Songs, Verse and Games for Teaching Grammar
Songs, Verse and Games
for Teaching Grammar
Arif Saricoban & Esen
Metin
arifs [at] hacettepe.edu.tr
Hacettepe University & Cankaya University (Ankara, Turkey)
arifs [at] hacettepe.edu.tr
Hacettepe University & Cankaya University (Ankara, Turkey)
Introduction
Grammar teaching has often been regarded as a structure
based, formal activity. After the integration of several sources and
techniques, which are mainly based on communicative activities, the teaching of
grammar gained a new insight. In the teaching of grammar, technique-resource
combinations are often modified to structure-discourse match and if well
developed, they can be used effectively for all phases of a grammar lesson. In
order to make a grammar lesson effective, beneficial, and interesting a teacher
should use some well-developed and fascinating techniques in the classroom. In
the present paper, the examples of such integrated sources and techniques -the
use of songs, verse,
games
, and problem solving activities- will be clarified and
several examples will be provided.
Using Songs and Verse
Songs
Since the meaning is an important device in teaching grammar,
it is important to contextualize any grammar point. Songs are one of the most
enchanting and culturally rich resources that can easily be used in language
classrooms. Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. They are
precious resources to develop students abilities in listening, speaking,
reading, and writing. They can also be used to teach a variety of language
items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, adjectives,
and adverbs. As stated by Lo and Fai Li (1998:8), learning English through
songs also provides a non-threatening atmosphere for students, who usually are
tense when speaking English in a formal classroom setting.
Songs
also give new insights into the target culture. They are the means through
which cultural themes are presented effectively. Since they provide authentic texts,
they are
motivating
. Prosodic features of the language such as stress, rhythm,
intonation are presented through songs, thus through using them the language
which is cut up into a series of structural points becomes a whole again.
There
are many advantages of using songs in the classroom. Through using contemporary
popular songs, which are already familiar to teenagers, the teacher can meet
the challenges of the teenage needs in the classroom. Since songs are highly
memorable and motivating, in many forms they may constitute a powerful
subculture with their own rituals. Furthermore, through using traditional folk
songs the base of the learners knowledge of the target culture can be
broadened. Correctly chosen, traditional folk songs have the dual motivating
attack of pretty tunes and interesting stories, plus for many students- the
added ingredient of novelty (Hill, 1999:29). Most songs, especially folk songs,
follow a regularly repeated verse form, with rhyme, and have a series of other
discourse features, which make them easy to follow.
In
consequence, if selected properly and adopted carefully, a teacher should
benefit from songs in all phases of teaching grammar. Songs may both be used
for the presentation or the practice phase of the grammar lesson. They may
encourage extensive and intensive listening, and inspire creativity and use of
imagination in a relaxed classroom atmosphere. While selecting a song the
teacher should take the age, interests of the learners and the language being
used in the song into consideration. To enhance learner commitment, it is also
beneficial to allow learners to take part in the selection of the songs.
Teaching Procedure
There are various ways of using songs in the classroom. The
level of the students, the interests and the age of the learners, the grammar
point to be studied, and the song itself have determinant roles on the
procedure. Apart from them, it mainly depends on the creativity of the teacher.
For
primary students, the best songs would be those that are either familiar to the
children or those, though maybe not familiar, which have an international
nature, such as Old MacDonald. Since there is not a strict teaching procedure,
the teacher can mainly concentrate on what to teach rather than on how to
teach. For instance, while teaching them individual letter sounds or spelling
the words, the traditional camp song 'Bingo', or while teaching them counting
'Johnny Works with One Hammer' will be useful. In order to make the songs more
meaningful and more enjoyable, motions can be added to the song which parallel
the words of the song. Since most children enjoy singing fun and nonsensical
lyrics, using easy children songs will be useful. Furthermore, choosing lively
action songs through which they can dance or act while singing will ensure a
lively atmosphere.
