EFL_The Use of Songs in the Language Classroom

8/13/2019 EFL_The Use of Songs in the Language Classroom

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The Use of Songs in the Language Classroom in the Language Schools of theBenemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla

This thesis has been read b' the members of thethesis committee of

(a)l *arc+a B,e$

and is considered /orth' of a00roval in 0artial fulfillmentof the degree of

L1C"2C1ATU(A "2 LA "2S"3A24A !"L"2*UAS "5T(A26"(AS

777777777777777777777777 Lic8 9arsha :a'

Thesis Committee Chair0erson

77777777777777777777777 7777777777777777777777 Lic8 9ichael :itten (oberto Criollo; 98 A8


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1n 9emoriam*abriela s endless8


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AC!"#$%&'G(&"T)

...that the purpose of lifewas not the maintenance

of well-being, but someintensification and refining

of consciousness, someenlargement of knowledge.

Aldous Huxley .

Than s to all m' teachers /ho taught me the im0ortance of learning and a00l'ing theno/ledge; and also; to all the educational institutions 1>ve been through8

1n the same /a'; to the teachers /ho ans/ered the research>s uestionnaire andintervie/; to (oberto Criollo; !aniel 9arcou%; 9arsha :a' and 9ichael :itten fortheir hel08


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TAB%& #* C#"T&"T)


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+age

+reliminary +ages i!edication iiAc no/ledgments iii

C,A+T&R #"&- Introd.ction-8- 1ntroduction --8D Problem D-8E (ationale D-8F *eneral =b&ectives E-8G (esearch Huestions E-8I (esearch Strategies E

C,A+T&R T$#- %iterat.re Re/ie0D8- Songs GD8D Com0rehension in oreign Language Learning JD8E The 1m0ortance of Listening Com0rehension in Language .D8F Com0rehensible 1n0ut in Listening Com0rehension -KD8G The !evelo0ment of Listening S ills -KD8I (eading in a oreign Language --D8 Choosing a Song -D

C,A+T&R T,R&&- (ethodologyE8- Sub&ects -E E8-8-8 Licenciatura en Lenguas 9odernas ML"9=N -E E8-8-8-8 Teachers -E E8-8-8D8 Target Po0ulation -E E8-8-8E8 Coordinator -F E8-8D8 Centro de Lenguas MC"L"N -F E8-8D8-8 Teachers -F E8-8D8D8 Target Po0ulation -F E8-8D8E8 Coordinator -F E8-8E8 Tronco Com)n Universitario MTCUN -F E8-8E8-8 Teachers -G E8-8E8D8 Target Po0ulation -G E8-8E8E8 Coordinator -G

E8D 1nstrument -GE8D8-8 Huestionnaire for teachers -GE8D8D8 1ntervie/ of coordinators of language schools -IE8E Procedure -IE8E8-8 Huestionnaires -IE8E8D8 1ntervie/ -I

C,A+T&R *#1R- Analysis of the Res.lts


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F8- (esults from the uestionnaire -

COAPT"( 1 "? Conclusions and recommendationsG8-8 Conclusions DFG8D8 Limitations of the Stud' DG

G8E8 Ste0s to /or /ith songs DGG8F8 Possible Problems DIG8G8 (ecommendations DG8I8 Suggestions D.G8 8 Listening D.G8J8 S0ea ing D.G8.8 (eading D.G8-K8 :riting D.G8-- !irections for further investigation EK

BIB%I#GRA+,2

A++&"'I3 4

E-

-8 Huestionnaire

A++&"'I3 5-8 1ntervie/

APP"2!15 E-8 Classification of songs in relation to their grammar a00licationD8 Songs /ith a to0ic for discussionE8 Singers /ho 0resent a /ide variet' of songs /ith to0ics for discussionF8 =ther activities suggestedG8 :eb Sites to find l'rics

A++&"'I3 6)ongs &7amplesF8-8 9usic genresF8-8-8 T/ent' HuestionsF8D8 :or ing /ith Oomon'ms and Commonl' Confused :ordsF8D8-8The oneF8E8 9usic; Com0rehension; *rammar and ideo Cli0sF8E8-8Qiss the (ainF8F8 Singing in ClassF8F8-8 Barbie *irlF8G8 Pre0ositions and ChangesF8G8D8 1>ll Be ThereF8I8 !iscussion in ClassF8I8-8 :h'F8I8D8 Article from the 2e/s0a0er F8 8 Love songs

TAB%&) A"' *IG1R&)


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Table -? T'0es of songs and their descri0tion; 0ro0osed b' Oubbard igure -? BottomRu0 a00roach; ada0ted from 2unan Jigure D? To0Rdo/n a00roach; ada0ted from 2unan .igure E? Level of "nglish taught b' 0artici0ating teachers -igure F? re uenc' of use of songs -J

igure G? Qinds of songs used in class -.igure I? Criteria to choose a song DKigure ? Use of songs /ith a s0ecific goal DKigure J? S ills develo0ed D-igures .a and .b? Activities develo0ed in class DD


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C,A+T&R #"&- I"TR#'1CTI#"

1t>s li e ten thousand s0oons; /hen all 'ou need is a nife8

Alanis (orissette8

484 Introd.ction to the problem

Using songs seems to be a common activit' in " L classrooms8 Teachers en&o'using songs; as this seems to 0rovide them /ith a brea in their ever' da' teaching8Students also en&o' learning /ith songs for a variet' of reasons it is fun; it im0roves

their language s ills; and the' can finall' no/ and understand /hat some of theirfavorite songs sa'8

Also; songs can be used according to the ob&ectives of an "nglish 0rogram8

:hen students are learning "nglish for different reasons; /ith different ob&ectives;

songs /ill be used differentl' in the classroom8 This is the case /ith the language

schools at the Benemrita Universidad Autonoma de PueblaR the Licenciatura en

Lenguas 9odernas ML"9=N; the Centro de Lenguas MC"L"N; and the foreign language

courses at Tronco Com)n Universitario MTCUN8 The students at these schools have

different reasons for learning "nglish8 1n the L"9=; the students must be 0re0ared to

/or /ith "nglish in a communicative /a' /hile also having e%tensive no/ledge in

grammar and vocabular' since the' /ill be teachers8 1n the C"L"; students of all ages

receive general "nglish courses to hel0 them reinforce /hat the' are learning in school

or to give them a better bac ground in language and culture8

The students at TCU are learning "nglish in order to be able to /or /ith

te%tboo s and materials /ritten in "nglish that the' /ill need for their ma&or and alsofor situations the' might encounter in their ma&or /here the' need to communicate in

"nglish8 "ach one of the language schools at the BUAP has a distinct 0ur0ose and song

0la's a role in each one8 This thesis /ill loo at those roles8

485 +roblem


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1n most " L classrooms; songs ma' not be e%0loited ade uatel' according to the

learning ob&ective in the classroom because for man' teachers; a song in the classroom

is a s'non'm of fun8 The' onl' have their students /or /ith songs that the' reall'

/ant to no/ the l'rics to; and both teachers and students can ta e a brea from the

regular classroom routine8 This use of songs ma' be 0roblematic; and it /ould be

necessar' to investigate ho/ the teachers in the BUAP use songs in the classroom8

Songs ma' not be e%0loited ade uatel' according to the learning ob&ective in the

classroom8 1n other /ords; there ma' not be a s'stematic /a' to use songs8 An o0timal

use of songs /ould involve ada0ting them to s0ecific 0ur0oses and /or ing them out to

e%tended activities; and not onl' to fill a s0ace in the class8

489 Rationale

A song can be a 0o/erful learning tool in the classroom8 Used 0ro0erl'; it can

hel0 students learn and 0ractice all language s ills and subRs ills8 1t is im0ortant that

teachers no/ ho/ to 0ro0erl' e%0loit a song according to the ob&ectives of the course

and the s0ecific 0ur0oses of the students learning "nglish in order to turn /asted time in

the classroom into /isel' used time; focusing on different as0ects of language8 The

l'rics of the song can focus on 0arts of s0eech; grammar tenses; idioms or slang8 The

students can discuss to0ics brought u0 in the song8 :hile singing the song or /hile

listening to it; one can concentrate on 0ronunciation8 "ssa's or songs can be /ritten so

that the /riting side of the s ills can be focused on8 1n other /ords; the use of songs and

their e%0loitation need to be loo ed at more closel' for the teacher to ta e advantage of

all the different activities; /hich can be used to teach the different s ills8

This is es0eciall' im0ortant at the language schools of the BUAP since each

school has s0ecific ob&ectives and 0ur0oses for students learning "nglish8 These


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ob&ectives have been briefl' 0resented in the introduction and /ill be 0resented again in

detail in Cha0ter E along /ith the information about the sub&ects8

486 General #b:ecti/es-

4; To carr' out an investigation loo ing at the 0resent use of songs in the language

classrooms of the L"9=; C"L" and TCU8

5; To suggest /a's songs can be used more effectivel' according to the learning

ob&ectives and conte%t8

48< Research =.estions

-N Oo/ are songs 0resentl' used b' teachers in their classrooms in the language schools

of the BUAP? L"9=; C"L" and TCU

DN :hat is the 0rofile of the students /ho are learning "nglish in these schools

EN :hat are the most effective /a's to use songs

FN :hat are some advantages and disadvantages of using songs to teach "nglish

GN Oo/ can the different s ills be taught b' the use of songs

48> Research )trategies

1n Cha0ter =ne; the 0roblem and its rationale establish the reasoning behind this

investigation8 The ob&ectives /ill be stated so that this /or 0resents a clear 0ur0ose8

