1.

Using song in teaching speaking

One of the big problems we all face, whether teaching English to children or adults, is
maintaining learners’ interest throughout our lessons. Consequently, we often have to be very
creative in the techniques we use. What makes music such a great teaching tool is its universal
appeal, connecting all cultures and languages. This makes it one of the best and most motivating
resources in the classroom, regardless of the age or background of the learner.
Planning for the use of songs in class
The process of selecting a song is one of the most difficult aspects of using music in a lesson.
Here are some things you probably need to think about to ensure you get the right song.
Carefully examine what it is you want your class to learn in the lesson
Is this going to be a lesson focusing on vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, or a particular
topic? I once used ‘You’re so vain’ by Carly Simon to introduce a text that looked at vain
people. In another lesson, I used ‘In the air tonight’ as it uses the present perfect continuous
tense. Whatever your focus, remember that this doesn’t necessarily place a limit on what you can
do with the song. For instance, you might wish to use the song in question to exemplify a
particular verb tense, and structure your lesson accordingly, but you might at the same time wish
to take the opportunity to look at those interesting idioms in the lyrics!
Think about the language level of your class
The language level of your class will determine not only which songs you can use, but also what
other activities – such as games or written exercises – you will use to develop the lesson. Lower
levels will become extremely frustrated with fast-delivered lyrics, for instance, while simple
repetitive lyrics might not be interesting for more advanced-level learners.
How old are your learners?
If you’re a teacher of young learners, you will probably want to use songs that are repetitive and
very easy to understand. For teenagers, however, use contemporary or fairly recent pop and rock
songs. My advice: it’s often best to ask them ‘what’s cool’. Alternatively, for adult learners, who
will probably have a more open approach to classes, use songs that are interesting to their age
group.
Are there any specific cultural issues regarding the make-up of your class?
What kinds of things are generally unacceptable in the culture in which you teach? Whatever you
do, don’t use music solely based on your own cultural norms. Consider the audience and their
sensibilities; even better, let them choose the songs that you use.
What kind of access do you have to the song?
Let’s face it, this is the age of YouTube and you can find practically any song on this website.
Nevertheless, an mp3, which doesn’t require a connection, or even a good old-fashioned CD, can
often be a useful backup.
STEPS
1. Teach key vocabulary words that are found in the song. Use flashcards or worksheets to allow
for additional vocabulary practice.
2. Show lyrics on the overhead projector. Then play the CD. As students listen to the song, they
can quietly read the song lyrics on the overhead or projector.
3. To make certain students fully comprehend the song’s lyrics, go through the lyrics without the
benefit of music. Occasionally pause, then ask comprehension questions. Play the song a second
time.
4. Divide students into small groups of three or four. Have students discuss with their peers how
they plan to represent the story in dialogue form. Once they have come to a consensus, they will
then write dialogues that are based on the song. Encourage creative interpretation of these
instructions. Student groups should then create their own props and rehearse their dialogues
during the allotted time.
5. Have students take turns performing their dialogues for the class. This is a good preliminary
activity for students who lack confidence speaking. As they gain confidence can perform this
same activity without writing out the dialogue beforehand
2. PDP in teaching reading and listening and their functions

The PDP Framework

This lesson framework helps teachers plan and deliver effective listening, video and reading
lessons. The framework is based on research and using it helps ensure students are motivated,
engaged and active before, while and after (pre, during and post – PDP) listening to, watching or
reading a text.
The stages of the framework are:
Pre Ss prepare to listen:
 they talk about their knowledge or and experience with the topic of the listening or
reading
 they understand the meaning of key vocabulary in the text
 they understand what they will listen or read for in the text before they begin working
with it
 they can make predictions about what the text will be about.
During Ss focus their attention on the listening or reading text and complete tasks which
develop and deepen their understanding of the text progressively (i.e., from simpler and more
general to more complex and more specific). They can also do tasks that help them develop
specific listening and reading skills.
Post Ss extend and integrate the understanding and knowledge they gained from working with
the listening or reading text into other skills areas or contexts.
Stage Rationale Sample Activities

Pre In most cases, Ss did not choose  Word splash

to listen to, watch or read the
text so they need to develop an
interest and desire to work with
it.  Ss need to know key
vocabulary they will hear or see,
and they need to understand why
they are going to listen to/
watch/read the text.
During Ss do a series of tasks which
help them understand the text
and which may help them
develop listening and reading
skills.  The first task(s) should
help Ss understand the text at a
very general, non-specific level.
Then, tasks can move Ss into a
more detailed and deeper
understanding of the
text.  Before they do each task,
Ss need to know what they are
listening, watching or reading
for.  No task should ‘test’ Ss’
memory of details. Ss need to
check their answers in pairs or  
small groups before sharing
answers with the whole class.
 Match vocabulary to pictures
 Categorize vocabulary under
headings
 Predict from a headline, title,
group of words, pictures, etc
 Arrange pictures in the order to
be confirmed or changed after
listening to, reading the text
 Talk about the main topic(s)
 Listen/read and draw
 Answer general information
(gist) questions such as “What
are they talking about?” “Do the
speakers sound happy or
upset?”
 Listen/read and arrange pictures
or events in order
 Listen/read and find the
mistakes
 Listen/read and answer detail
questions such as “What did
they say about _____?” 
 Listen/read and point
 Complete a grid

