(SKKN 2022) using english songs to help students at nong cong 1 upper secondary school improve their grammar knowledge

Stimulated by the inner urge of providing readers with deeper insight into this method, I would like to carry on this study entitled “Using English songs to help students at Nong Cong No

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.1.2 Results from the pre-treatment and post-treatment grammar test 19

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1.1 Rationale

It can’t be denied that English is an international language which is spoken in many countries both as a native and a second or a foreign language And clearly, English

is learned everywhere because people have found out that knowledge of English is

a passport for better career, better pay, advanced knowledge, and for

communication with the entire world.With English becoming the lingua franca of the global community in major professional fields such as science, technology, commerce, and education, there is an increasing demand for effective teaching andlearning of English in many world contexts Effective English language skills are seen asvital for the workforce of countries which seek to participate actively in the globaleconomy and want to have access to the information that forms the basis of social,educational, and economic development Even on the individual level, a good command

of the English language has a major role in elevating an individuals’ socio-economic

status and thus is key to success and prosperity

In Vietnam, English teaching aims at mastering four basic skills of language,which include listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills Nowadays, based on ournewest curriculum that is launched by the Ministry of Education and Training, thestudents are expected to master those four skills in order to be able to use Englishcommunicatively However, its aim will not be successfully achieved if the languageteaching does not consider the language components such as grammatical structure,vocabulary, spelling, and pronunciation Therefore, grammar needs to be mastered by thestudents since it is the basic rule of language

Based on information obtained from various English teachers, it was found thatmany students still had difficulties in mastering grammar Simple past tense, for instance,

is important as the basic rule for the students to make and use sentences to communicate

in daily life Based on the information given by the English teacher, some students even3

could not use the subject-verb agreement and usage; it was known that the ability of thestudents in using Past simple tense was low It seemed that the most significant reason ofthis was the teacher grammar teaching method influenced the students’ motivation inlearning From the observation, the researcher found that the English teachers tended toteach the grammar deductively The teacher taught grammar by giving a note on thewhiteboard, gave some examples, and then asked the students to take a note After that thestudents were only given limited time to do some exercises As a result, it is inevitable forstudents’ learning motivation to be decreased since there were no interesting or attractiveactivities involved in their learning process.

Stimulated by the inner urge of providing readers with deeper insight into this

method, I would like to carry on this study entitled “Using English songs to help students at Nong Cong No.1 secondary school improve grammar knowledge.”

Hopefully, the results will serve as a useful source of reference for those who areconcerned teaching and learning writing

1.2 Aims of study

This paper endeavors to demonstrate the value of English songs English grammarteaching

1.3 Research questions

This study was designed to answer three research questions:

1 Will listening to English songs facilitate EFL high school students' retention ofthe grammatical items they learn in class?

2 To what extent English songs help EFL high school students extend theirgrammar knowledge?

1.4 Methodology

This main methodology used in this method was experimental First, students’English levels are evaluated via a standardized test Then, they will experience the4

learning process in which English songs are applied for teaching English grammar.Finally, another test will be conducted to assess the influence of this method A computerprogram is designed for synthesizing and analyzing collected data During the process ofresearching, the author also consults with the professor for useful guidance, corrections,and comments.

The method of assessment will be based on correct sentences of multiple choicetest (on total 100 score scale) in basic tenses of English: present simple tense, presentcontinuous tense, past simple tense, past continuous tense, present perfect tense, futuresimple tense, etc The test also includes some external items from school curriculum such

as idioms and phrasal verbs

1.5 Scope of study

Due to the time allotment, experience, and source limitations, I offer no ambition

to cover the problem in a large number of populations I wish to confine myself tostudying the 10th grade students in Nong cong no.1 secondary school, Thanh Hoaprovince

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CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW2.1 Definition of grammar

So what is grammar? A question people rarely ever ask themselves when they speaktheir native language However, when it comes to learning a second language, it’s the firstthing learners are introduced to When people contemplate this question, the first answer thatcomes to their minds is a set of rules that govern a language However, there is more togrammar than that Grammar is a system composed of many interconnected components thatensure accuracy and meaning It is the art of writing and speaking a language correctly

