Practice nouns, verbs, and adjectives in this shopping and grammar ESL lesson using “You Never Give Me Your Money” by The Beatles.
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Learn English with The Beatles: A Shopping & Grammar ESL Lesson
If you’re looking for a creative way to teach parts of speech and real-life vocabulary, this Beatles-themed ESL lesson hits all the right notes. Based on the song “You Never Give Me Your Money,” students will explore shopping, spending, and English grammar all in one exciting package.
The Power of Music in Learning – Explore how music enhances memory retention. – Discuss psychological studies that support music as a learning aid. – Music for motivation and engagement in ESL learners.
This lesson is part of our summer ESL series and pairs perfectly with Lesson 8: Shopping and Spending Money – a practical and relatable topic for beginner and intermediate learners alike.
Looking for even more support? Try a free lesson with Rocket Languages or get one-on-one help through italki’s professional language tutors.
Table of Contents
- Why Use Music to Teach English?
- Focus Saying: “Save money for a rainy day.”
- Song Lyrics & Grammar Focus
- What Students Will Learn
- Sample Worksheet: Fill-in-the-Blank + Vocabulary
- Free Download: Preview PDF
- Full Lesson on TPT
- Join the Study Buddy Project
Why Use Music to Teach English?
Songs are sticky. They help with pronunciation, memory, listening skills, and vocabulary acquisition. The Beatles’ lyrics are a goldmine of simple grammar and everyday language — making this lesson as enjoyable as it is educational.
Why Use Beatles Lyrics? – Universality and appeal of Beatles songs worldwide. – Beatles’ straightforward lyrics conducive to language learning. – Mood-lifting properties and emotional connection created by music.
For even more grammar practice, explore English Class 101’s free video library.
Focus Saying: “Save money for a rainy day.”
We begin with this English proverb to guide the conversation around saving vs. spending. Students discuss what it means, how it applies to their lives, and connect the idea to lyrics in the song.
Shopping and Spending with the Beatles – Breakdown Beatles lyrics related to shopping and spending. – Introducing the popular saying: “Save money for a rainy day.” – How to draw parallels between song lyrics and real-life situations.
Song Lyrics & Grammar Focus
“You Never Give Me Your Money” touches on dreams, debt, jobs, and emotional breakdowns. Students analyze lyrics to identify:
- Nouns like money, dream, children
- Verbs like give, go, see
- Pronouns like I, you, my
- Adjectives like funny, sweet, magic
- Comparatives like good, better, best
Grammar & Vocabulary Focus – Grammatical structures found in Beatles’ shopping-related lyrics. – Vocabulary expansion through contexts in the lyrics. – Practice contextualized grammar with song phrases.
This provides a natural and engaging way to practice parts of speech.
What Students Will Learn
- Vocabulary for talking about money and spending
- Realistic shopping dialogue
- Grammar: nouns, verbs, adjectives, pronouns
- Comparative and superlative adjectives
- Speaking, listening, reading, and writing practice
- Song analysis for comprehension
Want a fun mobile supplement? Try Mondly’s speech recognition app to reinforce vocabulary at home.
Sample Worksheet Preview
Here’s a sneak peek at one of the worksheets included:
Fill in the blanks:
“You never give me your ________
You only give me your funny ________…”
Grammar Practice:
good → ______ → ______
small → ______ → ______
Get the Full Lesson on TPT
Digital Resources and Connectivity – Access a free downloadable lesson preview PDF. – Guided sample fill-in-the-blank exercises and solutions. – Further resources available with a full lesson on Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT)
The complete downloadable lesson includes:
- 90-minute lesson plan
- Printable worksheet pack
- Lyric-based grammar worksheet
- Role-play script and speaking activity
- Quiz + answer key
- Picture dictionary and flashcards
- Editable DOCX + PDF formats
🛒 Available now in The KBob Teacher Toolbox on TPT
Join the Study Buddy Project
Want more interaction? Join our Study Buddy Project and practice your English with others from around the world in a safe, respectful environment.
Cultivating a Community – Join the Study Buddy Project – How collaborative study enhances group learning. – Opportunities for students to connect over mutual learning interests. – Potential outcomes and benefits of being part of an educational community.
Join the Study Buddy Group on Facebook
Final Thoughts
Music opens the door to emotional engagement, memory retention, and authentic language learning. This lesson turns a classic song into a real-world English learning experience. Let your students sing, speak, and study — all at once.
Got questions or want to share how it worked in your class? Leave a comment below!
I’d love to hear from you.
I always reply.
This is a creative and engaging way to teach grammar especially for ESL learners who often struggle to connect abstract rules to real-life use. Using Beatles lyrics like “Can’t Buy Me Love” not only adds fun to the learning process but also helps reinforce vocabulary and grammar in a memorable, context-rich environment. I appreciate how the lesson ties the grammar point (e.g., modals and simple present tense) to a relatable theme like shopping and spending, which students are likely to encounter in everyday conversation.
In my experience teaching ESL, incorporating music into lessons consistently boosts learner engagement. Students enjoy the rhythm, repetition, and emotional connection that songs provide. Lyrics also serve as excellent conversation starters and can deepen cultural understanding a key part of language acquisition that often gets overlooked.
One suggestion I’d offer is to include optional post-listening activities that encourage students to apply the grammar point in new contexts perhaps a role-play where they simulate a shopping trip or a creative writing prompt where they compose their own song lyrics using the target grammar.
Overall, this lesson is not only well-structured but also encourages active learning. It’s a great reminder that grammar doesn’t have to be dry or intimidating it can be musical, meaningful, and even a bit nostalgic!
Hi AJnaval, thanks for your comments. It’s always good to hear from other teachers. Regarding your suggestion, my article/lesson is extended and includes your suggestion on TPT, a paid version.
KBob