Tamara Jade

Learning Materials

Wordplay is brought to you by the Office of English Language Programs, American Music Abroad, and American Voices.

Artist: Tamara Jade

(Click to view Snapshots)

We have created lesson plans and a video series to use in the classroom. Scroll down to see all lesson materials or download the full package here.

Featured Song: Better (feat. Aaron Marcellus) by Tamara Jade

Download Better by Tamara Jade (mp3)

Download ‘Better’

Music Video

Lyric Video

Video Activities

Program Materials

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Below is an incredible collection from American English to provide fun new ways of teaching and learning English.

Use these files in conjunction with the song in this language package for an integrated teaching experience.

More available at https://americanenglish.state.gov/

Better feat. Aaron Marcellus by Tamara Jade

New year, new me, new trees, new leaves
Finally got the hang of this thing called life
Taking it all in stride
On my own two feet,
traveling, living this dream
seeing places I ain’t never seen before
Ready for so much more
Here you come to mess things up for me,
Walls are closing in on me,
It’s just all too much for me,
Stop, and breathe
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
Keep your head up, it’s gonna get better
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
Mama says be cautious,
They say we’re all good,
I don’t know who to believe,
Collective misfortune they ain’t got the potion,
How are we going to get out of this thing?
Quarantine, work on me, that’s all I can do right now,
I won’t stress over what I can’t change
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
Keep your head up, it’s gonna get better
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
Stop and breathe
Only going up from here
Only going up from here
Keep your head up it’s going to get better
Only going up from here
Only going up from here (repeated)
We gon’, we gon’, be alright
We gon’, we gon’, be alright

A2 Level Words

believe
verb
to think something is true

dream
noun
a series of images that happen in your mind when you sleep

finally
adverb
after a long time or some difficulty

going to
verb
to intend to do or be something

just
adverb
only or simply

keep
verb
continue to do something
own – adjective, belonging to or done by a particular person or thing

so
adverb
very; a lot or a large degree of something

B1 Level Words

breathe
verb
to take air into and out of your lungs

call
verb
to give something a particular name

go up
verb
to become higher in level

stress
noun
feelings of worry caused by difficult situations or problems

B2 Level Words

cautious
adjective
taking care to avoid risks or danger

come to
verb
change something

get out of
verb
to avoid doing something that you do not want to do

work on
verb
to spend time repairing or improving something

C1/C2 Level Words

close in
verb
surrounding something

misfortune
noun
bad luck, or an unlucky event

over
preposition
about (something)

Other Words

collective
noun
a group of people or society

gonna
verb
going to (informal)

mama
noun
mother

mess up
verb
to do something badly

potion
noun
a drink of poison or magic powers

quarantine
noun
when a person keeps away from others in order to prevent disease

travel
verb
going from place to place

*we gone be alright – another way to say the phrase we are going to be alright

For each heading in the materials, we have identified an icon to help instructors quickly find and identify information. Please use them when creating any new materials or adapting previous materials. The icon should be left justified and appear below the section heading. Any text should appear to the right of the icon.

ICON	MEANING
	Activity Summary
	Additional Resources
	Associated Audio
	Associated Video
	Less Challenging (for beginners)
	Lesson Plan
	Listening
	More Challenging (for advanced learners)
	Online Tip
	Reading
	Speaking
	Writing

Snapshots

Click Image to View Snapshots!

Short question videos to use in the classroom to start new conversations in a modern “Stories” format. Break the ice in new groups or shake up the routine. Teachers can also pair these videos with games below.

ACTIVITIES

These short games can be used with the Snapshot videos for a quick activity in the classroom.

About The Artist

Tamara Jade

Tamara Jade is an independent artist, entertainer, producer, and content creator, hailing from Bowie, Prince George’s County, Maryland. While on NBC’s The Voice, she garnered the first 4-Chair Turn of the season. John Legend described her voice as having a “fire in it” and that “watching her on stage [is] mesmerizing.” Kelly Clarkson considered her talent “incredible.” Gwen Stefani said she was her “biggest fan.” Blake Shelton admitted that her voice was “hard to deny.” She is featured in PopSugar, Billboard and Today publications.

She has worked with Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles, Lizzo, Tituss Burgess, Ledisi, Jason Michael Webb, and Victory Boyd. Most recently, Jade joined Revive Superfoods and Fabletics in progressive brand partnerships. She is also heard singing in Nike’s “What’s Your Why?” campaign commercial.

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About the Office of English Language Programs

More great information for teachers to use in the English classroom can be found at: https://americanenglish.state.gov/

Promoting the learning and teaching of American English around the world is an integral part of the Department of State’s efforts to foster mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Increasing the English language capacity of audiences overseas deepens and enriches their engagement with American counterparts and builds lasting bridges between cultures. English language learning is also key to increasing access to the many exchange programs administered by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and other academic and professional exchange opportunities in the United States, particularly for potential grantees from underrepresented groups, including women and minorities. In addition, English language programs advance the Department of State’s economic statecraft and foreign assistance goals by expanding access to the local and global job markets, particularly among youth.

The Office of English Language Programs designs and manages programs to promote language learning and support the teaching of English in countries around the world. These programs are administered through local American Embassies and Consulates and are overseen by Regional English Language Officers. The Office of English Language Programs also provides academic expertise and develops English teaching and learning resources for use worldwide. The American English website provides links to multimedia resources and information on exchange opportunities for teachers and students of English as a foreign language.

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Wordplay is brought to you by the Office of English Language Programs, American Music Abroad, and American Voices.

More information available at:
https://americanenglish.state.gov/