Unit 17.

The use of songs as a poetic vehicle and as literary creation in the English
classroom. Typology of songs. Techniques for using songs to learn phonetics, lexis and
culture
1. Introduction
2. Songs as a poetic function and as literary creation in the English classroom
2.1. Reasons to use songs
2.2. Musical, literary and poetic value of songs
3. Songs in the teaching-learning process
3.1. Song and student-based teaching
3.2. Some suggestions on the use of songs
4. Typology of songs
4.1. Action songs
4.2. Traditional pop songs
4.2.1. Grammatical categories
4.2.2. Thematic categories
4.2.3. Pronunciation
4.2.4. Vocabulary
4.2.5. Culture
5. Techniques for using songs to learn phonetics, lexis and culture
5.1 Techniques for using songs to learn phonetics
5.2 Techniques for using songs to learn lexis
5.3 Techniques for using songs to learn culture
6. Conclusion
7. Bibliography
7.1. Legislation
7.2. Authors
7.3. Further reading

1. Introduction
People can more easily come into contact with other cultures and languages through travel,
communication or new technologies. This refers to globalization of the world which tends to use
English as a world language. This is why it is important to introduce English language learning at a
young age. Furthermore, in the last decades, the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language
(TEFL) has experienced drastic changes triggered by the implementation of the Communicative
Approach whose final goal is the development of Communicative Competence (Hymes, 1972).

Our modern European society shows an increasing concern for population to have access to an
effective acquisition of foreign languages enabling people to satisfy their communicative needs. In
this sense, the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (Council of Europe, 2020)
provides a valuable framework with methodological guidelines and a common basis for the
description of objectives and content.

We must also consider that our State legislation, Organic Law 3/2020, 29th December, which
modifies Organic Law 2/2006, 3rd May, on Education and the Royal Decree 157/2022, 1st March,
which establishes the basic curriculum for Primary Education nationwide, together with the Decree
209/2022, 17th November, which establishes the curriculum for our region, includes transversal
elements, active methodologies, Universal Design for Learning and communicative approaches as
the axis on the new programming.

On the other hand, LOE with LOMLOE (LOMLOE from now on) along with Agenda 2030 and
Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) point out gender equality, sustainability, diversity awareness,
children's rights and digital knowledge as the pillars on which education must be based.

Considering the topic of this unit it is important to mention that the use of songs as a tool for
teaching a foreign language is highly effective. Different types of songs, with their musical, literary
and poetic elements, enable the exploration of phonetic, lexical, and cultural aspects of the
language.

2. Songs as a poetic function and as literary creation in the English classroom

According to Grimm (2020) and the neurocognitive perspective, music has significant benefits on
second language acquisition.

2.1. Reasons to use songs

Singing in the language classroom, as suggested by Crystal (2017), is useful for improving
linguistic aspects of language (vocabulary, structures, pronunciation...). The fusion of language
and melody in songs enhances the embedding of these elements in students' minds. Furthermore,
songs have the power to provide social and cultural knowledge and are effective in teaching
stress, rhythm and intonation patterns as well as contribute to socialization.

Songs not only convey messages, but they also elicit emotions, acting as a potent tool for
communication. The simplicity and redundancy of song language make comprehension and
imitation easier. Finally, they serve as a motivational resource, offering a break from routine. If
used properly, they are excellent means whereby children have fun and at the same time acquire
a language.

Moreover, we should also bear in mind Krashen's "affective filter" hypothesis. He claims that
learners with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for
success in second language acquisition.

What really matters, however, about "working-with-songs" activities is that they can develop
linguistic competence as established in LOMLOE along with the curricular legal framework
mentioned above.

2.2. Musical, literary and poetic value of songs

The literary and poetic elements in songs are an important source of information as they not
only provide linguistic access to structures and vocabulary but also a different way of perceiving
reality.

The analysis and literary comment will depend on the level of the students. With the beginners,
it will be minimum. Progressively these texts will be analysed so that the students can enjoy their
beauty independently of the music.
 The use of songs as poetic literary creations aims at the acquisition of sociocultural
competence, as most children's songs belong to the oral literary tradition.

Songs and poetry have some elements in common. Songs usually convey a lower amount of
information than poetry. They have more redundancy than poetry as well as musical
accompaniment, which both make them easier to memorize.

