Be yourself say K-pop group with positive message

An EFL and ESL English Lesson

Lesson Collection
A photo of four silhouettes dancing.

Date: 3rd September 2023

Level: A2 Pre-intermediate

Grammar: Pronouns

Topics: Music, Diversity & Equality, Countries & Places

Printable lesson: Lesson, Single-Page Lesson

Individual worksheets: Reading, Grammar, Vocabulary, Writing, Spelling, Listening

Lesson

Text

Be yourself say K-pop group with positive message

Four members of an all-girl group are by themselves changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all foreign. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have all found success in the K-pop market.

Some say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if none of them are Korean. However fans say the group formed itself in Korea, have a Korean manager, and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t mind these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily practice. Fatou sometimes asks herself, “I can’t dance, I can’t rap ... What am I doing?”

Blackswan believe the future of K-pop is theirs. Sriya says skin colour doesn’t matter and “everybody can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their backgrounds. As artists they make us ask ourselves the question, “what are these cultures of yours and mine?”

Information sources (external links): bbc.com, koreatimes.co.kr

top

Warm-up activities and pre-reading task

Activities:

Write a short sentence that includes one word beginning with the letter k.

What do you like more and why — foreign music or foreign movies?

Do you know the adjective form of your country’s name? If not, look it up!

Pre-reading task:

Match the words on the left from the text to their synonyms:

  1. everybody
  2. market
  3. none
  4. unusual
  5. practice
  6. believe
  7. foreign
  8. member
  9. form
  10. worry
  1. think
  2. all
  3. business
  4. problem
  5. not one
  6. make
  7. person
  8. from another country
  9. learn
  10. not normal
Answers
  • 1B, 2C, 3E, 4J, 5I, 6A, 7H, 8G, 9F, 10D

interactive  |   top

Reading comprehension true or false

  1. The members are only Korean.
  2. The group are doing very well in Korea.
  3. Their manager is Indian.
  4. Blackswan are special because they only sing in English.
  5. The group have to improve their skills every day.
  6. Fatou is always feeling positive.
  7. The singers think their careers are finished.
  8. Sriya says anyone can be a K-pop artist.
  9. Blackswan are not a typical K-pop group.
  10. Part of an artist’s job is to raise important questions.
Answers
  • 1F, 2T, 3F, 4F, 5T, 6F, 7F, 8T, 9T, 10T

reading worksheet  |   interactive  |   listening  |   top

Grammar gap-fill cloze: pronouns

Put the pronouns A-J in the correct spaces 1-10.

  1. none
  2. everybody
  3. all
  4. theirs
  5. Some
  1. ourselves
  2. herself
  3. mine
  4. itself
  5. themselves

Four members of an all-girl group are by 1._______________ changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all foreign. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have 2._______________ found success in the K-pop market.

3._______________ say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if 4._______________ of them are Korean. However fans say the group formed 5._______________ in Korea, have a Korean manager, and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t mind these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily practice. Fatou sometimes asks 6._______________, “I can’t dance, I can’t rap ... What am I doing?”

Blackswan believe the future of K-pop is 7._______________. Sriya says skin colour doesn’t matter and “8._______________ can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their backgrounds. As artists they make us ask 9._______________ the question, “what are these cultures of yours and 10._______________?”

Answers
  1. 1J, 2C, 3E, 4A, 5I, 6G, 7D, 8B, 9F, 10H

grammar worksheet  |   interactive  |   top

Vocabulary multiple-choice cloze

In spaces 1-10, choose the correct answer from A-D.

Four members of an all-girl group are by themselves changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all 1._______________. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have all found 2._______________ in the K-pop market.

Some say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if none of them are Korean. However 3._______________ say the group formed itself in Korea, have a Korean 4._______________, and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t mind these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily 5._______________. Fatou sometimes asks herself, “I can’t dance, I can’t 6._______________ ... What am I doing?”

Blackswan 7._______________ the future of K-pop is theirs. Sriya says 8._______________ colour doesn’t matter and “everybody can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their 9._______________. As 10._______________ they make us ask ourselves the question, “what are these cultures of yours and mine?”

1.
A. forget
B. foreign
C. jewellery
D. factory
2.
A. success
B. sound
C. signs
D. shape
3.
A. cans
B. air
C. fans
D. wave
4.
A. himself
B. manager
C. musical
D. holiday
5.
A. plastic
B. company
C. practice
D. celebrity
6.
A. sky
B. offer
C. cover
D. rap
7.
A. become
B. benefit
C. between
D. believe
8.
A. skin
B. lock
C. suit
D. light
9.
A. backgrounds
B. grounds
C. international
D. national
10.
A. celebrity
B. government
C. artists
D. system
Answers
  1. 1B, 2A, 3C, 4B, 5C, 6D, 7D, 8A, 9A, 10C

vocabulary worksheet  |   interactive  |   top

Writing cloze

Spell the missing words 1-15 correctly. The first letters of 1-15 are the correct starting letters.

