Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 1

Teaching English through Songs and Chants to

Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an
Elementary School
-
Chun-fu Chen ()

Chiukuei Chang Chien ()

William Terry Alred

Applied English Department

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to explore whether songs and chants, taught as
part of structured lessons, proved to be effective additional tools in language learning. The
subjects were students from 26 classes from the first to fourth grades in an elementary school.
The teaching material used involved two types of songs and chants. Each lesson was taught for
a period of 35 minutes each week for 14 weeks. The results were based upon the observations
of the student teachers during their instruction and the analysis of questionnaires completed by
the students. The analysed results evidenced that songs and chants did have a positive effect
on the students learning of English and indicated that songs and chants could effectively be
used to develop the English language proficiency of young learners.

53
35

Songs and Chants/ Teaching Practice/ Language

Proficiency/ Student Teachers/

INTRODUCTION
The teaching of English as a foreign language is now one of the most important subjects
in most primary schools in the world. In the recent years the use of songs and chants in the
English classroom has increasingly gained in popularity as a means of second or foreign
language instruction. This is especially case for young learners, due to the fact that it provides
a non-intimidating way to acquire and use a new language. The researchers consider the value
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of relating songs and chants in the EFL classroom to be an integral part of our language
experience, and if used in tandem having a defined course objective with a related language
lesson, they can be a learning tool of great value.
In order to effectively use songs and chants, the researchers exposed them to the
students in the context of a teacher training program. In this study, the researchers used songs
and chants by creating and demonstrating their effectiveness as a learning tool and provided
insights into their benefits in the classroom. In addition, different effective techniques as well
as innovative activities through songs and chants were also introduced and demonstrated to the
student teachers. The intent was to help them explore a variety of creative ways to interpret
meanings through movement and singing in order to use them as an instructional tool for
young learners learning speaking and listening skills.

LITERATURE REVIEW
The related literature focuses on why songs and chants are considered to be effective
tools in language learning and how they provide a variety of different functions in the
classroom [21]. The value of songs in motivating students to learn English and enhancing
learner involvement is now widely acknowledged by ESL practitioners [8,22]. In recent years
many EFL teachers have adopted a variety of authentic materials to create a positive effect on
learners motivation in the foreign language classroom. The purpose of using authentic
materials is to enhance the learners interest and enjoyment, maintain their attention,
encourage their interaction and thereby aid learning. In other words the deployment of
imaginative approaches is to increase learners motivation and to develop the teaching of
English as a foreign language in a more communicative way. Eken [7] stated that teachers use
songs in the English language classroom for a variety of reasons with the most common being:
- to present a topic, a language point, lexis, etc.
- to practise a language point, lexis, etc.
- to focus on common learner errors in a more direct way
- to encourage extensive and intensive listening
- to stimulate discussion of attitudes and feelings
- to encourage creativity and use of imagination
- to provide a relaxed classroom atmosphere
- to bring variety and fun to teaching and learning (p.1)
Johnson [15] concludes that by teaching songs and chants teachers can more easily and
effectively evaluate students listening and speaking skills by having them work in pairs or
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Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 3

groups, writing dialogues and conversations. In addition it can be equally effective for
illustrating
rhythmic
stress,
intonation,
pronunciation,
sentence
structure,
accuracy/appropriateness of statements and questions.
Eken [7] has mentioned that a teachers selection of a technique or a set of techniques
should be guided by his/her objectives for the class (p.1). Also Sibarah [25] states that songs,
like other activities, should be included in lesson plans only when they promote a defined
course objective(p.1). The best situation is that when the song or chant is selected as a direct
complement to the lesson, it should contain a structure, vocabulary or a discussion theme that
can be used directly in a text lesson (Griffee [11], p7).
Songs and chants can help develop learners English learning skills such as listening
comprehension, practice of communication skills and memorization of grammar structures.
This section will concentrate on the three language skills on which the project was based: (1)
vocabulary, (2) listening and (3) speaking (pronunciation). Furthermore, the project focus was
also based upon the research and literature considerations on how each can be taught,
developed, illustrated or highlighted by properly selected songs and chants.