The research uestions and strategies /ill 0rovide the reader /ith an idea about the

focus of the investigation8

1n Cha0ter T/o; bibliogra0hical material about the use of songs in the language

classroom and the teaching of language s ills /ill be anal'$ed and com0iled8 This /ill


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set a bac ground for the research and bac u0 the researchers use of different activities

to use /ith songs in the teaching of the language8

1n Cha0ter Three; the methodolog' of the research 0resents the sub&ects; the

instrument and the 0rocedure used in ans/ering the uestionnaires MUsing Songs in the

Language ClassroomN and in the administration of the intervie/ made to coordinators of

the BUAP languages schools8 These uestionnaires are im0ortant for the researcher to

no/ ho/ songs are being used currentl' in the language classroom8 The intervie/s

/ill allo/ the 0rofile of the students to be built u0 to a certain 0oint8

1n Cha0ter our; the results of the uestionnaire /ill be anal'$ed and discussed;

loo ing at the 0resent situation and setting a bac ground for the need for information

about more effective /a's to use songs in teaching languages according to the different

conte%ts8

inall'; in Cha0ter ive; the conclusions and closing statements concerning this

to0ic /ill be stated8 ollo/ing the Bibliogra0h'; the A00endi% /ill include the

uestionnaire and the intervie/ uestions used in this research8 The research /ill

conclude /ith a classification and suggestions of songs to be a00lied to s0ecific 0arts of

the s0eech; a classification of to0ics for discussion; singers; activities; e%am0les; and

:eb Sites and a list of tables used8

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW There are words that amuse

And the ones that abuse


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Franois Guy/Francine Raymond

584 )ongs

Songs have been used for educational 0ur0oses since the beginning of time8

Oistor' and traditions have been 0assed do/n from generation to generation in illiteratesocieties through song8 1n various school sub&ects and cultures; songs have beeninvented and used as mneumonic devices for learning and remembering8 Oere /e /ill

loo at the use of songs as a00lied in the languageRteaching conte%t8B'rne M-..-N states that songs 0rovide good listening 0ractice since the students

are concerned /ith /hat the song sa's8 The song is combined /ith tas s that hel0 the

learner to im0rove language s ills8 Authors such as CelceR 9urcia and Oilles M-.JJN;

*asser and :aldman M-. .N and (ichards M-.I.N among others; agree that songs have

man' benefits as the' are used in the language classroom8 Songs can be ada0ted to a

variet' of situations8 Oubbard et al8 M-.JEN state as one argument for using songs in the

language classroom that songs can increase motivation to learn the language as

students; es0eciall' /ea er ones; feel a real sense of achievement /hen the' have been

able to learn a song M.DN8 !ubin M-. FN 0oints out that; songs can be utili$ed as

0resentation conte%ts; as reinforcement material; as vehicles through /hich to teach all

language s ills; and as a medium through /hich to 0resent some of the most im0ortant

cultural themes /hich 0ervade modern life8 MCited in a 0a0er 0resented at the T"S=L

Convention; !enver; C=; on 9arch ; -. FN8 Using the conte%t is ver' necessar' /hen

/or ing /ith grammar and vocabular'; as grammar and vocabular' are not used in

isolation but rather in a conte%t8 Songs 0rovide meaningful 0ractice of the structures;

and the' are the best resource for conte%tuali$ation since the' are usuall' based on

cultural situations8

Conte%t is the e' to using language8 Authentic language is used in conte%t and

songs give conte%t to language8 Songs are culturall' rich; full of 0ossibilities to give

conte%t in a language class as /ell as giving the students a loo at the "nglishRs0ea ing

culture8 Songs can tell the students about the histor' of 0eo0le MThe Legend of Bill'


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the Qid or !av' Croc ettN; the histor' of a countr' Mthe Oistor' (oc seriesN or the

culture of a foreign land MCats in the Cradle; for e%am0leN8

Using songs in the language classroom has man' benefits8 =ne of the greatest

benefits; besides the obvious and also ver' im0ortant teaching of grammar; vocabular'

and listening; is the idea that students can learn about the 0eo0le and the culture /here

the songs are from8 Culturall' based assum0tions regulate communication and

determine the underl'ing meanings of the s0o en and /ritten /ord8 MAbrate -..D; 08

-IJN8

Another benefit; as stated b' Oubbard et al M-.JEN is the o00ortunit' the students

have for coo0eration8 This ma es the students come together and not be so inhibited;

thus hel0ing to ma e learning more effective8

Oal uist Mcited in CelceR9urcia and Oilles -.JJN; in an un0ublished handboo

of activities for adult "SL students; states that songs; along /ith other grammar

activities; can be effective in five different /a's b'?

-N adding variet' as /ell as en&o'ment to language learning Mall s illsN8 Using

songs as an alternate techni ue hel0s to boost students motivation and lets them

have fun /hile learning8

DN 0resenting authentic language; as /ell as introducing students to various

dialects8 Students have the o00ortunit' to hear and /or /ith language that is

actuall' used and that ma' be ver' different from te%tboo "nglish8

EN allo/ing students to 0ractice a 0reviousl' studied; contrasting structure along

/ith a ne/ structure8 Combination of 0ractice of structures allo/s for revie/ and

reinforcement8

FN 0roviding an o00ortunit' to a00l' language s ills to realRlife situations b'

e%tending the 0attern in the song8


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GN hel0ing to develo0 cultural a/areness; both of the 0resent and the 0ast8

M08 -- N8

Oubbard et al M-.JE; 08 .EN give a table listing different t'0es of songs and their

descri0tion8 !e0ending on the 0ur0ose for /hich the song /ill be used; the teacher can

choose a song that can be used effectivel'8 Table - sho/s the t'0es of songs and the

descri0tion 0ro0osed b' Oubbard et al8 M-.JEN8 08 .E8

Table 4- )ongs and Their 'escriptions According to ,.bbard et al8

Type of song 'escription)pecial occasion songs Songs /hich are sung in "nglishRs0ea ing countries onl' on certain occasions or at

certain times of the 'ear8 Teaching this sort of song to students ma' give them aninsight into "nglish culture8

Songs and gamesSongs; usuall' children>s songs; /hich are sung to accom0an' certain games8

Action songs Songs /hich re uire actions or some sort of mime to be 0erformed /hile singingthem8 =rdinar' songs can be made more meaningful b' devising a series of actionsto accom0an' them8

)ongs 0here onestr.ct.re or a lot of le7isis repeated o/er and o/eragain8

S0eciall' /ritten songs for teaching can be included here8

)ongs 0hich tell a story8

Loo ing at the different t'0es of songs available for use in the language

classroom; one can see the o00ortunit' the language teacher has to sho/ and teach

students through the use of authentic material8 1n this /a'; the students learn about the

culture of the countr' as /ell as the language8


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585 Comprehension in foreign lang.age learning

Listening com0rehension is an act of information 0rocessing in /hich the

listener is involved in t/oR/a' communication; oneR/a' communication and V or selfR

dialogue communication M9orle' in CelceR9urcia -..-; 08 .KN8

Listening com0rehension is something that /e do not even reali$e that /e do

until /e are in an unfamiliar environment8 =ne listens his /hole lifeR to television; to

radio or to other 0eo0le8 Oo/ever; /e ta e it for granted that /e understand until /e

are in a situation li e that of a foreign language /here 0roficienc' is limited8 Anderson

and L'nch M-..EN describe some of the 0rocesses that one ta es for granted /hen

communicating in his or her first language; such as dividing an unfamiliar s0ea er>s

utterances into /ords; identif'ing them; and at the same time inter0reting /hat the

s0ea er meant and then 0re0aring an a00ro0riate re0la' M08 EN8 These common tas s in

the first language become difficult tas s in the foreign language8

Loo ing at the t/o dominant vie/s of listening; the bottomRu0 vie/ and the

to0Rdo/n vie/; it can be seen that the bottomRu0 vie/ sho/s that listening is a

0rocess of decoding the sounds that one hears in a linear fashion; from the smallest

meaningful units Mor 0honemesN to com0lete te%ts M2unan -...; 08 DKKN8 This

definition states that these 0honemic units need to be decoded and then 0ut together to

form 0hrases8 The 0hrases lin ed together form utterances8 The utterances lin ed

together form /hole te%ts8 igure - sho/s the bottomRu0 a00roach Mada0ted from

2unan -..-; 08IFN8

*ig.re 4- The Bottom?.p Approach According to ".nan

BottomRu0 a00roach

(ecording "ver' sound Phonemes Blending Pronunciation

9eaning

discriminated


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The to0Rdo/n vie/ of listening states the listener activel' constructs Mor; more accuratel';

reconstructsN the original meaning of the s0ea er using incoming sounds as clues M2unan -...; 08 DK-N8

