“Thank You for the Music” by ABBA

A Mix & Match Lesson Plan:

Songs have always been an important part of my teaching. Seeing my husband, who has no formal English learning experience, being able to communicate fluently in English simply because of his love for music encouraged me to integrate songs into my own classrooms. I use these songs for various purposes: sometimes for grammar presentation or listening comprehension, other times for speaking practice, and most frequently for creative writing and critical thinking.

I recently wrote a post on my blog about why using songs is a great idea, where I also shared a few activities. That inspired me to start sharing song-based lesson plans more regularly again, just like I used to do. From now on, I’ll be sharing these song lessons right here on my Substack.

Following up on that blog post, I’ve decided to kick off this series with “Thank You for the Music” by ABBA. In this post, you will find a complete, ready-to-use 45-minute lesson framework. It is completely modular. You can either follow the step-by-step sequential plan, or you can swap out the grammar focus for the creative writing or speaking extension activities provided at the bottom. The choice is yours!

How to Build Your 45-Minute Lesson

To help you pace your class, choose one of the pathways below, or mix and match the activities to suit your students’ needs:

• The Full Sequential Framework: Build-up (12 min) ➔ Listening Core (15 min) ➔ Grammar & Drilling (15 min) + Buffer.

• The Creative Writing Pathway: Build-up (12 min) ➔ Listening Core (15 min) ➔ “Thank You For...” Writing Task (15 min) + Buffer.

• The Communicative Speaking Pathway: Build-up (12 min) ➔ Listening Core (15 min) ➔ Mind Map or Survival Scenario Groups (15 min) + Buffer.

The Lesson Plan: “Thank You for the Music”

• Level: B1 / B2 (Teenagers / Adults)

• Skills: Listening, speaking, vocabulary, critical thinking, creative writing

• Language Focus: Listening comprehension, Time Clauses, expressing opinions

Part 1: Warm-up & Build-up (12 mins total)

Activity 1: Agree / Disagree Line (7 min)

Instructions: Designate different areas of your classroom as AGREE, DISAGREE, or NOT SURE. Read the following statements aloud and ask students to physically move to the area that matches their opinion.

Statements:

1. Life without music would still be enjoyable.

2. Talent is more important than practice in music.

3. Music can change emotions instantly.

4. Music is mainly for entertainment, not communication.

Speaking Focus: Once students are standing in their areas, ask them to justify their choices in small groups, then share with the whole class using frames like:

• “I agree because…”

• “I disagree because…”

• “In my opinion…”

Activity 2: Quote Interpretation (5 min)

Instructions: Project or write these two quotes on the board. Have students discuss them in pairs.

• “What would life be without a song or a dance?”

• “Nothing can capture a heart like a melody.”

Discussion Questions:

• What do these quotes mean ?

• Do you agree with them? Why or why not?

• Can you share a real-life example of a melody capturing your heart?

Part 2: The Core Listening Element (15 mins total)

Activity 3: Listening Comprehension & Feedback (15 min)

Teachers can use the printable Canva handout layout provided below for this segment.

Instructions:

1. Pre-Listening (3 min): Distribute the handout. Instruct students to actively scan the fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice questions before the audio starts. This helps them anticipate the information they need.

2. While Listening (8 min): Play the song twice. During the first play, focus on Part 1 (word completion). During the second play, focus on Part 2 (comprehension and True/False).

3. Post-Listening (4 min): Have students check their answers in pairs before reviewing them as a whole class.

Part 3: Choose Your 15-Minute Target Activity

Pick ONE of the options below to close out your 45-minute lesson, or save the others for a follow-up class!

Option A: The Grammar Route (Time Clauses)

Activity 4: Grammar Discovery — “Time Clauses Detective” (7 min)

Distribute the full song lyrics. Project this specific line on the board:

“I was a dancer before I could walk.”

Detective Questions (Pair Work):

• Which action happened first?

• Which word connects the two actions?

• Can we reverse the order of the sentence? (Guide them to discover: “Before I could walk, I was a dancer.”)

Elicit more personal examples from students’ own lives to fill in these stems:

• I learned to use a smartphone before...

• I started secondary school after...

• I felt nervous when...

The “Notice Box” Reference:

• before: I was a dancer before I could walk.

• after: After I joined the band, I became confident.

• when: I smile when I hear this song.

