LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
[Link] AS A POETIC AND LITERATY CREATION IN THE CLASSROOM. SONG
TYPOLOGY. TECHNIQUES FOR USING SONGS FOR PHONETIC, LEXICAL AND
CULTURAL LEARNING
0. INTRODUCTION
1. SONGS AS A POETIC & LITERARY CREATION IN THE CLASSROOM
2. TYPOLOGY OF SONGS
2.1. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN SONGS?
2.2. WHAY USING SONGS AND CHANTS WITH YOUNG LEARNERS?
2.3. WHAT SONGS SHOULD WE CHOOSE FOR THE CLASSROOM?
2.4. SONG CLASSIFICATION
3. TECHNIQUES FOR USING SONGS FOR PHONETIC, LEXICAL & CULTURAL
LEARNING
3.1. PRONUNCIATION
3.2. GRAMMAR
3.3. VOCABULARY
3.4. PHONETIC
3.5. CULTURE
4. CONCLUSION
-BIBLIOGRAPHY-
LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
0. INTRODUCTION
Music is a strong resource which helps create positive feelings about English. While songs
serve as useful teaching tools for EFL sts, they also contribute to help creating a positive &
warm atmosphere in the English learning environment.
The value of songs for motivating sts to learn English and enhancing learner involvement is
widely acknowledged. Songs offer a change form the routine procedures in the classroom. They
are invaluable tools to develop sts’ language abilities in the 4 skills and can be used to teach a
variety of language items such as vocabulary, pronunciation, sentence patterns and so on.
There are many activities related to songs that offer a great deal of advantages in promoting
the learning of English, the greatest one being to stimulate sts’ interests & improve
involvement.
1. SONGS AS A POETIC AND LITERATY CREATION IN THE CLASSROOM
First f all, children love music & songs, and this is an important reason to include the in the
lesson planning, among other reasons, such as the following:
a) MOTIVATIONAL REASONS: songs motivate sts when they listen to them.
Moreover, they change the routine of the textbook, the atmosphere of the class changes &
even the shiest sts have the opportunity to participate without pressure, singing with the rest
of the class;
b)PEGAGOGICAL R.: from the educational point of view, songs can be used for
many purposes: to relax the atmosphere of the class, to reinforce some aspects, to introduce
some contents,… but songs are also useful because sts can develop different tasks that
imply an interest in understanding what is being said in the song, or, at least, to follow it
(ex. clapping). In this case, listening becomes an active activity with a communicative aim,
as these activities imply that sts feel a communicative need.
Following Harmer (1991) ‘The Practice of English Language Teaching’ we are going
to mention 3 principles that communicative activities must accomplish.
[Link] principle: activities should involve real communication & this
happens if sts want to understand the lyrics of a song;
[Link]-based p.: activities should promote the use of language for carrying out
meaningful tasks (ex. Dancing);
[Link] p: the language used must be meaningful to the sts adapted to
their level of F.L. knowledge;
Songs can also be used isolated to other non-linguistic contents (ex. We can work on a
song whose topic is peace on Peace Day.
c)PSYCOLOGYCAL R.: songs stick in our minds & sometimes we cannot get rid of
them with short term memory, but songs are also accumulated in the long-term memory
more easily than other kind of texts because they involve rhythmical elements that facilitate
it.
When we work with a song in a lesson, our sts will keep repeating it outside school. It is
what Jean Brewster calls ‘hidden practice’. Anyway, songs allow sts to assimilate the F.L.
LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
2. TYPOLOGY OF SONGS
According to S. Philips, music & rhythm are an essential part of language learning,
specially for young learners. Children enjoy learning and singing songs and older sts find
working with current of well-known pop songs highly motivating.
When talking about chants, we can say that they are like songs without music, or a
poem with a very marked rhythm. There are many different songs & chants, from traditional
ones to specially written material for young learners. Traditional songs & chants often
contain out-of-date language, but they do have the advantage of being part of English-
spoken culture.
Some songs are good for singing, others for doing actions while music sounds. Teacher
can use songs & chants to reach sts the sounds & rhythm of English, to reinforce structures
& vocabulary, or as Total Physical Response activities.
2.1. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR IN SONGS?