1n this vie/; the listeners no/ledge of the conte%t and the situation of /hich the listening is ta ing

0lace 0la's a ver' im0ortant role in the listening 0rocess8 igure D sho/s the To0Rdo/n a00roach

Mada0ted from 2unan -..-; 08 IGN8

*ig.re 5 sho0s the Top?do0n approach @adapted from ".nan 4 4 p8>


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58< 'e/elopment of listening s ills

As in the develo0ment of most no/ledge or s ills; grading of activities needs to

be carefull' 0lanned8 Anderson and L'nch M-..EN agree that learners must 0rogress

from less com0le% tas s to more com0le% tas s8 Their success on the less com0le%

tas s /ill motivate them to move on to the more com0le% ones8 The listener needs to

have sim0le listening activities at the beginning in order to be successful at these

activities and to gain confidence and also to develo0 ade uate listening s ills8 A

listener /ho has been given ver' com0le% tas s and incom0rehensible in0ut is li el' to

be frustrated and encourage 0assive and unsuccessful listening habitsW

Also; M:elford -.IJN states that since listening is a com0le% 0s'chomotor s ill;

it is best 0racticed in clusters and not in small units8 :ith songs; this statement relates

to /hat CelceR9urcia and Oilles M-.JJN sa' about conte%tuali$ation being im0ortant for

meaningful 0ractice8 Language is best learned in conte%t and in larger grou0s since that

is actuall' ho/ language is used8

58> Reading in a foreign lang.age

(eading is an im0ortant 0art of one>s dail' life that; li e other language s ills is

ta en for granted b' literate 0eo0le in the native language8 The 0ur0ose of reading is to

fulfill one>s immediate needs and also to give 0leasure8

1n toda'>s "SL V " L classrooms; academic sub&ect content is fre uentl' the

conte%t through /hich the target language is studied M!ubin and B'cina in CelceR

9urcia -..-; 08 -.GN8 Again; conte%t is stressed since that is /hat one must concentrate

on [ /hat the conte%t is8 :hat /ill be studied :here /ill the language be studied

:here and ho/ /ill language be used :hat is the conte%t of the situation /here this

/ill be used


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C,A+T&R T,R&&- (&T,#'#%#G2 Dont

worry about things. Everylittle thing is gonna be alright"

Bob Marley

984 ).b:ects

98484 %icenciat.ra en %eng.as (odernas @%&(#;

The teachers from the L"9= are actuall' teacher trainers@ the' are training

future language teachers8 1n their conte%t; teaching "nglish to their students is more

than &ust sim0le com0rehension or 0roduction8 1t is a more in de0th stud' of the

language so the students can teach it some da'8

9848484 Teachers

The teachers from the L"9= /ere given uestionnaires to ans/er8 These are

teachers /ho are teaching or /ho have taught "nglish8 Teachers in all levels M-RJN /ere

ta en into consideration for the uestionnaire8 ourteen teachers /ere given

uestionnaires8

9848485 Target +op.lation

The ob&ective of this research is to no/ ho/ the teachers use songs /ith their

students8 1n this case; the students of the L"9= are stud'ing their bachelor>s degree in

order to become language teachers8 The range of the students age is from -J to DG

'ears old8 The' have "nglish classes nine hours 0er /ee /ith one hour of laborator'8

This is during eight semesters8 The ob&ective of the course is for students to use the

four s ills ac uired to /or later as an "nglish teacher and to be able to /rite a thesis in

"nglish8 9ore generall'; the ob&ective is for the students to get GGK 0oints on the Test

of "nglish as a oreign Language MT=" LN8 The T=" L e%am is a standardi$ed


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"nglish e%am used to measure foreign and second language 0roficienc'8 A score of GKK

0oints is a 0roficienc' that is considered 0assable b' most institutions8

9848489 Coordinator

The coordinator of the L"9= /as as ed the above information about the

students 0rofile8 The list of uestions for the intervie/ /as used Msee A00endi% EN8 The

0resent coordinator has been in this 0osition for almost D 'ears8

984858 Centro de %eng.as @C&%&;

9848584 Teachers

A total of -J teachers from the C"L" /ere as ed to ans/er the uestionnaire8

The teachers chosen for this investigation /ere those /ho teach the regular courses; not

the seasonal courses8


The students in the normal courses at the C"L" have a range of -JRDG 'ears old8

The' ta e nine hours of "nglish 0er /ee 8 There are three levels MBasic; 1ntermediate

and AdvancedN /ith t/o subRlevels in each M- and DN8 The ob&ective of the 0rogram is

to develo0 the four s ills to succeed in communication8 The students e%0ect the

ac uisition of a foreign language and the abilities necessar' for them to function using

the different language s ills in their future field of /or 8


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9848589 )ecretario AcadEmico

The Secretario Acadmico of the School of Languages /as intervie/ed in order

to get the 0rofile of the students8 Oe /as as ed uestions from the intervie/ format;

Msee A00endi% EN8

98489 Tronco ComFn 1ni/ersitario @TC1;

The students enrolled in Tronco Comun Universitario are students from all the

different ma&ors of the BUAP8 The language courses in TCU have been included in the

curriculum so the BUAP students /ould be better 0re0ared to /or in their 0rofession8

This ma' be through reading com0rehension in order to understand 0rofessional

&ournals; ne/s0a0ers; etc8

9848984 Teachers

Thirt'Reight teachers from TCU /ere as ed to com0lete the uestionnaire8 This

school has man' more teachers than the other schools8


1n the credit s'stem; all BUAP students are re uired to ta e F semesters of a

foreign language8 The students /ho ta e "nglish classes in TCU are BUAP students

from all ma&ors in the universit'8 The students ages range bet/een -J and D-; since the

foreign language courses must be ta en /ithin the first four semesters Mbasic levelN in

order to 0ass on to the ne%t level Mformative levelN8 The' have D "nglish courses 0er

/ee for t/o hours; ma ing u0 a total of F hours a /ee 8 The ob&ective of the 0rogram

is to train the students to develo0 the F s ills; ac uiring survival "nglish8 The


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students e%0ectations of the course are to read and /rite te%ts and to communicate in

the s0o en language8

9848989 Coordinator

The coordinator of the oreign Languages at TCU /as as ed the same

information as the coordinators from the L"9= and the C"L"8 (egarding the 0ur0oses

for /hich the students need "nglish and their e%0ected 0roficienc' level u0on finishing8

985 Instr.ment

98584 =.estionnaire for teachers

The instrument used in the investigation /as a uestionnaire; /hich /as a00lied

to find out ho/ songs are being used; and in /hat situations the' are being used8 The

uestionnaire consists of -K uestions8 MSee A00endi% -N The uestions as ho/ often

the' use songs; about their criteria for choosing songs; the s ills and activities

develo0ed /hen using songs; and the results of the activities in the classroom and their

o0inions about using songs8

98585 Inter/ie0 for coordinators of lang.age schools

An intervie/ /as a00lied to the heads of each of the schools8 This intervie/

/as used in order to find out more about the 0rogram; the ob&ectives; the 0ur0oses; and

to obtain a 0rofile of the students8 A co0' of the intervie/ uestions can be found in

A00endi% E8

989 +roced.re

T/o instruments /ere used; the uestionnaires and the intervie/8 Thefollo/ing are descri0tions of 0rocedure8


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98984 =.estionnaires

:ith the uestionnaire having been designed; it /as then distributed to teachers

in the different schools8 The teachers /ere as ed to ta e about -K minutes to ans/er the

uestionnaire /hile the researcher either /aited or agreed to come bac later to collect

the uestionnaire8 The results /ere then anal'$ed and com0iled so that the researcher

could have a clearer vie/ of the actual use of songs in the foreign language classroom8

98985 Inter/ie0

The researcher made an a00ointment for an intervie/ /ith each of the heads of

the schools8 At the intervie/; the uestions /ere as ed about ho/ the students /ould

have to use language u0on com0letion of their course of studies and the ans/ers /ere

/ritten do/n8


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CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION OF THE RESULTS Sometimes the snow comes down in June.

