LESSON 9
OVERVIEW
• Look at why we should use songs, rhymes, chants and
poems with young language learners.
• Look at how songs, rhymes, chants and poems can be used
with our young language learners.
• Look at how to choose the most suitable songs, rhymes,
chants and poems for our classes.
• Consider a variety of activities linked to songs, rhymes,
chants and poems.
Why Use Songs and Rhymes with
Young Learners?
• Songs and rhymes are a rich resource for language activities in
the language learning classroom.
They are a memorable and enjoyable way of…
• introducing
• using
• consolidating
• recycling &
• remembering
new language that has been taught.
• They can actually be used very successfully with all language
learners, but especially with YLs.
Music, songs, rhymes and poems are used in
YL language classes because they…
are well-known to our learners
provide a great way to 'say it out
loud’
serve as a memory aid
introduce 'one whole thing‘ (YLs
can take this song or chant outside the
classroom and share it with their
parents and friends.)
allow use of all four skills
can be used anywhere in the
lesson, unit, term or year
involve lots of enjoyable
repetition
change the pace of the
lesson
are fun to use
introduce the rhythm and stress
of English
can be enjoyable for
teachers
offer pronunciation and intonation
practice
encourage physical
involvement
Songs and rhymes should be carefully chosen for the
English class as not all songs and rhymes are suitable
for YLLs
As a guide, the more you can say Yes to the following questions about a
song, rhyme, chant or poem you are thinking of using, the more useful and
successful it will likely be.
1.
Is the song or chant suitable for
6.
the age group of learners you want
to use it with?
Is the amount of new language in the
song suitable for the age and ability of
these learners?
2.
Is it suitable for the language level
7.
Does it clearly introduce, revise or
consolidate the language you wish to
focus on?
8.
Will the meaning of the song, rhyme,
chant or poem be clear if shown or
demonstrated with visuals, realia or
gestures?
9.
Do you have a clear recording of the
song or chant?
of these learners?
3.
Is it suitable for the cognitive level
of these learners?
4.
Is there an easy melody line?
5.
Do you like the song or chant?
Ensuring Understanding
One way to
help ensure
understanding is
to use pictures,
flashcards,
realia, gestures
or mime. This is
done to show
the learners
what the song is
about and what
individual words
in the song
mean.
In all activities
and songs, the
students must
understand the
language so that
they are able to
connect with the
songs, rhymes,
chants and
poems in a
meaningful way.
The teacher should introduce some language before the song is introduced or
ask the learners to try and guess the meaning of new words in context after they
have heard the song.
Introducing Songs and Chants to
Students
It is important that the teacher:
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•
•
take part in the activity
sing the song or recite the rhyme,
chant or poem to the students (or
else, use a very good video
recording of someone else doing
this
rehearse the song or chant before
class and consider how he/she will
introduce it to his/her students
It is important that the students:
• have a good visual model
because they will be looking at
that person's lips to see what is
being said or sung
When Using songs,
rhymes, chants &
poems, follow these
suggestions:
• Get a recording of the class singing
the songs, and saying the rhymes,
chants and poems so that the
children can listen to them in class or
at home.
“ Playing songs and chants again and
again enables the learners to acquire
the target language while also
building their confidence”.
• Introduce them by verse
rather than line by line.
• Teaching line by line ruins
the rhythm and the flow and
stops the learners from
enjoying what they are
hearing in English.
Children should not be
made to learn songs,
rhymes, chants or
poems by heart. They
will come to know them
by using them.
• Build a class songbook you can
refer to regularly during the year.
• Children like to perform songs,
rhymes, chants or poems over
and over again in a meaningful
and purposeful way. If your
learners write a song or chant, put
that in the class book, too.
• Try to use songs, rhymes,
chants or poems regularly in
your English class.
• Revisit them again and again.
“ Performing familiar songs or
rhymes successfully gives
students a sense of
achievement”.
Activities Linked to Songs, Rhymes,
Chants and Poems
1. Join in and sing or
say two things at the
same time
• Learners, in two groups,
sing two or more short
songs or rhymes at the
same time.
• This focuses their listening
so that they can take part
in natural dialogues later.
• The teacher needs to
know exactly when each
group should start singing
(or saying) their part and
guide them accordingly
Sunday, Monday,
clap, clap, clap
Tuesday, Wednesday,
snap, snap, snap
Thursday, hop
Friday, stop
Saturday spin around like
a top.
Seven days are in a week.
Now sit down and take a
seat!
Do the Actions
•
•
This is a popular way to
introduce new language, revise
old language or consolidate
previously introduced language.
While singing, the learners link
the language to something they
can do or something they can
point to.
• Head, shoulders, knees
and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees
and toes, knees and toes
And eyes and ears and
mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees
and toes, knees and toes
(Repeat, getting faster
each time)
Fill in the Missing
Words
• Learners are given a copy
of the lyrics with some
gaps and are asked to
listen to the song, rhyme,
chant or poem and fill in
the missing words.
• This is sometimes called a
cloze activity.
• This type of activity is for
confident English readers
and writers.
• The missing words should
belong to the same lexical
set and have been
introduced in previous
lessons.
I'm a little teapot
• Fill in the blanks with one of
the words below:
tip short
pour
stout
I'm a little teapot
______ and ______
Here is my handle
Here is my spout
When I get all steamed up
Hear me shout
“______ me over
and _____ me out!"
Sing or Talk about the Topic
Topic: Everyday Activities
• Using a song or
rhyme in class is a
great way to motivate
young learners.
• It can be the theme
tune for the topic that
is being studied, or
can be presented at
the end of the topic
to round it off.
Write Songs or
Rhymes
•
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Teachers can use songs they like
and adapt them to fit the language
level of the learners they are
working with.
