chris walklett [email protected] … elt malta conference... · 4) are you ... it will...

Chris [email protected]

www.teachingtracks.com(under construction)

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.teachingtracks.com/



https://www.facebook.com/groups/creatingusesforsongs

http://www.teachingtracks.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1jdJK6VU4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1jdJK6VU4






In this workshop we will produce materials (hopefully even lesson plans) that employ songs and song lyrics.

The aim is to see if our collective imaginations can

produce better than what is already out there.

Firstly - is there really a paucity in what is out there?

Aim





1) Do you use songs and song lyrics in your EFL classroom?

2) If yes, where did you get your materials from?

3) Are you satisfied with the quality of materials in coursebooks?

4) Are you satisfied with the quality of materials on the internet?

5) Do you think we could do more with this resource?

Kahoot straw poll




www.teachingtracks.com(under construction)1) Do you use songs and song lyrics in your EFL classroom?

28 yes, 7 no.

2) If yes, where did you get your materials from?

8 coursebooks, 13 internet, 3 make them myself, 11 all of these/

3) Are you satisfied with the quality of materials in coursebooks?

2 very, 6 satisfied, 20 neither satisfied or unsatisfied, 8 unsatisfied.

4) Are you satisfied with the quality of materials on the internet?

5 very satisfied, 24 Satisfied, 6 neither satisfied nor unsatisfied, 2 unsatisfied.

5) Do you think we could do more with this resource?

24 yes definitely, 9 probably, 1 probably not, 2 no it’s already covered well.

Fair enough - let’s explore how we can do more with this resource!

Kahoot straw poll results





What has been done?

Since the 70s, extensive use of song and song lyrics in course books.

Headway, English File, Inside Out etc.

(Previous talk I have given)

https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2014/session/changing-attitudes-using-songs-song-lyrics-efl

Theorists thoughts

“American Pie by Don McLean is reduced in a well-known coursebook to a rhyming activity (along the lines of chance with dance)”.

(Mishan 2005: 111)

Books using songs exclusively- just 2

Using songs and song lyrics: a brief history i) Coursebooks



https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2014/session/changing-attitudes-using-songs-song-lyrics-efl



fallen into “the gap-fill trap” (Walklett)

Heinemann Hits (1996)





Traditional Folk Songs (2012) David Hill





https://tefltunes.com/ pay site

https://sandraheyersongs.com/songs/ interesting stuff

http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-listening/songs_and_lyrics/ gap fill

http://www.songsforteaching.com/esleflesol.htm ‘made for teaching’ songs

http://www.tuneintoenglish.com/ some good ones - need to register

https://lyricalenglish.wordpress.com/ a blog with a few good song lesson plans

https://songswithstories.wordpress.com/ a blog with a couple of good song lesson plans

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/search_result?Tags=song 1000s of gap fills

http://lessonstream.org/2012/05/29/message-in-a-bottle/ Jamie Keddie 1 good e.g.

Using songs and song lyrics: a brief history ii) Online sources



https://tefltunes.com/

https://sandraheyersongs.com/songs/

http://busyteacher.org/classroom_activities-listening/songs_and_lyrics/

http://www.songsforteaching.com/esleflesol.htm

http://www.tuneintoenglish.com/

https://lyricalenglish.wordpress.com/

https://songswithstories.wordpress.com/

https://en.islcollective.com/resources/search_result?Tags=song

http://lessonstream.org/2012/05/29/message-in-a-bottle/



Think about when to play the song

Think about when to use/display/let them access the lyrics

Think about when (or even if) to use the video

Please try to avoid the ‘gap-fill trap’

hence avoid using gap-fill

It will effect the rest of the lesson plan

What to include in a lesson plan?

Receptive; ListeningReading

Productive;SpeakingWriting

Grammar focusVocabulary focusPhonetic / Pron focus

Lead-in / warmertheme





Bottom up or top down?





is concerned with details, it is intensive.