Sometimes the sun goes round the moon. Waldman/Lind/Galdston.

The results of the uestionnaire sho/ed some ver' useful information to the

researcher about the use of songs in the classroom8 The uestionnaire MSee A00endi% -N

/as designed to allo/ the researcher to see the different 0ur0oses and /a's of using

songs in the language schools of the BUAPR L"9=; C"L"; and TCU8

1n the first uestion; it can be seen that more teachers in the L"9= and the

C"L" /ho teach higher levels of "nglish /ere as ed to ans/er the uestionnaire as 0art

of this investigation8 The teachers /ho ans/ered the uestionnaire in TCU teach more

basic levels8 =nl' DG\ and EJ\ of teachers in the L"9= and C"L" res0ectivel' teach

basic /hile IE\ teach basic in TCU8 Among the teachers /ho ans/ered the

uestionnaire; DG\ from the L"9=; DK\ from the C"L" and K\ from TCU teach

advanced8 This ma' have an effect on the fre uenc' and the 0ur0oses for /hich songs

are used8 igure E sho/s the level of "nglish b' uestioned teachers8

Figure 3: Level of Englis !"ug ! #$ %"r!i&i%"!ing !e"& ers'

Basic Low-interm Intermediate High-interm AdvancedLEMO 25% 7% 14% 22% 25%CELE !% "% "% 27% 2#%$C " % 2% 5% #% #%

#%

1#%

2#%

#%

4#%

5#%

"#%

7#%

&asic 'ow -interm intermed high-interm advanced

Level of Englis

LEMO

CELE

$C


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1n the second uestion; it can be seen ho/ often the teachers use songs8 1t is sur0rising to see that the

teachers have almost the same averages8 Songs are not used in e%treme Mver' fre uentl'N; but normall'

bet/een once a /ee and once a month8 1n TCU; D-\ of the teachers use songs onl' once a semester

/hile in the C"L"; DJ\ of the teachers almost never use songs8 This is mostl' because of the time factorthe teachers have for 0resenting the information listed as 0art of the curriculum in one semester8 =ther

teachers do not thin that songs are the greatest didactic instrument and do not use them often8 igure F

0resents the fre uenc' of the use of songs8

*ig.re 6- *re .ency of .se of songs8

2- times) wee* Once) wee*Once) two

wee*s Once) monthOnce)

semester LEMO 7% 22% 22% 42% #%CELE #% 1!% 2!% 2"% #%$C #% #% 4"% 27% 21%

#%

5%

1#%

15%

2#%25%

#%

5%

4#%

45%

5#%

2- times)w ee*

once) w ee* once) tw ow ee*s

once)month

once)semester

Fre(uen&$

LEMOCELE

$C

1n uestion E; the most 0o0ular songs are 0o0; follo/ed b' slo/ songs; then b' roc 8 The

teachers /ho filled out the uestionnaire never use children>s songs and onl' -K\ of the teachers in the

C"L" use traditional songs8 1n the other categor'; EK\ of the teachers in TCU; G\ in the L"9= and

D\ in the C"L" use /hatever songs the students /ant to use8 This suggests that those teachers use songs

more for fun rather that for s0ecific 0ur0oses8 igure G sho/s the inds of songs most 0o0ular in the

" L class8


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*ig.re


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*ig.re H- ) ills de/eloped

Listening .,ea*ing eading 8ritingLEMO 27% 2 % 25% 25%CELE 1% 2!% 22% 1 %

$C 25% 25% 25% 25%

#%

5%

1#%

15%

2#%

25%

#%

5%

'istening s,ea*ing reading w riting

S,ills

LEMO

CELE

$C

1t /as interesting to see /hat activities the teachers develo0 /hen /or ing /ith songs8 The

activities that got the highest ans/ers /ere clo$e activities Mthe l'rics of the song /ith s0aces /here the

student has to fill in missing /ordsN@ grammar e%ercises and having the students sing the song8 This goes

against /hat /as 0reviousl' ans/ered b' the teachers about /or ing the four s ills /ith songs8 9an' of

them focus onl' on grammar; vocabular' and 0ronunciation; sometimes ignoring the other s ills8 igures

.a and .b; in the ne%t 0age; illustrate these results8


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*ig.re a- Acti/ities de/eloped in class 8

C'o9e 3rammar .s sing oca& disc ssion:isting ish

so nds IdiomsLEMO 15% 22% 2% 2#% 1#% 5% #%CELE 1 % 12% !% % !% 7% %

$C 1!% 17% 2 % 15% 4% % #%

#%

5%

1#%

15%

2#%

25%

#%

5%

c'o9e .s sing disc ssion idioms

A&!ivi!ies

LEMO

CELE

$C

*ig.re b- Acti/ities de/eloped in class8

:ictation 8riting :escri&ing Listen; s,; in

answersLEMO #% 2% #% 15% 2% 5%CELE 5% % 4% 1#% "% 4%$C #% 5% #% 2% #% 1 %

#%2%4%"%!%

1#%12%14%1"%

dictation w riting descri&ing 'istening?s,ec;

in

answ ers

A&!ivi!ies

LEMO

CELE

$C

All teachers ans/ered that songs are motivating for students and that the'

0rovide good language 0ractice8 The' en&o' using songs since the students reall' seem

to li e them and the' 0artici0ate activel'8


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1n conclusion; it seemed that the teachers contradicted themselves at times /hen

ans/ering the uestionnaire8 As teachers; one is taught the im0ortance of covering all

the s ills@ ho/ever; it /as seen through this research that grammar and vocabular' are

focused on more8 urthermore; even though the teachers in the three language schools

have different ob&ectives for their students; the' tend to use songs ver' similarl'8 Songs

have been found to be ver' motivating tools in the language classroom; and the' can be

used in a variet' of /a's8


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CHA+$E I E? CO CL .IO . n a s!y ull o #eo#le$ only some want to ly$ isnt that

cra%y& Seal/G. Sigsworth .


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re0eat the /hole song or &ust a s0ecific 0art of it8

-F8 Songs are com0lements for the class8 The' reinforce 0ronunciation; listening

and com0rehension; but this doesn>t mean that learning a foreign language /ill be done onl' /ith songs8

-G8 :rong a00lication of the internal factors could ma e listening fail8 These

factors are? interest; motivation; attentiveness and no/ledge of the to0ic;

M:aston and Smelt$er -.JFN8

-I8 Li e/ise; te%tual factors Morgani$ation of the information; familiarit' of the

to0ic; e%0licitness and sufficienc' of the information; the t'0e of referring

e%0ressions used; and descri0tions of static or d'namic relationshi0N have to

be considered; MAnderson and L'nch -.JJN8

- 8 :hen the song is 0resented out of conte%t; this becomes deauthenticated;

M2unan -...N8


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- 8 1dentif'ing the song>s mood is useful to encourage sensibilit' in the 0u0ils8

).ggestions

The most obvious suggestion; but the most forgotten one b' the teachers; is to use the

songs to 0ractice various s ills; not &ust to loo at the subs ills8


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Brainstorm and /rite a song of their o/n or another version of it8

:rite about a historical event related to the song or that could be related to the song8


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-I-LIO.RAPH/

Abrate; 68 M-..DN8 The Po0ular Song? An Authentic Tool for "nriching the " LClassroom8 Creative A00roaches in L Teaching8 :illiam 28 Oatfield Med8N81llinois? 2TC8 Anderson; A8 and T8 L'nch M-..EN8 Listening8 =%ford? =%fordUniversit' Press8

Anderson; A8 and T8 L'nch8 M-..EN8 Listening8 =%ford? =%ford Universit' Press8

Boiron; 98 M-..JN A00roches Pdagogi ues de la Chanson Contem0oraine? Presentedin 51 "ncuentro de formacin continua ' de centros de autoa0rendi$a&e8 Puebla?BUAP8

B'gate; 98 M-..EN8 S0ea ing8 =%ford? =%ford Universit' Press8

CelceR9urcia; 98 M-..-N8 Teaching "nglish as a Second or oreign Language8 Boston?Oeinle -_ Oeinle8

CelceR9urcia; 9 and S8 Oilles8 M-.JJN8 Techni ues and (esources in Teaching*rammar8 =%ford? =%ford Universit' Press8

Collie; 68 and S8 Slater8 M-.J N8 Literature in the Language Classroom8 Cambridge?Cambridge Universit' Press8

!ubin; 8 M-. FN8 Pa0er 0resented at the T"S=L Convention; !enver; C=8 =n 9arch ; -. F8 Cited inOal uist in CelceR9urcia8