Introducing and Embedding New Vocabulary

When learning a language students need to learn the lexis of the language, what specific
words mean and how they are used. Moreover, students also have to be aware of the
vocabulary they need for their level and that they can use the words which they want to use
and/or the words that have been selected for them to use [12]. In the language classroom
teachers used to have students memorise and learn a list of new words in a taught lesson - the
traditional way to extend students vocabulary. However, when the teacher asked the students
on a later occasion the words and their meaning, they could not remember them because they
were unable to associate the words with their meaning in their mind. However, had a song or
chant been used properly in connection with the selected words in context a more positive
outcome may have occurred. One possibility to explain this condition is that the traditional
teaching technique requiring young learners to learn words by rote memorization to extend
their vocabulary might not be interesting to them and hence words are less likely to be
retained.
There are many more interesting ways to teach young students vocabulary such as
using pictures, song lyrics, chants, miming, actions, gestures and stories. Griffee [11] has said
that songs are especially good at introducing vocabulary because they provide a meaningful
context for the vocabulary (p.5). Similarly, Harmer [12] states that actions, in particular, are
probably better explained by mime and again in conjunction with song lyrics provide a more
memorable context (p.161). For example, concepts like running or swimming are easy to
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present in this way; so are ways of walking, expressions, prepositions (to, towards, etc.)
and times (a hand jerked back over the shoulder to represent the past, for example). Thus,
many rhymes and songs are simple in content though, they effectively increase vocabulary,
and the repeated patterns and sequences of words and rhythm are good memory exercises [18]
( p.7).
For example:
Clothes chant
1 little ant is crawling on me.
Take off my shirt!
Ooo! Eee!
2 little ants are crawling on me
3 little ants are crawling on me
4 little ants are crawling on me.
5 little ants are crawling on me.
Take off my shirt!
Take off my pants!
Take off my shoes!
Take off my socks!
Take off my.underwear? No way
(Taken from Hess Language School)
By using this chant the learners can learn the numbers, clothing and other articles of daily use.
The teacher can ask learners to use their forefingers and middle fingers pretending it to be an
ant crawling on their hands while students are chanting the first line. The same process goes
on until one verse is finished. After practicing the chant several times, the teacher can ask
learners what they want to take off when there are three ants crawling on their hands. By doing
this, the learners can compose their own sentences. For example, the learners might say,
Three ants are crawling on me, take off my shirt, take off my pants and take off my shoes.
The learners can also develop a sense of rhythm in conjunction with the words, which makes it
easier for them to remember the vocabulary.
Diamond [5] has stated that learners can be encouraged to compose their own songs by
adapting songs they have already learned. For example, I am a Pizza could become I am a
Sandwich or I am a Taco thereby expanding their use of language.

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Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 5

Developing Listening and Speaking Skills

The language of songs and chants is often used to help develop listening and speaking
skills necessary in face-to-face communication, and for some learners, this is the main focus of
their interest [6]. Therefore, the following questions may be posed to students:
What kind of listening and speaking exercises and activities are enjoyable?
Which exercises and activities do you find encouraging?
What kind of listening and speaking exercises and activities help build your
confidence?
Using songs and chants in the classroom is considered a great way to develop learners
listening comprehension by reducing stress while learning. Using songs and chants
accomplishes this by crating an atmosphere that is more relaxing thereby reducing anxiety (or
at least gives the impression of doing so). For this reason, the learners feel less inhibited and
more willing to participate throughout the learning process. Laroy [17] has however cautioned
that not all songs are suitable for listening comprehension exercises and stated that it is vital to
be very selective. He further stressed that a song should be chosen with a reasonably coherent
text, where the words are clearly distinguishable from the music, and there should usually be
preparatory activities. Also, only questions that can be answered by learners at their present
level of competence should be asked. It is also considered useful to have learners listen to
songs and chants with varying rhythms and tempos, such as those from Carolyn Grahams
books Jazz Chants [9] and Small Talk [10]. By doing this learners can feel, experiment
with, and simply enjoy the rhythm of the English language. Johnson [15] has stated that as
rhythm is closely related to intonation patterns and the phenomena of deleting, blending,
shortening, and lengthening sounds in spoken English, it is vital that students of EFL are
taught stress and rhythm. This can be achieved by using songs and chants(p.31). Once EFL
learners comprehend the interrelationship among these very basic components of spoken
English and use them in their own conversations, their listening comprehension and speaking
skills will improve.
Songs can also motivate a positive emotional approach to language learning. Exerting
emotional influence on a listener, songs can inspire to express his/her attitude towards what
he/she has learned. They can also serve as an incentive for speaking English in class [21],
(p.42). Tim Murphey [20] has identified this idea as the song stuck-in-my-head
phenomenon whereby the words, context and language are registered in the brain on a deep
track and are more easily or less energetically recalled since musical perception starts
before birth.
Other activities specifically designed to aid learners listening comprehension are song
dictation and gap filling. Dictation has always been a useful technique for language teachers,
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and song dictation deploys the same technique except that songs are played or sung aloud and
written down by learners. Song dictation can be done in a number of different ways. The two
most effective ways are (a) for the teacher to play and sing the song him/herself and (b) to use
a recording on CD, video or cassette. Another valuable method which applies aspects of audio
and visual learning styles is presenting You Tube video clips via the Internet of the selected
songs. These methods make it possible to stop/pause and re-start in order to suit learners
writing speed.
Cullen [4] advocates the use of song dictation for three main reasons: (a) it makes a
somewhat tedious technique where learners get bored easily into an activity that learners can
relate to and enjoy; (b) the melody and rhythm of the song helps to maintain the natural
rhythm and stress of speech of which conventional dictation at a slow, laboured and unnatural
rhythm is devoid; and (c) it is a good way to present a song and provides a starting point to all
the other language learning potential, and which allows, for example, discussion, vocabulary
work or class involvement in singing.

