Disertatie Final

Lihet Ileana
Teaching EFL: A Few Ideas
Using Songs in
Table of Contents
Table of Contents..............................................................................................................2
Argument...........................................................................................................................3
Introduction.......................................................................................................................6
Chapter I: Music as a Teaching Tool.................................................................................8
1.1.
1.2.
1.3.
1.4.
1.5.
1.6.
Musical Training..........................................................................................................8
The Power of Music.....................................................................................................10
Organizing The Classroom..........................................................................................11
Developing Listening Activities..................................................................................12
Motivation...................................................................................................................13
Gardner Multiple Intelligences....................................................................................14
Chapter II: Teaching Grammar Through Songs................................................................17

2.1. The Importance of Songs............................................................................................17
2.2. Improving Grammar Aspects Through Songs............................................................22
2.3. Development of Listening Skills.................................................................................28
2.4. Pronunciation Exercises Based on a Song..................................................................32
Chapter III: Learning English Through Nursery Rhymes.................................................36
3.1. The Importance of Nursery Rhymes...........................................................................36
3.2 Rhytm and Rhyme........................................................................................................37
3.3.Choosing The Appropriate Rhymes.............................................................................39
3.4. The Categories of Rhymes..........................................................................................40
3.5. Improving Vocabulary Through Nursery Rhymes.....................................................41
3.6. Improving Grammatical Structures Through Nursery Rhymes..................................43
3.7.Improving Conversational Exchanges........................................................................ 44
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................47
Works Cited......................................................................................................................50
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
Argument
I chose this topic because I wanted to demonstrate that children or adults
can learn English through songs. We can say that music is our universal
language, through it we are able to communicate with each other and this makes
it a great teaching tool. Students of all ages listen to music so it is a resource that
can be easily taken into account. We have to admit that music is a powerful tool
becuse it affects our emotions. Our way of living has been upgraded thanks to
sounds because throughout our history we used sounds to make our life better. I
think that everyone feels better when he or she is listening to a song. We cant
deny the positive aspects of music.Some people would say that teenagers are not
allowed to listen to music when they are learning because it might bother them,
it might distract them from learning, but it is not like that. Music helps students
in their learning process. The learning process can become a very pleasant and
rich experience through songs because the students will feel comfortable doing
what they like the most: listening to their favourite music. Songs can be used in
different ways and of course there are lots of advantages: The students attention
could increase, their memory could improve, the tension from the classroom
could be reduced, they could enhance their imagination which is a wonderful
thing and they could also develop their motivation and inspiration. I think that
motivation is a very important element in a foreign language classroom because
the students have to be motivated in order for the class to be successfull.
So in the first chapter entitled Music as a Teching Tool I will discuss
about the importance of music , about the way in which music affects our
feelings.A natural way in which students are able and allowed to gain
information is through music. It is demonstrated that students who received
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musical training are better in many ways, their learning process is more fun and
also more easier.In this chapter I also have some theories about music, teaching
and learning. I will also discuss about the way a classroom should be organized
when teaching with music.
In the second chapter, Teaching Grammar Through Songs I chose to
discuss about the way in which songs could help students to learn grammar in
an easier way. Sometimes learning or teaching grammar can be boring and the
best option to make the English class more energized and pleasant is to bring
music. Songs can be easily used by the teachers in language classess because are
one of the most enchanting and culturally rich resources. Songs are precious
resources, students abilities in in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Through songs we could teach a variety of language items such as : vocabulary,
adjectives, adverbs, pronunciation, sentence patterns and rhythm. And also in
this chapter I will focus on vocabulary, verbal tenses and pronunciation. I will
show how children can inprove their vocabulary by listening to various songs.
Learningt the verbal tenses through songs can be fun and easy too because there
are lots of songs in which we can easily find certain verbal tenses. Then I chose
to focus on the pronunciation which is essential in learning a foreign language. I
will emphasize the difficulties of pronunciation and also the ways in children
can develop a good pronunciation.In this chapter I also have some exercises
based on grammatical aspects such as verbal tense and vocabulary and
pronunciation. I think that is more easier to learn the verbal tenses and to
improve the vocabulary than learning pronunciation because not everyone has
the ability to speak fluently in a foreign language. Of course that there are lots of
activities which can improve our English but however like I have said before it
depends on the person.
In the third chapter Teaching English Through Nursery Rhymes I will
emphasize the importance of nursery rhymes. Nursery rhymes are very
important especially for language develpement.When children listen to nursery
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Using Songs in
rhymes they hear certain sounds, they hear the sounds vowels and consonants
make. Some people think that nursery rhymes are not educational, in fact they
do not think that these are important. They think that nursery rhymes are just for
fun. But it is not like that at all. The nursery rhymes are very valuable and also
have a long history. The nursery rhymes have a great impact on children
development.They can learn from an early age lots of interesting things such as:
listening skills, oral interaction, pronunciation,improving vocabulary and
speaking skills.A nursery rhyme is just like a poetry but however there are also
narrative rhymes which give the children the opportunity to develop their
narrative skills, for example they can learn how to compose a narrative.
So I concluded underlining the fact that teaching through music is very
important, it
has only advantages, there are no disadvantages.Childrens
abilities will be highly developed. Teaching through songs brings only benefits
to young children and adults because music connects us all,it connects all
cultures.
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
Introduction
Maintaining learners interest throughout the lessons is one big problem

that all teachers face when it comes to teach english to children or adults. So, in
order to make a good job the teacher has to be very creative. He must use some
very good techniques. Music connects all cultures and languages. Its universal
appeal makes it such a great teaching tool. Music is the most motivating
resource that a teacher could have in the classroom, and it does not take in
account the age and the background of the learner. One of the most difficult
aspects of using music in a lesson is the process of selecting a song. Adam
Simpson suggests us some things that we probably should think about when we
get the right song.( Simpson, How To Use Songs..., web)
The word music comes from the Greek mousik (tekhn). The word
mousik was used to mean any of the arts or sciences governed by the Muses
back in the Ancient Greece.(Rosova,The Use of Music..., 10). There are many
definitions of music. Everyone defines it in a certain way. For example Wynton
Marsalis said that music is sound organized in time.(Marsalis as qtd by
Rosova, 11). And by Michael Linton music was perceived as being the
organization of sound and silence into forms that carry culturally derived
meanings, cultivated for aesthetic or utilitarian purposes (Linton as qtd by
Rosova, 11). Furthermore Gottfried W. Leibnitz considered music as nothing
but unconscious arithmetic(Leibnitz as qtd by Rosova, 11) . And Luciano
Berio stated that music is everything one listens to with the intention of
listening to music( Berio as qtd by Rosova, 11).
The next definition of music that I will present is By all accounts there is
no single and intercultural universal concept defining what music might
be.(Nattiez as qtd by Rosova,11). These are the words of Jean-Jacques Nattiez.
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Mood music is very popular now, whether in the dentists surgery to

relax us, or in shopping centres to encourage us to buy. Heart surgeons
now use music to relax operating teams during long and stressful
operations. In one London hospital women can listen to music during
childbirth to relax them.(Murphey as qtd by Rosova,12)
Like Murphey said, mood music is very important, we have all noticed
that everywhere we go there is music. The part in which he said women can
listen to music while they are giving birth is very interesting.
We might wonder why music is so important to us...Music is so important
for us because it does one incredible thing: It improves the quality of our lives.
Music offers us only benefits.( Music A Powerful...,7)
According to Saville, teachers have to include some new goals and inspiring
techniques in order to avoid boredom.(Saville,Strategies for Using..., web)
Sounds are very importat for young children, especially for infants because they
recognize the sounds which are important to them during the two years of
life.The most importat sound is the voice of their parents, thier siblings and
caretakers. And we could also include toys, videos, TV, because thse are sounds
in
their
environment.Children's
listening,
singing,reading
skills
and
communication will be affected by the quality of aural discrimination

experiences throughout their lives. (Carlton, Learning Through Music...,web)
For example I have an four year old cousin and when he was around 1year old
he enjoyed listeningto folk music or to certain songs. He would not listen to a
new song, he used to listen the same song until he would get bored and the next
day the same thing. I have to mention that hedoes not like cartoons, he only likes
music and of course the videos from the songs. He looks very thrilled when he
watches his favorite music videos.
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
Chapter 1: Music as a Teaching Tool
1.1 Musical training