!ubin and B'cina; cited in CelceR9urcia8 M-..-N8 Teaching "nglish as a Second ororeign8 Language8 Boston? Oeinle _ Oeinle8

"llis; (8 M-.JGN8 Understanding Second Language Ac uisition8 =%ford? =%fordUniversit' Press8

*asser; 98 and "8 :aldman8 M-. .N8 Using Songs and *ames in the "SL Classroom8Teaching "nglish as a Second or oreign Language ; edited b' 98CelceR 9urciaand L8 9c1ntosh8 (o/le'; 9A? 2e/bur' Oouse8

Oamilton; !8 M-...; 9a' DIN8 2AT= A00roves `Big Stic > Peace orce8 The 2e/s;

08 8

Oubbard; P8 et al8 M-.JEN8 A Training Course for T" L8 =%ford Universit' Press8

Qniveton; 68 and 98 9onterrubio8 M-.. N8 Singing in "nglish8 9e%ico Cit'? !elta8

9cCarth'; 98 M-..GN8 ocabular'8 =%ford? =%ford Universit' Press8


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9orle'; 68 M-..-N8 Listening Com0rehension in Second or oreign Language1nstruction8 Cited in CelceR9urcia8 -..-8 Boston? Oeinle _ Oeinle8

9ur0he'; T8 M-..DN8 9usic and Song8 =%ford? =%ford Universit' Press8

2unan; !8 M-..-N8 Language Teaching 9ethodolog' MA te%t boo for TeachersN8Oertfordshire? Prentice Oall8

2unan; ! M-...N8 Second Language Teaching and Learning8 Boston? Oeinle _ Oeinle8

Parr'8 M-.J N8 Cited in CelceR9urcia -..-8 Teaching "nglish as a Second oreignLanguage8 Boston? Oeinle _ Oeinle8

Pomero'; C8A8 M-. FN8 Songs for 1ntermediate "SL8 9aster>s Thesis@ Universit' ofCalifornia; Los Angeles8

(ichards; 68 M-.I.N8 Songs in Language Learning8 T"S=L Huarterl' EMDN? -I-R- F8

(ichards; 68 M-..KN8 1nterchange8 Cambridge? Cambridge Universit' Press8

(ost; 98 M-..IN8 Listening in Language Learning8 London? Longman8

Sha/; A898 M-. KN8 Oo/ to 9a e Songs for Language !rill8 "nglish LanguageTeaching DFMDN? -DGR-ED8

Steffenson; 98 and 6oasR ev8 M-.JFN8 Cited in Celce[9urcia8 -..-8Teaching "nglish asa Second oreign Language8 Boston? Oeinle _ Oeinle8

Tro'ca; L8 et al88 M-..IN8 Oandboo for :riters8 Scarborough? Prentice Oall8

:allace C8 M-..DN8 (eading8 =%ford? =%ford Universit' Press8

:elford; A8 M-.IJN8 undamentals of S ill8 London? 9ethuen8


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Appendi7 4

=.estionnaire

1sing )ongs in the %ang.age Classroom


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77slo/

77children>s

77traditional

77other Ms0ecif'N 77777777777777777777

F8:hat criteria do 'ou use /hen choosing a song

77students level 77grammar

77students taste 77vocabular'

77'our taste 77rh'thm

77s ills to be taught 77sing abilit'

77clearness of l'rics 77other 77777777777777777777777

G8!o 'ou use songs according to a s0ecific 0ur0ose or goal

77'es

77no

77usuall'

I8 :hat s ills do 'ou develo0

77listening 77reading

77s0ea ing 77/riting

8 :ithin those s ills; /hat activities do 'ou develo0 77clo$e e%ercises 77students sing

77grammar e%ercises 77vocabular'

77discussions about to0ic 77/riting about song

77listening for s0ecific information 77describing

77distinguishing sounds 770utting in correct order

77idioms 77 uestion and ans/er


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77dictation 77other

J8:hat are students reactions /hen using songs

.8 :hat results do 'ou get from using songs 7777777777777777777777777777

7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

-K8 1n general; /hat is 'our o0inion about using songs in the language classroom


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Appendi7 9

-8 Classification of songs in relation to their grammar a00lication8

2o/ada's; some " L materials offer a variet' of songs recommended foracademicals 0ur0oses8 =n the other hand; commercial music is an o0tion that isrene/ed ever'da' and offers a lot of 0ossibilities to e%0loit songs8 Therefore theteacher must select an ade uate song; in relation to an ob&ective and level8 Suggestions b' the students also should to be considered8 The follo/ing list of o0tions and songs/as carefull' selected from man' l'rics and different times; and b' chec ing theirto0ics and b' classif'ing them into categories8 1n the case of grammar; the selection

considers the most basic grammar tenses and other elements of language8 or this; thesongs that onl' include one grammar tense that is re0eated several times /ere notconsidered8 1nstead of this; the research focused on the same tense but /ith severalverbs; e8g8? M/e /ere /al ing; /e /ere tal ing; /e /ere laughingWthe moon /asrisingWthe night /as falling; etcN8 Songs li e the 0revious mentioned 0resent moreforms and e%am0les8 And also; some songs designed for teaching " LV"SL /ereincluded to com0lete this list8 inall'; a list of singers and songs that offer severalthemes to be discussed in class is 0rovided8 Timeless songs /ere not considered;ho/ever; the' can be ada0ted to the follo/ing classification suggested8

Songs are rich in grammatical structures@ the' also are real language8 Thus;

because of re0etition the' engage students easil'8 The follo/ing list gives aclassification of songs; /hich can be a00lied to s0ecific grammatical 0oints8

)imple present-8 Alright; Su0ergrass8D8 Across the lines; Trac' Cha0man8E8 6une afternoon; (o%ette8F8 Oand in m' 0oc et; Alanis 9orissette8G8 s /hat love is; Am' *rant8

+resent contin.o.s-8 !on^t dream; it^s over; Cro/ded Oouse8D8 Lemon tree; ool>s *arden8E8 6une afternoon; (o%ette8F8 Sho00ing at the QRmart; M inchN G8 9issing 'ou; 6ohn :aite8

)imple past-8 Stars; Sim0l' (ed8D8 2or/egian :ood MThis bird has flo/nN; The Beatles8E8 An'thing can ha00en; :as M2ot :asN8F8 La isla bonita; 9adonna8


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G8 Oa$ard; (ichard 9ar%8

+ast contin.o.s-8 La luna; Belinda Carlisle8

+resent perfect-8 :hat have the' done to the /orld MBr'am Abbs _ 2ola


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8 Piano man; Billie 6oel8

+rono.ns and possessi/es-8 9' heart /ill go on; Cline !ion8D8 9'stical e%0erience; Bo's 4one8

E8 Paradise; Sade8F8 And 1 love her; The Beatles8

"o.ns ad:ecti/es and ad/erbs

-8 1 don^t /anna tal about it; (od Ste/art8D8 Cree0; (adiohead8E8 1^ll be there; The "sca0e Club8F8 True colors; C'ndi Lau0er8G8 The one; "lton 6ohn8

I8 Alone; Oeart88 orever 'oung; (od Ste/art8J8 Oand in m' 0oc et; Alanis 9orissette8

+repositions-8 1^ll be there; The "sca0e Club8D8 Against all odds MTa e a loo at me no/N; Phil Collins8E8 T/o ste0s behind; !ef Le00ard8F8 Tom>s dinner; Su$anne ega8G8 Qiss of life; Sade8I8 Ootel California; The "agles8

Idioms opposites and /ocab.lary-8 ast car; Trac' Cha0man8D8 Sing a song of o00osites8 E8 =00osites attract; Paula Abdul8F8 Clothes line8 G8 *ive me the al0habet8 I8 9agical colors8 8 Pla'ful Saturda'8 J8 S0lish; s0lash M0arts of the bod'N8 .8 The leader M0arts of the bod'N8 -K8The haunted house Mthere isVareV/asV/ereN8 --8 The t/elve months of the 'ear8 -D8 "at 'ou broccoli MfoodN8 -E8 The ho e' 0o e'8


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I8 :hat u0 dog :as M2ot :asN88 1 love roc `n roll; 6oan 6ett _ the Blac hearts8

Racism-8 Some/here in America; :as M2ot :asN8D8 Across the lines; Trac' Cha0man8E8 Born to fight; Trac' Cha0man8F8 *et u0 stand u0; Bob 9arle'8G8 :or ing for the fat man; The "sca0e Club8I8 Oa$ard; (ichard 9ar%88 (h'thm nation; 6anet 6ac son8

$ar and peace-8 1magine; 6ohn Lennon8D8 Oa00' 5mas M:ar is overN; 6ohn Lennon8E8 :ar is stu0id; Culture Club8F8 4ombie; The Cranberries8G8 *oodb'e 6oe' (ae; The "sca0e Club8