METHODOLOGY
From the review of the literature in the previous section it was clear that those writers
who had used songs and chants in their teaching and research experience demonstrated great
enthusiasm for the subject. They wrote passionately about the use of songs and chants and the
effects of these uses. They wrote of motivation, participation, fun, understanding,
context, memorability and joy. They did this with an all-consuming commitment that
songs and chants became so entrenched in their teaching and research that other activities
tended to take a subordinate place. The study was designed mainly using qualitative methods
of data collection. Merrian and Simpson [19] stated that Research is a systematic process by
which we know more about something than we did before engaging in the process (p.4). The
aim of this paper is to help student-teachers explore the effectiveness of applying songs and
chants in Shuei-Shang Elementary School. In order to assess the effectiveness of learning
English through songs and chants in the classroom, the researchers wanted to know how
young learners experiences help with their learning and what progress they had gained. The
researchers designed the lesson plans used by the student teachers. The lesson plan containing
songs and chants were used twice a week. The purpose was to apply songs and chants as an
effective means to make young learners feel more comfortable and interested in learning
vocabulary, speaking and listening. To achieve the goal, the researchers focused on the
attitudes of the learners as well as what they had gained through their learning with songs and
chants. The curriculum involved conducting different kinds of activities and conversations in
the lessons so that the researchers could see how young learners reacted to different strategies
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Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 7

