Using gestures and movement together with songs to increase thestudents interest in the study englich 6

For these above reasons, I would like to choose the topic: “USING SIMPLE SONGS TOGETHER WITH GESTURES AND MOVEMENT TO INCREASE THE STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN STUDYING ENGLISH IN CLASS 6 AT QU

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Page

I INTRODUCTION : 2

II.4 Results and Findings 17

III CONCLUSION

PART I: INTRODUCTION I.1 Rationale

Nowadays, with the develpoment of science and technology people in general and students in particular are surrounded by information from several sourses and reaching information becomes more and more important English is the language of the international business, technology, science and travel and the ability to communicate in English can be kind of a linguistic power While English language is widely used for communication, the competence in English is considered as an added potential

However, it can be said that learner of a new language face exciting challenges in developing their abilities to speak, listen, read and write and in learning about other cultures as well

Generally speaking, students often feel nervous or shy when they try to speak English They even struggle to understand what someone is saying to them despite years of study They are embarrassed about their pronunciation or worried that they speak too slowly Despite the fact that they have vocabulary and grammar, it is difficult for them to actually to use their English to speak

One of the big problem teachers all face is maintaining students’ interest throughout the lessons as well as make them enjoy learning English Although there are more and more innotivate approaches helping students study English, music is said to be a great teaching tool because of its universal appeal, connecting all cultures and language

Music plays an important role in our life Music is also considered a form of international language All everybody can enjoy and understand music, whether you are one, and where do you do For students, the music brings back a lot of useful things

Scientists have provided reasons to explain why music will bring back many wonderful things for childre, especially in teaching foreign language.This makes it one of the best and most motivating resources in the classroom, regardless of the age

or background of the students

For high school students, Super Simple Songs are both easy to listen and short to remember Teachers can bring new worlds into the classroom and bring language learning alive through Super Simple Songs If songs allow students to feel the language, gestures and movement help them make sense of it Students learn more quickly and retain the knowledge longer when they sing and move together

For these above reasons, I would like to choose the topic:

“USING SIMPLE SONGS TOGETHER WITH GESTURES AND MOVEMENT TO INCREASE THE STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN STUDYING ENGLISH IN CLASS 6 AT QUAN SON SECONDARY AND HIGH SCHOOL

IN QUAN SON, THANH HOA”

in the hope of motivating the students of class 6 at Quan Son Secondary and High school in studying English and then developing their listening and speaking skills

though listening and singing along those songs in regular basis I also expect that English super simple songs as authentic materials are possible to increase the students’ interest in the study of English at school

It is hoped that both students and other teachers will find some useful reference for their learning and teaching

I.2 Aims of the study

The study is aimed to help the students:

- Become familiar with English sounds and their pronunciation and intonation patterns as well as recognize the sounds they hear, imitate them and then develop their listening skill

- Learn English phrases used in real life situations, improve vocabulary and catch authentic languages

- Create an enjoyable asmophere

- Increase the students’ interest in the study of English

I.3 Objects of the study

The study is carried out with 45 students of the class 6 who have been learning English for 2 years( 2 years at primary school ).These students study at Quan Son Secondary and High School in Quan Son, Thanh Hoa They are mainly from ethnic minority, Thai people

Among 45 students who take part in the study, most of them are not good at English, even they can not speak English, expect some simple words or sentence However, they have mobile phones which can be connected by wifi or 4G everyday

I.4 Methods of the study

In order to achieve the above aims, the teacher uses English- language super simple songs as authentic materials to increase the students’ interest in the study of English as a second language Students will have time to watch super simple songs with gestures and movement After singing along in a period of time, they will gradually develop their English skills, copy or imitate the pronunciation and enjoy learning English more

In this study, theory study, observation, data collection and analysis, discussion

as well as evaluation are mainly used to achieve the aims of the study

PART 2: CONTENT II.1 Literature review

II.1.1 The definition of Super Simple Songs

According to https://supersimple.com/super-simple-songs/, Super Simple Songs are original kids songs and classic nursery rhymes made SIMLPE for young learners Combining captivating animation and puppetry with delightful music that kids love to sing along with Super Simple Songs make learning simple and fun

II.1.2The benefits of using songs in English class

II.1.2.1 Linguistic benefits

The use of music in the classroom has numerous advantages The benefits of using songs in the English class are obviously linguistic, since they help students to distinguish different phonemes and stress parterns and favour the unconscious acquisition of otherwise difficult issues such as pronunciation, rhythm and intonation; they offer grammatical structures which are repeated once and again and are therefore easily absorbed in their mind; and they introduce lexical items in context, which facilitates the correct use of such items in their future utterances

II.1.2.2 Psychological benefits

Psychological benenits like motivation, social participation, confidence building or memory development also deserve being mentioned as an important part

of the learning process They also can be achieved from the use of songs in the English classroom

Because of their linguistic and psychological benefits, songs are useful tool in the language learning classroom They contain authentic language, are easily abtainable, provide vocabulary, grammar and cultures aspects and are fun for students They provide enjoyable speaking, listening, vocabulary and language practive both in and out of classroom Therefore, songs are considered as a regular part of their classroom activities

II.1.3 Music: Using Gestures and Movement

According to https://dictionary.cambridge.org/vi/dictionary/english/gesture, Gestures

is a movement of hand, arms and a head, ect to express an idea or feelings.

