Strategies+for+Using+Songs

//Post strategies for using culturally authentic songs in any language here.//


 * Actions** - For children's songs, have students learn the actions user:chericem1


 * Bingo** - Students are given a list of key words or phrases from the song and are asked to pout them into a blank bingo grid. Students listen for the words as the song plays and cross them off as they hear them. First person to "bingo" wins. This is an especially nice way to help students focus on vocabulary. I try to select words in the song that also appear in or relate to their current vocabulary from the text. Later, you can have them take the words and use them to write original sentences. [[file:Hymne a lamour Bingo.doc]] user:chericem1


 * Checklists** - Give students a list of words to check off as they hear them in the music (Idea by Nancy Frumkin from FLTEACH) user:chericem1


 * Clone Songs** - Have students rewrite the chorus of the song in the target language so that it expresses something of interest to them user:chericem1

user:chericem1
 * Cloze** **Exercise** - Give students copies of the lyrics (with key words removed). Have them listen to the song and attempt to fill in the missing words. This is good for having them focus on verb forms, special expressions, pronouns, and other grammatical structures.


 * Correct the Errors** - Replace some of the words in the lyrics with "mistakes" and then have students correct them. (Idea by Kathy White from FLTEACH) user:chericem1


 * [|Dance]** - Have students learn the dance that goes with the song, then use the song to reinforce grammar points user:chericem1


 * Found Poetry** - Give students copies of the lyrics to the song. Have them select a specific number of words and phrases, and rearrange them, recombine them, or add to them in order to create a poem that expresses or interprets the essence or meaning of the song. user:chericem1


 * Hear/Circle** - Use WordArt to "sprinkle" words or phrases from the song all over a page. Seat students in pairs. Give each pair one copy of the worksheet and two different colored crayons. As students listen to the song, they both hover over the worksheet, trying to be the first to circle the words that are on the sheet as they hear them. (Idea by Bethanie Carlson) user:chericem1


 * Highlight** - As students listen, have them highlight all the vocabulary words they know user:chericem1


 * Key Words** - Distribute key words from the song. When the student hears their word, they stand. (Idea shared by Irene Moon on FLTEACH from a presentation by Marcela Renna & Alicia Miguel) user:chericem1


 * Lip Sync** - Have students prepare lip syncs to various songs in the target language in small groups, then vote on the most convincing performance user:chericem1


 * Mad Libs -** Have students fill in the blanks of the song with words user:chericem1


 * Matching** - Note the way that the graphic design of this worksheet assists students in completing it, helps them find their place again when they get lost, and enables the teacher to quickly direct them to the right place [[file:Los hijos de la oscuridad Rev.doc]] user:chericem1

Students then have to find the other people in the class with the lyrics to their song, put the lyrics in order, and perform the song in front of the class. user:liederhosen36
 * Mixer -** Cut up sections of song lyrics (how many songs you use will depend on the number of students you have). Mix up the sections and pass them out.


 * Music Jeopardy** - Prepare a list of jeopardy questions about the song or a collection of songs on an album user:chericem1


 * Music Videos** - Have students watch clips from shows like //Onda Max// (or music videos from //YouTube//) and then try to create their own user:chericem1


 * Name That** . . . - Have students listen to clips from a number of different songs. Have them identify the artist, style (flamenco, merengue, salsa), or title of the song.


 * Paired Pronunciation Practice** - Create 2 different cloze exercises from the same set of lyrics. Give Partner A the first one and Partner B the second one. Have the pairs take turns reading the lyrics aloud to one another, line by line. When Partner A hear one of their missing words, they write it into the appropriate blank. Partner B does the same for their missing words. Partners compare papers to check their work. user:chericem1


 * Paraphrase** - Put the song lyrics in one column and blank lines in the other. Ask students to summarize each stanza of the song in their own words in the target language--what is the artist //really// trying to say/express? user:chericem1


 * Predictions** - [[file:Si el norte fuera el sur Rev.doc]] user:chericem1


 * Pre- or Post-listening** - Give students biographical sketches from magazines, news articles from newspapers, or other materials about the artists before or after having them listen to the song user:chericem1


 * Scrambled Sentence Strips** - I type the lyrics to the song in large font, double-spacing between each line so that there is room for students to cut them out. I then use the sort function of my word processor to scramble the order in which they appear. Photocopy the pages, distribute to students, and have them cut them into strips. They lay the strips out on their desks or the floor, and then as the song plays, they try to put the lines of the song in order. This works best with slower songs or songs that don't have too many words. You can also give them a worksheet with the lyrics on it except for the lines of the chorus. Leave a big blank space for the chorus. Give the kids a second sheet with the lines from the chorus on it and have them lay each strip into the blank spaces on the worksheet. This is nice because it allows them to focus on a select part of the song instead of being overwhelmed by the whole thing. [[file:El amor sentence scramble.doc]] user:chericem1


 * Scrambled Stanzas** - Give students the lyrics to the song, but scramble the order of the stanzas. As students listen to the song, they attempt to number the stanzas in chronological order. This helps them to stay focused while listening to the song and is a manageable task for lower level students who haven't yet developed strong listening discrimination skills. [[file:Eungenio Salvador Dalí Rev.doc]] [[file:Wie kann es sein.doc]] user:chericem1


 * Sketch a Song** - If you want students to focus on the meaning of the song or on the imagery and figurative language therein, type the lyrics to the song in one column. Create boxes next to key sections of the song in the other column. As students listen, they attempt to draw pictures that illustrate the meaning of each segment of the song. You can also have them do this after they listen to the song. By doing it this way, students can cut out magazine pictures if they are not good artists. You can formalize this by having them create a CD cover for the song (idea by Jeanette Blide), or have students or small groups each illustrate a different stanza (Idea by Marge Mandl) user:chericem1


 * Stand and Order**- Hand out a line or two of the song to every student. Students go around the room and share their lyrics with 2-3 other students. This helps them read their portion and try to figure out a general idea of what the song is about. Then have students come back to their seats. The students then listen to the song, and stand up when they hear their line. Then, the second time through, they put themselves in order by standing up and walking to the front of the room when their lyric is sung. After the whole song is over, have students return to their seats and you can have them sing the chorus or a specific section related to a theme or grammar concept you are working on. user:cartierm

See also (from FLTEACH):

[|Activities for Using Music in the HS Classroom by Kathy White] user:chericem1

[|Activities for Songs Sung by Justo Lamas for Spanish I, II, & III (free download)] user:chericem1

[|Music (From Songs to Writing) by Claudia Irigoin] user:chericem1

[|Music in the Classroom by Susan George] user:chericem1

[|What do you do with the music? by George Watson] user:chericem1

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