and methods of learning English. In addition, the researchers also wanted to find if there were
any problems that occurred during the process of teaching. The results were collected at the
end of a 14 week period using classroom observations and question surveys. In the following
sections the researchers examined the components of the method used by Creswell [3] under
the following heads:
(A) subjects
(B) instrumentation and materials
(C) procedures (p.126)
(A) Subjects
The subjects in this study were 890 Taiwanese young learners between 7 and 11 years
of age in 26 separate classes. They were learning English as a foreign language at this
Elementary School, Chiayi, Taiwan. The Learners attended the morning classes from 7:30 to
8:20 (50 minutes), twice a week. Some of the learners had been learning English for three
years. They had not previously been taught English through songs and chants in any
systematic or structured way. Namely, the subjects were ideal for the purpose of this study.
(B) Instrumentation and Materials
Instrumentation and Materials consisted of lesson plans, a questionnaire and an
observation sheet.
(1) Lesson plans: There were 14 lesson plans and each lesson plan was based on the
themes of study which the learners were scheduled to be taught during the 14 weeks,
two times a week. Each lesson plan was divided into four parts, inclusive of song/chat,
vocabulary, conversation and game.
(2) Questionnaire: This was completed by the learners at the end of the practical teaching. The
questionnaire was designed to give the learners an opportunity to voice their own views
on the teaching materials and methods. It was also designed to provided the researchers
with some useful information on the reasons why learners had chosen to learn English, as
well as, an insight into their motivation for learning the language. The questionnaire was
translated into Chinese allowing the learners the best opportunity to fully comprehend and
complete it.
(3) Observation sheet: As the actions and behaviour of people are a central aspect in
virtually any inquiry, a natural and obvious technique is to watch, and then to describe,
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analyse, and interpret what we have observed [23]. Observation is an excellent way of
gathering data directly rather than relying on what people may report as happening [1].
The research questions determined the strategy for the observational work. The type of the
observation sheet is called structured observation. An observation sheet was used to
assess overall class motivation generated by the material in use, as manifested by levels of
learner interest, enthusiasm, activity, persistence with the learning task, concentration and
enjoyment during the class. It was designed to be completed by the researchers and
student teachers immediately after the class and the learners had left the classroom. Each
listed item was scored for each lesson from 1 to 5 1 being poor to 5 which was excellent.
The range of scores was between 6 and 30. Further, the researchers and student teachers
had to comment on (a) vocabulary learning; (b) listening focus; and (c) speaking focus.
Comments had to be supported by evidence where it was appropriate.
(C) Procedures
The period of the study ran for 14 weeks from September 28 to December 21 in 2005.
The 53 student teachers taught the lessons during the 14 weeks period and the learners were
introduced to and taught songs and chants which were relevant to the particular lesson points
being taught. Diagrammatically and using the notation provided by Campbell and Stanley [2],
the research could be depicted as follows:
As stated before, the materials consisted of the lesson plans that had been prepared by
the researchers and which incorporated all the relevant songs and chants for the student
teachers to use during their lesson.
During each lesson the researchers and the student teachers completed am observation
sheet. After each lesson the researchers randomly selected a completed observation sheet.
Hopkins [13] describes observation as a pivotal activity with a crucial role to play in
classroom research, teachers personal-professional growth, and school development as a
whole. There has been much debate over the effect of an observers degree of participation in
a study raising issues of objectivity and bias, and thereby tending to diminish the objective
reliability of the observation data [14,24,26]. The data generated by the questionnaire and
observation sheet are analysed and discussed in section four.
The learners were given a short questionnaire to complete at the end of the course. The
content and format were discussed earlier in this chapter. It was considered by the researchers
that a simple questionnaire rather than an interview scenario was better as for three separate
reasons. First, the objective results are more reliable as the researchers (as potential
interviewers) cannot be criticised for bias or lack of objectively. Second, in an interview
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Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 9

situation with young children they may feel compelled to give likable replies and the mood or
tone of the interviewers may unduly affect the replies. Finally, younger students may feel
intimidated or possibly frightened during an interview which may also askew their responses
to the questions. The answers to the questionnaires are analysed in section five.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Questionnaire Results
Some of the important findings are summarized in this session. Dealing first with
questionnaire, the 890 learners completed the questionnaire at the end of the 14 weeks. The
learners were instructed not to write their names and told to answer the questions carefully.
When asked about their preference for learning English, interestingly, and somewhat
surprisingly, of the 890 learners in this school, 456 (51%) learners favoured the method of
learning English through songs and chants. The researchers can corroborate the enjoyment
and benefit experienced by the learners through the use of songs and chants. Of the total
number of students asked, 151 (17%) felt that listening was more interesting while 139
(16%) liked reading story books. When asked about speaking and writing, 117 (13%) chose
speaking and 27 (3%) chose writing as their favourite way of learning English. The
second question asked learners whether they thought that learning English through songs and
chants helped understanding English. Of the 890 learners, 356 (40%) chose a lot and 291
(33%) selected average. A total of a 195 (22%) of the learners thought that songs and chants
did not help much, while only 48 (5%) did not find them helpful. The third question asked
learners whether they would like songs and chants to be used in the language classroom in
future years. Over half the learners 494 (55%) learners out of 890 stated yes, while 238
(27%) chose not sure and 158 (18%) selected no. The results from this question reflected
what the researchers expected based upon their experience with using songs and chants. The
fourth question asked the learners about their feeling toward learning English through songs
and chants. Over half the students, 455 (51%), answered that it was very enjoyable; while
290 (33%) had no idea and 145 (16%) learners considered it to be boring. On the last
question the learners were given the following five statements and they were asked to rank
each statement on a scale of 1 to 5. On this scale 1 meant that the learners strongly agreed with
the statement and 5 meant that the learners strongly disagreed with the statement.
The statements were:
5.1 It is easy to memorize vocabulary by using gestures, movements and singing.
5.2 Singing makes me feel more confident in class.
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5.3 Listening to songs and chants helps me to pronounce English words more clearly.
5.4 Songs and chants give me the opportunity to practise English in class.
5.5 Songs and chants encourage me to make sentences easily.
Table 1.1 records their answers.
Table 1.1 The benefits of using songs and chants for English learning
F6