Learning music is an important developmental activity that may help
at-risk children compete academically on a more equal basis with their
middle-income peersimprovement on the spatial-temporal tasks was
confined to those children who received music instructionthe music
instruction was found to continue for at least two years after the
intervention ended. (Rauscher as qtd by Hachmeister)
Through music learners are allowed to aquire information in a natural

way. The information could be reduced with the help of a song. As Jeanette
Hachmeister stated, musical training is very important, the students who
received musical training had the best scores on the Wechsler Individual
Achievement Test (WIAT) in reading, spelling, reading comprehension,
mathematical reasoning, numerical operations and listening tasks. In a study by
Rauscher, 78 preschoolers were divided into two groups and one group was
receiving music instruction. The researchers wanted to know if if music
cognition could be capable of activating the same neural activities as those in
spatial-temporal reasoning so they tested the theory. The researchers discovered
that:
Music training, unlike listening, produces long-term modifications in
underlying neural circuitry (perhaps right prefrontal and left temporal
cortical area) in regions not primarily concerned with music. The
magnitude of the improvement in spatial-temporal reasoning from
music training was greater than one standard deviation equivalent to
an increase from the 50th percentile on the WPPSI-R standardized test
to
above
the
85th
percentile.(Rauscher
Hachmeister,web)
8
et
al.as
qtd
by
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
It is interesting that low level students were the ones who could benefit
the most from this increase of memory. Childrens
and adults oral
communication is enhanced through music. There are students who have

delayed language and the teachers are trying to help them using songs. Maybe
the students will not realize how much they are learning because the activity is
very joyful. The notion of learning could be defined as a great adventure thanks
to music training. Students become connected through singing because singing
brings them together. Even the difficult students enjoy learning thanks to this
great method. ( Hachmeister, Music as a Teaching....,web)
When working with toddlers and young three year olds the teachers could
create hand motion because it is an interesting and efficient tehnique. While
singing, the children could do other things too, they could do movement, play
some instruments or the theacher could show them some pictures. And this
would be Multisensory learning. Through this tehnique the children could feel
the vibrations. And also the children have the opportunity to experience many
different types of success. This experience will allow the children to feel more
confident, and to reinforce their participation and learning. ( Lawyer, Creating
Story Songs, 1)
When teaching a new language there seem to be three basic ways to
practice the sounds, the structures and vocabulary. They are the following:
1.
Drills: - They are overt and can be mechanical or repetitious or even
ore complex involving substitutions and transformations.

2.
Rhymes and Songs: - Through them the material is practised
covertly.
3.
Dialogues and Conversational Exchanges: - The students learn how
to behave and to speak as native-English do in real life situations through this

tehnique.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 9)
1.2 The power of music when teaching
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
Music has a great power above us, it could restart our minds and bodies
when we need to. Rosova stated that there is a question: How much are we
influenced by the power of music when learning languages? Well,according to
her the answer is in the suggestopaedia. We might wonder what is
suggestopaedia;( Rosova, The Use of Musc...,12). According to Murphey,
suggestopaedia is a teaching methodology which was developed by Dr Lozanov
in Bulgaria, It is said that teaching methodology produces hypermnesia which
means an excellent memory.( Murphey as qtd by Rosova, 13). So far the only
method working with relaxation has been has been suggestopaedia.(Rosova, The
Use of Music...,13)
According to Dr Lozanov the best conditions for receiving new
information will fulfill with the help of a specific suggestopedic classroom
equipped deliberately with particular objects that work on our peripheral
perception.( Rosova, The Use of Music...,13)
We all know what are the effects of music on our emotions but I do not
think that everyone knows what effects has the music on our brain. Well, the
effects of music on our brain have also been explored.
Research has shown that during an electroencephalogram
(EEG), music can change btain waves and make the brain more
receptive to leaming. Music connects the functions of the right and left
hemispheres of the brain so that they can work together and make
learning quick and easy.( Rahman as qtd by Villalobos-Ulate,97)
The brain is more capable of processing information because of the

activities which engage both sides of the brain at the same time.( ODonnel as
qtd by Villalobos-Ulate, 97).
Lozanov created two different learning environments or concerts: Active
concert and passive concert.These techniques are equally effective. The learning
process is activated mentally, physically, and emotionally through an active
concert by playing an up-tempo song and reciting or reading while listening to
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music. As the active concert involves an up-temo music, the passive concert
involves a slower one, a more relaxing music.(Berk, Use of Technology...,52)
Don MacMannis, a clinical psychologist and author stated that There
may be no more powerful method of learning than through music, and no more
important lessons for children than those that focus on character and social and
emotional skills,( MacMannis as qtd by Tartakovsky,web) Our attention is
sustained by music which transmits us a great pleasure. We could not speak of a
potential biological value because music does not have such thing. There are no
sinilarities between it and other pleasurable stimuli. And also the concepts which
are more complex are more accesible and enjoyable. (Tartakovsky, Using Music
As...,web)
1.3 Organizing the classroom
Jeremy Harmer suggests that teachers could organize students in four
ways when teaching them. They can work as a whole class, in groups, in pairs,
or individually (Harmer as qtd by Rosova, 32). However he believes that
students prefer to work alone.
So lets begin with the first one, with the whole class arrangement. Harmer
says that it is good to apply this tehnique because in this way we could spare
some time and the teacher can monitorize the children easily. But however this
tehnique has its own disadvantages. Usually in whole class arrangement the
students are pasive. Groupwork and pair work have many advantages because
the students tend to participate more equally. The advantage of individual work
is that the students have enough time to think, they can also work with their own
speed.( Harmer as qtd by Rosova, 32).
I think that the individual work is the best option because in this way a
teacher could see the students language level. On the other hand, in group
working not all students will be involved in solving the task. Probably some of
the students will wait for their colleagues to solve the task and then they will
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have the same grade, so it is not fair. I have to confess that I have tried to do
group work but I could not say that it succesfully worked because like I said
before some of the students did not involve in the activity, there were just one or
two who really cared and then I had to give them the same grade. Lets take as
an example the second grade. I used to play with them a game several times and
they enjoyed very much. They usually worked in groups. The game was very
interesting, through this game they could learn the colours and new objects.
Now I will explain the game: I would ask each child to give me an object (e.g
Give me the yellow pencil) and they had to guess which was the yellow pencil. I
have to mention that their language level is low and for them it was really hard
to understand my questions. There were a few children, who guessed almost all
wordsbut the rest of them did not understand the questions even if I repeated
them. So I said to them that the group who would get the best score will win. So
in each group there was a child whose language level was good. I remeber that a
young boy said he does not want to play the game anymore because he did not
guess the words but I encouraged him to keep playing because maybe he will
give me some correct answers, and he finally gave me two correct answers and
he was so thrilled. But anyway not all the children from the groups answered
correctly to my questions, there were children who did not answer correctly at
allbut however their group had the best score and it was not fair for the other
who had really gave their best. When I was in highschool, the teacher would
give us projects or she sometimes used to put us working in groups or pairs and I
did not like it very much because my colleagues were not willing to participate
in the activity maybe because they were not so creative or maybe they were
bored, who knows..... But the thing is that our grades were the same. That is why
I think that young children and students should work individually.
1.4 Developing Listening Skills
Taking notes is very difficult for the students when they listen to lectures.
But if students comprehend and know how to take notes, their notes will be
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effective. (Alam,Developing Listening Skills, 51). According to Jordan note

