Category: Movement

How Can You Build English Throughout a Lesson? Use Transitional Songs, Part One

DotIn any children’s class, many activities are needed to keep students happy and motivated throughout the lesson.  Transitional songs are a perfect way to signal to children that one activity is ending and another is beginning.  A good transitional song also has other benefits:

  1. It supports the natural rhythm and intonation of the phrase or sentence you are using.
  2. The melody is quickly learned and recognized by students, so they move into action as soon as they hear it.
  3. In most cases, children can be encouraged to sing along, building group cohesion as well as productive language skills.
  4. Transitional songs soon become part of a classroom routine, giving students a sense of structure and making them feel secure during the lesson.

Today, for Part One, we present three transitional songs that help to make activities smooth and enjoyable for students. The lyrics for each of the transitional songs are included below with a simple recording.  A professional recording is now available on “Jump Jump Everyone.”

1.  Let’s Make a Circle

Many language activities work well with students seated (or standing) in a circle.  This transitional song quickly motivates children into forming a circle in the classroom.

Let’s Make a Circle  (copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina)

(melody:  Skip to My Lou)

Let’s make a circle big and round.

Let’s make a circle big and round.

Let’s make a circle big and round.

Everybody please sit down. (or Let’s make a circle big and round to remain standing)

2.  Come and Sit in Front of Me

This transitional song works well when you want students to sit as a group in front of you, perhaps for a storytelling session.

Come and Sit in Front of Me  (copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina)

(melody:  Muffin Man)

Come and sit in front of me,

In front of me, in front of me,

Come and sit in front of me,

In front of me.

3.  Cards, Please!

Many activities involve the use of picture cards for language support. After the activity is over, this transitional song gets the picture cards back to you quickly and efficiently.

The song is sung as a dialogue between the teacher and students.  The word cards can also be changed to any other item that needs to be collected (papers, crayons, etc.)

Cards, Please!  (copyright © 2012 by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina)

(melody:  Skip to My Lou)

T: Cards please.   Ss: Here you are.

T: Cards please.   Ss: Here you are.

T: Cards please.   Ss: Here you are.

All: Thank you very much!

You can sing these transitional songs in your classroom.  The songs are also professionally recorded here on “Jump Jump Everyone.”  Check out the link on iTunes .

Mimi CD cover 2015-10-12 at 1.04.43 AM

This album has lots of movement songs which are important for young learners growth and development.  Contact Englishbooks.jp or me (magictimekids@gmail.com) to order CDs.

 

Celebrate success! CCBA . . . Catch Children Being Amazing!

DotTeachers have regular opportunities to observe classroom behavior.  Bad behavior can be disruptive, of course.  However, when we focus on our students’ successes and describe the great things they are doing, we can create a positive classroom culture that minimizes bad behavior.  Chuck and I call this strategy CCBA — Catch Children Being Amazing!

Here’s what to do when you catch a child being amazing:

1.  Refer to the student by name.  

2.  Name the task that the student is doing.

3.  Describe the behavior that you want other students to notice and imitate.

For example: 

I see that Natalia and Carlos have opened their books and are already writing their stories.

I see Mariko making a big ‘M’ using her whole body.  At first she made a small ‘m’ with her fingers, but now she thought of another idea.  

I can hear Jiwoo singing all of the words to our song.  She is pointing to the picture cards, too.

Students work harder when they know that their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.  Celebrate your class successes with this chant.  Songs and chants help build a positive classroom atmosphere.  This celebration chant really builds team spirit!
We Did It!

(from Magic Time, by Kathleen Kampa and Charles Vilina, © Oxford University Press 2012)

We did it!  We did it!  We did it today!

We did it!  We did it!  Hip, hip hooray!

Melody Roll Call!

Dot

When we begin a new English class with a group of young learners, we want to guide them toward the following goals from the very beginning:

 

1.  We want students to get to know everyone’s names.

2.  We want students to develop the confidence to respond independently.

3.  We want students to respond as a group.

4.  We want students to become comfortable with singing in class.

Fortunately, we can achieve all of these goals by beginning each class with a melody roll call.  It’s so catchy, students will learn it by the second week and expect it by the third.  It requires the simplest of melodies:  Sol – Mi – Sol – Mi  and Sol – Mi – Do

Teacher:    Where         is          Mariko?       (Sol – Mi – Sol – Mi)

Mariko:       Here           I             am!             (Sol – Mi – Sol – Mi)

If a student is absent, then the entire class chimes in!

Teacher:    Where         is          Kenta?        (Sol – Mi – Sol – Mi)

Class:         I               don’t        know!         (Sol – Mi – Do)

Our students love beginning each class with this activity.  It also demonstrates the power of music in supporting pronunciation — within one month every student is articulating the words (including the contraction don’t) with native precision.  Try it tomorrow, even if your class has been together for a while!