Al-Ahmadi Educational Zone Al-Dhaher Primary School for Girls English Department Tips for teaching songs H.O.D :Amal Hassan ELT S: Hadiya El Enizy Presented by: Doaa Mahmoud

Music is a great tool to use in the classroom for young learners who are developing language skills Introduction

Here are few suggestio ns

1. Introduce songs as background music first

When you hear a new song on the radio for the first time, you don't start singing along with it right away. You hear it a few times, and before you know, even if haven't been actively listening, soon you find yourself singing along. Nobody "teaches" you the song. Keep this in mind when introducing songs to young learners

When learning a new song, kids need to learn the tune, the tempo, the rhythm and sometimes even gestures and dance. We can't just focus on the lyrics. Even if they know the lyrics, they can't really sing the song until they know the tune. Help students learn the tune by playing the song as background music as they enter the classroom or while they are doing a quiet activity. The kids will internalize the tune, and when you formally introduce the song in class, you will be able to focus more on the words

Often, the children will start humming or singing the song on their own after hearing it once or twice, especially if the song is at their level. For example, if you have plans to introduce a song in class, play the song on repeat in the background in an earlier lesson as the students are doing a sorting activity, making a craft, or coloring.

2.Input comes before output

The first time or two you play a new song, have the students listen and do the gestures to the song with you. As they watch you and follow the gestures, they'll be learning the song in the process. After one or two times, they'll likely be singing along. Listening comes before speaking, or in this case, singing. Don't expect your students to sing the songs right away.

If you like, introduce a song in phases. First, demonstrate the vocabulary and gestures without the music, then listen to the song and do the gestures; finally, listen, gesture and sing.

3.Some songs don't need much pre-teaching

When using active songs or songs with lots of repetition, there is no need to do much "pre- teaching."

Head and Shoulders Song

For example, to introduce an action verb song like "Walking Walking," start walking around a circle. Encourage the students to walk with you as you say, "Walk" repeatedly. Then say, "Hop" and start hopping. Next do "Run," Now put on the song and do the actions as you listen. Don't worry if the students don't know the words right away. They'll have fun doing the actions, and will learn the meaning by following you. The next week, use the song again. This time, encourage them to sing along. Now they know the words and actions!Walking Active songs like this can be used again and again. Each time you use the song, kids can learn a little more. You don't need flashcards because the students learn all of the language by doing the actions. It's great when students can learn by doing.

4. But Some songs do

5. Use visual aids

Some songs have more of a story to them and can be difficult to teach by gesture alone. For these, you can teach the song with visual aids. For example, classic rhymes/stories like "Five Little Monkeys," "Ten in the Bed," "The Wheels On The Bus," or "Old McDonald" all have many picture book versions.Read the storybook first so that students understand what is happening when you sing the song. As you read the storybook, you can sing some of the words to introduce the melody of the song. After reading the book, try doing a simple craft or coloring page related to the book as you play the song in the background. Then sing the song and have the students follow along with the gestures.Five Little MonkeysTen in the BedThe Wheels On The BusOld McDonald As the kids grow older, you don't want to repeat songs as much. Students will have their favorites that they like to sing many times, but you won't be repeating songs every week like we do with the younger learners. So, you'll need to build more exposure to the song into one or two lessons, and then go back to it every once in a while for review.

6.Repetition is good

Remember that with very young learners (4 years and younger), they enjoy the familiarity of hearing a song over and over. You can use their favorites almost every week. If you are using a song frequently, understand that there is no need for them to sing right away...let them become comfortable with it and sing when they are ready (they will!).