taking as a skill is not easy in ones own language in a foreign language the
difficulties can become very serious.( Jordan as qtd in Alam, 51).
In a L2 course, especially in the listening class the studets have to be
prepared to follow the lectures. The following skills need to be taught to them:
First they have to know which information is more important and
which one is less important.
To be decided when it comes to record points.
Their writing to be clearly and concisely
To know how to descipher the essence of the lecture.
And also when students are taking notes they have to be aware that the
spoken language differs from writing. (Alam,Developing Listening Skills, 52).
Walters and Walters suggested that the students have to take in
consideration the following ideas when they are listening to a lecturer:
The way of speaking (which includes the speed of speech going up or
slow, using less or more emphasis, repeating a point etc.)
Use of aids (OHP, blackboard etc.)
Use of set expressions (right)
Use of hint
Record facts and process accurately ( Walters and Walters as qtd by
Alam, 52).
The classroom must be well- equiped for a listening activity.If we use low
quality equipment the lesson might not work as we want to. The students have to
hear the sounds clearly in order to understand them. As Yagang stated Unclear
sounds resulting from poor-quality equipment can interfere with the listeners
comprehension. (Yagang as qtd by Andrade, 9)
1.5 Motivation
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I have to mention that there are two types of motivation: extrinsic

motivation and intrinsic motivation and we can make a distinction between
them. The extrinsic motivation is caused by the outside factors such as goals or
personal needs. The intrinsic motivation is located within the individual. The
learners have to discover their self motivtion with their teachers help. The
teachers must help the students to discover their hidden self-motivation because
this is the only way in which the extrinsic motivation will take place.
(Villalobos-Ulate,Using Songs To....,96)
Sometimes language classes can be boring and the best solution is
listening to music. But in order for class to be succesfull the students have to be
motivated. We must not forget that motivation is an important element in a
foreign language classroom. The teachers must encourage the students to learn
and to use the language in different situations. "Motivation .. . is as much a
matter of concern for the teacher as it is for the leamer; it depends as much on
the attitudes of the teacher as on the attitudes of the students."( Rogers as qtd by
Villalobos,96)
The teachers personality and the teaching methods are two important
elements in pupils motivation.( Ulfa, Teaching English Through..., web)
The old generations of students were used to learn in a different way
because they did not have access to the modern technology. Nowadays the
students are being educated with the help of technology.They use the internet
which has become an influential and important tool in education.( Lee, Using
Popular Music..., 100)
1.6. Gardners Multiple Intelligences
Howard Gardner is a psychology professor at Harvard University and in
1983 he presented his Multiple Intelligence theory. This theory is based on many
years of research. He has stated that there are different forms of intelligence, that
there is not just one form of intelligence. He discovered eight forms of
intelligence: visual-spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic,
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interpersonal,intrapersonal, musical, and most recently naturalist. (VillalobosUlate in Using Songs To....,97-98)
1. Visual-spatial- People who posses this form of intelligence are very aware of
their environment and usually think in terms of physical space. Also they like
to do puzzle, to draw, to read maps.
2. Bodily-kinesthetic- This form of intellience uses body awareness, poeple
who are endowed with it are able to use the body in a very efficient way and
they also like to communicate through body language. Of course they could
learn through physical activity.
3. Musical- People with this form of intelligence are sensitive to sound and
rhytm. They could learn better by having music in the background.
4. Interpersonal This intelligence consists of understanding and interacting
with others.These students can be taught through interaction.Usually these
people have many friends and also have empathy for them.
5. Intrapersonal - The individuals who own this for of intelligence are capable
to understand one s goals and interests. These people tend to be shy. They are
confident, and also have wisdom, motivation, intuition and a strong opinion.
They are independent, they can learn through independent study.
6. Linguistic- These learners use the words in a very efficient way. The auditory
skills of these learners are highly developed, and they usually think in words.
They like to write poetry or stories, they like very much reading and playing
word games.
7. Logical- Mathematical- These learners are calculating and reasonable. They
are usually able to explore patterns and relationships. In order to deal with
details they have to learn and form concepts. They can learn through logic
games and mysteries.(Lane, The Distance Learning..., web)
8. Naturalist The children possessing naturalistic intelligence very interested
in human behaviors, or the behaviors, habits, or habitats of other species.
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Their interests begin at very early age.( Wilson, The Eighth Intelligence
NaturalisticIntelligence, Web)
According to this theory,
We are all able to know the world through language, logicalmathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the
use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding
of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where
individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the socalled profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such
intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks,
solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains. (Gardner as
qtd by Lane..., web)
As the article Rhymes are readersfromKBYU Eleven has pointed, there

are three types of learning:
1.
Auditory learners who usually use their sense of hearing when they
process information.
2.
Visual learners who process information by using sight as a key
3.
Kinesthetic (or hands-on ) learners- when they physically perform a
tool.
task that incorporates a new information, they process it better.(Rhymes are
Readers, 5, web)
I am a visual learner, I process the information better when I see it. But
however I do not think that avisual learner could learn as much as an auditory or
Kinesthetic learner. When the information is too much it is a little bit had to
memorize it, Iknow this thing from my experience. But I think that it might be
possible for a person to posses all these types of learning, who knows......Well I
am not saying that the person posess them equally, for example that person
could be a Kinesthetic learner but he or she might have some auditory or visual
skills too.
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Chapter II: Teaching Grammar Through Songs
2.1 The importance of songs

Songs offer a change from the routine procedures in the classroom. They
are invaluable tools to develop students' language abilities in listening, speaking,
reading and writing and can be used to teach a variety of language items such as
sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythms, adjectives, adverbs and
so on.( Lo and Li as qtd by Villalobos-Ulate, 95)
Adam Simpson suggests us some things that we probably should think
about when we get the right song.( Simpson, How To Use Songs..., web)
First we have to examine what do we want for our class to learn. We have
to decide wheter it is going to be a lesson focused on grammar vocabulary
pronunciation or another topic. Simpson once wanted to introduce a text about
vain people so he used the the song Youre so vain by Carly Simon. Also in
another lesson he used In the air tonight because he wanted to teach the
present perfect continuous tense so this song was a perfet opportunity. He says
that we can do whatever we want with a song, he strongly suggests that we
should not place a limit on what we can do with a song.( Simpson, How To Use
Songs..., web)
Then he suggets that we should think about the level of our class because
it will help us determine what songs , games or written exercises we can use to
develop the lesson. It is very important to do that bbecause for example the
begginers will be frustrated if they will not understand the lyrics and the
advanced learners will be bored if the task will be too easy for them. The age of
our lerners is also very important because if we teach young lerners we have to
use simple songs, songs that are easy to understand, the best option is to use
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repetitive songs. But when it comes to teach adults or teenagers we have to use
other songs, we have to use songs suitable for their age. As Simpson suggests,
the contemporary pop and rock songs are the most suitable for teenagers and for
adults lerners we should use songs that are interesting to their age group. Well
nowadays everybody has access to music, we do not need to buy Cd s when we
have youtubeso the access to a certain song is not limited. Simpson proposes six
steps in order to make a song the focus of our class.
The first step is to listen the song.It is important forthe teacher to keep in
mind that it is a fun activity not a boring one. Simpsons recommends us to use
the video of the song as an alternative if we have it because it will be much
more fun. The learners will understand better the message of the song.
( Simpson, How To Use Songs..., web)
For instance I understand better the message of a song when Isee the
video too because it is nice to associate the lyrics with the video, with the
characters from the video. I have to confess that when I read a book I am
looking forward to see the movie because I need to see who are the persons who
interpretate the characters from the book. And when it comes to music is the
same, when we hear a song we need to see the video. For young learners the
repetitive songs with the video are essential for learning english. From what I
have seen, the young learners prefer songs with video. I had an experience with
six year old children: I played them a song and they were not very interested,
they needed images, so when I showed then the video they all began to sing and
dance. So indeed, the videos are very important. And also we just have to let
them enjoy the music we do not have to overload them with certain tasks.
Furthermore, we should ask them some questions. Simpson used
JealousGuy by John Lennon and We are the champions by Queen to give us
some examples, Simpson, How To Use Songs..., web). I will use other songs, I
will use The Heart Wants What It Wants by Selena Gomez. So here are a few
questionsrelated to the song that we could use in the classroom.
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1.
What tense do we have in the title?
2.
Do you think that we should follow our heart when it comes to
3.
Could you translate the title?
4.
Do you think that the singer has love problems?
5.
Have you ever benn in love with someone?
love?
The next song is I will be there for you by Rembrants. Here are the
questions:
1.Do you think that this is a song about friendship or love?
2. How many friends do you have?
3. Does anybody has a best friend?
4. Would you sacrifice yourself for your best friend?
5.What tense do we have have in the title?
The third step is to ask the students to listen the song again, but time time
with lyrics because we could do one or more of the following activities:
Students can listen to the song while they are reading the lyrics
because they might have some difficulties while they listen to a song. Maybe the
singer pronounces a word in a different way or he has a certain accent( for
example Sean Paul) so it is hard for the students to understand the lyrics. Sean
Pauls songs are very difficult to understand because he has a certain accent so I
do not think that his songs are suitable for learners, at least not for begginers,
maybe for advanced learners it could be suitable. As an alternative they could
underline the unknown words and discuss them later.
We could make a lyric worksheet.We could ask the student to fill in
the gap as they listen.

The fourth step is to focus on a particular verb tense or aspect of grammar
because
every song centres on a particular verb tense so this is a good
opportunity to discuss the grammar aspects.

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The fifth step is to focus on vocabulary, idioms and expressions. We could

use the vocabulary we encounter in lyrics to make a creative lesson. (Simpson,
How To Use Songs..., web)
We can start with the following questions: ( I will use again The heart
wants what it wants by Selena Gomez).
What does No wind in our sails mean?
What does hell over trip mean?
What does I bet the odds mean?
The sixth step is creativity. If we want our students to mantain motivation

during the lesson we have to be very creative. For example the teacher could ask
the students to make a video for a song. (Simpson, How To Use Songs..., web)
A lot of interesting activities can be organized with songs.When we want
to familiarize the students with a new theme or to review some grammar rules
that they have forgotten or even to revise their vocabulary, the songs are one of
the best methods. A student could sharpen his language skills by listening to
music. (Simpson, How To Use Songs..., web)
Hendricks stated that she discovered three realities as regards teaching
children:
1.
Children and adults do not learn in the same way, children have a
different way of learning and processing information.

2.
An adult could stay interested in an activity for any period of time
but a child could not do this.

3.
The parents send their children to the ESL classes for various
reasons but chidren usually go there for different reasons. The children go there
for fun, for companionship.( Hendricks,Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 1)
Songs can be easily used by the teachers in language classes because are
one of the most enchanting and culturally rich resources. When we want to
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develop students abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing we use

songs because they are precious resources. Through songs we could teach a
variety of language items such as : vacabulary, adjectives, adverbs,
pronunciation, sentence patterns and rhythm. (How to teach Grammar,28)
Usually the students feel embarrased when it comes to speak in English in front
of the class or just sitting at their desk because they might be afraid of their
pronunciation for example; maybe they are afraid of their colleagues opinions,
maybe they are afraid of criticism. I am a teacher and I have seen how children
feel when I ask them to read or to write something on the blackboard. For
example when I ask them to read something some of them feel very embarrased
because they do not know how to pronounce those words and when they try to
pronounce the words the others laugh at them and immediatly they get upset.
Some children even cry when a colleague makes fun of them. So they tend to
avoid reading and writing at the blackboard. For example there are students who
know how to read and write in English but when it comes to express themselves
in front of the class or in front of someone else they simply cant do it.In this
case the best option would be that the teacher should insist on them because this
is the only way they could get rid of this fear. They will surely succeed and
eventually they will get used to public speaking.
The new vocabulary should be presented in a clear situational context not
in isolation. The words which have a similar meaning should be distinguished
from each other because it might bring difficulties to the children. Usually it
takes some time before the children understand the words with a similar
meaning.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,14). For example there are
words which have different meanings, I mean a word could be translated in
different ways.
There are lots of teaching tehniques when it comes to teach grammar.
Some of these tehniques are:
o
Gap fills or close texts

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Focus questions
True-false statements
Put these lines into the correct sequence
Dictation
Add a final verse
Circle the antonyms/synonyms of the given words
Discuss
A teacher should set up the objectives for the class first and then he or she
should choose a tehnique based on those specific objectives. But it would be
better for the students to know which grammar aspects will be studied before
listening to the song. (How to teach Grammar, 28-29)
A poem would be a good solution too when it comes to teach grammar.
Maybe it is a little bit weird to learn grammar through a poem but it is true. Just
like songs, poems offer the teachers a chance to have an efficient grammar
lesson. And also poems are exagerated just like songs, they are full of figures of
speech. Even though a teacher could be very creative when he or she deals with
poems at language classes, there could be a problem: Poems can be difficult
sometimes for a begginer because the stucture and the language is much more
advanced. Usually poems are not written in a simple way and that is why they
are difficult for a foreign language learner. (How to Teach Grammar, 29-30)
Many people would think that rock and rap music are not suitable for the
classroom but it is not like that, these genres can be used in teaching too because
they can be very effective. Music can help students to develop their selfconfidence. Certain things such as vocabulary and basic facts can be larned
through educational songs.( Welsh, Using Rap, Rock..., web)
2.2 Improving grammaraspects through songs
Next I will try to demonstrate how students can learn learn English
through a song. The topic of the lesson is The Revision of Verb Tenses. The song
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is called Counting Stars by One Republic. It is a popular song, the majority of

children know it so I do not think that this song will be problematic. I think that
this song is suitable for many types of exercises, especially for verb tenses.
COUNTING STARS
By ONE REPUBLIC
Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep
Dreaming about the things that we could be
But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,
Said, no more counting dollars
We'll be counting stars, yeah we'll be counting stars
I see this life like a swinging vine
Swing my heart across the line
And my face is flashing signs
Seek it out and you shall find
Old, but I'm not that old
Young, but I'm not that bold
I don't think the world is sold
I'm just doing what we're told
I feel something so right
Doing the wrong thing
I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
I couldn't lie, coudn't lie, couldn't lie
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
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We'll be counting stars
(x2)
I feel the love and I feel it burn
Down this river, every turn
Hope is a four-letter word
Make that money, watch it burn
Young, but I'm not that bold
I don't think the world is sold
I feel something so wrong
Doing the right thing
Everything that downs me makes me wanna fly
We'll be, we'll be counting stars
(x2)
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons are learned
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(repeat)
Everything that kills me makes feel alive
We'll be counting stars
(x2)
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons are learned
(repeat)
Here I have some exercises based on this song. The aims of this lesson
are:
- describe/talk about present actions and activities
- use the Present Tenses in real instances of communication.
- translate sentences into English.
- review the adverbials of time.
I think that the first exercise will help the students to revise and to enlarge
their vocabulary.This exercise is also very easy, I think that it is suitable for
teenagers and for adults too.And also this exercise helps them to practice
reading for specific information.
1. Fill the blanks with the words from the box.
alive, dollars, face, feel, find, hard, kills, lately, life,line,
make, right, river, signs, sleep, sold, stars, take, vine, word,
wrong, young,
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________, I've been, I've been losing _______

But baby, I've been, I've been praying _________,
Said, no more counting _______
We'll be counting _________, yeah we'll be counting _______
I see this ______ like a swinging ______
Swing my heart across the ________
And my _________ is flashing ______
Seek it out and you shall _______
_______, but I'm not that bold
I don't think the world is _____
I feel something so ______
Doing the _____ thing
I feel something so _______
Doing the ________ thing
Everything that _______ me makes me feel _________
------------------------I ________ the love and I feel it burn
Down this ______, every turn
Hope is a four-letter ________
_______ that money, watch it burn. (Perez, web)
The second exercise helps the students to revise the notions of adjectives
and nouns and also like I have said in exercise one, this exercise gives students
the chance to enlarge their vocabulary.
2. Match the adjectives and the nouns. Translate them.
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1. swinging
a. stars
2. four-letter
b. vine
3. flashing
c. word
4. counting
d. signs
(Perez, web)
The third exercise gives students the chance to develop their writing skills
and also to learn new words and expressions.
3. Translate the following sentences:
Everything that kills me makes me feel alive
Everything that downs me makes me wanna fly
Take that money
Watch it burn
Sink in the river
The lessons are learned. (Perez, web)
The fourth exercise gives students the chance to replace given words with
synonyms and antonyms.
4.Find a synonym or antonym of the following words:
deceive (v)
dead (adj),
courageous (adj). (Perez, web)
Exercise five helps the students to use the the tenses in real instances of
communication and also to improve their grammar. One of the aims of this
exercise is to know how to use the present simple and present progressive to talk
about the present.
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5.Find some examples of the following verb tenses in the song:

Present simple
Present continuous
Present perfect continuous
Future continuos
Infinitive
Imperative
Present simple in passive voice. (Perez, web)
And the last exercise improves pupils pronunciation and their ability of
speaking in English freely.
6.Discuss about the meaning of the song. Why has he not been able to sleep
lately?
Does it have to do with money, love, society? (Perez, web)
2.3Developing pronunciation through songs
Using songs in the English class is a resource that should be taken into
account because students of all ages listen to music. Students will understand to
distinguish minimal pairs in both vowels and consonants by focusing on the
pronunciation.And also the connected speech will be more familiar to
them.Music affects our feelings and enery level so we have to admit that it is a
powerful instrument. "Without even thinking about it, we use music to create
desired moods-to make us feel happy, to enjoy movement and dance, to
energize, to bring back powerful memories, to help us relax and focus. ,,
( Brewer as qtd by Villalobos-Ulate ,94)
Sounds have been used for different purposes troughout history and this
has upgraded our way of living. Music is considered to be a very important part
in peoples lives but still, it is not used very often in schools or at work. Music
could make the learning process a very enriching experience because they can
provide a pleasant atmosphere for the teacher and of course for the students.
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Everyone will enjoy the fun and interesting activities that the music has the
power to create. Like Villalobos says songs can be used in many different ways
and there are lots of advantages: establishing a positive learning state, energizing
learning activities, increasing attention, improving memory, releasing tension,
enhancing imagination, developing inspiration and motivation.( VillalobosUlate, Using Songs To..., 94-95)
Sometimes language classes can be boring and the best solution is
listening to music. But in order for class to be succesfull the students have to be
motivated. We must not forget that motivation is an important element in a
foreign language classroom. The teachers must encourage the students to learn
and to use the language in different situations. "Motivation .. . is as much a
matter of concern for the teacher as it is for the leamer; it depends as much on
the attitudes of the teacher as on the attitudes of the students."( Rogers as qtd by
Villalobos, 96)
"Songs provide examples of authentic, memorable and rhythmic language.
They can be motivating for students keen to repeatedly listen to and imitate their
musical heroes ". There are some aspects of pronunciation that can be focused
on through songs.
Sounds can be categorised as vowels and consonants because are the
smallest unit from which words are formed. We probably might wonder why are
they difficult.They are difficult because languages differ and students have to
learn to produce certain sounds that are unknown to them. The meaning of a
phrase could change if the pronounciation is not correct. (Ebong and
Sabbadini,Developing Pronunciation....,web)
"Songs are authentic and easily accessible examples of spoken English. "
The students sometimes indirectly expose themselves to certain sounds by
listening to various songs. We can create activities based on songs' rhymes to
make the students focus on particular sounds. Simpson proposes the following
activities:
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Activity 1:
We replace some of the rhymes in the song, with a gap. Students listen
and fill the gaps, using the song to guide them. The words can be categorised
according to sounds by some students.
Talk
one
day
New York
sun
say
Walk
run
We could highlight the differences between sounds as an alternative.

Activity 2:
We can create minimal pairs. We can choose six words from a song.
Cold-hold
Shinning- lightning. (Ebong and Sabbadini,Developing Pronunciation....,web)
( From The heart wants what it wants by Selena Gomez)
"Words are combinations of sounds which form together to give meaning.
A word is uttered in syllables, usually one emphasised syllable (the stress) and
the
rest
weak
(unstressed)".(Ebong
and
Sabbadini,Developing
Pronunciation....,web)
It is difficult to learn a foreign language because the number of syllables
is not always identical even when the same words exist in both languages. Each
English word has its own stress pattern, with very complex 'rules' to guide
learners. Sometimes students find hard to believe that weak syllables are central
to English. We may wonder how a song can help someone to learn English.
Well, the words from the songs can help learners to associate the number of
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syllables / stress in these words, with memorable rhythms. Songs can create a
relaxed atmosphere in the classroom and the students might not realize that they
are exposed to this pronounciation area. Through songs we can convince
learners of the way English is pronounced because they contain numerous
examples of weak syllables. We could use songs to focus on connected speech.
Connected spech links together and also emphasis certain words, in other words
the connected speech is the natural way we speak. It is very hard to speak
fluently in English and in other languages of course because they tend to
pronounce each word separately at lower levels, so they usually learn words
individually. Sometimes students think that contractions are not correct, they
think that are just slangs.And also it is not neccessary that all the words from a
phrase should carry the same meaning. A real example of how a whole phrase
should be pronounced is the chorus from the songs. Of course that songs are full
of contractions.( Ebong and Sabbadini,Developing Pronunciation....,web)
We could not say that there are certain songs for teaching pronounciation.
Any song can be used but however we have to try to use songs that are easier,
we have to use clear songs or songs that the students already know. (Ebong and
Sabbadini,Developing Pronunciation....,web)
Usually the teachers use the songs for purposes such as vocabulary,
listening comprehension, or grammar practice and for pronunciation they do not
use them very often. In his lesson planning, a teacher considers pronunciation
less important, other skills are more important.( Villalobos,Using Songs To...,
98-99). Miyake stated that
Pronunciation has been called the Cinderella of ELT (being
locked away and out of sight). One of the criticisms of pronunciation
teaching is that it is thought to be boring. I 'perhaps this is due to the
dominant image of audio-lingual methods drilling minimal pairs.
(Miyake as qtd by Villalobos-Ulate,99)
A good pronunciation is essential for a good comunication. If students

want to succesfully learn a foreign language they should work hard on their
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pronunciation skills. Pronunciation is very important when we want to learn a

foreign language because even if we know how to use corectly grammar and
vocabulary, the message will not be delivered in a comprehensive way, the
message will not be clear if vowel and consonant sounds and aspects such as
intonation, linking, rhythm and stress are not produced accurately.
(Villalobos,Using Songs to Improve...., 99)
The classroom environment is very important when it comes to teach a
listening activity. In order for the lesson to be succesful there has to be a calm
atmosphere because a teacher could not teach a listening activity in a noisy
classroom.( Andrade, Improving How Listening..., 8)
2.4. Pronunciation Exercises Based on a Song
When we want to do an exercise based on pronunciation we have to
choose carefully the song because not all songs gives us the examples we need.
We have to choose a song which is suitable for a lesson based on pronunciation.
The song is called Sand in my Shoe by Dido.( Villalobos,Using Songs to
Improve....,102)
Sand In My Shoes"
Two weeks away feels like the whole world should've changed
But I'm home now
And things still look the same
I think I'll leave it till tomorrow to unpack
Try to forget for one more night
That I'm back in my flat on the road
Where the cars never stop going through the night
To a life where I can't watch the sun set
I don't have time
I don't have time
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[Chorus:]
I've still got sand in my shoes
And I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on, forget you
But why would I want to
I know we said goodbye
Anything else would've been confused
But I wanna see you again
Tomorrow's back to work and down to sanity
Should run a bath and then clear up the mess I made before I left here
Try to remind myself that I was happy here
Before I knew that I could get on the plane and fly away
From the road where the cars never stop going through the night
To a life where I can watch the sun set
And take my time
Take all our time
[Chorus]
I wanna see you again
Two weeks away, all it takes to change and turn me around, I've fallen
I walked away and never said that I wanted to see you again
[Chorus x2]
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1. Vowels (u:) vs. lul: Classify the underlined words according to their
pronunciation.
l' ve still got sand in my shoes
and I can't shake the thought of you
I should get on , forget you
but why would I want to
I know we said goodbye ,
anything else would've been confused
but I wanna see you again. (Villalobos. Using Songs to Improve..., 103)
2. Consonants /b/ vs. /v/ vs. /f/: Complete the song with one of the
words below.
flat I never I but I feels I have (2) I for I 've I forget I back I life
Two weeks away like the
whole world should
changed
I'm home now, and things still look the same

I think I ' ll _____ it till tomorrow to unpack,
try to __________ one more night
that I' m in my
on the road
where the cars _____ stop going through the night

to real where I can 't watch the sunset,
I don't _____ time , I don't _____ time.( Villalobos. Using Songs to
Improve...,103-104)
As Andrade states the pronunciation is the most important issue in English
language teaching when the aim is the production of good speakers.(Andrade,
Improving How Listening..., 5). Rixon has pointed One of the most obvious
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sources of difficulty for a learner of English is the way in which it is

pronounced.( Rixon as qtd by Andrade, 5)
Chapter III: Learning English through nursery rhymes
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3.1
Using Songs in
The importance of nursery rhymes
It is known that the18-th century was the time when nursery rhymes
began and then they evolved in time. Nursery rhymes are just like poetry, they
have a hidden meanings which can be argued. Nursery rhymes are a good
method in which young learners minds can be captured. They also contain moral
lessons.( Patsalides, An Overview for...,web)Dunst, Meter and Hamby stated in
Relationship Between Young Childrens Nursery Rhyme Experiences and
Knowledge and Phonological and Print-Related Abilitiesthat "Nursery rhymes
are short poems or songs that often are made up of trivial musical verse".
( Dunst, Meter and Hamby, Relationship Between Young...,1)
Nursery
rhymes
are
very
important
especially
for
language
development.When children listen to nursery rhymes they hear certain sounds,

they hear the sounds vowels and consonants make. And slowly they learn how to
make words by putting these sounds together. The rhythm of language, the
volume, the voice inflection and the pith are also practised. The children do not
hear in everyday language the words they hear in nursery rhymes. Nursery
rhymes become the childs first sentences because they are short and easy to
repeat.( Rhymesare Readers, 7, web)
Nursery rhymes are considered very useful because it helps children to
develop intonation and pronunciation practice in a stress-timed language such
as English because the rhythm forces [children] to put the stress in the right
places and to observe the strong and weak forms (Reilly & Ward as qtd by
Santovac,27-28)
Of course nursery rhymes are also important for cognitive development.
Nursery rhymes are patterns, they help children to memorizeeasier an
information.Usually, the nursery rhymes tell a story which contains a begining, a
middle and an end. Thanks to nursery rhymes the childreen will be able to
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understand stories. Children begin to learn simple math skills as they recite the
nursery rhymes. Numbers, counting, and other math words that children need to
learn, such as size and weight are used in nursery rhymes. Alliteration and
imaginative imagery are introduced by nursery rhymes. ( Rhymesare Readers, 7,
web)
Nursery rhymes are important for childrens physical development
because by using different sounds in rhyme they develop their mouth and
tongue. ( Rhymesare Readers, 8, web)
According to Vanessa Levin there are some skills we can teach using
nursery rhymes:
Rhyming
Sound/Word Discrimination
Blending
Word segmentation (syllables)
Phoneme manipulation( nursery rhyme activities). ( Levin, Nursery
Rhyme Activity, web)

Nursery rhymes have an ludic aspect which play an important role in the
language aquisition, because children spend a great deal of their time
producing or receiving playful language, since for them, a good deal of
language remains primarily driven by sound rather than meaning (Cook as qtd
by Santovac,28)
3.2 Rhythm and rhyme
The children love rhytm and rhyme, they are appealing to them because
they cannot wait to be part of the rhytm and to recite the rhyme. Every child
must feel comfortable and welcomed because in this way the teaching rocedure
will be more efficient.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 2)
Stated that there are four elements of progression in language teaching
which are essential for a ESL instructor to follow them. The first element is the
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presentation of the new material.The second and the third element are the
practice of the material and the last element is the testing of the material to see if
the childreen have learned it. Students who use structural approach to learn
receive emphasis on the grammatical structures of the taret language.
( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 5)
But however, the structural and contextual approaches are not associated
with children very often, they are associated more with adults because children
way of learning is different from the adults. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and
Songs..., 6)
If the teachers teach the verses with care to children, they will not forget
them because reciting a rhyme is better and easier than talking. So when they are
reciting a rhyme they feel that they have some sort of control over the new
language.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 13)
The teachers have to use rhythm along with the language. They also have
make sure that their voice is fun and interactive.( How to Teach..., web)
If we teach the children the rhymes such as Heads and Shoulders or
Knees andToes we have to use physical gestures in order to get the childrens
attention. And also if we touch each part of the body while we recite them is
very funny for the children. Of course they could also perform the rhymes
individually to see who is the best or for example to see who could recite them
the fastest. This kind of activity is very benefic for them because it involves
physical activity. After this type of activity they are calmer and probably they
will pay much more attention. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 24)
When a child indentifies and understanda a written word we can say that
is the first step towards a proper reading skill. ( How to Teach..., web)
Nursery rhymes are very familiar among American and English school
children, and one of these rhyme is Hokey Pokey. The native English- speaking
children create a circle dance with this song. Obeying the instructions, the
children form a circle and then sing the song.The pictures are the best way to
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introduce the new words. The new vocabulary from these rhymes could be
presented through pictures cards. The most amusing rhymes are the one which
teach animal vocabulary because the children can imitate the sounds that the
animals make. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 24-25)
3.3 Choosing the appropriate rhymes
According to Santovac there is a certain criteria for choosing appropriate
rhymes. The teachers should take in consideration the illustrations that
accompany them, their content and also the language.( Santovac, Making
theMatch..., 30). It is not wise for the teachers to use rhymes which relates to
gender stereotypes and which emphasize the negative side of femininity for
girls (fragility, timidity, obsession with appearance and with domesticity), and
the negative side of masculinity for boys (aggression, insensitivity, rudeness,
and a refusal to be helpful) (Davies as qtd by Santovac, 33) These rhymes
should be re- examined or avoided. In the following rhyme we can the
differences between boys and girls.
What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails
And puppy-dogs' tails,
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice
And all that's nice,
That's what little girls are made of. (Opie & Opie as qtd by Santovac, 34)
It is obvious that this rhyme deals with gender stereotypes so the teachers
should avoid these types of rhymes. But if we want to see a representation of
human relationships in a poitive context we should take a look at the following
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rhyme, Mr and Ms Pumpkin Eater, taken from Father Gander Nursery Rhymes
(1994):
Peter, Peter, pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and wished to keep her.
Treated her with fair respect,
She stayed with him and hugged his
neck! (Larche as qtd by Santovac in Making the Match... , 37)
3.4 The categories of rhymes
According to Hendricks the rhymes can be grouped into categories:
1.
Vocabulary:- Parts of the body

-People and Occupations
-Animals
Clothes
-Daily activities
-Flowers
-Food
2. Grammatical Structures: -Simple Present

- Present Continuous
-Past Simple
- Past Continuous
- Present Perfect
Can
-
Should, Would
Could
Will
3.Conversational Exchange: - Commands and Requests

-
Conversational Exchanges
Narratives
Personal Statements
General Statements
Demonstration (Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., )
The teacher could introduce the new material to the children through
involvement or through demonstration. When the students are conscious of the
lesson to be taught means that the new material is introduced through
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demonstration. And when the new material from the lesson is presented through
involvement the students are not aware that the teacher is teaching something
specific. (Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 8)
In order for the children to use the material in their daily activities and
conversations they have gain personal control over it. Rhymes and songs have to
make a dramatic and favourable impression in order to be succesful in the
classroom. The children must be drawn to a rhyme as they are drawn to a
game.And also the vocabulary and the structures have to besimple and accesible
to intrigue and attract the children because if they are difficult the children will
be discouraged and frustrated. The children should find themselves in the
content of these rhymes. In order to make an effective impact the teacher has to
bring some dramatic flair to their presentation.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and
Songs...,10-11)
Harper stated that "early knowledge of nursery rhymes helps children to
build awareness of sound patterns of language and plays an important role in a
childs
linguistic
and
early
literacy
development".
(Harper,Nursery
RhymeKnowledge,75) He thinks that the phonemic awareness is one of the most

important skills because when the children are hearing and reciting nursery
rhymes they are developing literacy skills. The young childrens developement
of pnonologycal sensitivity could be affected if someoneteaches and recites
nursery rhymes to them. It is probable that the children will become more
sensitive to rhyme and phonemes.(Harper, Nursery Rhyme Knowledge, 75)
Teresa Ukrainetz et al. stated in An Investigation into Teaching Phonemic
Awareness through Shared Reading and Writing that "Phonemic awareness, or
the awareness of the sound structure of words, is a metalinguistic skill important
to the successful acquisition of reading and writing. "( Ukrainetz et al. An
Investigation into...,331)
3.5 Improving vocabulary through nursery rhymes
41
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Using Songs in
Vocabulary is an important element in teaching English because it is one

of the first steps in learning English. If we want to have a good communication
then
we
should
use
good
vocabulary.(
Nurkhaeni,
Improving
StudentsVocabulary...,4
It is not very difficult for the children to enrich their vocabulary, because
like I have said before there are different ways of improving it. Now I will
present some rhymes, the first one helps children to inprove their vocabulary
and contains parts of the body. The rhyme is called Head and Shoulders, Knees
and Toes.
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes,
Knees and toes,
And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,
Head and shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,15)
And then the second one is called I have got ten little fingers.
I ve got ten little fingers.
I ve got ten little toes.
I ve got two ears.
Ive got two eyes.
And just one little nose. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,15)
I have to mention that there are rhymes which have a poetic structure but
this is not ncessarily an disadvantage because children know to to make the
difference between proze and poetic writing. One example of such rhyme is
Blue is the Sea:
Blue is the sea,
Green is the grass,
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Using Songs in
White are the clouds,

As they slowly pass.
Black are the crows,
Brown are the trees,
Red are the sails,
Of a ship in the breeze.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 21)
3.6. Improving grammatical structures through nursery
rhymes
Usually the non- native speaker transfers syntax, structures, and other
elements from his or her native language when he or she composes a sentence or
a whole text in a new language. The sentences must be arranged in certain ways
because this is the only way they will have a meaning and will be acceptable to
the listener of that specific language.
( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and
Songs..., 31). But however it is not necessary that the non-native speaker to
speak correct a certain language in order to be understood by others who speak
that certain language fluently.And we know that there are people who do not
express corectly in their own language and still they are understood. I think that
the idea or the message of the sentence is very important. But still, the best
solution is to learn to speak corectly in our own language and also in a new
language. Some children laugh when they hear a foreign speaking Romanian
incorectly because they think it is funny.
Now I will present some rhymes which helps children understand the
grammatical structures.So if the teacher wants to teach the children present
simple he could use the following rhyme:
What does the Cat Say?
What does the cat say? Meow. Meow.
What does the dog say? Bow wow.
What does the donkey say? Ee Aw.
What does the crow say? Caw caw.
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What does the Farrmer say? Shoo. Shoo.

What does the cow say? Moo. Moo.
What do they all say? ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 33)
We
could
not
say
that
this
simple
rhyme
has
unlimited
posibilities.Sometimes the operator does confuses the children so this rhyme is

very good because they will repeat it until they will be familiarized with it.
(Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,48)
Or for example if we want to teach Present continuous we could use Here
we Come Galloping.The children could learn how to use present continuous or
at least some notions about it.Of course they could not learn everything about
this verb tense but like I have said, at least they could see how it is formed.
Here We Come Galloping
Here we come galloping,
Galloping, galloping,
Galloping over the dawn.
Robin is riding a dapple grey pony,
My little pony is brown.( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,35)
3.7 Improving Conversational Exchanges
When speaking effective and fluent in english two pieces of knowledge
are indispensable: knowing how to say something and knowing when to say it.
( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,55). Here I have a rhyme which
contains commands and requests:
Two Little Birds Sitting on a Wall
Two little birds
Sitting on a wall
One called Peter,
One called Paul.
Fly away Peter
Fly away Paul.
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Come back Peter,

Come back Paul. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and Songs..., 58)
In this rhyme we can observe that we have different attitudes: we have a
command and an invitation.Because of the simple structure of this rhyme the
different voice modulations could be illustrated.And also because of its simple
stucture all the attention is focused on understanding the emotion.( Hendricks,
Nursery Rhymes and Songs...,66)
And here I have a narrative rhyme.
Humpty Dumpty
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the kings horses
And all the kings men
Couldnt put Humpty together again. ( Hendricks, Nursery Rhymes and
Songs...,64)
Humpty Dumpty was originally thought to be ariddle. The teacher must

discuss the new vocabulary and to explain the title. He or she has to explain to
children what Humpty Dumpty means.( Patsalides, 5 Days of..., web)
When we have commands and requests rhymes the most important
element that has to be comunicated through these rhymes is the tone of the voice
because through it the attitude of the speaker is indicated. ( Hendricks, Nursery
Rhymes and Songs...,66)
Through action rhymes young childrens energy and enthusiasm are being
converted into meaningful learning experience. (Ara, Use of Songs, 167)
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Using Songs in
Conclusion
I chose this topic because I like music and teaching very much, I think
that these two are essential. In the first chapter I wanted to emphasize the role
of music in teaching, I wanted to show that music is a great teaching tool. Every
teacher should use it in the English classroom because it helps children a lot.
Like I have mentioned before it is provd that music has some effects on the
brain. Throughout our history we all have been calmed by the power of music
46
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Using Songs in
so why not bringing it among children at school? We know that sometimes

children can be very bored, energics or simply uninteresed in the lesson. The
solution is to bring music to the classroom because all children love listening to
music. Some people or teacher would say that teaching using songs is just a
waste of time and that is why they do not use this tehnique but it is not. Of
course that every teacher should have a tehnique or tehniques when working
with music. He or she sould take in consideration all the aspects because as I
have mentioned before there are some important aspects as regards teaching
with songs.
I also tried to demonstrate that teaching and learning grammar can be fun.
The children will not realise that is a learning activity, they will feel that all this
learning process is a magic adventure. They will learn English without realising
because listening to songs over and over some new words and expressions will
be surely learned by them. When young children listen to music they will
develop physicaly too because while they are listening to songs they will dance.
The learning process has to be a great experience which will allow the children
to feel more confident and interested. Of course not all children will respond in
the same way to these tehniques because there are different children with
different personalities and problems. There are Extroverted and Introverted
children. In my opinion I do not think that the Introvertedwill react the same as
the Extroverted because as I have heard, an Introverted child will not become an
extroverted one. It is true that they might become a little bit opened but still, not
completely.
As I have seen in the classroom, the children do not like the writing
activity, they are more into other activities such as listening activities and of
course into games. I also noticed that they enjoy competition, they are very
competitive. Usually when they play a game they have to play for something,
they have to receive a reward and that reward is ussually a good grade. Usually
my students expect a good grade in return when I ask them to do certain tasks.
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Using Songs in
But if I use music their behavior change. They feel very comfortable when they
lisen to their favorite songs. This great experience motivates them a lot. Each
child has a hidden self-motivation and the teacher must help him or her to find it
and use it.Most children do not enjoy learning grammar in an traditional way,
they expect to be motivated by their teachers. Usually the young learners play
lots of games at school while the highschool students do not because for them
these activities are not so important. So, for them the best option would be
learning through songs. There are teachers who prefer a certain caterory of
learners. Some teachers prefer woring with young children and other prefer
working with highschool students. It is true that working with young children
can be a little bit difficult. Working with highschool students is a bit easier.
In the third chapter I wanted to show how young children can develop
their abilities through nursery rhymes. All children love nursery rhymes .
Through nursery rhymes they can easily enhance their vocabulary, the
grammatical structures. Pronunciation is very important, in fact I think that is the
most important element when learning a foreign language. It is not easy to learn
how to pronounce
the words from English or any other foreign language
because their structure is not the same. To speak fluently in a foreign language it
takes lots of practice. I do not think that everyone is able to speak fluently in
English for example especially if they have pronuciation issues as regards their
native language.I have learned many things from the books then I read. I did not
know that music is so important in childen s development. Now I can say that it
is the most important element in teaching. I do not think that there is a better
method than this one. I think that all English teachers should use this technique
especially because the children find it amazing.The learn how to speak, how to
write, to express themseves, to read and to feel confident. I think being confident
is very important because you can involve in any type of activity. Usually the
majority of children and teenagers too fell ashamed when it comes to involve in
an activity or to freely express themselves. But if the teacher would use music,
48
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
which is their favorite thing maybe they will be able to express themselves and
to imply in any type of activity.Like I have mentioned before, the motivation
and confidence are two important elements because a child would not learn if
there is nothing and no one to motivate him or her.
As being said, for me it was a great pleasure to write about teaching
through music because I like teaching and music very much, I think that these
two important things work very well together.
Works Cited
Alam. Zerin. "Developing Listening Skills forTertiary Level Learners".The

Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics: Vol. 2 No.3 February, 2009:
pp.51-52. Print
Andrade, Miguel Eleutrio Abrantes De Andrade . Improving How Listening
Skills Are Taught in the EFLClassroom: Guidelines To Producing Better
49
Lihet Ileana
Using Songs in
Speakers of the English Language, Instituto Superior de Educao,

Adviser: Deborah Jefferson, MA, 2006.Print
Ara, Shaheen. "Use of Songs, Rhymes and Games in Teaching English to Young
Learners in Bangladesh. "The Dhaka University Journal of Linguistics:
Vol. 2 No.3 February, 2006,p.167. Print
Berk,R.A. Use of Technology and Music to Improve Learning.2008
Carlton, Elisabeth. " Learning Through Music: The Support of Brain
Research".Community Playthings. 2006. Web. 29 June 2016
Dunst,C.J.et al."Relationship Between Young Childrens Nursery Rhyme
Experiences and Knowledge and Phonological and Print-Related
Abilities."Cell Reviews.Vol. 4, No.1, 2011. Print
Ebong, Balbina and Sabbadini M.J. "Developing Pronunciation Through
Songs."2006.web. 24 May. 2016
Hachmeister, C. J. "Music as a Teaching Tool. Learning Through Singing."No
year. Web. 14 June 2016
Harper,L.J."Nursery Rhyme Knowledge and Phonological Awareness in
Preschool Children. "The Journal of Language and Literacy Education.
2011,p.75. Print
Hendricks, Nancy R., "Nursery Rhymes and Songs for Teaching English as a
Second Language to Children". MA TESOL Collection.Print
"How To Teach Grammar". No author. No year.
Lawyer, Amy. Creating Story Songs From Music and A Childs Total
Development in Early Childhood.M.A. Chaminade University of
Honolulu December 2004.
Lane, Carla. "Multiple Intelligences from The Distance Learning Technology
Resource Guide. " Web. 23. May 2016
Lee, H.J. "Using Popular Music as a Teaching Tool: A Literature Review,"Asiapacific Journal of Multimedia Services Convergent with Art, Humanities,
and Sociology Vol.5, No.1, February 2015,p.100, Print
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Using Songs in
Music: "A Powerful Teaching Tool."No author.No year.Web

Nurkhaeni, Ika. Improving Students Vocabulary Mastery Through English Song.
Sabelas Maret University. Surakarta. 2010, Print
Patsalides, Laurie. "5 Days of Humpty Dumpty: Teaching With Nursery
Rhymes". 2014. Web. 26 June 2016
Patsalides, Laurie. "An Overview for a Week Long Unit Teaching Nursery
Rhymes" , Sell, Benjamin (ed).2012.web.26 June 2016
Perez, Isabel. ESL.Web. 24 May 2016
Prosic-Santovac,D. Making the Match: Traditional Nursery Rhymes and
Teaching English to Modern Children, CLELEjournal, Volume 3, Issue
1, 2015. Web. 19 June 2016.
Rhymers Are Readers: The Importance of Nursery Rhymes, Why Is This
Important to My Child? KBYU Eleven.2010.web. 19 June 2016
Rosova, Veronika. The Use Of Music In Teaching English. Masaryk University
Faculty Of Education Department Of English Language And Literature,
Brno. 2007. Print
Saville,K."Strategies for Using Repetition as a Powerful Teaching Tool."Music
Educators Journal. 2011. Web. 29 June 2016
Simpson, A.J. " How to use songs in the English language classroom". In
theVoices magazine. 2015. Web. 24May 2016
Tartakovsky,
Margarita.
"Using
Music
As
Teaching
Tool
For
Kids".PsychCentral. 2013. Web. 29 June 2016

Ulfa, Zhia. "Teaching English Through Songs and Rhymes". 2013. Web. 29 June
2016
Ukrainetz, Teresa et al. An Investigation into Teaching Phonemic Awareness
through Shared Reading and Writing.Elsevier Science Inc. 2003.Print
Vllalobos-Ulate,Nuria. Using Songs to Improve EFL Students' Pronunciation,
Universidad Nacional, Costa Rica, 2008.Print
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Wilson,
L.O.
"The
Using Songs in
Eight
Intelligence-
Naturalistic
Intellience."The
SecondPrinciple. web. 10 June 2016

Welsh, Vince. "Using Rap, Rock and Pop Music as a Teaching and Learning
Tool."TeachHub.com. No year. Web. 29 June 2016
52

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Lihet Ileana

Teaching EFL: A Few Ideas

Chapter II: Teaching Grammar Through Songs................................................................17

has only advantages, there are no disadvantages.Childrens

Maintaining learners interest throughout the lessons is one big problem

Mood music is very popular now, whether in the dentists surgery to

communication will be affected by the quality of aural discrimination

Chapter 1: Music as a Teaching Tool

1.1 Musical training

Through music learners are allowed to aquire information in a natural

and adults oral

communication is enhanced through music. There are students who have

Drills: - They are overt and can be mechanical or repetitious or even

ore complex involving substitutions and transformations.

Rhymes and Songs: - Through them the material is practised

Dialogues and Conversational Exchanges: - The students learn how

to behave and to speak as native-English do in real life situations through this

The brain is more capable of processing information because of the

effective. (Alam,Developing Listening Skills, 51). According to Jordan note

First they have to know which information is more important and

which one is less important.

To be decided when it comes to record points.

Their writing to be clearly and concisely

To know how to descipher the essence of the lecture.

I have to mention that there are two types of motivation: extrinsic

As the article Rhymes are readersfromKBYU Eleven has pointed, there

Visual learners who process information by using sight as a key

Kinesthetic (or hands-on ) learners- when they physically perform a

Chapter II: Teaching Grammar Through Songs

2.1 The importance of songs

What tense do we have in the title?

Do you think that we should follow our heart when it comes to

Could you translate the title?

Do you think that the singer has love problems?

Have you ever benn in love with someone?

We could make a lyric worksheet.We could ask the student to fill in

the gap as they listen.

every song centres on a particular verb tense so this is a good

opportunity to discuss the grammar aspects.

The fifth step is to focus on vocabulary, idioms and expressions. We could

What does No wind in our sails mean?

What does hell over trip mean?

What does I bet the odds mean?

The sixth step is creativity. If we want our students to mantain motivation

different way of learning and processing information.

An adult could stay interested in an activity for any period of time

but a child could not do this.

develop students abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing we use

Gap fills or close texts

Put these lines into the correct sequence

Add a final verse

Circle the antonyms/synonyms of the given words

is called Counting Stars by One Republic. It is a popular song, the majority of

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

________, I've been, I've been losing _______

5.Find some examples of the following verb tenses in the song:

We could highlight the differences between sounds as an alternative.

A good pronunciation is essential for a good comunication. If students

pronunciation skills. Pronunciation is very important when we want to learn a

I wanna see you again

I'm home now, and things still look the same

where the cars _____ stop going through the night

sources of difficulty for a learner of English is the way in which it is

Chapter III: Learning English through nursery rhymes

__, I've been, I've been losing _