21 Pilots, 2015

This song works best for levels intermediate and up. Choose from the following activities:

• Listening Listen to the song while reading the lyrics. Unfortunately, the lyrics on most lyrics websites are inaccurate. Punctuated, correct lyrics are below.

 Stressed Out, lyrics.docx     Stressed Out, lyrics.pdf

• Post-Listening Watch the official music video.
• Post-Listening Practice the construction wish + simple past to make a wish in the present, a construction that is used ten times in the song. (I wish I had a better voice, Wish we could turn back time, etc.) Permission is granted to reproduce the worksheet below for classroom use.

wish worksheet.docx          wish worksheet.pdf

• Post-Listening Practice the construction wish + simple past to make a wish in the present by playing the Memory Circle game. First, have students complete one of  the sentences below:

I wish I had _______________________________.
I wish I could _______________________________.
I wish I didn’t have to _______________________________.

Students form a circle and follow the steps below. (A circle should not contain more than 12 students, so they may need to form several circles.)

1. Student 1 says the sentence he/she wrote. (For example, I wish I had more time to study.)
2. Student 2 repeats what Student 1 said. (For example, Maria wishes she had more time to study.)
3. Student 2 then adds his/her own sentence. (For example, I wish I had a new car.)
4. Student 3 repeats what Students 1 and 2 said. (For example, Maria wishes she had more time to study. Yoshi wishes he had a new car.)
5. Student 3 adds his/her own sentence.
6. Students continue going around the circle, repeating what the other students said, in order, and then adding his/her own sentence.
7. After the last student says all the sentences, ask students to give him/her a round of applause. (It’s not easy to be the last student!)