For
teenagers or adults in the intermediate or advanced level, it is better to use
more meaningful or popular songs, which not only review or introduce grammar
points but also reflect cultural aspects. At the primary level of singing the
song, the prosodic features of the language is emphasized. At the higher
levels, where the practice of grammar points is at the foreground, songs can be
used with several techniques. Some examples of these techniques are:
·
Gap fills or close texts
·
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's selection of a technique or a set of techniques
should be based on his or her objectives for the classroom. After deciding the
grammar point to be studied, and the song and the techniques to be used, the
teacher should prepare an effective lesson plan. Since songs are listening
activities, it is advisable to present them as a listening lesson, but of
course it is necessary to integrate all the skills in the process in order to
achieve successful teaching.
When
regarding a lesson plan, as a pre-listening activity, the theme, the title, or
the history of the song can be discussed. By directing the students toward
specific areas, problem vocabulary items can be picked up in advance. Before
listening to the song, it is also beneficial to let the students know which
grammar points should be studied. At this stage, pictures may also be used to
introduce the theme of the song. In the listening stage, some of the techniques
listed above can be used, but among them gap filling is the most widely used
technique. Through such gaps, the vocabulary, grammar, or pronunciation are
highlighted. This stage can be developed by the teacher according to the needs
of the students and the grammar point to be studied.
In
the follow-up, integrated skills can be used to complete the overall course
structure. Since many songs are on themes for which it is easy to find related
reading texts, it may lead the learner to read a text about the singer or the
theme. Besides, many songs give a chance for a written reaction of some kind.
Opinion questions may lead the learner to write about his own thoughts or
reflections. Some songs deal with a theme that can be re-exploited through role
plays. Acting may add enthusiasm to the learning process. Finally, some songs
deal with themes, which can lead to guided discussion. By leading the students
into a discussion, the grammar point could be practiced orally and, in a way,
naturally.
Exploitation
of songs for grammatical structures can be illustrated through several
examples. For present tense 'Let It Be' by the Beatles, for past tense
'Yesterday' by the Beatles, for present progressive 'Sailing' by Rod Stewart,
for present perfect 'Nothing Compares to You' by Sinead Occonor, for past
perfect 'Last Night I Had...' by Simon and Garfunkel, for modals 'Blowing in
the Wind' by Bob Dylan, and for conditionals 'El Condor Pasa' by Simon and
Garfunkel can be used. However, it should be kept in mind that songs, which
provide frequent repetitions, or tell a story, or provide comments about life,
or introduce cultural themes are the effective ones, since they provide authentic
and meaningful material.
As
a consequence, the use of songs in language classrooms provides many
advantages. They entertain and relax the learners while they are learning or
practicing a structure, and they often eliminate the students negative attitude
towards learning. Through providing authenticity and context they make the
grammar points more understandable and easy. As language teachers, we can
benefit from using songs, since our concern is to motivate the students and
draw their utmost attention on the subject during teaching.
Poems
Poems, like songs, contextualize a grammar lesson
effectively. Since poetry is often spoken, repeated, dealt with, and
considered, it acts as an effective tool for practicing a specific grammatical
structure. Through repeating and considering the poem, the grammatical
structures become more deeply internalized. Thus, poetry not only provides a
rewarding resource for structured practice of grammar, but also a proper basis
for review. If a poem that exemplifies a particular structure is also a good
poem, it engages the eye, the ear and the tongue simultaneously while also
stimulating and moving us; this polymorphic effect makes poetry easier to
memorize than other things for many students (Celce-Murcia and Hills, 1988:123).
Like
songs, poems exaggerate the rhythmic nature of the language. Thus it is an
important aspect to be taught, since English is a syllable timed language with
stressed syllables being spoken at roughly equal time pauses, even in everyday
speech. Similar to songs, poems have an enormous linguistic value as they
provide authenticity and cultural views. A poem's capacity to comfort the
reader or the listener also increases its effectiveness as a teaching resource.
Once a poem or song has been learned, they stay in the minds of the students
for the rest of their lives, with all the rhythms, grammatical features and
vocabulary.
