The classic, “Do they know it’s Christmas?” provides lots of opportunities for language work, investigation and discussion. I have used this song with different levels for different learning outcomes. This particular lesson is aimed at upper elementary/intermediate teens to:
- revise/extend christmas vocabulary
- identify and practise previously taught diphthongs (although they could be introduced at this stage too)
- research information
- discuss the message of the song
- consider some wider global issues
How many sessions you dedicate to this will depend on where students do their research (in class or at home), how you organise the discussion stage (whole class, pairs, groups…) and how much time you want to spend on it, if any. Depending on your students you may want to make it a bit more light-hearted and not delve into the wider global issues too much.
I tried to make make it more relevant to my students (teens) by incorporating the 30th anniversary version, sung by more recent artists. However, they did enjoy the original version, laughing at the fashion and hairstyles and trying to guess the year…
Click on the link below to get the PowerPoint (lesson plan)
Do-they-know-its-christmas
Merry Christmas!