*ood for tho.ght and reflection-8 Cra$'; Seal8D8 1ronic; Alanis 9orissette8E8 =ne of us; 6oan =sborne8F8 (eturn to 'ourself; "nigma8

G8 S/eet dreams; "urh'thmics8I8 :hat^s u0; F 2on Blondes88 Piano man; Billie 6oel8J8 :h' Trac' Cha0man8.8 !ust in the /ind; Qansas8

(oti/ating songs-8 Alright; Su0ergrass8D8 Let 'our soul be 'our 0ilot; Sting8E8 Life is a flo/er; Ace of Base8

F8 Oere comes the sun; The Beatles8G8 (a' of light; 9adonna8I8 Oeaven is a 0lace on "arth; Belinda Carlisle88 Three little birds; Bob 9arle'8J8 !on>t /orr' be ha00'; Bobb' 9c errin8

Love-8 All 1 /anna do it>s ma e love to 'ou; Oeart8D8 or m' lover; Trac' Cha0man8E8 Sacrifice; "lton 6ohn8F8 Seasons change; "%0os8G8 Tie a 'ello/ ribbon round the old oa tree; Ton' =rlando _ !a/n8


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%oneliness-8 Lemon tree; ool>s *arden8D8 Somebod' to love; Hueen8E8 True blue; 9adonna8F8 1 still got the blues; *ar' 9oore8G8 1 remember 'ou; S id (o/8I8 Time after time; C'ndi Lau0er8

*riendship-8 Omm bo0; Oanson8D8 Sa' 'ou; sa' me; Lionel (ichie8E8 :hen 1>m IF; The Beatles8F8 :ith a little hel0 from m' friends; The Beatles8G8


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J8 That don>t im0ress me much; Shania T/ain8

* These songs are available in EFL/ESL materials.

98 )ingers 0ho present a 0ide /ariety of songs 0ith topics for disc.ssion8

-8 Alanis 9orissette8

D8 Billie 6oel8E8 Bob 9arle'8F8 Cat Stevens8G8 6ohn Lennon8I8 9adonna88 Sting8J8 The Beatles8.8 Trac' Cha0man8-K8 :as M2ot :asN8

9ore classifications and o0tions could be added; in the same /a' these songscould be substituted b' the ne/ songs; /hich are related to the same to0ic8 Theactivities develo0ed from songs em0hasi$e 0rediction; reflection and learning8 1n thesame /a'; songs offer a variet' of e%0ressions and idioms; /hich sho/ the language inconte%t as it is s0o en in real life8 Authentic s0o en language 0resents a challenge forthe learner to attem0t to understand language as native s0ea ers actuall' use it; (ostM-..F? -F-R-FDN8 Similar li e this; to e%0osing 0u0ils to authentic te%ts it is benefical because nonauthentic listening te%ts differ in certain /a's from authentic te%ts; 2unan M-...? D-DN8 The first ones used to include linguistic functions that are morea00lied in /riting rather than in s0o en language8 or this reason; songs li e an' othersources of authentic material facilitate learning; listening and com0rehension8


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68 #ther acti/ities s.ggested

As it has been seen; the 0ossibilities for e%0loiting songs are unlimited8 Oo/ever; here

is a list of 0ossible activities for " L classes8-8 Clo$e e%ercises8D8 9i%ed u0 song8 MA 0u$$le songN8E8 As a ui$$8F8 6ust for singing and having fun8 MTo revie/ 0ronunciationN8G8 or discussion8I8 Bac ground music88 or translation8J8 !iscrimination of sounds8.8 ind out vocabular'8-K8(ecreating a song M(e/riting a songN8--8To revie/ a grammar element8-D8Com0rehension and /riting e%ercises8-E8 or dictation8-F8A combination of these activities8


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Appendi7 6&7amples1n the "nglish class the songs could be used in several forms /ith different ob&ectives8

Oere are &ust some 0ossibilities848 (.sic genres8Teaching grammar can be easil' /hile the learners have fun8 The follo/ing activitiesare designed to com0lement some grammar e%ercises

%e/el- Basic8Time- 4


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F8=0eraG8 Classical8I8 6a$$88 (a0J8Techno

.8 (anchera-K8Tango--8Banda-D82orte#a-E8 Oeav' metal-F8 Oard (oc-G8 (omanticVBallad-I8 !anceV!isco- 8 (eggae-J8 :alt$-.8 Oi0 Oo0DK8 Countr'D-8 Can Can


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O%!ion 1The songs 0resented can be changed in accordance /ith the students> age and time8Pictures that sho/ singers or musical genres can su00ort this activit'8

O%!ion 2

I&e#re",er 1t can be develo0ed as an ]icebrea er8

#ption 9

Coun!ries "n* n"!ion"li!iesThis e%ercise can 0resent nationalities and countries; for e%am0le; to 0la' the sam0les ofthe songs; and as about the countr' /here the song is from8

O#serv"!ions1t reall' /or s in class to motivate and engage the 0u0ils8 1n the last e%am0le; theactivit' /as 0lanned in accordance /ith the course test8 The students 0aid attention;and /ere involved in the to0ic and e%ercises8 The' could recogni$e man' of the songsand almost all the classifications8 *rammar e%ercises /ere ans/ered /ith fe/ or nomista es8

9usic genres is a to0ic that can be e%0loited in several /a's8 2ot onl' does it 0resent rh'thms; but also; it is culture and fun8


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#ption 6Complementary acti/ity

T0enty .estions

Gro.p 0or 8 Now you play the game. Take turns. One student thinks ofa famous person. Then group can ask up to twenty questions like these.The answers are "Yes" or "No.

Is it a man? (Or) Is it woman?oes he li!e in the "nited #tates?Is she $merican?

Is he a singer?oes she wear glasses?Is he in his %&s?

'hen ou think ou know the person s name, sa *

Is he.... (name)? (or) Is she .... (name)?M(ichards -..K; 08 E-N8


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58 $or ing 0ith homonyms and commonly conf.sed 0ords8 Oomo0hone and homon'm sounds can be /or ed out in t/o forms8 9an' times;sounds confuse students8 Because of this@ the follo/ing activit' combines a reading andcom0rehension e%ercise /ith a song8

%e/el- Intermediate or ad/anced8Age- 2o.ng learners or ad.lts8Time- 6 ?> min8

W"r u%To 0rovide the students a list of homon'ms and commonl' confused /ords8

ad!ice recommendationad!ise to recommendare plural form of to bebu to purchaseb ne+t tofair light-skinned ust, honestfare mone for transportation foodhour si+t minutesour plural form of mto towardtoo also indicates degree (too much)two number following one

E4er&iseSelect the appropriate homonym from each group in parentheses

$ccording to ( ouncil, ounsel) on $ging, the /orth $merican population o!er 01 isgrowing faster (than, then) an other segment of societ . 2he (council, counsel)(cites, sites) statistics indicating that elderl people who ha!e access (to, too, two)good health care (are, our) likel to outli!e (their, there, the 3re) parents. If elderlparents grow (to, too two) (weak, week) to care for themsel!es, responsibilit forthem (ma be, ma be) (passed, past) to children (know, no) longer oung

themsel!es. (4ormall , 4ormerl ) (use to, used to) (their, there) parents makingindependent decisions, adult children must now learn to (accept, e+cept) thatparents ma need (assistance, assistants) with some decisions. $ging parents mustbe treated with courtes and handled with (patience, patients). 4re5uent (personal,personnel) !isits help to keep parents3 (moral, morale) high or to (raise, ra6e) lowspirits. In (principal, principle), adult children (all read , alread ) (know, no) how tobeha!e with aging parents the must sometimes be prepared to re!erse their(respectful, respecti!e) roles.