Poems
may bring the use of creativity and the rhythm into the language classroom,
though they may also bring some difficulties. Poems are not constructed in a
simple way and syntactically they are at a higher level than prose, thus it
might be very difficult for a foreign language learner to comprehend them
completely. As stated by Povey (cited in Celce-Murcia and Hills, 1988) there are
three main barriers for literature including poetry. They are linguistic,
cultural, and intellectual barriers. Linguistic difficulties are the problems
caused by the syntax or the lexicon of the poem. Cultural difficulties include
imagery, tone, and allusion. At the intellectual level, the students should be
intellectual and mature enough to understand the theme of the poem. These
difficulties could be easily removed if the teacher provides a poem which is
syntactically and thematically appropriate to the level, age and the interests
of the students. Thus, by removing or minimizing the potential problems, poetry
can provide an enormously rich, enjoyable and authentic context for foreign
language learners.
In
the selection of a poem, the teacher should first consider the grammatical
structure to be presented, practiced, or reviewed, then the level and the age
of the students, next the theme and the length of the poem and its
appropriateness to the classroom objectives. It is advisable to select a poem
from 20th century poets. As older poems often provide a more difficult lexicon
and syntax, and as they reflect some old-fashioned ideas, it is more convenient
to use contemporary poems than older ones. Poems, which reflect cultural
themes, universal features, humanistic values, or emotional aspects, will be
more relevant to the foreign language learners. Finally, through taking the
classroom objectives into consideration, a teacher should effectively benefit
from poems as teaching aids.
Teaching Procedure
At the teaching stage of a poem, it is not advisable to talk
about the meaning of the poem in advance. Since they offer a reading and
listening activity, poems could be presented through a reading plan. At the
pre-reading stage, students might be motivated through some enthusiastic talks
about poetry or the poet. Some necessary vocabulary can also be handled at this
stage. At the reading stage, in order to create images and stress the prosodic
features, the teacher may want the students to close their eyes while he/she is
reading the poem. After the poem has been read at least twice, it is better to
elicit the primary responses of the students about the poem. Next, after
distributing the poem to students, students may be asked to read it either
loudly or silently. In order to practice the determined grammar point, students
may be asked to paraphrase the poem. Through transforming the verse into prose
students get acquainted with the structure.
After
easing the grammar and understanding the vocabulary, students get an idea about
the theme of the poem. Reading the paraphrased poem reinforces the grammatical
structure under consideration. Asking questions about context may follow the
reading. Through asking Wh- questions, providing additional information about
the culture, and asking students to share their experience with the subject
matter, the cultural content of the poem becomes more real and vivid. Words,
pictures, and shared experiences can eliminate the gap that is created by
different cultures, as no one can deny that poems cannot always evoke the same
sounds, sights, smells, and associations for both native speakers and foreign
language learners. After discussing the surface content of the poem, students
may again asked to close their eyes and visualize the poem while listening to
it.
As
a follow-up activity a discussion may be held. After reviewing the plot of the
poem and providing adequate artful questions, the students will eventually
discover the deeper meaning of the poem. As being a facilitator, a teacher should
always avoid telling the meaning. After each student grasps his or her own
meaning, it is proper to discuss the depth of the poem. In this procedure, the
teacher's aim is to support the students in their attempts to understand the
poem and make it relevant to their lives. Once they have understood it and
perceived its relevance, they will have no objection to practicing the poem or
even memorizing it, for it will have become special for them (Celce-Murcia and
Hills, 1988:126). At the follow-up stage, providing the determined structure,
students may also be asked to write a poem about anything they want. In such a
procedure the four skills are effectively integrated to practice or present any
grammar point.
Since
every class is different, teachers should creativity determine the teaching
procedure. It is not advisable to apply one procedure too strictly. A teacher
should adopt the activities according to the needs of the learners. However, it
might not be very useful to use poems for young students or for beginners.
Instead of poems, using nursery rhymes or songs would be more helpful since
they provide more joyful and easier contexts. From pre-intermediate to advanced
levels, it is really beneficial to use either songs or poems. Several poems can
be adopted from contemporary poem books. The poems of the W.H. Auden, Robert
Frost, Stanley Kunitz, Delmore Schwartz, W.D. Snodgrass, Theodore Roethke, Gary
Snyder, Richard Wilbur, and Robert Lowell, etc. are suggested for the language
teachers who want to use poems in their grammar lessons.