S. Macdonald suggests the following 6 elements:
1. They are relevant, meaningful and interesting to the children;
2. They tell a simple story and have a memorable melody;
3. They build a base for future learning;
4. They review information & practise skills;
5. They are age appropriate;
To sum up, using songs to teach can save teacher’s time. Songs help young
children learn information quickly and accurately. Through songs, children store &
retrieve information more quickly & they can access this information over longer
periods of time.
2.2. WHY USING SONGS AND CHANTS WITH YOUNG LEARNERS?
Songs can be an effective way of teaching children and can encourage them to
become actively involved in their learning.
There are some important reasons to use songs with this age group:
-Children like songs;
-Songs can be integrated into language learning- listening, singing and
doing activities around songs;
-In many cultures, songs are used to introduce or practise mother tongue
with young children (so they feel comfortable);
-Songs are memorable and they often include a lot of repetition that
helps to make language memorable;
-Children will be actively involve in their learning;
-Children have energy and want to make noise (songs will channel these
natural inclinations positively);
LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
-Singing is a happy and stress-free activity: that will add t a positive
classroom learning environment.
2.3. WHAT SONGS SHOULD WE CHOOSE FOR THE CLASSROOM?
We must choose songs that contain simply, easily understood lyrics, link with a
topic/vocabulary that you are studying in the class and children can easily do actions, in order to
help emphasize meaning. Then, we can exploit them in many ways:
A. The cloze of gap fill:
B. A-B activities: sts match beginning & ends of lines;
C. Mixed-up activities: generally, we have the lines of the song on separate
strips of paper & sts try to organize the song in advance;
D. Dictation;
E. Translation: a song from their own language, combine the results and then
work on rhythm and rhyme;
F. Jigsaw listening: groups listen to different songs with the same or different
themes and peer teach vocabulary and then compare;
G. Composing: listen to the song & then, sts add verses of their own;
H. Writing: put random words from a song, sts try to write ‘the tale of the
song’;
I. Pronunciation;
J. Vocabulary;
K. Listening; give sts a word list. Sts number as they hear them;
L. Posters: arrange lyrics & pictures.
2.4. SONG CLASSIFICATION
Nunan introduced the concept of authentic materials those which have been produced
for purposes other than language teaching, so they are not adapted in any way, those known as
‘realia’ (traditional songs, nursery rhymes, …) Anyway, we can add that we can consider
authentic, those material that are accepted as authentic by sts, that sts realise that are useful to
learn.
TRADITIONAL SONGS: catchy tunes that will stick our sts’ mind. ‘If you are happy
and you know it’;
ACTION S.: those in which sts have to move & do what is said in their lyrics. The TPR
(used by James Asher) is the most appropriate as sts experience through physical activities, so
language is more easily internalized. ‘Heads & shouder’;
CLASSIC S.:
CHRISTMAS S.:
CHANTS & JAZZ C.:
RHYMES AND NURSERY R.:
LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
SONGS FOR COUNTING:
SONGS FOR SKIPPING:
SPELLING SONGS:
STORY-TELLING S.:
[Link] FOR THE USE OF SONGS FOR PHONETIC, LEXICAL AND
CULTURAL LEARNING
As the title of this theme requires an explanation of why songs constitute a vehicle of
poetry and creativity, we should remark that working on the lyrics of a song can be done as if it
where just another literary text. The following activities can be done with a song:
1. Look for the words that rhyme with each others;
2. Look for the metaphors;
3. Look for specific linguistic aspects (ex. Underline all the verbs in the gerund form);
4. If the song only speaks about a part of a story, sts can complete it. So, the teacher
can ask sts ‘how would be the song if other character had told it?’
Apart from the objectives already explained, songs can be used for other purposes, both
linguistic and cultural.
3.1. PRONUNCIATION
As we saw in theme 9 of this set of themes, songs are useful to present sounds
connected in speech. They can show, for example, how some consonants are sometimes
simplified by eliminating one of them.
Songs can also be used to work on rhythm & stress. As we said before, we saw in theme
9 ( and also in theme 10) that English language has a regular rhythmical pattern and songs can
be useful to work on this aspect.
Finally, we should add that sts keep repeating songs outside school & this repetition
contributes to the sts’ improvement of their pronunciation.
3.2. GRAMMAR
Poems and songs are very useful to practice specific grammatical aspects because at the
same time we repeat them, and their grammatical structure are more easily internalised.
If we want to work on grammar while using a song, one grammar aspect should appear
repeatedly, so that it keeps in the sts minds.
