PEDAGOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF TEACHING SONGS AND POETRY TO YOUNG LEARNERS

Khalis Anis Badariah Deena

POETRY
writing which gives children the opportunity to

explore the power of words and to play with the rhythms and patterns of language. Children need a stimulus, model or framework to support their writing. It often works well to create a poem collaboratively with the whole class first before children work on their own poems individually, or in pairs or groups.

SONGS
A short poem or other set of words set to music or

meant to be sung. Music is highly memorable and motivating. Songs, rhymes and chants are ideal tools to be used in the language classroom. It can develop all skills in an integrated way and encourage physical involvement.

Pedagogical principles of teaching songs and poetry to young learners

culture

content
interest values age resources proficiency level

CULTURE
Learning this authentic material pupils get to know

parts of a foreign culture. It satisfies childrens natural curiosity about everything new. Create a suitable context for learning this needs to be natural, real and make sense to the child. It also needs to allow for the active discovery and construction of meaning, and lead to the use of language as a vehicle to do things which are relevant and purposeful.

 Being familiar with songs and rhymes in a foreign

language pupils feel closer to the foreign culture and its language. If the pupils hear the same melodies or similar rhymes they are astonished at the parallels between their own culture and the foreign one.

CONTENT
Think about the status of the vocabulary in our

lessons. Make sure that the meaning is clear. Encourage children to notice the form. Provide a variety of opportunities for recognizing, practicing and using the songs and poems.

INTEREST
Create opportunities for children to extend and

develop their skills according to their personal interests and abilities. The songs and poems need to have the motivation, develop imagination, stimulate curiosity, draw on personal experience, encourage participation and create a desire to continue learning

VALUES
Relate learning to personal experiences

whenever possible, provide opportunities for

children to make connections between their understanding of lesson themes and their own personal experiences. This consolidates understanding and promotes ownership of learning.

 Model behaviour that you would also like the

children to adopt. For example

be polite and well-mannered, use please and

thank you when you ask them to do things, smile and greet them whether in or out of the classroom.

AGE
Teachers are offered a great variety of stories,

which are appropriate for the age group they teach and the level of the language their children have a grasp of. Too complicated and difficult stories may have discouraging affects on children. Children can understand literature in simple words and teacher should use materials that are easy to explain about. The songs and poetry needs to be related to their lives and fantasy as children in their ages have their own imagination.

RESOURCES
When selecting songs and poems:

Include different poets, genres, topics, and

themes. Cover multiple time periods (historical past, present, future). Include literature with a collection of unforgettable characters. Teacher can select their own collection of literature materials. The materials also can be found in the text book or you can make different by choosing the materials from other colleague.

PROFICIENCY LEVEL
Use speech appropriate to childrens proficiency

level take a leaf out of the book of parents and careers and adapt the speech you use to make it comprehensible, especially to very young children. For example
simplifying the sentence you use, using repetition

and speaking at a slower pace.

The End