Grammar differs from one language to another and from one person to another native English speakers may presume that the English language has less complicatedgrammar in comparison to French or Spanish and that grammar, as a concept, to a Spanishspeaker, may not be the same to a German or a Japanese speaker

Non-According to the CEFR standard (Common European Framework of Reference forLanguages), there are six levels of English grammar that language learner will have to gain,which are A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2

First and foremost, in A1 level, learners can understand and use familiar everydayexpressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type Theycan introduce themselves to others as well as ask and answer questions about personal detailssuch as where they live, people they know and things they have Besides, they also caninteract in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared tohelp

For A2 level, learners are expected to understand the main points of clear standardinput on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc Can deal withmost situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken They6

can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest Candescribe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons andexplanations for opinions and plans.

Regarding B1 level, learners can comprehend the main ideas of complex text on bothconcrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.They can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interactionwith native speakers quite possible without strain for either party They are also expected toproduce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topicalissue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options

When it comes to level C1, students are able to understand a wide range ofdemanding, longer texts, and recognize implicit meaning They can express him/her fluentlyand spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions They are also able to alanguage flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes Mostimportantly, they do not find it difficult in producing clear, well-structured, detailed text oncomplex subjects, showing controlled use of organizational patterns, connectors and cohesivedevices

Finally, C2 is the highest level of English learners in which they can understand withease virtually everything heard or read Moreover, they can also summarize information fromdifferent spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherentpresentation Especially, they can express him/her spontaneously, very fluently and precisely,differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations

Grammar plays a substantial role in governing the use and application of language Itgives the user the structure to build complete and meaningful sentences The role of grammarcan take many dimensions and varies according to the situation and context in which it isused

2.2 Songs in grammar teaching

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2.2.1 Benefits of songs

Songs have been an amusing companion for human beings for as long as or evenlonger than we can speak As an integral part of our language experience, it can be of greatvalue to foreign language teaching And the many-faceted merits songs possess may enrichand activate our foreign language class

Being a combination of music and language, songs have innumerable virtues thatdeserve our attention Their richness in culture and themes, their idiomatic and poeticexpressions, their therapeutic functions and so on makes them an impeccable tool forlanguage teaching

2.2.2 Songs in Grammar teaching

When coming across an impressive song, most learners are eager to take a furtherstep—to understand what the singers are expressing and to sing it by themselves Withsuch a motivation, learners will feel surprised they can remember all the words thatappear in the lyrics, even difficult ones The song in the famous Disney cartoon “LionKing”- Can you feel the Love Tonight - always rings in learners’ ears Some words andphrases that appear in its lyrics are difficult indeed, like surrender, vagabond, twistingkaleidoscope, star-crossed voyager, and wide-eyed wanderer But to teach these words in

a melodic context appears easier and more effective The nature of songs is fairlyrepetitive and consistent For example, Lemon Tree-a very familiar pop song providesample opportunities for students to focus on the study of the present progressive tense inEnglish grammar “I’m sitting here in a boring room”, “I’m wasting my time”, “I’mhanging around, I’m waiting for you”, “I’m driving around in my car I’m driving toofast, I’m driving too far”, “I’m turning my head up and down, I’m turningturningturningturningturning around”, “I’m stepping around in a desert of joy” and soforth After listening to this song, students will easily memorize these simple sentences,tend to use them in their own conversation and even correctly produce their ownsentences of the present progressive tense

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Songs are not always composed of simple sentence structure or grammar Forinstance, the following song Promises Don’t Come Easy serves as a paragon for teachingthe subjunctive mood, one of the most difficult and confusing grammatical points forstudents in learning English For instance, “I should have known all along”, but “I”, in thelyrics, actually didn’t realize at the beginning that there was something wrong in his orher love relationship This part presents students with a vivid picture of the inner world of

a person in love, in which they can easily capture the mood and content the song writerintends to convey, thereby comprehending and absorbing the grammatical point ofsubjunctive mood unconsciously

Promises don’t come easy

I should have known all along

There was something wrong

I just never read between the lines

Then I woke up one day and found you way

Leaving nothing but my heart behind

What can I do to make it up to you?

