Ruth B., 2016

Although written over 100 years ago, the story of Peter Pan continues to inspire new creative works. The 2024 Disney movie Peter Pan and Wendy is a retelling of the story Disney first told in its animated 1953 movie Peter Pan. And the story inspired a college student to write the song “Lost Boy,” which became a hit under unique circumstances.
The song works well as a springboard for a grammar lesson (it has 14 pest-tense verbs) and a discussion on the topic of “Finding Your Neverland.” It’s also a great introduction to the story of Peter Pan and its iconic characters.

Choose from the following activities:

• Reading Read the story behind the song, titled “Finding Your Neverland,” for levels high-beginning and up. Reading the story before listening to the song is advised; the song makes more sense if students have some familiarity with Peter Pan and the other characters who live in the fantasy world of Neverland. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.
• Grammar Target the 14 past-tense verbs in the lyrics gap-fill exercise below. Lyrics intended for nonprofit educational purposes only.

Lost Boy, gap-fill.docx      lost boy, gap-fill.pdf       Lost Boy, gap-fill (webpage)

• Listening Watch a music video with lyrics. The official lyric video gives students practice reading the lyrics in different handwritings.
• Listening Watch the official music video.
• Discussion Talk about the idea of Neverland—a person, hobby, sport, or anything that helps you feel at home. Structure the discussion with the Draw-Write-Share activity below. Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use.

Who or What Helps You?.docx          Who or What Helps You?.pdf

Who or What Helps You? (webpage)