On the website Wikipedia(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesture) A gesture is a form

of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific messages, such as purely expressivedisplays, proxemics, or

feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection, often together with body language in addition to words when they speak.

Gestures make learning funny and easy One way to really enhance language development in the classroom or at home is the use of music and gestures together

There are a number of studies that indicate that both songs and gestures together absolutely assist learning

One of the great benefits of using song with gestures is that it helps students understand where the words are in the sentences When singing with gestures, even if students do a gesture for one word or phrase in a sentence, understanding that one word helps us piece together the rest of the sentence Do not need to make gestures for everything When doing gestures with songs, too many gestures will confuse and frustrate the students Identify key words and create gestures for those Keep it simple

Using gestures helps students internalize the language When students have a chance to create movement and gestures themselves, it makes that connection to the language even stronger If the students are not yet familiar in the song, try introducing the vocabulary with pictures, objects, or flashcards When using flashcard, introduce the card, say the word together and then have the students create a gesture for that word The teacher migh need to help them but do it together Make sure that gestures for a song are not too big or complicated because there may not be time to do them while singing Keep the gestures simples and concise

II.2 The reality of the students’ interest in the study of English at Quan Son Secondary and High School

Quan Son is one of the mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa province The living condition and studying condition are poor and restrict Although students who are in grade 6 have been learning English for 2 years, they still feel that English is a very difficult subject, especially the listening and speaking skills Most of them do not receive sufficient exposure at home They have many difficulties in recognizing sounds, understanding English sentences as well as using English to communicate with others because of the lack of knowledge on sentence pattern, grammar knowledge, poor vocabulary and even wrong pronunciation

Additionally, the students who study at Quan Son Secondary School in Quan Son, Thanh Hoa are mainly from ethnic minority, Thai people Their mother tongue is Thai language and they do not have opportunities to study English extra or use it outside classrooms Thus, they find it difficult to remember English words, the pronunciation as well as the usages Those are the reasons why their English are not good, even there are many students who do not know anything about English

For these students, learning English as a foreign language is a really boring and uninteresting task Students used to work on grammar exercises on their own and learn enormous lists of vocabularu by heart, which lacked any communicative sense All this turned this subject into something horrible and boring to tears

Besides, Quan Son has the boder with Laos and a lot of foreigners come here every year They mainly use English to communicate with local people However, most of the students can not communicate in English, even they can not hear and understand what the foreigners are saying as well as how to reply

Therefore, motivating students, increasing their interest in the study of English and then developing their English skills are really necessary and important in their English learning and in their daily lives as well

II.3 The produre of using gestures and movement together with Super Simple Songs to increase the students’ interest in the study of English in class 10A1 at Quan Son Secondary School

II.3.1.Time and Measurement

II.3.1.1.Time

The study is carried out at the beginning of English lessons This warm- up last 5 minutes, they have three English lessons per week at class but English Super Simple Songs with gestures are only applied once a week Every song is repeated twice Students are watched again at home( songs are up on the group of the class on Facebook or on Youtube)

The study lasts 2 months ( from February 15th 2021 to April 15th 2021) In this study, there are 5 Super Simple Songs

II.3.1.2 Measurement

Assessment of the students’s interest in the study of English is based on their language development and motivation they have Their language development here is mainly about oral language Oral language must focus on a student’s ability to interpret a conveying meaning for authentic purpose in interactive context Giving students a mark for speaking is challenging job Evaluating speaking is difficult as there are many things to pay attention at the same time One possible solution for this

is to pay attention on one or two aspects at a time For an example a particular speaking activity or task the teacher can focus on marking the content and the word stress For next, the teacher can pay attention on intonation and linking sounds

In this study,I myself evaluate the students’ interest through their attitude in studying English as well as my observation about their improvement compared to their level at the beginning to see whether the students are able to listen and recognize sounds better, minimize errors, use new words and phrases that they learnt when they speak, speak confidently, speak clearly or organize ideas

Table 1: Measurement scale

Level Competencies

Level 1 Student listened or spoke one or two words from speech

sentences, the sentence is meaningless Level 2 Student listened or spoke approximately 1/2 of the words from

the sentence, the sentence does not provide the full meaning Level 3 Student listened or spoke more than ½ of the words from the

sentence, the meaning of the sentence is almost there Level 4 Student has completed ¾ of the sentence, with some mistake in

pronunciation The meaning of the sentence is apprehended.