Using Games and Problem-Solving
Activities
The latest concern of the foreign language teachers is to
make the students use the language communicatively. After the realization of
communicative competence , activities or techniques that are task-oriented and
that lead students to use the language creatively have gained importance. Games
and problem-solving activities, which are task-based and have a purpose beyond
the production of correct speech, are the examples of the most preferable
communicative activities. Such activities highlight not only the competence but
also the performance of the learner. Yet they are the indispensable parts of a
grammar lesson, since they reinforce a form-discourse match. In such activities
the attention is on the discourse context.
Both
games and problem-solving activities have a goal. Games are organized according
to rules, and they are enjoyable. Most games require choral responses or group
works, whereas problem-solving activities (though they are structured) require
individual response and creative solutions. Games and problem-solving
activities are generally used after the presentation, in the practice part,
because such communicative tasks can only be handled after mastering sufficient
grammar and lexical points.
Through
well-planned games, learners can practice and internalize vocabulary, grammar
and structures extensively. Play and competition that are provided by games
enhance the motivation of the students. They also reduce the stress in the classroom.
While playing games, the learners attention is on the message, not on the
language. In a way, students acquire language unconsciously since their whole
attention is engaged by the activity. By providing personal, social, and
cross-cultural issues to define, they sometimes simulate real life situations.
Many grammar games can be found in teaching grammar or course books.
There
is a great overlap between games and problem solving activities. Though games
generally place an emphasis on competition and wining, they also require some
type of problem-solving activity. Like games, problem-solving activities have
communicative purposes. Questions which require students to use available
evidence to reach a conclusion and the logic problems which assist language
learning by challenging students to demonstrate their understanding of English
in an interesting way are the types of problem-solving activities. In problem
solving activities, the problems are either based on real or imaginary
situations. In the activities students are given a real or an imagery
situation, and they are expected to find solutions for the problems.
Games
and problem solving activities can be used for all levels. By regarding the
proficiency, age and experience of the learners, appropriate activities might
be applied successfully. It is also important to design clear and easy
directions for the games or the activities.
Through
problem solving activities students utmost attention is to the detail and to
the meaning. The solution part of the problem can be used to generate any
specific grammar point. In such activities a teacher should act as a
facilitator rather than a director. It is also possible to integrate all skills
in such activities. Reading or listening to a situation, a problem, or a
question; responding or commenting either through speaking or writing. It is
also advisable to keep in mind that such activities provide entertaining
opportunities to practice thinking clearly while focusing on the form
unconsciously.
In
sum, games and problem solving activities provide favorable usages for extended
communicative practice of grammar. They are both motivating and challenging.
They encourage students to interact and communicate. Through such activities
students match the discourse with the context of the game or the problem
solving activity. So these activities create a meaningful context for language
use. The use of such activities both increases the cooperation and competition
in the classroom. Thus, potential classroom ideas come into being, and a
successful, joyful and enthusiastic learning is provided.
Conclusion
So far, the usage of songs, poems, games, and problem solving
activities are clarified. The advantages and some key points are explained. It
is now more apparent that the teaching of grammar can be supported effectively
by using such resources. According to the needs analysis of a classroom,
several techniques can be integrated with such resources. Since teaching is a
developing art, which requires innovative and creative ideas to enrich its
effectiveness, we must not hesitate to use such resources in our classrooms.
These resources can assist our teaching of grammar while providing a relaxed
atmosphere and motivated students. Such activities are student centered, hence,
by using them we give a chance to our students to express themselves, enjoy
themselves during learning, and use the reserves of their minds. As, it should
be born in mind that all these resources require the activation of both left
and right hemispheres. Thus, we let our students use their long-term memory and
learn effectively during such activities. So there is an undeniable fact that
if our concern is to provide a successful and beneficial teaching, we must not
hesitate to use songs, poems, games, and problem solving activities, which
bring the structural, pragmatic, prosodic and communicative aspects of language
together, in our language classrooms.
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