Learners themselves can also
adapt songs or add extra parts to
them.
A verse from a song or rhyme
provides a good model to
encourage learners to write songs
of their own.
Learners are introduced to a verse
and then the shape and structure
is discussed.
Groups, or pairs, then write
another verse using the song as
their model.
The children feel very proud of the
new verses they have written. You
can build up a great selection of
class songs with this activity.
Listen for the Lines
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This activity is suitable for those
learners who are able to read and
write confidently in the target
language.
Lines from a song or rhyme are
put on pieces of paper. In groups
or pairs, learners listen to the song
and put the lines in the correct
order. This activity consolidates
new language as learners need to
listen to the song and then read
the lines over and over again.
(From 'Imagine' by John Lennon)
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine there's no countries
Practice Pronunciation
Songs, rhymes, chants or poems can
be used successfully to practice
particular aspects of pronunciation
that the learners find difficult or that
they need to improve. Choose those
that help with particular problems
students in your class may have.
Activity
We choose six words from a song from which minimal
pairs can be created
–
–
–
heaven - even
hunger - anger
man - mad
(From 'Imagine' by John Lennon)
•
We write the pairs separately on cards and give out
one set per group of four or five students. The
students then match the pairs. They then listen to the
song and 'grab' the correct one. Choices are then
checked against the lyrics.
Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
Using and Creating Poems in English
Writing poems, just as the use of songs and chants in the class, allows students to focus on rhythm and
rhyme.
An effective activity is a short three-line poem based on Japanese haiku poetry where syllables in each
line are counted. The most popular Haiku is a "What am I?" Haiku, where the first line has 5 syllables,
the second line has 7 syllables and the third has 5 syllables again.
•The writer uses
the Haiku to
describe
something.
• The other
children in the
class can then
attempt to guess
what the poet
was describing
after listening to
or reading the
Haiku.
•The poem can
be read aloud by
the poet with
their classmates
guessing the
answer after it is
read.
• The Haikus can
be hung on the
bulletin board
giving everyone
the chance to
read and guess.
Using Poetry in the Classroom
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A valuable way of getting
children to think about using
and writing poems in English
is to use rhymes as many
times as you can.
For example, if you want to
say something is going to be
easy you could say something
like:
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
Let students know what the
phrase means and that some
of it involves just playing with
sounds rather than using
actual words.
Ask students to come up with
some fun rhymes of their own
based on different English
topics they have looked at.
Here is one well-known rhyme
about a spider
Teach the actions that go with this rhyme as
follows:
Incy wincy spider
Incy wincy spider climbed up the waterspout.
(Use both hands to pretend to be a spider
climbing up a waterspout.)
Down came the rain and washed the spider
out.
(Move fingers to make them look like raindrops
falling down.)
Out came the sunshine and dried up all the
rain,(Hold arms out to show sunshine warming
and drying up the rain.)
And the incy wincy spider climbed up the
spout again! (Use same actions as for Line 1).
•
it is important that you explain what the
vocabulary means so that learners understand
what they are saying or singing.
Note: In the above song, incy wincy is used to
refer to something very small.
Saying and Writing Chants
A “chant” is a poem or dialogue particularly suitable for reciting aloud; it often involves
strong rhythms, clear everyday conversation, often exaggerated feelings and a lot of
repetition.
Shopping Chant
•
Have learners sit in one big circle, if
possible. (Otherwise, ask them to stand
up and chant from their desks.) Choose a
topic that you want the students to
discuss, such things such as fruit and
vegetables, clothes, furniture, and so on.
Have them take turns chanting their
lines.
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SA: I went shopping and I bought a banana.
SB: (repeating what SA has bought and adding
one more thing) I went shopping
and I bought a banana and an apple.
SC: (repeating what SA and SB have said and
adding a third item) I went
shopping and I bought a banana, an apple and a
pear.
The chant continues until someone makes a
mistake or cannot remember the list.
Clapping Chant
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Children say things in order, preferably
while sitting in a circle.
Clapping helps them get the rhythm of
the target language.
Demonstrate how to clap slowly three
times, and then say one item after the
third clap. (Again, provide the topic
based on what has been studied in class
and linked to lexical sets.)
(clap, clap, clap)
SA: hat
(clap, clap, clap)
SB: gloves
(clap, clap, clap)
SC: coat
The chant continues as each child tries
to remember an item of vocabulary linked
to the specific topic.
Linking the English Classroom to the
Children's Musical Interests
• Use songs, rhymes,
chants and poems to
make the English
classroom a fun and
creative place.
• Collect and display
examples of songs,
rhymes, chants and
poems in the
classroom, including
those that you and the
children have written.
Cont…..
•
You could also create rhyming
picture dictionaries and posters, in
which you have lots of examples
of words with the same rhyming
sounds with pictures to support
them.
Talking about Music and Instruments
Link English with the children's interest in music. After you have introduced
learners to the vocabulary for musical instruments, carry out a class survey in
English. Find out which of these instruments they play. Ask them to bring them
to class to talk about them in English. They may be able to play something for
the class, too. Look at such aspects of music as the following.
• Having students
bring in examples of
music they listen to
outside the
classroom.
• Making simple instruments like
strumming a rubber band that is
wrapped around a tissue box, or
hitting a plastic container with a
spoon.
• Listen to the music
and ask the children
to describe what it
sounds like and why
they like it.
• The fun is in deciding how to
make the instruments.
• See if there are
children who like the
same music.
• Then, learners could write about
their instruments in a book called
Our Class Instruments.
• Finally, there could be a concert
of music made with all these
instruments.
• Using your body to
make music.
• Have students make
music in various ways:
with their voices;
through clapping; and
with sounds from their
mouth and other parts
of their bodies (such as
snapping their fingers,
stamping their feet,
and so on).