Strongly agree

Agree

Not sure

Disagree Strongly disagree

5.1

346 (39%)

211 (24%)

214 (24%)

51 (6%)

68 (8%)

5.2

352 (40%)

220 (25%

200 (22%)

64 (7%)

54 (6%)

5.3

400 (45%)

190 (21%)

160 (18%)

79 (9%)

61(7%)

5.4

412 (46%)

240 (27%)

130 (15%)

57 (6%)

51(6%)

5.5

353 (40%)

215 (24%)

173 (19%)

70 (8%)

79 (9%)

As can be seen from Table 1.1, 346 of the 890 (39%) learners strongly agreed with the
statement that it is easy to memorise vocabulary by using gestures, movement and singing.,
but 214 (24%) were not sure. Only 352 (40%) learners strongly agreed and 220 (25%) agreed
out of the 890 learners with the statement that Singing makes me feel more confident to
perform in class; however, 200 (22%) were uncertain. Of the 890 learners, 400 (45%)
learners strongly agreed and 190 (21%) agreed with the statement that listening to songs and
chants helps me to pronounce English words more clearly; however, 160 (18%) did not show
a positive attitude toward this account. 412 (46%) learners strongly agreed and 240 (26%)
agreed out of the 890 learners with the statement that songs and chants give me the
opportunity to practise English in class; 130 (15%) were not sure. Finally, 353 (40%)
learners strongly agreed and 215 (24%) agreed out of the 890 learners with the statement that
songs and chants encourage me to make sentences easily. Nevertheless, 173 (19%) learners
did not have a definite answer to this statement.
Results of the Observation Sheets
The researchers contended that the mix of songs and chants with games, conversation
and activities seems to increase and maintain overall class performance. Analysing slightly
further each of the component aspects of the overall class performance is interesting and
instructive.
Whilst the researchers do not seek to rely on these individual component parts of overall
class behaviour as of particular significance, they do nevertheless serve to highlight those

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Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 11