Post After the During tasks, Ss need a  Discussion questions

chance to work further with the
text, its topic, its content and/or
vocabulary, functions or
grammar used in it, OR to speak
and/or write (also to read and/or
listen) further based on the text -
for example for Ss to tell the
story of something that happened
 Role-plays
 Project (ex. Create a ___)
 Make and tell a similar or
personal story
 Discuss a topic, the issue or the
information in the text
 Complete and discuss a noticing
task such as “Find all of the
 to them, to write a letter of verbs in the past tense” or
complaint to a restaurant, to “Underline the parts of the
carry out a similar interview, questions that make them
etc.  Ss need an opportunity to polite.”
personalize what they have heard  Speculate about what happened
or read; they need to see how the before or after the events in the
text relates or is applicable to text 
them and the world outside the  Speculate about the people in
classroom.  the text
 

3. MPF in teaching vocabulary

MPF is an abbreviation frequently used in teacher training. It stands for Meaning, Pronunciation
and Form, the three features of a specific language item (vocabulary or grammar) that are
normally analysed and taught by teachers.
The rationale behind it is that a student needs to be familiar with these three aspects in order to
be able to use a new word or grammar structure.
Meaning:
Meaning refers to what the word, expression or grammar structure expresses. When it comes to
vocabulary, monolingual dictionaries are a reliable source of meaning (although such definitions
might not be simple enough to clarify meaning, especially to beginner or elementary learners).
Pronunciation:
Pronunciation refers to aspects of phonology related to individual sounds (phonemes), sounds at
word level (e.g. word stress), or in connected speech (e.g. intonation and sentence stress).
Form:
Form basically refers to how a meaning is written or spoken. When it comes to learning new
words, it is important for students to know their spelling, plural form (if applicable), collocations
and its grammatical behavior, among other things. Regarding grammar, it is useful for students
to understand how that particular structured is formed, the order in which its components appear,
how negative statements and questions are formed, as well as variations that occur because of
changes in the subject or the time reference.

4. Situational grammar in English classes

A long time ago teachers used to put down grammar rules on the board without any introduction.
This approach proved to be ineffective since it doesn’t involve critical thinking and prediction
skills. Grammar should be presented in three ways:
  through a text
 through a situation
 test
In most of the coursebooks, grammar is presented through texts and contains ready-made ideas.
However, some teachers want to be more creative and to personalize their explanations. So they
resort to learning grammar through situations. In this case, a teacher is upfront introducing new
language by telling a story and using some photos or drawing pictures on the board. The story
does not only involves learners but also helps to clarify the meaning of grammar items and
demonstrates how they are used in real life.
Telling stories is really engaging and especially if it is about a teacher. Learners are eager to
know more about their teacher. And if you use text-based presentation, some variety will do you
good.

5. Using CCQ in teaching English

What are concept checking questions (CCQs)?
Concept Checking Questions, also known as CCQs, check students’ understanding of complex
aspects of the English language, such as vocabulary and grammar structure. The teacher asks
multiple questions to ensure that the student comprehends the language and does not have any
problems with what they’ve just learned.
Types of Concept Checking Questions
We ask the concept checking questions after we have taught the materiall.
Here are some ways we can ask concept checking questions, with examples for each.
Yes/no questions.
For example, is it a pet? Yes or no?
Can it swim?
Do I want you to work in pairs or small groups?
50/50 chance questions.
For example, is it a pet or a wild animal?
Is it happy or sad?
Is he fat or thin?
Information-based questions.
These are the basic 5W1H questions: who, what where, when, why, how.
For example, where does the animal come from?
What does it like to do?
How many zebras can you see?
Where can we visit the animal?
Who looks after the animal?
Discrimination-based questions, to check function and register.
For example, can these animals only do tricks? What else can it do?
Do you only cook in it?
Questions regarding their experience, their culture, or shared experiences.
For example, have you ever seen a parrot before?
Is there a living room in this building?
What is the main purpose of CCQs?
Asking students questions such as “is this ok?” or “do you understand?” is an ineffective way to
check student understanding.
Many students would rather not lose face and say they don’t understand in front of all their
classmates.
Learners must understand the task before moving to the next stage. To make sure they fully
understand, we can use CCQs.
CCQs can be used throughout the lesson to check that students can understand and produce the
new language.