Using Music and Chants to Teach Language: Cataloging Your Music

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Using Music and Chants to Teach Language
Cataloging Your Music

• Dr. Latricia Trites
• Academic Advisor
• Fulbright Yilan Project
• 2008-2009

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Think Back

• What chants do you remember learning as a child?
  (jumping rope, cheers, etc.)
• Peas Porridge Hot
• Cinderella dressed in yella
• What songs did you learn?
• Clean up
• Its time to wake up
• London Bridge
• Ring Around the Rosy

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Why Music and Chants?

• Motivation Issues
• Song/Chants are fun
• Songs are a part of any culture
• Students sing in groups, no fear of being singled
  out
• Language Issues
• Stress Patterns
• Intonation
• Rhythm
• Language Chunks
• Colloquial Expressions
• Common Dialogues
• Learning Issues
• Songs stick in our memory
• Songs are repetitious

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Write Your Own Chants

• Think of a common expression, activity, or
  concept that you want the students to learn.
• Keep your chant simple with only 3 to 4 beats per
  line.
• Keep the chant simple with only one concept or
  idea.
• Take a few moments and write a NEW chant that you
  could use for your classroom.

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DOs

• Do lead in activities to introduce topic of song
  or chant, to introduce important vocabulary.
• Sing or chant it through once or twice first for
  students. Give them a simple task while they are
  listening - watching you do the actions may be a
  task in itself - you could be their best visual
  support!
• Encourage students to think of the most
  appropriate actions to accompany the words this
  will give them some ownership of the song and
  make it more memorable.
• Build up to the whole class singing or chanting
  on their own. Here are some ideas
• practice slowly at first to work on pronunciation
• have students repeat (singing or saying) each
  line after you - though depending on the song,
  it may be better to practice verse by verse so as
  not to break spontaneity
• do some extra practice with bits that go fast or
  have tricky rhythm
• you sing the song and students do the motions
  only
• you chant or sing one line/verse and students do
  the next
• students clap or click their fingers to the beat
  while you chant or sing.
• let them see the words and work on meaning
  through visuals, mime examples etc.
• finally sing the whole song through a couple of
  times with you and/or on their own. And do some
  follow-up activities Writing the words, filling
  in the gaps, writing an extra verse, changing
  words, drawing pictures, Oral activities using
  language in the chant or song.
• do a final round of the song at the end of class!
• (www.britishcouncil.org/hongkong-eltnetwork-tips
  -for-using-songs-ho.doc)

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DONTs

• ? Don't over-teach as you may ruin the fun of the
  song or chant.
• ? Don't introduce too many new vocabulary items -
  6 may be enough
• ? Don't choose a song unsuitable for the
  students' age group/level.
• ? Don't select a song you hate. It will show!
• ? Don't expect students to join in immediately.
• Don't teach a song for which you can't remember
  the words!
• (www.britishcouncil.org/hongkong-eltnetwork-tips-
  for-using-songs-ho.doc)

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Cataloging your Songs

• Think about what your songs can teach
• Vocabulary
• Culture
• Grammar
• Discourse (dialogues)
• Sentence Structure
• Morphemes (word formation)
• Phonemes (sounds Phonics)
• Stress, Rhythm, Intonation
• Create a catalog for your songs so that you can
  easily access them for teaching

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Cataloging Activity

• Look at the song Part of Your World from The
  Little Mermaid
• Complete the catalog worksheet finding the
  different things that can be taught through this
  song.

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Teaching with Songs Suggestions

• Make sure songs are age appropriate
• Disney Sing-a-longs
• High School Musical
• Check to make sure the lyrics are correct
• Teach the song using a cloze activity to teach a
  particular grammar point or vocabulary list.
• Slow the song down http//audacity.sourceforge.net
  /
• Teach only the chorus
• www.youtube.com is your friend, also
  www.teachertube.com

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Lesson Planning

• Take a topic (not Halloween, Thanksgiving, or
  Christmas).
• Find songs that would help you teach that topic
  (Do not use Hello/Goodbye by the Beatles).
• Explain how you would use the song to teach the
  topic or concept.

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LINKS

• http//audacity.sourceforge.net/
• http//www.jalt-publications.org/tlt/files/98/apr/
  sh_means.html
• www.britishcouncil.org/hongkong-eltnetwork-tips-fo
  r-using-songs-ho.doc