It starts from the text and assumes that by working on detailed elements in the text (in this

case a song) will increase student’s ability to more fully comprehend it later on.

Bottom up is intensive grammar, vocabulary or phonetic work.

It can be micro or macro:

• using a song to illustrate a grammar form/point (G)

• dictogloss - listen - what are the key words? (V)

• searching for synonyms / antonyms within the song’s lyrics (V)

• connected speech in a song (P)

Gap fill is effectively bottom up albeit it involves top down processing.

A somewhat traditional approach -

“students are often locked into a bottom up learning mode” (Tenant)

Bottom up processing:




www.teachingtracks.com(under construction)takes student’s schemata (their knowledge of the world) into account.

Top down processing focuses students more on the overall general meaning rather than on individual words or phrases. Thus it is concerned with the ‘big picture’.

Top down processing activities are extensive;

theme orientation or topic discussion, brainstorming activities,

vocabulary anticipation, ‘chunking’ etc.

Something related to theme of the song /contextualisation of the song

If using Bowie’s Space Oddity for e.g. start with an text /activity on space travel.

A predictive activity (utilising the student’s schemata)

this song is called … What might it be about?

Top down activities are a logical way to start a song/song lyrics lesson .

Top down processing:





Bottom up or top down?

A mixture of both…as one feeds into the other!

Easier to start top down however bottom up at the start is possible with certain songs and a

bit of thought ( no gap fill please )

The challenge for us as teachers is“not which to use strategy wise

but what to use at a time sequence level” (Tenant)





Stage Aims of stage Interaction

Lead in

For ‘top down’ this could be

Related to theme / contextualisation

Some kind of predictive activity /brainstorming

For ‘bottom up’ this could be

Grammar input

Necessary vocabulary

Phonetic work

ARTICLE ON SPACE TRAVEL (TOP DOWN)

OR WRITING ABOUT HOW TO BE AN

ASTRONAUT

OR

FOCUSING ON DIRECT SPEECH V REPORTED

SPEECH (BOTTOM UP)

S

Receptive task

Reading (the lyrics or a related text)

or listening task (the song)

STUDENTS READING TEXT

OR

LYRICS FIND EXAMPLES OF DIRECT SPEECH

S-S

Gist questions related to the above COMPREHENSION AND/OR THEME

BASED QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT OR

LYRICS AS ORIENTATION TO THE THEME

OF THE SONG

T-S

S-S

S-T

Second listen / view video? LISTEN TO SONG (WITH VIDEO) - S

Lesson plan e.g. Bowie – Space Oddity 1/2





Stage Aims of stage Interaction

Comprehension activity -

e.g. more specific questions or detail on the song WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE

NARRATOR – DISUCSSION

GRAMMAR ACTIVITY – REPORTED

SPEECH

S-S

S-T

T-S

S-S

S-T

Wider discussion on theme - broaden it out LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS

CONSPIRACY THEORIES

S-S

S-S

Finale or lead out SOMETHING ON THE ARTIST

HIMSELF – A PRESENTATION OR A

READING FOR E.G.

T-S

Additional or extension activities RESEARCH PROJECT – FIND OUT

SOMETHING ABOUT THE ARTIST

FOR A LATER PRESENTATION

S

S-S

Lesson plan e.g. Bowie – Space Oddity 2/2





The 10 songs used;

Aphrodite’s Child – It’s 5 O’ Clock

Isley Brothers – Harvest For the World

21 Pilots – Stressed Out

Lou Reed – Perfect Day

The Kinks – Sunny Afternoon

Simon and Garfunkel – Sound of Silence

Sly and the Family Stone – Everyday People

The Doors – The Unknown Soldier

Nina Simone – Feeling Good

Aerosmith – Dream On





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www.teachingtracks.co.uk(under construction)

Thank you for attending






chris walklett [email protected] … elt malta conference... · 4) are you ... it will...

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