Level 5 Student listened or spoke the sentence complete and full

Moreover, I also have discussion with my students and my colleage working with me at Quan Son Secondary School on using English super simple songs with gestures in increading the students’ interest in studying English and evaluate it

II.3.2 The ways to use gestures and movement together with Super Simple Songs

For students in class 6, the teacher chose Super Simple Songs that are very simple,repetitive and easy to understand to helps them sing easily They understand mostly from what they receive through their senses, that is to say, through sight, hearing or touching and from interaction rather than from explanation

Some principles on using gestures together with songs to increase students’ interest in the study of English

This proceduce is divided into two stages: + Preparation

+ Presentation

II.3.2.1 Preparation stage ( Teacher’s preparation before the lesson)

- Step 1: Using Super Simple Songs that start with music and movement in mind

It can be said that most super simple songs are short and easy to use gestures

- Step 2: Preparing the flashcards/ pictures/ objects related to the vocabulary of the

song

- Step 3: Finding gestures which are suitable for the song.

Make sure that gestures for a song are not too big or complicated because there may not be time to do them while singing Keep the gestures simples and concise

II.3.2.2 Presentation stages

Step 1: Song Presentation

- Activity 1: First of all, the teacher represents or symbolizes the different gestures and movement used in the song while the students listen to it

- Activity 2: The teacher use flashcards/ pictures/ objects to elicit vocabulary from students or introduce vocabulary of the song in order to help students understand what they hear

- Activity 3: The teacher re-presents the song with gestures and movement while students listen to the song again

Step 2: Students’ Presentation

Ater the song presentation, the students stand up and repeat what the teacher has done, imitating him or her They sing along with their gestures

II.3.3.Suggested topics in choosing Super Simple Songs

Basing on the content of units in English 6 textbook and the students’knowledge I recommand some topics such as:

- Hello and goodbye songs: Hello, hello, goodbye….

- Song related to people: the body part, the family,the neighbour, the friend, …

- Daily activity songs: in the morning….

- Nature and weather songs:Rise and shine, ….

Songs are divided into vocabulary songs and grammatical songs

II.3.4.Some illustrating examples for using gestures and movement together with Super Simple Songs

Here are two illustrating examples and I have included 4 different examples in Appendix 3 The steps and activites I have proposed for the two example chosen can equally be appiled to any the songs in appendix 3

2.3.4.1 Super Simple Song: Wash Your Hands Song

* Preparation stage:

Step 1: Super Simple Songs: Wash Your Hands Song

- Step 2: Preparing the flashcards/ pictures/ objects related to the vocabulary of the

song

- Step 3: Finding gestures which are suitable for the song.

* Presentation stages

Step 1: Song Presentation

- Activity 1: First of all, the teacher represents or symbolizes the different gestures and movement used in the song while the students listen to it

- Activity 2: The teacher use flashcards/ pictures/ objects to elicit vocabulary from students or introduce vocabulary of the song in order to help students understand what they hear

- Activity 3: The teacher re-presents the song with gestures and movement while students listen to the song again

- Step 2: Students’ Presentation

Ater the song presentation, the students stand up and repeat what the teacher has done, imitating him or her They sing along with their gestures

Wash your hands, wash your hands( using hands guestures)

I rub my hands here and there( using hands activities)

I wash my cute face ( using hand and face gesture)

Mother to son :Wash your hands ! Wash your hands !

After you play games , you shoud wash your hands

Look at your little hands, there are many germs

After you play games , you shoud wash your hands

Son to mother: Wash my hands ! Wash my hands !

I rub here and there , bubble, bubble, bubble

I wash my little hands , go away germs

I dry my hands with a towel, it’s all done

Son to mother :Wash your hands ! Wash your hands !

After you sneeze , you shoud wash your hands

Look at your little hands, there are many germs

After you sneeze , you shoud wash your hands

Mother to son Wash my hands ! Wash my hands !

I rub here and there , bubble, bubble, bubble

I wash my little hands , go away germs

I dry my hands with a towel, it’s all done

II.3.4.2 Super Simple Song: Colours finger family

* Preparation stage

- Step 1: Using Super Simple Songs that start with music and movement in mind

Lyrics

- Step 2: Preparing the flashcards/ pictures/ objects/ videos related to the vocabulary of the song and Finding gestures which are suitable for the song ( colours )

* Presentation stages

Step 1: Song Presentation

- Activity 1: First of all, the teacher represents or symbolizes the different pictures related to colours and movement used in the song while the students listen to it

Lyric 1:

One, two, three, four, five!

Finger blue, finger blue, where are you ?

Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger green, finger green, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger yellow, finger yellow, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger red, finger red, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger purple, finger purple, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Lyric 2: Six , seven , eight, nine, ten

Finger pink, finger pink, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger orange, finger orange, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger brown, finger brown, where are you ? Here I am Here I am , How are you?

Finger black, finger black, where are you ?