According to Ambrosch (2020), the reason poetry lends itself to music is its inherent “musicality.“
In poetry, sound and rhythm play a central role, since poetic meaning arises from the interaction
between form and content.

3. Songs in the teaching learning process

New educational methods promote learning centred on the learner supported by LOMLOE and
Decree 209/2022.

3.1. Song and student-based teaching

To use songs effectively in the classroom we must use the students’ choice of songs as much as
possible and keep the student at the centre of the activity. This has the following advantages:
- Students take more responsibility, involving them more in the lesson.
- The chosen song holds greater value.
- The encounter between student and teacher is equalised, creating a warm atmosphere.
- It reduces our time of preparation.
- Students will be able to develop the ability to sort out “good“ music from “bad“ music.

Keeping the students at the centre means that the chosen song must be personal and relevant
material for them.

3.2. Some suggestions on the use of songs

Teaching songs to children can be challenging. Therefore, variety in activities is another
important factor.
- The teacher can modify any parts of the chosen song, particularly unusual vocabulary.
- There are some YouTube channels with songs for Primary students. An example is Super
Simple Songs.
- Telling the song first as a story helps students to understand both content and language
better.
- Learning a song can be a game by making gestures according to the lyrics.
- After oral activities we can provide our pupils with some writing material based on the song.
- Students will better understand depending on the pleasure they get from the chosen song.

There are other different ways of using songs in the classroom, but, in any case, the level, pace
of learning, previous knowledge and interests of our students and the song itself have
determinant roles in the effectiveness of the procedure.
4. Typology of songs
Brewster, Ellis and Girard (2002) suggest the following classification of songs and rhymes:
- Action songs and rhymes.
- Traditional and pop songs.

4.1. Action songs

Actions songs are intended to be sung by children who are at the same time performing the
actions described. They refer to the Total Physical Response (TPR) method by James Asher which
is very useful since by matching words to actions, language is learnt more effectively.

There are several types of action songs and rhymes:

- Jumping rope songs. An example is “Jump Rope, Jump Rope“.
- Choosing rhymes. It is a children's counting-out rhyme, used to select a person in games
“Eeny, Meeny, Miny Moe“.
- Dipping rhymes. They are used to eliminate children when deciding who will be “it“. For
example, “Each peach pear plum“.
- Finger songs. They involve actions just for the hand, for example, “Five Little Monkeys
Jumping in the Bed“.

4.2. Traditional pop songs

When selecting among the great variety of children's traditional pop songs, it is crucial to
consider the five pillars supported by LOMLOE along with Agenda 2030 and SDG on education
mentioned above.

We must work with the most popular songs of the culture of the English-speaking countries,
including short rap songs. They are useful for working on grammar, certain topics, pronunciation,
vocabulary or culture.

4.2.1. Grammatical categories

Some songs include a wide variety of verb tenses and grammatical structures that are
repeated over and over again. Thanks to this repetition, it will be much easier to learn these
elements. There are websites such as www.fluentu.com that provide songs to work on a
particular grammar point.

4.2.2. Thematic categories

We can use songs to introduce themes or even to create the right mood for an activity. They
can be sung by the whole class or we can vary the groupings, especially if there are questions
and answers in the song. YouTube is a good platform with channels to find this kind of song
An example is “PlayKids“.

4.2.3. Pronunciation

Brewster, Ellis and Girard (2002) consider that songs can teach individual sounds and
sounds in connected speech, but more importantly stress, rhythm and intonation.
 Jolly Phonics created by Sue Lloyd is a fun and child-centred approach to teaching literacy
by using actions for each sound. Additionally, Jazz Chants, made popular by Carolyn Graham,
set everyday situations to learn stress, rhythm and intonation. To work them, we must mark
the stressed syllables and children will sing them tapping out with feet, hands or pencils while
the speed increases more and more. Finally, repetition songs are also good for pronunciation
reinforcement. An example is ‘Old McDonald’.

4.2.4. Vocabulary

Following Arnold and Herrick, (2017), we can use songs to work on any topic. Children turn
almost anything into a chant in a quite natural way. That is why an interesting activity is to
take a well-known tune and put our own words to it. But perhaps action songs are the type most
commonly used to learn vocabulary, such as the parts of the body “This is the way“ or usual
actions “If you´re happy“.

