Hand in My Pocket – ESL Song Gap Fill Activity with free printable PDF worksheet
Hand in my Pocket
🎶 Hand in My Pocket – ESL Song Gap Fill Activity with Free Printable Worksheet 🎤
📌 Learning Objective:
✅ Improve listening skills through a fun gap-fill activity 🎧
✅ Learn and practice adjectives in context 📝
✅ Enhance teamwork and collaboration 🤝
🎼 How to Use the Song “Hand in My Pocket” for Teaching Adjectives
🛠 Materials Needed:
- One worksheet per student (printable gap-fill exercise)
- A copy of “Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morissette 🎵
- A whiteboard & markers
👥 Class Setup:
1️⃣ Divide students into small teams and assign each a number.
2️⃣ Write the song title on the board and number the missing adjectives from the worksheet.
3️⃣ Hand out the gap-fill worksheet to each student.
🎲 Step-by-Step Game Instructions
🎧 Step 1: First Listening – Individual Work
- Play the song once or twice while students fill in the blanks individually.
🤝 Step 2: Teamwork Discussion
- After the second listening, students compare answers with their teammates.
🎧 Step 3: Final Listening – Answer Check
- Play the song one last time for students to confirm their answers.
✍ Step 4: Writing on the Board
- Teams take turns choosing a number and sending a player to write their answer on the board.
- Scoring System:
- ✅ 1 point for the correct adjective.
- ✅ +1 extra point for correct spelling.
- ❌ If a team misspells a word, other teams can steal the spelling point!
🏆 Step 5: Announce the Winning Team
- Once all blanks are filled, tally points and announce the winners 🎉
💬 Step 6: Discussion on Meaning & Interpretation
- Ask students: What do you think the song is about?
- Discuss the meaning of the adjectives in real-life contexts.
🌟 Example Adjectives in the Song
| Missing Adjective | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Free | Not restricted |
| Happy | Feeling joy |
| Broke | Having no money |
| High | Feeling euphoric |
| Sane | Mentally stable |
| Brave | Courageous |
💡 Challenge: Can students think of synonyms for each adjective?
🎭 Additional ESL Activities
🎭 Role-Play Challenge:
- Students act out the adjectives in small groups while others guess!
✍ Writing Task:
- Have students write a short paragraph using the adjectives from the song.
📖 Vocabulary Expansion:
- Teach opposites of the adjectives (e.g., happy vs. sad).
🎁 Why This ESL Activity is Amazing
✔ Fun & Engaging – Makes learning memorable 🎶
✔ Boosts Listening Skills – Trains students to focus on details 🎧
✔ Perfect for Group Work – Encourages collaboration 🤝
✔ Free Printable! – Ready-to-use for any classroom 📝fect for classrooms or online learning!
Happy teaching! 🎉
📩 Want more free ESL grammar lesson? Share this post with other teachers and let us know how it worked in your classroom!
💬 What other grammar topics would you like? Drop your ideas in the comments!
DOWNLOAD THE PDF FOR FREE
More ESL Classroom Games & Activities
Looking for more fun grammar activities for your English class? Check out these ideas:
✅ ESL Speaking Games to improve fluency
✅ Grammar Board Games for practicing sentence structures
✅ Interactive Writing Activities for ESL learners
