The Chainsmokers and Coldplay, 2017

In this song, there is a reference to a romantic kiss, so the song may not be appropriate for all classes; previewing the lyrics (given below) is advised.

Choose from the following activities:

• Listening Listen to the song while reading the punctuated, annotated lyrics below.  Intended for nonprofit educational purposes only.

something just like this, lyrics.docx          something just like this, lyrics.pdf

• Post-Listening Practice using wanna for want to. The song repeats the contraction wanna—a pronunciation of want to that is rarely included in grammar books or practiced in the classroom but is common in informal spoken English. The interactive exercise below gives students practice using the contraction in short dialogs with a friend. Permission is granted to reproduce the activity for classroom use. For levels low intermediate and up. (This activity, though simple, is not recommended for beginning levels; students should be rock-solid in the use of want to before trying the informal pronunciation wanna.)

wanna for want to.docx          wanna for want to.pdf

• Post-Listening Watch an official music video. There are two—one is the official lyric video, and the other is a live performance. The video with lyrics is highly recommended.
• Post-Listening Talk about places you want to go. The woman in the song asks, “Where d’you wanna go?” In the follow-up exercise below, students talk about a place where they want to go. First, they put an X on the world map to mark the place. Then they answer a few questions about the place in writing. Finally, they share their writing with a partner or in a small group. (During this oral step, they have they option of pronouncing want to as wanna.) Permission is granted to reproduce for classroom use. For levels high beginning and up.

where do you want to go.docx          where do you want to go.pdf

Variation: Instead of using the worksheet above, tape a world map on a classroom wall. Students write their names on small sticky notes, walk up to the map, and put their names on the places where they want to go. Then, in a class discussion, they answer these questions: Where do you want to go? What do you want to see there? What do you want to do there?