4.2.5. Culture

Sociocultural competence is directly linked to communicative competence and songs help

students to achieve both of them. Cultural songs can be divided into traditional English songs
(Happy Birthday, Twinkle, Twinkle…) and songs which convey sociocultural elements (Christmas
songs, Guy Fawkes songs…). More traditional songs fall between these two categories as they
teach cultural aspects but they are also part of English speaking countries' culture.

5. Techniques for using songs to learn phonetics, lexis and culture

Phonetics, lexis or culture can be learned through songs with proper techniques. These will depend
on the objectives we have. Once we have identified the grammar point, selected the song and
determined the techniques, we can then prepare an effective lesson.

5.1 Techniques for using songs to learn phonetics

- Pronunciation. Many vowels and certain consonants in English are difficult to pronounce.
Singing songs and saying rhymes help students to realise how certain sounds run together.
- Stress, rhythm and intonation. Encouraging children to clap the beat as they sing or say
rhymes will help to develop a sense of rhythm in English.
- Ear training. To do this, we can ask our students to listen and count how many times an
individual sound or word occurs in a song or rhyme.

5.2 Techniques for using songs to learn lexis

- Identify words related to a semantic field, e.g. weather, time...

- Identify specific linguistic categories such as adjectives, verbs, nouns, etc.
- Synonyms/antonyms hunting.
- ‘True or false’ tasks.
- Comprehension questions tasks.
 5.3 Techniques for using songs to learn culture
Cultural sensitivity and respect are essential when teaching about other cultures. The content
chosen by the teacher must be accurate and culturally appropriate. Some techniques to consider:
- Historical context. We can provide historical context to help students understand why a
song was created and its relation to the culture.
- Cultural activities. We can organize cultural activities related to the culture of the song,
such as dance, art or cooking.
- Discussion and reflection. We must encourage our students to discuss and reflect on the
cultural aspects of the song.

6. Conclusion
To sum up, considering the legal framework, it is imperative to address peace education, education
for responsible consumption, health education including affective-sexual education and emotional
and values education along Primary Education.

Additionally, the incorporation of transversal elements and SDG set by LOMLOE along with Agenda
2030 is essential in all areas of Primary Education, not to forget reading comprehension, oral and
written expression, artistic creation, audiovisual communication and the promotion of creativity
and scientific spirit. Besides, the teacher's main role is to guide students in achieving the eight key
competencies.

Throughout this unit, we have dealt with the musical, literary and poetic reasons that sustain the
use of different types of songs in the foreign language classroom as well as the didactic techniques
to use songs to learn phonetics, lexis and culture. All the goals mentioned above are easily achievable
through them. Children love songs and they make the learning process more entertaining and closer
to their experiences.

These resources should be integrated into the programming design, rather than being isolated
activities so that the school documents will be useful tools to achieve our educational aims.

To end up with the topic we would like to mention a famous quote by Nelson Mandela that says,
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world“.

7. Bibliography

7.1. Legislation
Organic Law 3/2020, 29th December, which modifies Organic Law 2/2006, 3rd May, on Education.

Royal Decree 157/2022, 1st March, which establishes the basic Curriculum for Primary Education.

Decree 209/2022, 17th November, which establishes the curriculum for Primary Education in the
Autonomous community of the Region of Murcia.

7.2. Authors
Ambrosch, G. (2020, July 18). The Poetry of Song: The synergy of music and lyrics . Retrieved from:
www.culturico.com.
Arnold, J. L., and Herrick, E. (2017). New Ways in Teaching with Music. Tessol Press.

Brewster, J., Ellis, G. and Girard, D. (2002). The Primary English Teacher’s Guide. Penguin.

Council of Europe. (2020). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning,
teaching, assessment. Companion volume. Council of Europe Publishing.

Crystal, D. (2017). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language . Cambridge University
Press.

Grimm, S. (2020). Language Learning from the Developmental and Neurocognitive Perspective: An
Examination of the Impact of Music on Second Language Acquisition (Thesis, Honor College
Theses).

Hymes, D. H. (1972). On Communicative Competence. In J. B. Pride and J. Holmes (Eds.),

Sociolinguistics. Selected Readings (pp. 269-293). Penguin.

7.3. Further reading

www.cnice.mecd.es

www.educarm.es