I need some help about what other activities I can do with songs apart from fill in the blanks, answering questions, checking new vocabulary.
Do you use songs in your lessons? If so, how do you go about it? If you have any suggestions for Mirtha, contact us.
This question is from Mirtha Montoro Ponce, Peru
Comments
rebecca1
I use traditional children's action songs with adult learners. You can find them on the web. We actually stand up and do the actions, for example, "I'm a Little Teapot" Then we use the lyrics as a dictation or partial dictation, filling in missing words. To check for correctness, the students search the web with the first line of the song.We also talk about children's culture and encourage our learners to teach the songs to their own children and grandchildren.
Dr.M.L.Bland, ESL teacher, Northern Virginia
Thea Landesberg wrote about using pop songs to help teach English.
Actually, I often use some of the tried and true oldies that most Americans have committed to memory for my ESL classes, from the National Anthem through children's classics to Christmas carols. Not only dothese further etch the synapse ruts and internalize the supersegmental variables like the pop songs do, but they are also an element for the acculturalizationof the students. And at my age I just don't recognize, much less appreciate,
the pop stuff.
Nahir Aparicio, Venezuela
Why don't you ask your student to change the final words of some lines. Make sure the new words rhyme and that they don't change the feeling of the song. Have fun and have your students sing it very loud !!!!!!!!!!!!
Teo RodrÃguez, Spain
Songs are basic in my everyday teaching practice, partly because I love pop 'n' rock myself and because adolescents share this feeling and are extremely receptive and cooperative. I find music very motivating. What I do is very simple: I listen to the music radio stations and MTV (satellite TV), I listen to my pupils' likes, I check the Top of the Pops chart and print the lyrics and download the song if we can't buy it. We play the same song once or twice per class, students listen to it (they are usually familiar with it). I solve vocabulary problems, translating new words or even whole lines and finally we sing it together! Everybody sings! Then they listen to it again on the radio or on TV during the following weeks. A different song every week played at the start or end of the class.
Alice Lee, Hong Kong
I once drew several pictures and told my students a story. Actually the story was developed from a song. Students were then asked to work in groups of 4, pick a song and use whatever ways they preferred - like pictures, drama, news reports - to introduce their selected song to the whole class later. They quite enjoyed the presentation and the whole class sang the songs together during the lesson. It is hoped that their creativity will be developed while they learn the language at the same time.
So, try it with your class and let us know how it goes.
Elaine, HKSAR
May I suggest something more creative like substituting words in the song with other rhyming words. This may produce something rather absurd but it may also bring about laughter.
Sally Matsuura, Japan
If the students have built up a selection of songs, she could ask one student to clap out the song with his/her hands and see if any other students recognise the song. Here in Japan, students often have trouble learning to use emphasis and rhythm in their speech and this is a fun way to make them start being aware of it.
Yasmeen, UK
I love using songs as I have found students really respond well to them, all levels and all age groups. In the past, I have used songs in the following ways:
Hope this helps.
Dee Bond, UK
I love using songs in teaching English. 60's and 70's songs, - Beatles, Abba, Elton John, any that have a good rhythm and tune, plus the words have some meaning - e.g. 'When I'm 64' - followed on with discussions on age-ism, the future - 'what will life be like for you when you are 64?'. Or, Abba's 'Money Money Money' - conditional tenses, then discussions on what would you do if you won a million, etc. I could go on and on....
It is just a great way to teach. I also get them to sing it and tape them at the same time. As a matter of interest I also use poetry. "The Highwayman" is great, - I then get the students to write a news report on the events.
Jessica Nye, UK
A good activity I have found is to choose 4 or 5 songs from very different styles of music i.e. classical, pop, rock, hip hop etc. and then to write a small paragraph about each one describing the sound. The students have
to match the description with the song. Afterwards the students find it easier to talk about their favourite music because they have the vocabulary to talk about melody, rhythm and different instruments.
Galina Kavaliauskiene, Lithuania
I would like to present some ideas about using songs in English classes. Please see my paper called "Music in the ESP classroom", in which I describe potentially useful and enjoyable activities which include songs and are not perceived by learners as part of formal lessons, at the following web address: http://esp-world.info/issue_3.html
I hope it will provide many answers to your question.
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