“Song activities in the EFL classroom”

Presenters:

Cleide Nascimento Jorge Alexandre

2nd Alumni, CTJ and IBEU TEFL Conference

July 18th, 2013Brasília – DF - Brazil

“Music is the universal language of mankind”(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a 19th century American poet)

Using songs in the ESL classroom – Methodology ReportGruel, Hillman and Panis (2012)

8 reasons for using songs in the EFL classroom:

– To socialize;– To foster physical development;– To foster cognitive learning / automaticity;– To develop cultural literacy;– To facilitate language acquisition;– To stimulate, energize and awaken students;– To inspire emotion.

• Music can help with pronunciation, vocabulary enrichment and articulation;

• It can provide a sense of security to the youngest learners when they are in unfamiliar situations and learning a new language;

• Body language and repetition, along with the lyrics, will help young learners cement the new vocabulary and grammar rules.

Songs as teaching resources in the young learners’ EFL classroom

Gyda Hrund (2008)

Tips - Children

The use of songs in the ESL classroomMaria Beatriz Paternain Martin (2010)

• Songs promote interaction and fluency in children;

• When coupled with gestures, songs foster physical development and motor skills;

• Promote cultural awareness: Halloween and Christmas songs, nursery rhymes and so on;

• Help with classroom transitions: time to tidy up the room, arrange the materials and so on.

Tips – Children (cont.)

• Music videos can be a powerful tool: they may offer visual commentary on the lyrics or tell a parallel story;

• Play around with image and sound: show/hide them to arouse the students’ curiosity;

• Teenagers enjoy what’s trendy, the heat of the moment. Use the most popular songs of the day in your favor to spice up classes, break up the routine and establish rapport with them.

Language learning through musicDrífa Sigurdardóttir (2012)

Tips - Teens

• Song lyrics have fluid meanings, allowing different interpretations and fostering debate;

• Songs contextually introduce the ways the rhythm, stress and intonation can be changed when trying to convey meaning.

• Songs are a rich mine of cultural information: human relations, ethics, history, humor, customs, regional and cultural differences and so on.

Using Music in the Adult ESL ClassroomKristin Lems (2001)

ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) Digest

Tips - Adults

Before listening

Students can try to predict what the song may be about based on eight to ten targeted vocabulary items or a picture.

Activity 1

Can you guess the song?Ask a partner to help you.

Students can also discuss a quote or a sentence related to the song.

Activity 2

“I’ll buy you a diamond ring, my friend, if it makes you feel alright”.

• Can money buy happiness? Why/Why not?• What are the things that money can and can’t

buy? List 5 items.

Teachers can also have students do a creative writing assignment, a poster, take pictures and so on before listening to the song.

Activity 3

The music industry is full of stars. Elicit what your students know about the artist, band or style and make a word cloud on the board. You might be surprised!

Activity 4

While listening

Based on the song’s video or lyrics, students write a short paragraph, poem, composition and so on telling a story about what they have just seen/heard.

Activity 5

Students are given a word bank with words that are in the lyrics (and some that aren’t) and a bingo chart. They put the words in the chart and cross them out as they hear them.

Activity 6

Students must use synonyms or opposites for the words or expressions in bold.

Activity 7

Students express their opinion and come up with solutions to a particular problem or dilemma described in the song.

Activity 8

Each student illustrates one or two sentences from the song. Then, the teacher makes musical slideshow out of the illustrations, puts the pictures up on the walls of the classroom/school hallway and so on.

Activity 9

“I see trees of green, red roses too”

After listening

Students may list all the words they learned arranging them in order of difficulty. They can use dictionaries/gadgets to discover the meanings of the words.

Activity 10

Students might also create a game or activity, for instance, a bingo, matching slips, a board game, a memory game, a crossword puzzle or wordsearch.

Activity 11

www.puzzle-maker.com

Students create their own song or modify an existing song.

Activity 12

*Young learners

*Teens

*Adults

Let’s try it out!

Suggested songs with related grammar and discussion topics

www.therighttune.pbworks.com

References

Music and Learning, Chris Brewer (1995).

Using songs in the ESL classroom – Methodology Report, Gruel, Hillman and Panis (2012)

Songs as teaching resources in the young learners’ EFL classroom, Gyda Hrund (2008).

The use of songs in the ESL classroom, Maria Beatriz Paternain Martin (2010).

Language learning through music, Drífa Sigurdardóttir (2012).

Using Music in the Adult ESL Classroom, Kristin Lems (2001).

Contact us:

lexdok@yahoo.comjorges@thomas.org.br

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