Used to Be Activity

8/6/2019 Used to Be Activity

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 Activity prepared by Francisco Carrizo Zirit  – May 2010

Song Activity

This used to be my playground by Madonna 

1.  VOCABULARY 

Children pastimes. Look at the following childhood activities and classify them into the corresponding category. Can you

think of other games?

Play hopscotch Jump the rope Play Tag and Chase Play with Tops Play with dolls

Play with marbles Play with Hula Hoops Play Hide and Seek Play with yo-yos Play clapping games

Boys only Girls only Both

2.  LISTENING AND GRAMMAR

Word order. Unscramble the following sentences. Then listen and check.

For example:

Playground/used/This/be/to/my  This used to be my playground

a.  dream/my/This/childhood/used/be/to ______________________________________________________________ b.  to/ran/used/place/This/to/the/be/I ________________________________________________________________ 

c.  was/Whenever/need/in/friend/a/of/I _______________________________________________________________ 

d.  end?/it/did/to/have/Why ________________________________________________________________________ 

e.  always/they/do/say?/why/And ____________________________________________________________________ 

f.  back/look/Don’t ________________________________________________________________________________ 

g.  high/Keep/head/your/held _______________________________________________________________________ 

h.  why/ask/them/Don’t ___________________________________________________________________________ 

i.  is/short/Life/because ___________________________________________________________________________ 

 j.  know/you/And/before __________________________________________________________________________ 

k.  old/You’re/feeling _____________________________________________________________________________ 

l.  heart/your/breaking/is/And ______________________________________________________________________ 

m.  hold/Don’t/on/past/the/to _______________________________________________________________________ 

n.  ask/much/too/Well/to/that’s _____________________________________________________________________ 

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone; August 16, 1958) is an American recording

artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, and raised in Rochester

Hills, Michigan.

The song “This used to be my playground” was written and produced by Madonna and

Shep Pettibone. Released in the summer of 1992, the single was a worldwide hit,spending one week at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in August 1992, and

became Madonna's tenth song to top the charts.

It is the theme song for the film  A League of Their Own , which starred Madonna as well

as Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O'Donnell.

8/6/2019 Used to Be Activity

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 Activity prepared by Francisco Carrizo Zirit  – May 2010

3.  LISTENING 

Sentence order. Listen to the song and order the lines.

This used to be my playground

This used to be my childhood dream

This used to be the place I ran to

Whenever I was in need of a friend

Why did it have to end?

And why do they always say?

Don't look back

Keep your head held high

Don't ask them why

Because life is short

And before you know

You're feeling old

And your heart is breaking

Don't hold on to the past

Well that's too much to ask

This used to be my playground [used to be] This used to be my childhood dream

This used to be the place I ran to

Whenever I was in need of a friend

Why did it have to end?

And why do they always say?

And that little fire

Is still alive in me

Well the years they flew

It will never go away

Can't say goodbye to yesterday (can't say goodbye)

We were foolish then

Live and learn

And we never knew

We would never tire

This used to be my playground [used to be] 

This used to be my childhood dream

This used to be the place I ran to

Whenever I was in need of a friend

Why did it have to end?

And why do they always say?

I can see your face

Well then there's hope yet

Those are words I'll never say [I'll never say] 

No regrets

Were here with me

But I wish that you

You're not just a memory

Say goodbye to yesterday

In our secret place

This used to be our playground [used to be] 

This used to be our pride and joy

This used to be the place we ran to

That no one in the world could dare destroy

This used to be our playground [used to be] 

This used to be our childhood dream

This used to be the place we ran to

The best things in life are always free

Wishing you were here with me

Discussion and comprehension

a.  Is the song about good memories or bad memories?

b.  Was the playground a safe or a dangerous place to be?

c.  What did the singer do in the playground?

d.  How does the singer feel now?

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