MTro'ca et al8 -..I; 08 FDFRFD.N8

(ain ob:ecti/eLearners /ill be able to discriminate homo0hone and homon'm sounds; b' ma ingsense of the conte%t 0rovided8


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Se&on* o#0e&!iveTo ade uate the nouns; ad&ectives or verbs that better fit to the content of the song8

$arm .p to the song

The song The =ne /ill be introduced8 The song is about the moment /hen a cou0lefinds out love8Before listening to the song; the teacher /ill as the 0u0ils about their o0inions and 0ersonal e%0eriences8 Then; if there are strange /ords; the' /ill be e%0lained; ho/everthe vocabular' is not difficult8

A&!ivi!ies for ! e songThe 0u0ils listen to the song and select the best o0tion8 The song can be 0la'ed as man'times as re uired8 Later; the' com0are their ans/ers in 0airs8 Then; each one reads aline from the l'rics and the /hole grou0 com0ares results8 After/ards; the' discuss/ith the teacher; /h' some /ords are not 0ossible8 To conclude; the students giveo0inions about the song; /hat the' li ed or not; and /h'8

O#serv"!ionA brief biogra0h' of the singer could attach the song8

O%!ion 21t can be used as a testV ui$8

O%!ion 31t can be ada0ted for a 0honetics e%ercise8

O%!ion 5The use of the video cli0 sho/s the scene8


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98 (.sic comprehension grammar and /ideo clips8

(eading and com0rehension e%ercises used to be based on articles; short stories; etc8This activit' suggests listening to a song and chec ing com0rehension8 And also; torevie/ some grammar structures to ma e uestions and conversations8 =n the otherhand; b' using a video cli0; culture can be 0resented and com0ared8

)ong- !iss the rain by Billie (yers8%e/el- %o0?intermediate or high intermediate8Age- 2o.ng learners or ad.lts8Time- Lariable @'epending on e7tended e7ercises;8

.ener"l o#0e&!iveTo chec listening and com0rehension; revie/ some ad&ectives and nounsand to tal about the content8

S%e&ifi& o#0e&!iveStudents /ill be able to ma e uestions in sim0le 0resent and be able to ma e a 0honeconversation8

W"r u%

To as the students ho/ do the' tal in the 0hone and /hat uestions the' ma e8

A&!ivi!iesirstl'; to introduce the conte%t; so the 0u0ils can ma e more sense of the l'rics;M2unan -...N8 The song is about a cou0le that bro e u0@ one da' she calls her old bo'friend8Then; the learners follo/ the se uenceVsituation till find the end8 Some /ords /ill bee%0lained Mda/n; fall over; tem0ted; and so on8N

The activit' continues /ith a /riting; reading and com0rehension e%ercise?

18 !hoose the est sentence that answers the following question

W "! is ! e in!en!ion of ! e girl+-8 To hurt herself8D8 To get bac her bo'8E8 To sa' goodb'e8


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#rite true or false

-8 She is on the street 77777 D8 The bo' is alone 77777 E8 1t>s a sunn' da' 77777

F8 Oe lives far a/a' 77777

In yo.r o0n 0ords e7plain 0hat do yo. .nderstand by-

-8 Am 1 getting through to 'ou ?D8 Qee0 in mind; /e>re under the same s '?E8 :hat 1>m left imagining?F8 :henever 1>m gone too long?

$%plain with your own words& the story of the song

Oo/ does the rain 0la' a role in the song; /hat is its meaning 777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

1f 'ou reall' love somebod'; /hat /ould 'ou do to comebac

The learners /ill continue /ith the second o0tion; to e%tend the activities?

#ption 5(a ing .estions

The students /ill loo for the uestions as ed in the song@ in 0airs the' /ill ans/erthem8 Then; the' /ill discuss /hich uestions are reall' im0ortant and /hat other

uestions the' /ould do to the 0erson from the song; and the' /ill add more uestions/ith ans/ers8

#ption 9+hone con/ersation

As home/or ; the 0u0ils can elaborate an informal conversation; li e tal ing to a

friend8

O%!ion 5$atching a /ideo clipUsing the cli0 from the song lets to 0redict or antici0ate; /hat is going to occur in thevideo cli08 After /atching it; the' /ill com0are it to the song@ sa'ing if it /as /hatthe' e%0ected; /hat changes the' noticed; and /hat the' li ed more or not and /h'Also; /hat other elements the' /ould add or ta e out


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Kiss The Rain, By Billie Myers.

Hello

Can you hear me?

Am I gettin through to you?

Well hello

Is it late there?Theres a laughter on the lineAre you sure youre there alone?Cause ImIm trying to explainSomethings wrongYou just dont sound the same

Why dont youWhy dont youGo outsideGo outside.

Kiss the rainWhenever you need meKiss the rainWhenever Im gone too longIf your lips

Feel lonely and thirstyKiss the rainAnd wait for the dawn.

Keep in mindWere under the same skyAnd the nightsAs empty for me, as for youIf you feelYou cant wait the till mornin

Kiss the rain ! "#.

Well helloDo you miss me?I hear ya say you doBut not the way Im missin youSo whats new?Hows the weather?Is it stormy where you are?You sound so close but it feels like youre so farOh would it mean anythinIf you knewWhat Im left imagininIn my mind


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In my mindWould you goWould you goKiss the rainKiss the rain.

As you fall over meThink of me (x 3)

Only meKiss the rainWhenever you need me

Kiss the rain

Whenever Im gone too longIf your lipsFeel hungry and tempted

Kiss the rainAnd wait for the dawn.

Keep in mindWere under the same skyAnd the nightsAs empty for me, as for youIf ya feelYou cant wait till morninKiss the rain ! "#

Go outside$o outsideWhy dont you kiss the rainKiss the rain.

%ello&an you hear me'&an ya hear me'(o you miss me'(o ya

)he way I miss you$ood*ye.

5' Singing in &l"ss'

The 0ur0ose of this song it is to have a good 0ronunciation; &ust b' singing a ha00' andsim0le song8

)ong- Barbie girl by A .a8%e/el- Any8Age- Any @Children and adolescents en:oy more this song;8Time- 4


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O#0e&!iveThe students /ill be able to sing and have and fun8

$arm .pTo tal about the childhood; the 0u0ils> favorite games; cartoons; to's; dreams; 0laces;etc8 Acti/itiesThe teacher introduces the conte%t? 1t is about a ver' famous doll and her fantas' /orld8Then; he as s; have 'ou ever listened to the song Barbie girl So; do 'ou li e it and/h'

The song is 0la'ed once &ust to listen to it8 Then; it is 0la'ed again and the teacherdivides the class in t/o grou0s? the girls /ill sing the 0art b' Barbie Min Times 2e/(omanN and the bo's the 0art b' Qen Min Comic Sans 9 N8 The grou0 can sing as man'times as the' /ant8

O%!ion 1Another song; /hich could be divided in t/o different 0arts is The land of dreaming; b' 9asterbo'8 =r an' other /ith these characteristics8

#ption 5As a com0lement the students could /rite about their childhood; including their favoritegames; cartoons; movies; to's; dreams; etc8

O#serv"!ionThe song is uite successful /ith children and adolescents8 But it could also be a00liedto adults8 1t de0ends of the characteristics of the grou08

Barbie *irl By A .a8


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Hi Barbie!Oi Qen

Do you want to go for a ride?Sure Qent

Jump in!

'() + ,+'$ -',I" A BARBI& $#R%'

%I*& I" +%A)TICITM) *A"TA)TIC

2#1 CA" BR1), (2 ,AIR 1"'R&)) (& &L&R2$,&R&

I(AGI"ATI#"T,ATM) 2#1R CR&ATI#"8

Come on Barbie, lets go party.

1>m a blond

Single girl

1n a fantas' /orld!ress me u09a e shine

1>m 'our doll'8

Youre my dollyRock and roll

Feel the glamour and painKiss me here

Touch me thereHanky panky.


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1 can act li e a star 1 can beg in m' nees8

Come ump in!Be my "riend

#et us do it again

Hit the town

Fool around#ets

$o party.


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)ong- IMll be there by The &scape Cl.b8%e/el- Intermediate8Age- 2o.ngKad.ltsTime- 5 min8

General ob:ecti/eTo 0ractice s0ea ing and listening through discussion of the song8 To tal and /riteabout favorite 0laces using 0re0ositions8

S%e&ifi& o#0e&!iveThe learners /ill be able to fill in the blan s /ith the correct 0re0ositions8

A&!ivi!iesBefore giving the song; as about 0laces /here 0eo0le can go to loo for someone8 Thestudents /ill give e%am0les8 The song is given8 The' /ill identif' all the 0laces thatthe' can8 Oere the teacher; could mention the movie -host and e%0lain that thesituation of this song is similar to the movie content8 :ith this the' can have a lin and be engaged in listening to the song8

2e%t; the' loo for some nouns li e rain trees 0hisper miles etc8 Pu0ils loo forun no/n /ords and the teacher guides the learners to guess the meanings of these/ords8 Then; the' /ill be as ed to 0lace the 0re0ositions that in the blan s8 Later; the'/ill com0are res0onses and discuss /h' the' used those 0re0ositions8

The song /ill be 0la'ed once; 0ausing to chec their ans/ers8 Then; the /hole song/ill be 0la'ed8 Students e%0lainVdescribe the song8 The teacher as s; :ould 'ou dothat for somebod' The 0u0ils discuss /h' or /h' not8

O%!ion 1,ome0or Oave the learners /rite a descri0tion of their favorite 0lace; describing it using 0re0ositions8 or e%am0le? 9' favorite 0lace is m' bedroom8 :hen 1 /al in m' bedroom; 1 feel comfortable8 1 la' on m' bed and imagine that 1 go to man' 0laces8 1loo at m' 0osters on the /all; and so on8

O%!ion 2Several 0re0ositions could be /ritten in the blan s8

or e%am0le? 'n/under/round the mountains;o0er/in/under trees8 The students andteacher can discuss all these 0ossibilities and /hat 0re0ositions are not 0ossible; inaccordance /ith the l'ric>s to0ic8 The same e%ercise can be done /ith ad&ectives; nounsor verbs8


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O%!ion 3Recreating a songTo ma e a ne/ /ritten version of the song8 This activit' em0hasi$es creativit'8 Thefollo/ing e%am0le includes the 0ossible changes and the original l'rics8

O#serv"!ions ill in the blan s; it is the most fre uent a00lication of songs; ho/ever; b' addingsome variations it could be more useful in " L class8

I++ - )%- -By Escape Club .

