Why use rhymes, chants and songs in the
classroom?
Why rhymes, chants and songs?
 Children love rhythm, music and movement
 They contribute to children’s overall social, linguistic, physical, cognitive
and emotional development
 They play a special role in drawing children into producing language in
ways which are natural, spontaneous and enjoyable
 They aid memorization and recall (of language chunks; naturally transfer
to other communicative classroom contexts)
 They help promote the development of positive attitudes and motivation
towards learning English in both the immediate and longer term
 They help develop children’s self-confidence and self-esteem and lead to a
sense of achievement and success
 They are communal, social events which add variety and a change of
pace to classroom activities and build up a sense of group identity
and belonging within a class
Rhymes, chants and songs can be used as/to . . .
 A ritual part of starting and ending lessons
 An integrated part of language skills work, storytelling or topicbased activities or lessons
 Reinforce knowledge and skills in other subjects of the curriculum
 Provide an opportunity to introduce children to aspects of
traditional children’s culture from the English-speaking world (E.g.
American, British, Australian, etc.)
 Develop social skills like turn-taking and motor-skills (e.g. finger
plays)
 Help manage the class effectively by setting up behavioral guidelines
and establish lesson routines (e.g. signal story time, focus attention,
allow children to let off physical energy, help them concentrate or
calm them down)
Rhymes, chants and songs can be used to . . .
 Introduce new language or consolidate, recycle and extend the
contexts in which children use structures and vocabulary that are
already familiar
 Develop listening comprehension and speaking skills (both spoken
production and social interaction)
 Develop reading and writing skills (e.g. read a short poem or chant;
write their own version of a chant)
 Help improve all aspects of children’s pronunciation (imitate and
produce individual vowel and consonant sounds; acquire the ability
to produce features of connected speech – e.g. put on/Do you like . .
.?; develop awareness of stress, rhythm and intonation patterns
Jazz Chants (Carolyn Graham): 00:00-03:36
 Definition: A rhythmic presentation of natural language, linking the
rhythms of spoken American English to the rhythms of traditional
American jazz; a fragment of authentic language presented with
special attention to its natural rhythm (stress and intonation)
 Versatile: Use natural spoken American English, in classes of any
size, with all age groups – and don’t require any special materials
 No music talent necessary: Rhythm can be acquired by practice;
chants are easy and simple
 Practice!: One, Two, I Like You + Hi, How Are You? + Shoes and Socks
An innovative way to teach spoken English: 03:37-06:57
 3 key points: Must use real language, must use useful language,
must be appropriate language
 Keeping the rhythm is crucial: Four-beat rhythm – 1, 2, 3, 4; first
beat is the first stressed word – which is not always the first word of
the line (e.g. Do you like it? <clap> Yes I do.)
 Use common exchanges in everyday talk (e.g. Have a nice weekend.
Thanks, you too!)
 Vocabulary chant: 1. Choose a topic > 2. Write down 10 words that
relate to the topic > 3. Separate the words into sounds according to
the number of syllables – 1, 2, 3 > 4. Choose three of the words with
different numbers of syllables (e.g. ruler, eraser, chair <clap>; purple
ruler, pink eraser, yellow chair > animal, food, sports, etc.)
 Reinforces a grammar point (e.g. I Like It a Lot)
An innovative way to teach spoken English: 03:37-06:57
 Try it!: Have a nice weekend. Thanks, you too!
 Try it!: ruler, eraser, chair <clap>
 Try it!: purple ruler, pink eraser, yellow chair
 Make your own!: Food 2-3-1 > Arrange into one-syllable, two
syllable, three-syllable groups.
Finding the rhythm of spoken English: 06:58-13:05
 Connection between spoken American English and the natural
rhythm of jazz: 4-beat rhythm > Beat one is the first stress word;
listen for the stress pattern (e.g. Where are you going? I’m going to
the bookstore.) (Hi, how are you? Fine, how are you?)
Practice with a partner!
 Rhythm – powerful tool for memory (e.g. Hungry Boy Chant, p.185)
Practice with a partner!
Models in the classroom: 13:05-19:00
 Act out a chant (e.g. The Happy Weekend Chant, p.189)
 Use chants to practice names of letters (e.g. Samara, p.190)
 Create vocabulary chants with names of animals (syllables – 1, 2, 3;
rhyming words > Monkey, Elephant, Fox, p.190)
 Combine old, new vocabulary with action (Monkey Swings, p.191)
 Write a grammar chant (I Wish I Had a Crocodile, p.192)
Models in the classroom: 13:05-19:00
 Make an animal chant!
 Turn it into a grammar chant!
Creating and adapting chants with your students: 19:01-23:52
 Keep your chant simple and short (nothing complicated)
 Keep it real (Is it authentic, everyday language? Is it appropriate to
the age of the students?)
 Have a focus and purpose (vocabulary, ritual language – e.g.
greetings/saying goodbye)
 Involve your students in creating new chants (personalize > have
students create their own lists of their favorite items)
 Use chants to reinforce learning (other parts of the curriculum)
Creating and adapting chants with your students: 19:01-23:52
 Practice!: Mosquitos Bite
 Personalize! Jobs
 Add role playing! Jobs
Create a step-by-step lesson for this chant. Try to appeal to the 8 natural
intelligences.
Steps
Steps
Steps
Multiple intelligences (*framework ensures a balance of activities that will
appeal to different children and help maximize their learning)
Games teaching reflection
 Rhythm/Music (How did the children respond to the rhythm/music? How did this
influence the mood of the class and their willingness to participate?)
 Pronunciation (What particular aspects of pronunciation did the activity help to
improve? Did you notice these improvements subsequently in other activities or
lessons as well?)
 Memorization (How easily were the children able to remember the rhyme, chant
or song? What were the features that made it memorable?)
 Transfer (Have there been opportunities for children to transfer language from
the rhyme, chant or song to another context? If so, when?)
 Confidence (Have you noticed any impact on the children’s level of confidence
through using the rhyme, chant or song?)
 Multiple intelligences (In what ways did the rhyme, chant or song and related
activities appeal to children with different intelligence profiles?)