Making Connections – Offensive Band Names and Appropriation

Use this 90-minute ESL lesson plan on making connections in English while talking about appropriation with advanced B2-C1 groups or individuals.The authentic material is a podcast from The Economist. Students will navigate a warm up in which they brainstorm the origins of several band names. Students will then listen to a podcast about offensive band names and appropriation both in the past and the present.  In the podcast they will hear the presenter making connections in English between band names and historical events or ideas. Next, students are presented with several ways to make connections in English with vocabulary exercises. Finally, students work in pairs or small groups to come up with band names by making connections in English to specific historical events. They present their band names to the class while the others must guess which historical events they reference by explaining the connection(s) using the new vocabulary.

Here is the snippet of the podcast you will be using >>As a cold open you can use this music video >>Just put it on and get yourself a copy while your students are entranced (or put off) by a live recording of Joy Division.

Click on Download All to get the Student and the Teacher versions.