Famous People; Celebrities; Heroes/Heroines, Idols and Legends

• to use students previous knowledge and opinions as a basis for discussion
• to allow students to understand the vocabulary through negotiated meaning
• to notice collocations and fixed expressions from song lyrics
• to compare two similar songs
• to write a song using some of the collocations and fixed expressions they noticed

Topics:
Famous People; Celebrities; Heroes/Heroines, Idols and Legends

Activities:
1. Discuss what students already know about and think about the lives of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana.

2. Read short biographies of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana from www.biography.com

3. Discuss how their lives were similar and different.

4. Decide whether the women are/were heroines, idols or legends and why.

5. Tell students that in pairs they are going to write their own song about a hero or heroine and that they are going to listen for useful chunks of language to use for their song.

6. Listen to Elton John’s original version of Candle in the Wind while completing a gap fill of useful phrases. (Find lyrics on www.lyricsdownload.com/). Depending on the level, you might block out such phrases as, 'the grace to hold yourself', 'lived your life like a', 'crawled out of the woodwork', 'would have liked to have known you', 'the press still hounded you'.

7. Discuss the meaning of the lyrics, and compare them to the lyrics of the Candle in the Wind Princess Diana Tribute.

8. With a partner, choose a favourite hero/heroine, idol or legend from the past and rewrite the lyrics of Candle in the Wind for that person. Perform the song for the class.