14 Song-Based Lesson Plans and Activities
Although I know I like using music in my teaching, I never thought there would be so much of it on this blog when I started it over a year ago. Songs are fun, authentic sources with multiple possibilities in the classroom, but the main reason for having published 14 lesson plans and activities based on songs here is to a large extent due to copyright issues: while lyrics and songs are easily available for everyone online, access to other types of authentic texts is more limited because of copyright constraints. I also think the key to a successful song-based lesson is to deal with the text as you would with any other type of short text, whether written or oral, to practise a variety of comprehension skills, work on specific grammar and vocabulary, or introduce a topic for discussion. Choosing a song that meets the students’ needs is not always easy, though. Listening for specific information 1. Listening for detail: “Kilkelly, Ireland” 2. Writing a paragraph: “The Marvelous Toy” 3. 4. 5.
1000s FREE Primary Teaching Resources & Printables - EYFS, KS1 and KS2 - SparkleBox
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Making the right choices: ‘Lean On Me’
Every word in the song “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers has been written into a grid with some distractors. Starting in the upper left corner, students complete the lyrics choosing one of the words available right next to the last word in any direction and using each square only once. To guide them through the process, the writing worksheet provides students with a few words in each line, including the first ones, which are also capitalised in the grid for easier reference. You may want to model and play the first two lines of the song so that the students can understand the procedure. Students will be practising a number of skills as they make their choices. Before listening to the song and checking the lyrics, students are asked to write down and share what they think the last line of the song is, adding an extra purpose to the listening task. Lean on me.pdf Kim Henrie from Canada has sent her ideas on how to use this activity and a few changes she made. Mystery Song_Lean On Me.doc
Teaching 2 and 3 Year Olds
Making Predictions
As a young reader, your child is learning to make predictions while reading. "What do you think will happen next?" "Who do you think drank Sara's lemonade?" Scientists, just like readers, make predictions all the time. Below are two simple ways you can encourage your child to put her prediction skills to work as a scientist: Play favorites What is our family's favorite flavor of ice-cream? First, have your child predict or guess the answer to the question. Good guess! Estimation is often very similar to a prediction. Here are some estimation questions that require your child to make a prediction: How many noodles will it take to fill up this jar? We predict your child will have great fun with these activities!
How to use songs in the English language classroom
What makes for a successful song-based lesson? Adam Simpson, second-time winner of the British Council’s Teaching English blog award for his post on conditionals (written with Paul Mains), explains. One of the big problems we all face, whether teaching English to children or adults, is maintaining learners’ interest throughout our lessons. Consequently, we often have to be very creative in the techniques we use. What makes music such a great teaching tool is its universal appeal, connecting all cultures and languages. Planning for the use of songs in class The process of selecting a song is one of the most difficult aspects of using music in a lesson. Carefully examine what it is you want your class to learn in the lesson Is this going to be a lesson focusing on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or a particular topic? Think about the language level of your class How old are your learners? Are there any specific cultural issues regarding the make-up of your class? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
let the children play
Multicultural Kid Blogs | Dedicated to raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love.Multicultural Kid Blogs | Dedicated to raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love.
EFL Search
I remember my beginning days as an English teacher now 20+ years on. Dusty, cold, dirty rag, bucket and chalkboard in a cavernous top floor classroom in E. Europe. Yes, songs just brought us all together in the classroom. I've been off that bandwagon for awhile but with this post, would like to climb back on. To begin, find here my presentation on Using Song In The EFL Classroom. Get and download the "50 ways to use music and song in the English language classroom". Secondly, here are a few links to great resources right here on this community - free to all. - Song lyrics sheets -- all the videos with lyric sheets. - Karaoke in the classroom. Video examples + Kids Karaoke Videos - Song lyric ebook and songs! - Best blog posts about songs. - Best Kinetic typography on the web - a great example of using song. - Our Project Peace - an amazing project. - Literal version collection of great contextual music videos - Try our Music Wall. Teaching Recipes For Using Songs In Your Teaching 1. 2. 3.
Ms. Conway's Kindergarten Website: About Play-Based Learning
It has long been known that there is a strong link between play and learning. Children are full of natural curiosity and they explore this curiosity through play. When kids are playing, it's the perfect time to learn. Play teaches kids how to problem solve, how to make friends, how to express themselves, how to enjoy the world around them, and how to recognize letters and numbers. All of these skills form the foundation of a love of learning. In the kindergarten program, teachers structure play to create learning moments. Both child-initiated free play and more structured play-based learning opportunities are integral parts of the early learning classroom. As children move naturally from noticing and wondering about the objects and events around them to exploring, observing, and questioning in a more focused way, the teacher helps them develop and extend their inquiry process.
Popplet and Pizza
So how does a pizza and attacking multi-syllabic words go together you are wondering? You don't eat a whole pizza at once, in one bite and if you don't know a long word (multi-syllabic word) you don't try to read the whole thing at once. You break it down (slice it up like a pizza) and read it (eat it) bite by bite! It's gotta be in kid language so they get it! My groups in grades 1-3 need a lot of practice with breaking words into syllables to try to read them. The kids are interested in anything done on the iPads, of course. With this app, you can create as many Popplets, or boxes, as you need. My first grade groups needed to go back and do some more work on story events. Students did a quick sketch in each box to represent what they would write about on their B-M-E page. I can see we will be using Popplet a lot!
