We wanna sing it out loud!

…and… …We gonna be

proud!Dott.ssa Anna Rullo

Wh wordsWHy music?

WHat’s special about songs?

WHich songs to use?

WHere to get the songs from?

HOW to use the songs?

“I TRY TO USE MUSIC TO MOVE

THESE PEOPLE TO ACT”

(Jimi Hendrix)

“MUSIC EXPRESSES THAT WHICH CANNOT BE SAID AND ON WHICH IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE SILENT” (Victor Hugo)

…WHY?...GRAB THEIR ATTENTION!!! 1/3

Teenagers love listening to music! It’s everywhere:

radio, tv, shops, restaurants, supermarkets

They can’t live without it. Rap, Pop, Hip-Pop, Rock!

…WHY?...GRAB THEIR ATTENTION!!! 1/2

So, WHY not using their favourite songs,

singers/bands in class? Or for the youngest the

FAMILIAR NURSERY RHYMES’ TUNES?

…WHY?...GRAB THEIR ATTENTION!!! 2/2

The use of music in the classroom can make the entire learning

process more enjoyable and can stimulate BRAIN LEARNING

There are tons of things you can do to get students involved

providing preliminary material to the listening it self

…WHAT’S … special about songs

TEACHING PURPOSES 1/4

FUN…and often, as a result, they learn more

KNOWLEDGE they already know the songs but may not understand all of the lyrics…

…WHAT’S … special about songs

TEACHING PURPOSES 2/4

OPPORTUNITY TO USE THE COMPUTER to look for the lyrics at home!

Good excuse… anything to come off their books!

…WHAT’S… special about songs

TEACHING PURPOSES 3/4

LISTENING COMPREHENSION pronunciation, accent

VOCABULARY adjectives, adverbs, names, places, feelings, verbs-phrasal verbs, slang words (their favourite) idiomatic expressions

GRAMMAR CONCEPTS

…WHAT’S… special about songs

TEACHING PURPOSES 4/4

STARTING POINT for discussion

CULTURAL EXPRESSION

Scottish song Stars and

stripes

BACKGROUND TOOL during lessons and tests

…WHICH… SONGS TO USE? 1/3

The main difficulty in using songs as teaching aids lies in choosing THE MOST SUITABLE ONES!

FRIENDSHIP, GROWING UP: NURSERY RHYMES,

TRAVELLING, HOLIDAYS LIFE, LOVE…

SO MANY TOPICS!

…WHICH… SONGS TO USE? 2/3

You choose:

Listen to the songsLook at the lyrics

Clearly pronounced wordsRich and varied vocabulary

Some sort of messageNot a lot of drum work and loud

guitars

…WHICH… SONGS TO USE? 3/3

Not too fast-paced

Not obscene elements!

Not too hard or too long or you may “Kill” the song!

…WHICH…SONGS TO USE?

THEY CHOOSE 1/2

Ask the students to make their own Top Ten or Top Five

Make a chart

Have the students bring the songs to school (CDS AND LYRICS)

…WHICH…SONGS TO USE?

THEY CHOOSE 2/2

“Nothing separates the generations

more than music. By the time a child is eigh or nine, he

has developed a passion for his own music that is

even stronger than his passion for weird clothers”

(Bill Cosby)

…YOU MUST: 1/2

Choose songs that your class will want to sing and that you will have

to sing!“upbeat” lively songs better

that sad and melancholy ones Well known and popular, current

favourites Help them with a “glossary” to

reduce the load of new words

…YOU MUST: 2/2

Help them with a “glossary” to reduce the load of new

words

Explain SONG SLANG (wanna, gonna, ain’t, ya…)

Create worksheets

…WHERE…to get songs from

Use your own CDsDownload the song from the

internet and copy onto a CD Google for the lyrics

(be careful – check on more than one site or use singer’s official websites)Check EFL song websites which have recommended songs and tasks

(e.g. www.esl-lounge.com)

…HOW … to use the songs 1/3

Hand out the lyricsGo through the VOCABULARY

with them (only key words)Have them to write on each word the PRONUNCIATION (in this phase you SING slowly)

DON’T PANIC, THEY ARE ONLY

KIDS!!!!

…HOW… to use the songs 2/3

Have them to sing it with you

Play the song many times and everybody sing together

Go through the translation and have them to write it

down

…HOW… to use the songs 3/3

Play the song again and add the actions

(they “gonna” love it)Have them sing aloud

to practice pronunciation

Songs motivate stds to listen

and read in English Songs provide challeging

authentic textsSongs are great for intesive

listening

Song song song 1/2

Songs provide a great opportunity to work on and

copy pronunciation

Songs are a great way of presenting grammar or vocabolary

Song song song 2/2

Gap…but…

Don’t just gap (give some other help too)

How take advantage from the song

create worksheets 1/8

How take advantage

from the song create worksheets

2/8Find out anything interesting about the song which

YOU COULD TELL YOUR STDS OR ADD TO THE

WORKSHEET (www.songfacts.com)

Give the gapped words in a box (either put all the missing words together, or

at a low level a box with each verse) Give two similar sounding words next to

each gapThis is the way I wash my

pants/hands

How take advantage from the song

create worksheets 3/8

Give the first letter of the missing word

(two letters to make it easier)

How take advantage tfrom the song

create worksheets 4/8

Right or wrong word?a) Choose one word in every

other line that you want to swap

b) Stds decide if the words are R or W on the first

listenc) Stds correct the W words

on the second listen

How take advantage tfrom the song

create worksheets 5/8

How take advantagefrom the song

create worksheets 6/8

Gap rhyming words Make it clear which word the

gapped word rhymes with (ex: I had my change,I wanted to D )

You could leave the first letter in to make it easier

How take advantage from the song

create worksheets 7/8

Give clues

Gap chosen words but give a category so they know more or less what kind of word they are

listening for You’ll see them wearing their baggies

hurachi too (a summer clothing item)

How take advantage from the song

create worksheets 8/8

There are TONS of things you can do to get students involved providing preliminary material to the listening it self

How take advantage from the song

create worksheets

There are Many

pros Just one

cons:You will have

to SING IT FIRST!….BUT….

…ONE GOOD THINGS ABOUT MUSIC,

WHEN IT HITS YOU, YOU FEEL NO PAIN.

(Bob Marley)