  1. m s b e m e r
  2. f e r i n o g
  3. s u s c s c e
  4. m a e k t r
  5. f n s a
  1. m g n a r e a
  2. m n d i
  3. p c t a r e i c
  4. r p a
  5. b e v e i e l
  1. s k n i
  2. e y v o d y b e r
  3. b c k g s d u o a n r
  4. a r s i t s t
  5. c e l u s u r t

Four 1._______________ of an all-girl group are by themselves changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all 2._______________. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have all found 3._______________ in the K-pop 4._______________.

Some say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if none of them are Korean. However 5._______________ say the group formed itself in Korea, have a Korean 6._______________, and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t 7._______________ these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily 8._______________. Fatou sometimes asks herself, “I can’t dance, I can’t 9._______________ ... What am I doing?”

Blackswan 10._______________ the future of K-pop is theirs. Sriya says 11._______________ colour doesn’t matter and “12._______________ can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their 13._______________. As 14._______________ they make us ask ourselves the question, “what are these 15._______________ of yours and mine?”

Answers
  • 1. members, 2. foreign, 3. success, 4. market, 5. fans, 6. manager, 7. mind, 8. practice, 9. rap, 10. believe, 11. skin, 12. everybody, 13. backgrounds, 14. artists, 15. cultures

writing worksheet  |   interactive  |   top

Fill in missing vowels

Fill in the text with these three missing letters: a e o

F_ur m_mb_rs _f _n _ll-girl gr_up _r_ by th_ms_lv_s ch_nging K-pop. Th_ m_mb_rs _f K-pop gr_up Blackswan _r_ _ll f_r_ign. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, _nd Nvee is American. But th_y h_v_ _ll f_und succ_ss in th_ K-pop m_rk_t.

S_m_ s_y th_t Blackswan c_nn_t b_ K-pop if n_n_ _f th_m _r_ Korean. H_w_v_r f_ns s_y th_ gr_up f_rm_d its_lf in Korea, h_v_ _ Korean m_n_g_r, _nd sing in Korean. Blackswan d_n’t mind th_s_ c_mm_nts. Th_y h_v_ bigg_r w_rri_s, such _s d_ily pr_ctic_. Fatou s_m_tim_s _sks h_rs_lf, “I c_n’t d_nc_, I c_n’t r_p ... Wh_t _m I d_ing?”

Blackswan b_li_v_ th_ futur_ _f K-pop is th_irs. Sriya s_ys skin c_l_ur d__sn’t m_tt_r _nd “_v_ryb_dy c_n d_ it.” _s _ K-pop gr_up th_y _r_ unusu_l _nd n_t _nly b_c_us_ _f th_ir b_ckgr_unds. _s _rtists th_y m_k_ us _sk _urs_lv_s th_ qu_sti_n, “wh_t _r_ th_s_ cultur_s _f y_urs _nd min_?”

spelling worksheet  |   top

Cool-down discussion, game, and keywords

Discussion questions:

  • What country does your favourite music group come from? What examples of their culture do they show?
  • Do you agree with the phrase “practice makes perfect”?
  • What makes a culture?
  • What format or platform do you listen to music on and why?
  • Can anyone play a musical instrument and what does it take to learn one?

Beginning with each letter below, think of things that give us our identity.

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
  • M
  • N
  • O
  • P
  • Q
  • R
  • S
  • T
  • U
  • V
  • W
  • X
  • Y
  • Z

CEFR A2 10 lesson keywords:

(a = adjective / n = noun / v = verb)

  • artist (n)
  • background (n)
  • believe (v)
  • fan (n/v)
  • foreign (a)
  • manager (n)
  • practice (n/v)
  • rap (n/v)
  • skin (n/v)
  • success (n)

top

Interactive exercises

Be yourself say K-pop group with positive message

Interactive pre-reading task

Match the words on the left from the text to their synonyms.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

lesson  |   top

Reading comprehension interactive true or false

Four members of an all-girl group are by themselves changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all foreign. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have all found success in the K-pop market.

Some say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if none of them are Korean. However fans say the group formed itself in Korea, have a Korean manager, and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t mind these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily practice. Fatou sometimes asks herself, “I can’t dance, I can’t rap ... What am I doing?”