=verVbehind mountainsV%olcanoes; overVunder treesVpines


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=verVunder oceansVlakes, overVround seasVpools;AcrossVinside the desertV"orest ; 1>ll be there81nVbehind a /his0erVnoise on the /indVring=nVin "ront o" the smileVlaughing ofV&ith a ne/ 'old friendVgirl

6ust thin ofVabout me; and 1>ll be there8

!on>t be afraidVhungry'angry ; oh; m' love

I7ll #e 8"!& ing $ou fro "#ove /belowAnd 1>d giveVrun all the /orld tonightVright no& To be /ithVb' 'ou>Cause 1>m on'by 'our side 'li"e ;And 1 still care; 1 ma' have died'marriedBut 1>ve gone no/here'some&here ;6ust thin of 'about me; and 1>ll be there8

On9up ! e e*ge9 end of /in " 8"l,ing9 sailing/funny *re" /joke/ship=ver 'across rivers; overVunder streamsThrough'in'by /indVcar and rain'train ; 1>ll be here8Across'around the /ideVshort and o0en'close s ' 'skin'time ;

Thousands'hundred of milesVtimes'snacks 1>d fl''buy

To #e /eat 8i! 9 for/by $ou' I7ll #e ! ere

1on(t e afraid2 3repeat4

1n the breath of a /ind'bear that sighs'"ights=h; there>s no need'more to cr'Vhide'buy ;6ust thin ofVby me; and 1>ll be there8

>8 'isc.ssion in class8

#hy ; it is a song /hich 0resents man' to0ics to debate in class8 1n the same /a'

em0hasi$es the four s ills8 The "nglish teacher can ada0t the activities and o0tions tothe class interests8


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)ong- $hyN By Tracy Chapman8%e/el- ,igh intermediate or ad/anced8Age- 2o.ngKad.ltsTime- Lariable8

General ob:ecti/eTo tal about contem0orar' themes; to em0hasi$e discussion in class8To reinforce the four s ills8

)pecific ob:ecti/esLearners /ill be able to identif' and discuss different to0ics8 Then; be able to identif'general and s0ecific information8

$arm .p:hat are some contem0orar' 0roblems for human beings !o 'ou have one of these 0roblems Teacher as s8

A&!ivi!ies!ivide the class into grou0s; have the learners listen to the song8 Then; studentsidentif' the situations 0resented in the song M0overt'; /ar; loneliness; safet' of /omen;and so forthN8

The' /ill discuss the to0ics and e%0ress /hat the' agree /ith and /hat the' don>t8 So;each grou0 /ill defend their 0oint of vie/8

O%!ion 1"e0spaperAs home/or ; the' /ill loo for articles about the themes from the song8 Thefollo/ing da'; the' sho/ /hat the' found; e%changing the articles and sharing o0inionsin relation to the to0ics8

=ne of the articles is selected@ this one is about the conflict in Qo$ovo8 Then; it isrelated to the lines of the song?

'h are the missiles called peace keepers?

'hen the 3re aimed to kill.

:ith this; the 0oint to debate /ill be focused on this 0art of the song8 Teacher andlearners /ill discuss; /ho is rightV/rong8 :hat /ould 'ou do if 'ou /ere the USA or


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.ener"l infor "!ion-8 :hat can 'ou infer b' the title M N TO North tlantic Treaty Organi5ation N8D8 :hat is the general idea of the /hole te%t

S%e&ifi& infor "!ionE8 :ho are 6avier Solana and 6amie SheaF8 :hat is A$nar>s o0inion; in relation to the conflict

Tal ing and 0riting abo.t points of /ie0G8 1f 'ou had the o00ortunit' to solve the conflict /hat /ould 'ou do *ive 'our

o0inion?

O%!ion 3The chart called6 atest 1e0elopments can be discussed in class; 0oint b' 0oint8

O%!ion 5Another article can be chosen to /or in class and related to the song content8

O%!ion As a final assignment; the students can develo0 an essa' about one of the themes

offered in the song and 0resented it in class8

Why? By Tracy Chapman .


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Why do the babies starve'hen there3s enough food to feed the world'h when there3re so man of us$re there people still alone?

'h are the missiles called peace keepers?'hen the 3re aimed to kill'h is a woman still not safe'hen she3s in her home

7o!e is hate

War is peace/o is es$nd we3re all free

8ut somebod 3s gonna ha!e to answer 2he time is coming soon$midst all these 5uestions and contradictions

2here3s some who seek the truth

8ut somebod 3s gonna ha!e to answer 2he time is coming soon'hen the blind remo!e their blinders$nd the speechless speak the truth.

D8 %o/e songs8

Love songs are /ithout doubt; the most 0o0ular ind of songs8 The students cananal'$e their content and e%0ress o0inions about love8

%e/el- Any8Age- 2o.ngKad.lts8Time- 4< min.tes8

.ener"l o#0e&!iveTo anal'$e a love song; through a sim0le uestionnaire8

S%e&ifi& o#0e&!iveLearners /ill be able to e%0ress and tal their feelings8

W"r u%To as the students; /hat do the' thin about love; their e%0ectations and o0inions8


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A&!ivi!iesThe learners /ill bring to class their favorites love songs8 Then in grou0s; the' /illchoose a song and ans/er the follo/ing uestionnaire related to the song8

:rite notes on the l'rics of the song 'ou have chosen; ans/ering the follo/inguestions8

-8 :hat is love li e; according to this song Choose a s0ot on the continuum8 1s it W

su0remel' im0ortant relativel' unim0ortant

marvelous; full of &o' terrible; 0ainful

lasting e0hemeral

/hat else 777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

D8 :ords that describe love Mdoes the song have an' images or com0arisons N 777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

E8 :ords that describe the loved one Mimages Com0arisons N 777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777

F8 1f 'ou>re in love; according to the song?

Oo/ do 'ou behave 7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 Oo/ do 'ou feel 7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 Oo/ does the 0erson /ho is loved behave V feel 7777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777 Ans/er the follo/ing uestions about the nature of love8-8 :hich of the follo/ing statements comes closest to 'our idea of /hat love is MChecone or moreN 777 Love is a 0aradise8 777 Love is hell8

777 Love is a disease8 777 Love is a state of madness8 777 Love is a religion8 777 Love is an allRconsuming fire8 777 Love is a ind of /arfare8 777 Love is an e0hemeral nonsense8 777 Love is 77777777777777778

D8 Oo/ im0ortant; ho/ valuable is it for 'ou :hich of the follo/ing sentences comesclosest to 'our o0inion

777 The most im0ortant thing; the onl' valuable thing in the /orld8 777 A good thing; but not the onl' good thing in the /orld8 777 A mi%ed blessing8


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777 A disaster@ it al/a's ends in traged'8 777 A 0leasant illusion; cloa ing the realit' of se%8 777 An un0leasant illusion; distorting our idea of relations bet/een the se%es8

E8 1f 'ou love someone; /hat /ould 'ou be most li el' to com0are him or her to

777 a flo/er? 7777777777 777 a bird? 777777777 777 an animal? 77777777777 777 a celestial bod'? 7777777777 777 a 0art of nature? 7777777777 777 something else? 77777777777

F8 1f a man loves a /oman; this is ho/ he behaves? 777 :rites 0oems to her8 777 Sends her flo/ers and gifts8 777 :ee0s and sighs if she doesn>t res0ond8 777 Acts in a mainl'; masterful /a'8 777 Conceals his love8 777 7777777777777777777777777777777

G8 1f a /oman loves a man; this is ho/ she behaves? 777 *ives him gifts8 777 Pretends to love someone else8 777 Conceals her love8 777 Tells him about it8 777 Sighs and /ee0s if he doesn>t 0a' attention to her8 777 77777777777777777777777777777 MCollie; 6 and S8 Slater -.J ; 08 - FR- GN8

O%!ion 1&7changing ans0ers and points of /ie0

Documents

EFL_The Use of Songs in the Language Classroom