TIPS FOR USING SONGS IN CLASS

KATHIUSKA MURCIA CORTES

If you can commit to using music once a week, you may soon see the benefits, and realize that you want to do it more often and in a variety of ways.

Here are some activities for you to try:

Focus it

• Have them think about the title of the song, in groups or pairs. Find a picture that relates to the subject of

the song and have students make guesses about it.

Highlight it

Get students to circle, underline or highlight specific words or word categories.

Stop it

• Students must shout STOP any time they hear one of the new words.

• You could also stop the song before a word you want them to guess or detail.

Lip sync itLip sync it

Have students lip sync the song before a team of judges in a Class Idol show. This

allows them to become familiar with

the words, rhythm, stress and intonation

before actually singing the words

out loud.

Strip itCut the song into strips and give each student one strip to memorize. Students then organize themselves in the right order, speak the song and then listen and check.

When I see your face there's not a thing… that I would change… …Cause you're amazing Just the way you are… …And when you smile the whole world stops… …and stares for a while …Cause girl you're amazing Just the way you are.

Question it

• What is the best explanation for this: "I love you just the way you are when not being just

the way you are"?

Gap it

You can prepare a gapped version of the lyrics and let students complete them before listening and then check afterwards.

Draw itDraw it

Get students to draw or collage the song and compare the visualizations in class

REFERENCES AND CIBRGRAPHY

• Lems, Kirsten, Using Music in the Adult ESL Classroom, ERIC Digest, 2001.

• Medina, Suzanne L, The Effect of Music on Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition, ‘National Network for Early Language Learning’, Vol 6-3, 1993.

• Murphy, T (1992), The discourse op pop songs, TESOL Quarterly 26”(4), 770-774.

• http:// www.englishclub.com/teaching-tips/music-classroom.htm

• http://www.eslbase.com/articles/songs • http://www.eslbase.com/articles/pop-songs