Listening to English songs easily embed new vocabulary and grammaticalstructures in learner’s both conscious and unconscious memory Its unexpected teachingeffects will startle you, indeed

2.3 Activities that can be done with songs

The following activities for exploiting songs can certainly be employed in isolation;however, getting the most from songs as an authentic resource requires situating the songlistening activities within a coherent framework Following is a simple three-stage framework9

recommended for general song listening activities, which is easily and effectively transferred

to songs:

The pre-listening stage: Students engage in activities that activate schema or

background knowledge of a song’s main theme This step may consist of several warm-upquestions to be discussed with a partner, the introduction of some key vocabulary items, orprediction activities

The while listening stage:Students listen to the song and complete an assigned task The post-listening stage: Students analyze new vocabulary; they also discuss lyrics

and the songwriter’s intended meaning They may engage in speaking or writing activities

This thesis focuses upon activities for the while listening stage Similar activities havebeen in circulation in EFL classrooms for a number of years, yet they remain new to teachersparticipating in workshops and training programs that the author has facilitated

Activity 1: Song Pictures

At first glance, this activity may seem appropriate only for children Song Pictures,however, is an effective way of drawing students’ attention to the emphasis on content words(e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives) over function words(e.g., pronouns, determiners, prepositions)

in English prosody (stress patterns) The activity can thus also serve as an effective andlighthearted warm-up for teachers who wish to develop their students’ note-taking skills prior

to (or during) their commencement of academic studies in English Simpler songs can beused with low-level students, while more complex songs can be employed with high-beginner and intermediate students Songs with repetitive lyrics work well, as students areable to hear the words more than once The activity also assists vocabulary retention: linkingpictures to words helps students remember them, especially if the students are smiling andlaughing over their partners’ drawings

Level: Low to Intermediate

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Materials: Pencils (or pens or crayons) and paper

Warm-up: Have students discuss the song topic or brainstorm words they may hearthat are related to the title For “This Old Man,” the teacher could write the numbers 1through 10 on the board, put students in pairs, and ask them to think of words that rhyme witheach number

Procedure: Distribute the pencils and sheets of paper and tell students they are going

to listen to a song and draw pictures Tell them that as they listen, they are to draw the things

or actions—nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives—they hear mentioned in the song Forexample, students may draw pictures of a man, thumb, dog, bone, shoe, rolling, home, hive,

up, give students their sheets back, have them exchange with a partner, play the song, andhave students listen and number the pictures in the order that they hear them Play the songtwo or three times if necessary Once they have finished, students check their work with theirpartner Finally, check answers with the whole class

Activity 2: Re-order It

As with song pictures, this activity can be used to direct students’ attention to theprosody features of English that are essential for developing confidence in gist listen-ing -catching the main ideas and key words without necessarily comprehending detail orbecoming distracted by function words For lower-level students, this activity may also beused for simple vocabulary development

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Level: Low to Intermediate

Preparation: Select 8 to 14 words from the selected song These may be wordsstudents already know or new words the teacher introduces and explains before beginning theactivity Arrange the words in a grid, alphabetically, as on the worksheet in Figure 3

Procedure: Before students listen to the song, say the words out loud and have thestudents repeat them This step prepares their ears for picking out the words in the song Thenplay the song Students number the words in the order in which they hear them After the firstlistening, students compare with a partner; then the song is played again so that they maycheck their answers You can then elicit the order from the class and provide the final answer

Activity 3: Matching Meanings

This activity is used to both review and extend vocabulary, depending on the song ortext selected Additionally, the activity encourages students to actively engage with English–English learner dictionary definitions for guessing words - a useful scaffolding technique forlearners who may be over-reliant on translating unknown vocabulary Finally, MatchingMeanings can be used as an introduction to circumlocution strategies (e.g., corkscrew= “thetool you use to open a bottle of wine”), an imperative for learners preparing for either writing

or speaking exams, as well as an essential survival English strategy in everyday life

Level: High Beginner to Advanced

Preparation: From the lyrics, select the vocabulary (8 to 15 words) you want to test orreinforce and write out definitions in the order the words are heard in the song Note that thedefinitions must be written in the correct order; otherwise, the activity is substantially moredifficult I find that the template in Figure 4 works well

Procedure: Divide the class into pairs or teams Hand out the sheet with thedefinitions, or write the chart on the board Have students guess each word from thedefinition and write their answers in the Guess column Elicit guesses from the class and12