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TOPIC 6

PRINCIPLES OF SELECTIONAND ADAPTATION OF SONGS

AND POEMS

AMIR

AMIRRUL

JAMESJOHN

ROLAND

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SELECTION OF SONGS FOR YOUNG

LEARNERS

types of songs

purposes ofusing songs

in theclassrooms

the criteria of textselection

suggestionsof

techniquesor activitiesthat couldbe used in

using songsin the

languageclassroom

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Types of songs

No Types Description

1Special occasion songs

Songs which are sung on

certain occasions or at certain

times of the year.

2Songs and games

Songs, usually childrens songs,

which are sung to accompany

certain games

3Action songs

Songs which require actions or

some sort of mime to be

performed while singing them.

5

Songs where one structure

or a lot of lexis is repeatedover and over again

Specially written songs forteaching.

6 Songs which tells a story. Songs that narrate stories.

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Purposes for Using Songs in the Language

ClassroomThe main purposes for using songs in the ESL classroom is

because of its potential to develop students in thefollowing areas:

Personal development

Aesthetic development

Cultural development

Language learning development Moral values

Some key reasons songs can work exceedingly well in ESLlanguage classroom include the following:

Songs exposes students to authentic, natural language.

Grammar and cultural aspects can be introducedthrough songs.

Songs exposes students to a wide range of accents.

A variety of new vocabulary can be introduced tostudents through songs.

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Criteria for Songs Selection

i. Learner Levels

Nuttal (1982) argues a text should be atthe right level with the studentsproficiency.

Students can be categorized into threelevels of proficiency which areelementary, intermediate and advancedlevels.

In selecting songs, a teacher needs tochoose the ones that suit theirstudents level in terms of text difficultyandlanguage complexity (vocabulary,structure).

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ii. Cultural Considerations

In choosing songs, you have to

consider the following factors:

Culturalbiasness

Sensitivity to

the impact ofculturally-inducedbehaviour

Familiarity tolearnersbackgroundknowledge

The usewords orexpressionswhich areperceived asinappropriate,offensive or

vulgar in thecontext of thestudents

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iii. Other Considerations

the song should be popular

the song should be meaningful to thestudent

the song should be slow enough to testcomprehension as well as clearenunciation on the part of the singer

the level of language used in the song

should be simple with no difficultidioms, slang or vulgarities

the tune should be catchy, easilyremembered and age-appropriate

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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

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A. Readability of Text

Readability is a measure of the

comprehensibility of written text. It isthe combination of lexical (i.e.vocabulary) and structural difficultyfound in a text. (Nuttal,1982).

Hence, the songs chosen should beat the right level of difficulty for yourstudents.

Therefore, select songs that areappropriate to your students level of

proficiency in terms of sentencelength, word length within sentences,complexity of vocabulary andsentence structure.

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C. Exploitability

Exploitabilitymeans that the textshould facilitate the

development ofreading skills inorder to help thestudents becomecompetent andindependent

readers (Nuttal,1982).

However, in thecontext of song

selection, the termexploitation could also

be translated as thefacilitation of learning.

This means, a goodsong is one which you

can exploit in yourteaching. When youexploit a song, youmake use of it to

develop your studentscompetence in

achieving theirlearning outcomes.

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Techniques in Using Songs with Young

Learners

Dictation

Focusquestions

Classdiscussion

True-falsestatements

Teach listeningfor details and

gist

Teachpronunciationand intonation

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Here is a sample activity that you could use with yourstudents:

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, youstop singing one line of the song, but continue to dothe action for that line. By the end of the song allyou're doing is actions, no singing.

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As such, you may have to do any one or all of thefollowing to meet to the needs of your students oryour teaching point:

adapt the song by making the melodyappropriately paced: make the tempo or beatslower if the songs beat is too fast.

find an appropriate point to end the song if it istoo 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 thesongs chosen.

adapt the song by replacing some of the wordswith words which will allow gestures.

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PRINCIPLES OF SELECTION AND

ADAPTATION OF POEMS

SELECTION OF POEMS FOR YOUNG

LEARNERS

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Purposes for Using Poetry in the

Language Classroom

poem provides enjoymentsomepoems are amusing and entertaining

the reading and recitation of poems

helps to develop confidence in usingEnglish

reciting poetry encourages the use ofcorrect stress and intonation inEnglish speech

poems helps to introduce newvocabulary and word order

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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.

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Cultural Considerations

In choosing poems, you have to

consider the following factors: Cultural Biasness

Sensitivity to the impact of culturally-induced behaviour

Familiarity to learners backgroundknowledge

The use words or expressions which

are perceived as inappropriate,offensive or vulgar in the context ofthe students

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Students Interest

Young children prefernarrative poems over

lyric poems as comparedto free verse and haiku.

They also like humorouspoems, poems aboutanimals, and poems

about enjoyable familiarexperiences.

Limericks are childrensfavoured form.

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Other Considerations

In selecting poems for your students,the following factors could also beuseful for consideration:

rhyme, humorous narrative, and

content based on familiarexperiences

enthusiasm declines as children getolder

favour contemporary over traditionalpoems

use of minimal complex imagery andsubtle emotion

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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

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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 andcomplexity of sentence

structure

The Table below shows three poems of three levels of

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The Table below shows three poems of three levels of

difficulty and an analysis based on the criteria of text

selection

1. Simple 2. More Difficult 3.Most Difficult

Apples, Peaches

Apples, peaches,

Pears, plums,

Tell me when your

Birthday comes

Sing Your Way Home

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.

December Leaves

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

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Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3

simple and short

theme is easy

few syllables

repetition

learners can say itover and over again,

in a circle game.

longer lines

more complex ideas

imagery is easy to

grasp

rhythm helps

learners learn it

December Leaves

is about the same

length as Sing YourWay Home

metaphors are

more complex

imagery demandsmore of the reader

a poem by literary

definition

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Avoid choosingpoems which are toolong and involved.

Choose poemswhich are short

The poems alsoneed to have a clear

message dependingon the maturity

level of the students

Avoid choosingpoems with words

outside theexperience of your

students.

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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

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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 soldierand 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 E l it bilit f th A th ti

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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 andindependent readers (Nuttal,

1982).

Techniques in Using Poems in the

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Techniques in Using Poems in the

Classroomi. Marching to Rhymes

marching around the room while chanting a poem will helpstudents 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)ormouth the word without making a sound.

iii. Rhyming Cloze

read poems, asking students to join in only on the rhymingwords. Put highlighter tape on the rhyming words.