Dolly Parton, who passed away in August 2026 at the age of 80, was a beloved singer and songwriter whose songs appealed to a wide range of people. Her three biggest hit songs were “I Will Always Love You,” “Coat of Many Colors,” and “9 to 5.” (In 2026, two U.S. states and many communities declared September 25, pronounced 9-2-5, “Dolly Parton Day” in honor of her song “9 to 5.”) Here are some lesson plan ideas for Dolly’s three biggest hits.

Choose from the following activities:

“I Will Always Love You”

• Reading  Read the story behind the song “I Will Always Love You,” titled “A Thank You and a Goodbye.” (Level 3: High-beginning)

thank you and goodbye.pdf          thank you and goodbye, webpage

• Listening Watch a lyric video of the song–either Dolly Parton’s or Whitney Houston’s.
• Grammar  Follow up with an activity that gives students practice making promises beginning  “I’ll.”

will, making promises.pdf         will, making promises (webpage)

“Coat of Many Colors”

• Reading / Writing / Oral Fluency  The song “Coat of Many Colors” tells a true story from Dolly’ childhood. Read the lyrics on the Internet and listen to the official audio video. Working as a class, students summarize the story in 6 to 10 sentences. Use their summary as the basis of a Pair Dictation or Disappearing Text activity.

“9 to 5”

• Listening Comprehension / Pronunciation  When Dolly Parton was very young, even before she could read and write, she began composing and singing her own songs. Her mother was struck by Dolly’s talent for rhyming words—it seemed to come naturally to her. She wrote down the words to some of the songs Dolly made up and kept them on scraps of paper in a shoebox. Perhaps no song showcases Dolly’s ability to rhyme words better than “9 to 5.” In the worksheet below, students fill in the missing rhyming words. As a follow-up, they could practice pronouncing the pairs of rhyming words. Listen to, or watch, the lyric video before, during, or after completing the gap-fill activity. This song is best for levels low intermediate and up. Lyrics intended for non-profit educational purposes only.

rhyming words in 9 to 5.pdf          rhyming words in 9 to 5, webpage

• Discussion This song invites a discussion about the pros and cons of different kinds of work. You could structure the discussion with the worksheet below. For levels high beginning and up. Permission granted to duplicate for classroom use.

ideal work.docx          ideal work.pdf

• Reading If you use the True Stories reading series, you could follow up the song “9 to 5” with a story in which someone’s occupation plays a central role: “The First Day” (True Stories 2), about a 911 operator; “The Last Laugh” (True Stories 2), about a waitress; “A Long Fishing Trip” (True Stories 3), about fishermen; “How You Finish” (True Stories 4), about a teacher; “The Chef” (True Stories 5), about a blind chef.