Welcome to Teaching English is Fun. Once again it’s time for another musical adventure in English as a Second Language. I love doing songs for class because not only do they make English fun but I can add in some other topics that I might not usually cover in the regular course of my class.
Today I will introduce a really great Weird Al song, “Foil.” It is a spoof of the song by Lourdes called “Royals.” I think “Foil” is a great song because not only is it catchy, but you can use it to introduce the topic of conspiracies.
Students love to talk about conspiracies, and if you are teaching students from another country, this is a good chance to exchange ideas and culture. I found it fascinating to find out some conspiracies that they had that we don’t have.
Foil – Weird Al Yankovich
I never seem to finish all my food
I always get a __________ from the waiter A) soggy rag B) doggy bag C) paper bag
So I just keep what’s still unchewed
And I take it home, save it for later
But then I deal with fungal rot, bacterial formation
Microbes, enzymes, mold, and oxidation
I don’t care, I’ve got a secret trick ______________ A) on my knee B) on my leave C) up my sleeve
I never bother with baggies, glass jars, Tupperware containers
Plastic cling wrap, really a _______________ A) container B) no-brainer C) Moe-Blamer
I just like to keep all my flavors sealed in tight
With aluminum foil (foil)
Never settle for less
That kind of wrap is just the __________
To keep your sandwich nice and fresh
Stick it in your ________ (__________)
Eat it when you’re ready
But maybe you’ll choose (you’ll choose, you’ll choose, you’ll choose)
A refreshing _____________ A) cup of tea B) herbal tea C)gerbil pee
Mmm, lovely!
Oh, by the way, I’ve _______________ A) cracked the code B) smacked the toad C) clacked the road
I’ve figured out these shadow organizations
And the Illuminati know
That they’re finally primed for world domination
( puppet masters, black helicopters, moon landing, aliens, UFOs, watching you, Evil Group)
And soon you’ve got _________________ coming cross the border
_______________ for the New World Order
Be aware: there’s always someone that’s _______________
And still the government won’t admit they faked the whole ________________
Thought control rays, psychotronic scanning
Don’t mind that, I’m protected ’cause I made this hat
From aluminum foil (foil)
Wear a hat that’s foil lined
In case an ___________ inclined
To probe your butt or _______________ A) help you find B) read your mind C) tell the time
Looks a bit peculiar (‘culiar)
Seems a little crazy
But someday I’ll prove (I’ll prove, I’ll prove, I’ll prove)
There’s a big conspiracy
Page 2 – Discussion
- What conspiracies do you know of?
- Do you believe in aliens?
- Do you think the U.S. faked the moon landing?
- Do you think there is life on other planets?
- Do you believe we will one day travel in time?
- Is Hitler making UFOs in the Himalayas?
- Do you believe there is a world government controlling everything?
_________________________________________________________________?
The Truth is Out There, Skully!
I hope this English activity helps energize your class and makes you as happy as it did me. Weird Al has so many fun songs that can lead to interesting topics of discussion. I never try to do a song unless it can lead to new vocabulary or fun and educational ESL activities.
If you have any fun ideas of your own or a song that you would like to see turned into a class, please leave a comment below. I have so many ideas for future classes to post. The only thing stopping me is my fat fingers typing speed.
Have a great class and if you are looking for this song I have included a link up above.
And always remember, Teaching English is Fun!
Jim
Hello there, this is indeed a really nice post I must confess. Teaching can be a bit stressful and songs can be Avery easy way to make it interesting to the students. For me weird am is a really cool way of teaching kids and helping the teacher in. Situations where he or her may have not even thought if. Thanks for sharing.
Weird Al is really a great way to have some fun in class whether it is kids or adults. And for those days when the teacher is low on energy, this kind of class definitely helped.
I found myself sharing all kinds of classes with teachers when I was working with new teachers. I look at this site as my way to continue helping teachers all over the world who may be stuck for an idea or just dead on their feet.
Thanks for the great comment and all the best,
Jim
What a great concept!! It happens that I lived for many years in a culture different from my own where a language other than English was spoken by everyone but the very young. Although not a teacher, I did help many adults work on their English. I never thought of an exercise like what you have developed. Even if a person does not know the song “Royals” they can enjoy the challenge of filling in the blanks, both multiple choice and open. Idioms and metaphors are a difficult concept to catch cross-linguistically so your technique is a great to stimulate discussion, build vocabulary and allow for a natural flow with English to develop. I look forward to seeing more exercises like this one on your site. Well, done.
Thank you so much for the kind words. Actually, after hearing Weird Al’s version of the song I find I like to listen to his better. Hearing it over 20 times in a 24-hour period probably etched it in my brain forever.
I really found that this was a great motivator! I found myself singing all day long and it was a nice break from the textbook as well it offered a chance to teach those idioms people don’t normally see in a book. It also led to some great discussions.
All the best,
Jim