Copilot + Suno

Marina Fernández, Laia Muset and Júlia Ruiz.

Description of the activity: After learning about Halloween and how to write correct prompts, fifth grade students will create the lyrics of a song using Copilot. Then, using Suno, they will choose the style of their song and its main characteristics. Once their song have been generated, the whole class will sing it to their peers in kindergarten on Halloween.

Skeleton: This activity will be developed in five lessons. During the first lesson, students, divided in pairs, will learn vocabulary related to Halloween by doing a worksheet and a game. On the second lesson, the students will learn how to write a complete prompt to AI, and will create the lyrics of a Halloween song using Copilot. Each pair will receive three Halloween-related words (a noun, a verb, and an adjective) and write a short verse of the song using them and AI. Then, they will join another pair with the same words to combine their ideas into a longer verse that becomes part of the class Halloween song. The class will then use Copilot to turn this verses into song lyrics and Suno to choose the song’s style. Afterwards, each group will create a gapped version of their paragraph for a listening activity with the generated song in order to test their comprehension of the content. In the following lesson, students will do the listening activity, rehearse their song and design materials, that can be used as a scaffolding, that support the kindergarten students in their understanding of the lyrics. In the final lesson, they will sing their song to the young learners from the school, using these materials to illustrate the key vocabulary. Finally, they will end the activity with a brief self-assessment.

• Target Age: Fifth grade.

• Target Language Level (based on CEFR): A2 level.

• Location: Classroom.

Mediation:

• Collaborating in a group. Can collaborate in simple, practical tasks, asking what others think, making suggestions and understanding responses, provided he/she can ask for repetition or reformulation from time to time (p.119).

Communicative Language Competences (Linguistics, Sociolinguistic, Pragmatic):

• Linguistic. Vocabulary range: Has a sufficient vocabulary for the expression of basic communicative needs (p.132).

• Linguistic. Grammatical accuracy: Uses some simple structures correctly, but still systematically makes basic mistakes – for example tends to mix up tenses and forget to mark agreement; nevertheless, it is usually clear what he/she is trying to say (p.133). 

• Pragmatic. Thematic development: Can tell a story or describe something in a simple list of points (p.141).

Plurilingual and pluricultural: 

• Building on plurilingual repertoire: Can use words and phrases from different languages in his/her plurilingual repertoire to conduct a simple, practical transaction or information exchange (p.162).

• Students will be able to write a creative and coherent prompt explaining their needs by using given structures.

• Students will be able to implement their prior knowledge by writing an elaborate prompt detailing the content of their song.

• Students will be able to sing their song accordingly with the lyrics .

The teacher will create individual accounts for each pair on Copilot and Suno before the class (1h).

• Link to Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.com/ 

• Link to Suno: https://suno.com/ 

• Handouts:

• Equipment: laptops (one per each pair).

Pre-task:

The pre-task phase is designed to activate learners’ prior knowledge and provide the linguistic, cognitive, and cultural input necessary for the main task: creating and performing an original Halloween song using AI tools. Before starting, the teacher explains what they are going to do during the activity and the aims they have to achieve. Moreover, the teacher shows one song made by her using Copilot and Suno, so the students have an idea of what they are going to do, and they feel more engaged to the activity.

In the first session, students first group in pairs, which will last throughout the activity, and then they complete a Halloween Vocabulary Worksheet, where they match key Halloween-related words with their meanings and then write an example sentence for each. This activity integrates content and cognition by helping students acquire and classify new vocabulary while reinforcing grammatical accuracy and contextual understanding. At the same time, it promotes communication as learners discuss their choices and share examples, and it introduces culture through typical Halloween symbols and concepts from English-speaking countries.

Learners then take part in Trick or Teach!, an interactive and communicative game that reinforces the newly learned vocabulary through movement and collaboration. The game uses three colour-coded sets of cards (orange for nouns, brown for verbs, and yellow for adjectives), each including a short task: draw or describe it! (nouns), act it out! (verbs), or use it in a sentence! (adjectives). This playful approach encourages spontaneous language use and cooperative learning while deepening cultural understanding of Halloween traditions.

Together, these activities ensure students are linguistically, cognitively, and culturally prepared to complete the task cycle successfully.

Main task: 

In the main task, during the second lesson, fifth grade students work in pairs to create the lyrics of a Halloween song using AI tools. First, each pair receives three Halloween-related words (a noun, a verb, and an adjective) and writes a short verse using them with Copilot. In order to help students write their verse using Copilot, they will have instructions on how to use the website. Then, they join another pair with the same words to combine their ideas into a longer verse, which becomes part of the class Halloween song. Within each group of four, students are assigned specific roles (such as writer, editor, singer, and coordinator) to make sure that everyone participates actively and contributes to the final verse.

Once all verses are completed, the class uses Copilot to turn them into full song lyrics and Suno to select the musical style and create the song. Before moving on, the teacher leads a class review to check that all students understand the vocabulary and meaning of the lyrics, since AI tools may occasionally introduce words or expressions that students are not familiar with. Afterwards, each group prepares a gapped version of their verse for a listening activity, allowing peers to test their understanding of the content.

Throughout the activity, students collaborate closely with their partner to share ideas, revise lyrics, and make creative decisions. They also interact with the teacher for guidance on vocabulary, prompt writing, and song structure. 

In the following lesson, students do the listening activity, rehearse the song and design scaffolding materials (such as visual aids or flashcards) to help kindergarten students understand the main vocabulary and follow the song. The main expected outcomes are:

• A creative Halloween song collaboratively generated using AI.

• Effective use of Halloween vocabulary in writing and performance.

• Collaboration skills and active participation in peer and class activities.

• Preparedness to perform and teach the song to younger students in the school.

Post-task:

In the post-task stage, in the final lesson, they perform the song for the younger learners, using their materials to illustrate the keywords. After the performance, students will complete a self-assessment (“Halloween Hits: Self-Check) to reflect on their participation, teamwork, creativity, use of vocabulary, and preparation of materials. This reflection will help them evaluate their own learning process and understand how they contributed to the success of the project. By this, students will demonstrate that they have achieved the project objectives through both performance and reflection.

PLAN B: Offline Version

If there is no internet connection, students will still create their Halloween song collaboratively without using AI. Instead of using Suno, they can create their own rhythm with claps, body percussion, or simple instruments to accompany their lyrics.

Moreover, for the listening activity, each group prepares a gapped version of their verse, and classmates listen to another group singing and fill in the missing words. These adjustments replace the use of AI tools while keeping the focus on creativity, collaboration, and listening comprehension.

Creating the song:

Singing the song for the first time:

Final output: