Singleton
Teach English With Music Although You're Not Musically Inclined
Even though we hear a great deal about how music can help the English being a Second Language (ESL) or English to be a Overseas Language (EFL) classroom, if you are not musically inclined it might be challenging to make it do the job. But fear not, on this website page I'll introduce some hints and strategies that I have utilised to show songs extremely effectively from classes of two young ones approximately above one,000. After a bit of apply ESL tracks will save you a whole whole lot of time and worry!
Listed below are my major strategies...
one. Pre-teach the Vocab
If you are applying a conventional music, try to pre-teach as much on the language in past classes when you can. Really don't invoice it as a prelude to some music, just let them slip in naturally over the preceding few classes. ( This concept also operates perfectly with photograph textbooks or drama plays). If you're training a music specifically penned for ESL or EFL, you could possibly introduce all the language in the starting of present day lesson.
2. Actions & Gestures
The main reason songs perform so perfectly in the English classroom is that many young children are what's called "Musically Intelligent". It basically means that language sticks in their memory if it's accompanied by a melody. It's the same thing that happens when you hear the new Madonna music on the radio and can't get it out of your head all day!
But though musical intelligence is very common, some youngsters are also intelligent in other ways and we have to attempt to incorporate as many types as we can into the learning. So for young ones who are more physical we add in gestures and actions for each lyric. The sillier the better. It's really often a good thought to allow the little ones choose the gesture, that way it becomes their own. As they own it they remember it longer.
3. Picture Cards for Each Lyric
Just as some kids are more physical, some learn more by visual means. More effective than simply writing the lyrics on the board, a fun image card to illustrate each lyric is recommended. So now we have steps, melody and pictures for each new word or phrase. Ideally we'd also have a smell for each one as nicely, but I think we'll leave that for now, as we have most with the young ones learning styles covered!
4. A Cappella - Without the Music
This is the key stage and the one that most teachers miss out. Whether or not the young children already know the English, and have every one of the gestures and can see every one of the pictures, if you simply play the CD and say "Hey, let's sing!" they're all intending to give you some really strange looks!
The trick is to go through the tune phrase by phrase without any backing music. Do the gestures and point to the photograph cards and make sure everyone can get a hold from the melody. Will not worry if you can't sing very well, in most countries it's the effort that the children see and appreciate! In fact they'll often appreciate bad singing more than good singing. The side effect of too substantially karaoke I feel.
If you have a particularly tricky song, start off slow and gradually build up the speed. The point right here is that by the time you've finished you should be approximately or just a little bit faster than the recording on the CD. You'll be amazed at how fast the young ones can get with this method.
5. Big Finish: Kick in the CD!
In the a cappella section you'll notice the kids getting better in the English but also sloping off in their concentration. That's when you kick in the music! Make sure the arrangement is ultra energetic and the little ones will spring to life with a vengeance. Crank up the volume and they'll be singing their hearts out! Keep the gestures and steps in there and almost certainly just after just one run through the song they'll have many of the new language permanently imprinted in their brains!
And that's all there is to it, it's quite simple really. Once you've done the music you'll be able to play it again in the commencing of your next class and they'll have remembered the English almost instantly. It's the best technique I have found for curing the "we've forgotten everything" problem you have with long gaps between classes hoc tieng anh.