• while: I sing while I study.

• since: I’ve loved music since I was six.

Activity 5: Fun Drilling — Musical Sentence Chain (8 min)

Setup: Have the class sit or stand in a circle.

• Teacher starts: “I was singing before I came to school.”

• Student 1 continues: “Before I came to school, I listened to a song that I love.”

• Student 2 follows: “I listened to a song that I love after I finished my homework.”

• Student 3 follows: “After I finished my homework, I watched a video that made me laugh.”

The Rules: Every single sentence must contain one time clause and must remain connected to the theme of music or daily habits.

Option B: The Creative Writing Route

Activity 6: Writing Task — “Thank You For...” (15 min)

Task (Individual): Students draft a reflective mini-text titled “Thank You for ______”. They can choose a hobby, a person, an object, or an experience.

Target Requirements:

• Word count: 120–150 words

• Must include at least 3 time clauses

• Must include at least 3 relative clauses

• Must express present feelings

Teacher Model to Share:

Thank you for basketball, which has become an important part of my life. Before I joined the team, I was quite shy. After I started training regularly, I became more confident. The friends who play with me every week always encourage me. When I feel stressed, basketball helps me relax. The memories that we’ve created together make me happy, and I’m grateful for them every day.

Extension: Students who feel comfortable can read their texts aloud to their peers.

Printable Lesson Handout & Answer Key

Part 1 – While Listening

A. Listen and complete the sentences using ONE WORD ONLY.

1. The singer says she is not ________, in fact, a bit of a bore.

2. Everyone listens when she starts to __________.

3. She asks, “What would ___________ be?”

4. Her mother says she was a dancer before she could __________.

5. The singer believes nothing can capture a heart like a __________.

6. She describes herself as the girl with golden __________.

Part 2 – Post-Listening

B. Listen to the song and choose the best answer.

1. How does the singer describe herself at the beginning?

   • A) Talented and confident

   • B) Ordinary and not very interesting

   • C) Funny and entertaining

2. What special ability does the singer mention?

   • A) Writing songs

   • B) Dancing

   • C) Singing

3. According to the singer, music brings people:

   • A) money

   • B) joy

   • C) friendship

4. What is the overall message of the song?

   • A) Music is essential in life

   • B) Fame is difficult

   • C) Childhood memories are important

C. True / False / Not Given Write T (True), F (False), or NG (Not Given):

1. The singer thinks she is very special. _____

2. The singer believes jokes are her greatest strength. _____

3. The singer started singing before speaking. _____

4. The singer feels lucky in life. _____

🔑 Answer Key

• Part 1: 1. special | 2. sing | 3. life | 4. walk | 5. melody | 6. hair

• Part 2 (MCQ): 1. B | 2. C | 3. B | 4. A

• Part 2 (T/F/NG): 1. F | 2. F | 3. T | 4. T

Alternative Extension Activity Menu

These options are perfect to turn into downloadable “Lesson Idea Cards” on Canva!

Creative Writing Options

1. “A World Without Music” (120–160 words): Start with the prompt: “One morning, I woke up and something was missing…” Students focus on narrative tenses to describe how society copes without sound.

2. Guided Summary Writing (60–80 words): Students write a concise summary explaining the singer’s feelings, the central importance of music, and the song’s overall message.

3. “If Music Could Talk” (5–6 lines): A personification exercise. Students write from the perspective of music talking to humanity. Optional starter: “I travel through your headphones…”

Collaborative Group Work

1. “Music Is…” Mind Map Challenge (Groups of 3–4): Groups get 8 minutes to sketch a map connecting music to emotions, travel, celebrations, and life events. They present their map to the class in exactly 60 seconds.

2. Survival Scenario: No-Music World (Groups of 4–5): A critical thinking scenario where music has systematically vanished. Groups must decide what psychological problems would emerge and map out creative human solutions.

Communicative Pair Work

1. Deeper Quote Interpretation (8–10 min): A focused speaking task unpacking the literal and emotional meaning of the song’s core lines.

2. “Would You Rather?” Cards (8–10 min): Quick-fire debates. Partners must choose one side and justify it:

   • Live without music OR live without films?

   • Be a famous singer OR a behind-the-scenes songwriter?

   • Listen to only one song forever OR live in complete silence?

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Download the Complete “Thank You for the Music” Handout Packet (PDF)