
welcome, whether literary or artistic.
*Learners are encouraged to work on songs as
future lessons to present in the classroom.

25. Reactions
*What do you think of the above-presented lesson
plan?
*Would you present such a lesson with your
students? Why not?
*Is it too challenging for your learners’ levels?
*Can you think of ways to facilitate listening to
them?