areas where the learners in the 26 classes were most pronounced. This changed occurred in
level of learners interest, concentration and enjoyment during class.
The observation sheet covered any comments the researchers noted, supporting same
with evidence, of the learners involvement in Vocabulary Learning, Listening Focus and
Speaking Focus. These were not items susceptible to measurement, and the following
comments reflect the researchers and the student teachers observations and experience.
Taking each in turn they are as follows:
Vocabulary Learning. For young learners (7-12 years) the teaching of vocabulary must start
with the names of things like animals, food, buildings, toys, people, family and actions (sit,
run, pass, jump and touch etc.). Thus to demonstrate the meaning of the words the researchers
during the period of the study trained the student teachers to use visual aids and other
materials (such as songs and chants) to improve and extend learners vocabulary. These
methods were flexible tools of instruction used to encourage learners interaction and to gain
and maintain their attention. By teaching vocabulary in this way the learners could recall more
and therefore were able to easily engage all four language skills reading the words, listening
to their sounds, speaking them out loud and writing them down. The researchers found that
there were several ways in which the learners were more involved and interactive. These two
examples help illustrate the points:
Example (1): By using the song Physical Song (as set out below) with the learners the
student teachers were able to help the learners learn four adjective words (tall, short, fat and
thin) in a grammatically correct way. The melody of the song, the syntax and structure of the
lyrics linked to the melody were all ways of establishing and embedding this in the learners
minds and provided an easier and more fun way for them to recall and apply the words to
different situations.
First, the learners were taught the lyrics and the melody of the song. Then by replacing
the words tall, short, fat and thin they were able to fit each word into the melody and
rhythm of the line. The learners were then able to interchange the target vocabulary words
within the same sentence pattern I am ____.
The aim of this song was to extend learners vocabulary and at the same time help
them with some problematic areas in particular. The learners were taught this song by the
student teachers using four cartoon pictures on the blackboard. The student teachers taught
the shapes and height from the four pictures, then they explained that, for example, Is he
tall?, Is she fat?, and Are you thin?. Later, they asked the learners, for example, Is Jack
tall?. The learners would answer Jack is tall. This method of instruction made the task of
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memorization a fun activity thereby creating a higher level of interest and motivation for the
students to learn.
Listening Focus. Listening is a very important part of the teaching of new words and
structures. Doing listening activities using songs, rhymes and chants are very useful exercises
and great fun for the students. They also give the learners the chance to practise and get a feel
for the language, for example, the intonation, rhythm, pronunciation and stress of the words or
phrases being taught. In order to improve learners English pronunciation and listening, it is
necessary for them to listen to the chant repeatedly. The following example is a chant which
was used by the student teachers to highlight English language stress and rhythm. The learners
chanted the exercises at normal speed and at the same time tapped the rhythm with their hands.
The words that were to be stressed were in bold type thus making it easier for the learners to
follow. For example:
Mommy, mommy. Listen to me. I would like that kite for me.
No, No. I told you no. Spank, spank. Whahanhan.
To help the learners with intonation when asking questions the following examples also
were used. Questions can be asked by changing the intonation of a sentence. This is done by
raising your voice on the final or penultimate syllable, and interrogative (question) words are
usually at the beginning of the sentence and are always emphasized in speech. The focus here
was on asking and answering questions like, What have you got? whereby the desired
response would be, I have got an apple. Another example is, Do you like it? and the
appropriate reply is, Yes, Yes. I like it very much. One further example was taken from Jazz
Chants Bankers Wifes Blues (see Graham, 1978, p.43).
This chant provided the learners with the opportunity to practise the pronunciation of
problematic words, like live, near, bank, work, great, study, sleep etc. This was
also used to the correct the intonation when asking questions beginning with where?,
when? and why?. The learners learnt how, and when, to use rising and falling sounds. The
researchers found that some learners had problems when they read a question beginning with
what or where because their intonation was monotonously flat without any rise or fall in
sound. The learners were taught the individual sounds and listened to the rhythm two or three
times while they followed the written words. After this exercise, they started to beat out the
rhythm and repeated this a few times. It was a good way for the learners to latch onto the
correct rhythm. Learners were also provided with a further opportunity to address and practise
grammar points, such as third person singular s and auxiliary verbs do and does when
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they described the personal pronouns he/she/it etc. The researchers also used this chant to
do gap filling exercises. For example:
Where ________ John live? He ________ near the bank.
Where does he ________ ? He works at the ________.
Speaking Focus. During the period the student teachers and the researchers were very
impressed by the fact that all the young learners had a very strong motivation to learn English.
The researchers were sure that this strong motivation was, in part, attributable to the use of
songs and chants during every lesson. The researchers considered that interaction patterns
were necessary for the whole class and therefore focused on teaching in a fun way with
learners being given the opportunity to speak English as much as possible. The learners were
introduced to several new vocabulary words, and in teaching the new words the student
teachers paid particular attention on learners correct pronunciation. The learners were
expected to be able to communicate with a minimum of linguistic competence and use phrases
such as:
(1) Are you tall? Yes, I am tall. No, I am not tall.
(2) How many animals can you see? I can see _______.
(3) What can you see? I can see_______.
(4) What do you want to drink? I want to drink _______.
(5) Are you hungry? Yes, I am hungry. No, I am not _______.
(6) How are you? Fine! Thanks, and you?
(7) Where are you? I am in the ________.
(8) What do you need? I need a _______.
(9) Can you put on/take off your _______? Yes, I can put on/take off my _______
(10) What do you forget? I forget my ______.
(11) Where are you going? I am going to ________.
The aim was to highlight the learners awareness of the use of language and to build up
their confidence by learning some songs, chants and activities which illustrated the use of the
language by hearing and speaking the words and phrases several times. The researchers found
that the learners soon learned how questions and requests should be formulated in English.
By using songs and chants in imaginative ways the learners speaking skills were
undoubtedly enhanced. Each song and chant presented its own possibilities. The researchers
thus consider that it can properly and objectively be stated that in speaking, songs and chants
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have improved learners in the following ways:

First, songs and chants give learners the confidence to speak out, sing out, chant out or
generally experiment with the language sampling the sounds, the stresses, the intonation and
the flow. Second, songs and chants give a mental framework to the use of certain phrase and
structure. Once learners hear the phrase or structure in a song or chant and then speak or sing
the targeted phrase, they help reinforce in their minds the structure and proper use of the
language. Finally, in addition to the benefits set out above, once certain phrases are learnt
they can be adopted, varied and changed to meet different situations and that way their use is
extended, thereby improving fluency.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

