TOPIC 6 PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION AND ADAPTATION OF SONGS AND POEMS

AMIR AMIRRUL JAMES JOHN ROLAND

SELECTION OF SONGS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

types of songs

suggestions of techniques or activities that could be used in using songs in the language classroom

purposes of using songs in the classrooms

the criteria of text selection

Types of songs
No 1 Types Special occasion songs Description Songs which are sung on certain occasions or at certain times of the year. Songs, usually childrens songs, which are sung to accompany certain games Songs which require actions or some sort of mime to be performed while singing them. Specially written songs for teaching.

Songs and games

Action songs Songs where one structure or a lot of lexis is repeated over and over again

Songs which tells a story.

Songs that narrate stories.

Purposes for Using Songs in the Language Classroom

The main purposes for using songs in the ESL classroom is because of its potential to develop students in the following areas: Personal development Aesthetic development Cultural development Language learning development Moral values Some key reasons songs can work exceedingly well in ESL language classroom include the following: Songs exposes students to authentic, natural language. Grammar and cultural aspects can be introduced through songs. Songs exposes students to a wide range of accents. A variety of new vocabulary can be introduced to students through songs.

Criteria for Songs Selection

i. Learner Levels
Nuttal (1982) argues a text should be at the right level with the students proficiency.

Students can be categorized into three levels of proficiency which are elementary, intermediate and advanced levels.

In selecting songs, a teacher needs to choose the ones that suit their students level in terms of text difficulty and language complexity (vocabulary, structure).

ii. Cultural Considerations In choosing songs, you have to consider the following factors:

Sensitivity to the impact of culturallyinduced behaviour

Cultural biasness

Familiarity to learners background knowledge

The use words or expressions which are perceived as inappropriate, offensive or vulgar in the context of the students

iii. Other Considerations the song should be popular the song should be meaningful to the student the song should be slow enough to test comprehension as well as clear enunciation on the part of the singer the level of language used in the song should be simple with no difficult idioms, slang or vulgarities the tune should be catchy, easily remembered and age-appropriate

The following are criteria for selection and adaptation of songs that need to be considered : A. Readability of text B. Suitability of content C. Exploitability

A. Readability of Text
Readability is a measure of the comprehensibility of written text. It is the combination of lexical (i.e. vocabulary) and structural difficulty found in a text. (Nuttal,1982). Hence, the songs chosen should be at the right level of difficulty for your students. Therefore, select songs that are appropriate to your students level of proficiency in terms of sentence length, word length within sentences, complexity of vocabulary and sentence structure.

C. Exploitability

Exploitability means that the text should facilitate the development of reading skills in order to help the students become competent and independent readers (Nuttal, 1982).

However, in the context of song selection, the term exploitation could also be translated as the facilitation of learning. This means, a good song is one which you can exploit in your teaching. When you exploit a song, you make use of it to develop your students competence in achieving their learning outcomes.

Techniques in Using Songs with Young Learners

Dictation

Teach pronunciation and intonation

Focus questions

Teach listening for details and gist

Class discussion

True-false statements

Here is a sample activity that you could use with your students: Elephant Song (teacher and students actions are indicated in brackets) What is that noise (cup hand to ear) Up in the attic (point over your head) It is an elephant (make a trunk with your arm) Cycling round and round. (cycling motion with legs) It is an elephant (make a trunk with your arm) All chic and elegant (fashion model pose) With one tail here (make trunk with your arm) And one behind. (point to where your tail would be if you had one!) Repeat the song a number of times, each time, you stop singing one line of the song, but continue to do the action for that line. By the end of the song all you're doing is actions, no singing.

ADAPTATION OF SONGS
The following are factors of consideration in adapting songs: Lexical items Sentence structure Content

As such, you may have to do any one or all of the following to meet to the needs of your students or your teaching point: adapt the song by making the melody appropriately paced: make the tempo or beat slower if the songs beat is too fast. find an appropriate point to end the song if it is too long. adapt the song by replacing the wordings / lyrics which are difficult with simpler words. simplify the words or sentence structure of the lyrics of the songs chosen. reduce most carefully some of the lyrics of the songs chosen. adapt the song by replacing some of the words with words which will allow gestures.

PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION AND ADAPTATION OF POEMS

SELECTION OF POEMS FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

Purposes for Using Poetry in the Language Classroom

poem provides enjoyment some poems are amusing and entertaining the reading and recitation of poems helps to develop confidence in using English reciting poetry encourages the use of correct stress and intonation in English speech poems helps to introduce new vocabulary and word order

Criteria for Poetry Selection

Learner Levels
In selecting poems, a teacher needs to select poems that suit their students level in terms of text difficulty and language complexity (vocabulary, structure). The most basic children's poetry can sometimes too difficult for students in the rural areas. Hence, they might need to be adapted.

Cultural Considerations In choosing poems, you have to consider the following factors: Cultural Biasness Sensitivity to the impact of culturallyinduced behaviour Familiarity to learners background knowledge The use words or expressions which are perceived as inappropriate, offensive or vulgar in the context of the students

Students Interest
Young children prefer narrative poems over lyric poems as compared to free verse and haiku.

Limericks are childrens favoured form.

They also like humorous poems, poems about animals, and poems about enjoyable familiar experiences.

Other Considerations In selecting poems for your students, the following factors could also be useful for consideration: rhyme, humorous narrative, and content based on familiar experiences enthusiasm declines as children get older favour contemporary over traditional poems use of minimal complex imagery and subtle emotion

 Nuttal (1982:25) outlines a list of criteria as guidelines for selecting a text for classroom use. These are: the readability of text the suitability of content the exploitability of the authentic text

A. Readability of Text
poems chosen should be at the right level of difficulty for your students select the ones that are appropriate at your students level of proficiency in terms of sentence length, word length within sentences and complexity of sentence structure

The Table below shows three poems of three levels of difficulty and an analysis based on the criteria of text selection
1. Simple Apples, Peaches 2. More Difficult Sing Your Way Home 3.Most Difficult December Leaves

Apples, peaches, Pears, plums, Tell me when your Birthday comes

Sing your way home At the close of the day. Sing your way home Drive the shadows away. Smile every mile, For wherever you roam It will brighten your road, It will lighten your load, If you sing your way home.

The fallen leaves are cornflakes That fills the lawns wide dish, At night and noon The winds a spoon That stirs them with as wish. The skys silver sifter
A-sifting white and slow That gently shakes On crisp brown flakes The sugar known as snow

Verse 1 simple and short theme is easy

Verse 2 longer lines

Verse 3

few syllables
repetition learners can say it over and over again, in a circle game.

December Leaves is about the same more complex ideas length as Sing Your Way Home imagery is easy to grasp metaphors are more complex rhythm helps learners learn it imagery demands more of the reader a poem by literary definition

Avoid choosing poems which are too long and involved.

Choose poems which are short

The poems also need to have a clear message depending on the maturity level of the students

Avoid choosing poems with words outside the experience of your students.

B. Suitability of Content
Suitability of content means that the text should be interesting and informative The poem you choose must be relevant to the context in which students are familiar with and meet their needs and hopes

What would you like to be? Id like to be a farmer growing maize and wheat. Id like to be a mother and cook good things to eat. Id like to be shopkeeper with a lot of things to sell. Id like to be a childrens nurse and make sick children well. Id like to be a soldier and learn to march and shoot Id like to be a tailor and sew a dress or suit. Id like to be a policeman catching thieves at night. Id like to be a teacher and show to you how to read and write.

C. Exploitability of the Authentic Material Exploitability means that the text should facilitate the development of reading skills in order to help the students become competent and independent readers (Nuttal, 1982).

Techniques in Using Poems in the Classroom

i. Marching to Rhymes marching around the room while chanting a poem will help students feel the rhythm. ii. Listening to Rhymes have students clap or snap their fingers when they come to a rhyming word. They can also say it softer (or louder)or mouth the word without making a sound. iii. Rhyming Cloze read poems, asking students to join in only on the rhyming words. Put highlighter tape on the rhyming words.