Blackswan believe the future of K-pop is theirs. Sriya says skin colour doesn’t matter and “everybody can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their backgrounds. As artists they make us ask ourselves the question, “what are these cultures of yours and mine?”

1.
The members are only Korean.
2.
The group are doing very well in Korea.
3.
Their manager is Indian.
4.
Blackswan are special because they only sing in English.
5.
The group have to improve their skills every day.
6.
Fatou is always feeling positive.
7.
The singers think their careers are finished.
8.
Sriya says anyone can be a K-pop artist.
9.
Blackswan are not a typical K-pop group.
10.
Part of an artist’s job is to raise important questions.

reading worksheet  |   lesson  |   listening  |   top

Grammar gap-fill interactive cloze: pronouns

Four members of an all-girl group are by
1.
changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all foreign. Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have
2.
found success in the K-pop market.
3.
say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if
4.
of them are Korean. However fans say the group formed
5.
in Korea, have a Korean manager, and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t mind these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily practice. Fatou sometimes asks
6.
,
“I can’t dance, I can’t rap ... What am I doing?”
Blackswan believe the future of K-pop is
7.
.
Sriya says skin colour doesn’t matter and
“
8.
can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their backgrounds. As artists they make us ask
9.
the question, “what are these cultures of yours and
10.
?”

grammar worksheet  |   lesson  |   top

Vocabulary multiple-choice interactive cloze

Four members of an all-girl group are by themselves changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all
1.
.
Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have all found
2.
in the K-pop market.
Some say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if none of them are Korean. However
3.
say the group formed itself in Korea, have a Korean
4.
,
and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t mind these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily
5.
.
Fatou sometimes asks herself, “I can’t dance, I can’t
6.
... What am I doing?”
Blackswan
7.
the future of K-pop is theirs. Sriya says
8.
colour doesn’t matter and “everybody can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their
9.
.
As
10.
they make us ask ourselves the question, “what are these cultures of yours and mine?”

vocabulary worksheet  |   lesson  |   top

Writing interactive cloze

Spell the missing words 1-15 correctly. The first letters of 1-15 are the correct starting letters.

Four
1.
of an all-girl group are by themselves changing K-pop. The members of K-pop group Blackswan are all
2.
.
Sriya is Indian, Fatou is Belgian, Gabi is Brazilian, and Nvee is American. But they have all found
3.
in the K-pop
4.
.
Some say that Blackswan cannot be K-pop if none of them are Korean. However
5.
say the group formed itself in Korea, have a Korean
6.
,
and sing in Korean. Blackswan don’t
7.
these comments. They have bigger worries, such as daily
8.
.
Fatou sometimes asks herself, “I can’t dance, I can’t
9.
... What am I doing?”
Blackswan
10.
the future of K-pop is theirs. Sriya says
11.
colour doesn’t matter and
“
12.
can do it.” As a K-pop group they are unusual and not only because of their
13.
.
As
14.
they make us ask ourselves the question, “what are these
15.
of yours and mine?”

writing worksheet  |   lesson  |   top

Listening exercises

Be yourself say K-pop group with positive message

Listening comprehension true or false

Choose true or false according to the audio.

1.
The members are only Korean.
2.
The group are doing very well in Korea.
3.
Their manager is Indian.
4.
Blackswan are special because they only sing in English.
5.
The group have to improve their skills every day.
6.
Fatou is always feeling positive.
7.
The singers think their careers are finished.
8.
Sriya says anyone can be a K-pop artist.
9.
Blackswan are not a typical K-pop group.
10.
Part of an artist’s job is to raise important questions.

listening worksheet  |   lesson  |   interactive  |   top

Vocabulary reordering

Put these words in the order you hear them: unusual, ourselves, future, cultures, matter.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

listening worksheet  |   top

Dictation

Type the words you hear. Each word is read twice and there is an autocheck feature for this exercise.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

listening worksheet  |   top

Thanks for using this lesson!

Did you enjoy this lesson? Click these links to share this lesson on Facebook or share on Twitter.

A bit more on the same topics...

26th June 2023
A photo of a live orchestra.

Hans Zimmer asked partner big question on stage

Level: B1

Grammar: Past simple positive

Topics: Celebrities & People - Music - Movies

Lesson
8th May 2023
A photo of the Mona Lisa.

Historical bridge discovered from the Mona Lisa

Level: B1

Grammar: Articles after prepositions

Topics: The Arts & Culture - History - Countries & Places

Lesson

Printable Worksheets

More

Topic Selections

More

Grammar Guides

More

Warm-up Activities

More

Discussion Questions

More