As exemplified and illustrated above that songs and chants do promote language
learning for they not only aid pronunciation, make vocabulary and structures memorable but
also bring variety and fun to the language learning classroom. To make the best use of songs
and chants in the language learning classroom, several factors need to be taken into account.
First, to make any significant contribution to language acquisition songs and chants have to be
carefully selected. They cannot be used only as a single source of language learning material.
Used only as a single source of language learning material in the classroom the researchers
consider that they would not work. The selection criteria must be used to give consideration
to the purpose for which the songs and chants are to be used, the age and experience of the
learners and the method to be adopted in teaching the songs and chants. Secondly, the songs
or chants are best used as part of the language learning course. Textbooks with their examples,
exercises and carefully planned incremental language learning should be the core of language
teaching with the fun illustrative examples being supplied by songs and chants. They can be
used to explain, contextualize and show language in action. Thirdly, the teaching of songs and
chants does not suit all language teachers, especially when teaching young children. The
teacher must be prepared to give a strong enthusiastic lead and augment the voice with actions,
gestures, movement and possibly dance so that the sounds, gestures and movements can be
associated with the target vocabulary or language structure. Oftentimes, the more exaggerated
the actions the more interested the learners are in the lesson. This provides a mental hook that
is formed in the learners mind; therefore the association of sounds with these gestures can be
a very effective memory aid for children.
Drawn from the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the learners at ShueiShang Elementary School have benefited greatly from this 14 weeks language learning course.
The evidence based upon the questionnaire, the observation sheets and the direct observations

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Teaching English through Songs and Chants to Develop Young Learners Language Proficiency at an Elementary School 15

made by the researchers and the student teachers have proven this to be true. The beneficial
aspects can be stated as follows:
- Vocabulary: The learners liked to repeat and imitate the articulation of spoken English.
Thus when they chanted and sang and heard the stresses, rhythms, intonations and
melodies, they all combined to help them embed the new vocabulary in their minds
and recall it correctly at a later time.
- Listening comprehension: By listening to the songs and chants the learners could hear
the correct pronunciation, the rhythm and the intonation. They paid more attention
and were more engaged in the exercise.
- Speaking: The melody and beat of the songs and chants were a great aid for the
learners in remembering the sentences and the vocabulary. Also melodic presentation
of a sentence structure at a slower tempo than normal speech was a remarkable aid to
learners speaking skills.
-Other: The use of songs and chants had the benefit of involving the quieter or shyer
learners who could be caught up in the enjoyment of learning. This allowed them to
feel more comfortable during the lesson by not singling or calling on them specifically
thereby putting those individuals under unnecessary pressure.
At the end of the period one of the student-teachers who taught 14 lessons and who
wrote an overall assessment in which she stated:
I had a fantastic experience with my students during the last 14 weeks. I taught
a lot of songs and chants to the students, who were motivated all the time and I
learnt a lot of new teaching ideas. The songs and chants always helped the learners
to understand the new grammar and also the new vocabulary. Their listening and
speaking skills have developed a lot in my opinion.

Songs are a very useful way of teaching English to learners, especially those with
limited vocabulary. The rhythm and beats of music are universal and the lyrics are melodious
which makes English easier to learn. The result of this study showed that songs and chants did
boost language learning and had a positive effect on learners intake of knowledge of a
language such as pronunciation, vocabulary and sentence structures. Nevertheless, some
advice is provided with caution that to make language teaching and learning more positive and
effective. The songs and chants used must (a) be carefully selected; (b) be augmented in
connection with other learning activities; and (c) be taught in combination with movements,

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gestures, tapping, clapping and other ways and means that can be used to catch the
imagination and attention of learners..
Further research in this area is recommended by the researchers. Conducting a similar
study wherein the researches attempt to quantify the results by examining average test scores
between two separate test groups would add to the validity of this study. If this study were to
be repeated in a similar setting, based upon the evidence collected by the researcher, it stands
to reason that the results would only vary marginally without significant change. In a nutshell,
it is hoped that this study will encourage those EFL/ ESL teachers to try using the magic of
music to complement their lesson plans benefiting the learners by establishing a relaxing and
positive learning atmosphere in the language learning classroom. In addition, by this research,
it is also expected that more ESL/EFL teachers could involve themselves in creating and
cataloguing more music that is suitable for English teaching. It is the hope of the researchers
that teachers will develop more appropriate teaching tips, as well as, more entertaining and fun
classroom activities in order to provide young learners with a more relaxed academic setting in
there classrooms thereby granting them a greater opportunity to learn English.

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