3.3. VOCABULARY
In recent years, second language researchers have concern themselves with the
acquisition of vocabulary and have distinguished between vocabulary that is acquired
incidentally and vocabulary acquired intentionally. Songs can be used to acquire vocabulary
intentionally without sts being aware of it.
New and unfamiliar vocabulary is acquired when its significance is made clear to the
learner. Meaning is conveyed by providing extra linguistic support such as illustrations, actions
photos and realia. Krashen refers to as ‘comprehensive input’ since the linguistic input is made
comprehensible to the second language learner.
LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
Krashen’s second hypothesis, ‘the affective filter’, is also tied to music used in the
second language classroom. According to this, the extent to which linguistic input is received
from the environment depends largely upon the learner’s affect, that is, his inner feelings and
attitude.
Music does precisely that. Whether learners simply listen to instrumental music, vocals
in the target language or sin in unison, it is a pleasurable experience. Thus, music, however it is
used in the classroom, evokes positive emotions which can lower the ‘affective filter’ and bring
about language acquisition.
3.4. PHONETICS
Songs provide examples of authentic, memorable & rhythmic language. They can be
motivating for sts keen to repeatedly listen to and imitate their musical heroes. Songs can be
used, for example, to focus on sounds. As languages differ in their range of sounds, sts must
learn to ‘physically’ produce certain sound previously unknown to them. However, incorrectly
pronounced sounds may impede communication, sometimes even changing a phrase meaning.
Songs are authentic and easily accessible examples of spoken English. The rhymes in songs
provide listeners with repetition of similar sounds. To focus learners on particular sounds, we
may create activities based on songs’ rhymes.
3.5. CULTURE
As we saw in theme 4, learning a language implies learning a world of cultural
meanings. This is also reflected in songs, as they represent the cultural and social characteristics
of a country. In this way, it helps to build an image of the world that can also be provided by the
linguistic, literary & aesthetic value of the song in F.L.L.
So according to the Decree 89/2014 of 1st of August, c.c. is the main aim that sts must
achieve. It involves 4 important aspects, among the others. These are:
-SOCIO-LINGUISTIC COMPETENCE: the ability to adapt the linguistic
performance to the situation, according to the social rules and habits;
- SOCIO-CULTURAL C.: allows one to interpret the elements of the social and
cultural reality, transmitted or referred to by language.
We can explain this by saying that FL sts must come into contact with the foreign
culture in order to learn some of its aspects. It is related with the assessment criteria 7 & 8 of the
Decree 89/2014 of 1st of August.
In this way we can say that music belongs to the cultural patrimony of FL countries
and songs transmit cultural contents that can be worked within the classroom (manners, daily
routines, eating habits and so on).
There are some moments at school yar very appropriate for introducing songs with
cultural objectives. At Christmas, singing carols, such as ‘Jingle Bells’ or on sts’ birthdays,
singing ‘Happy Birthday to you’. So, following the communicative approach, this is the best
way to learn any subject, when sts realise that they are doing something related to the situation
they are living.
[Link]
One of the big problems we all face when teaching English to young learners is maintaining
their interest throughout our lessons. Consequently, we often have to be very creative in the
techniques we use. What makes music such a great teaching tool is tis universal appeal,
LA CANCIÓN COMO VEHÍCULO POÉTICO Y COMO CREACIÓN LITERARIA EN LA CLASE DE INGLÉS.
TIPOLOGÍA DE CANCIONES. TÉCNICAS DEL USO DE LA CANCIÓN PARA EL APRENDIZAJE
FONÉTICO, LEXICAL Y CULTURAL
connecting all cultures and languages. This makes it one of the best and most motivating
resources in the classroom, regardless of the age or background of the learner.
-BIBLIOGRAPHY-
EKEN, DK (1996) ‘Ideas for Using Songs in the English Language Classroom’. English
Teaching Forum
LO,R & LI, H.C. (1998) ‘Song enhance learner involvement’. English Teaching Forum
KRASHEN, S (1985) ‘The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications’. Longman
MEDINA,S ‘The Effect of Music on Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition’. FEES News.
National Network for Early Language Learning
MURPHEY,T (1992) ‘Music & Songs’. OUP
(WEBOGRAPHY)
SARICOBAN, A & METIN, E (2000) ‘Song, Verse & Games for Teaching Grammar’. The
Internet ESL Journal ([Link]
