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Getting started with Songs and rhymes
Songs and rhymes make an important
contribution to language development
as they help to give a sense of the
natural rhythm of the language and its
sentence patterns. They give a context
for memorising or learning by rote and
the opportunity to master the
articulation and pronunciation of
particular sounds.
Beginners
Finger rhymes based on everyday
greetings are a good way in.You could
begin by going around and greeting the
children with ‘Bonjour/Hallo/Guten
Morgen’ and a handshake.You could
then go to the door and wave goodbye
saying ‘Au revoir/Auf Wiedersehen’. The
children will almost certainly start to
repeat what you are saying which would
be a good time to introduce this rhyme.
Bonjour Papa! . . . . . . . . . . Make a fist
Bonjour Maman! . . . . . . . . .Put up thumb
Bonjour mon frère! . . . . . . .Raise forefinger
Bonjour ma soeur ! . . . . . . Middle finger
Et moi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ring finger
Bonjour petit doigt! . . . . . . Little finger
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Wave whole hand
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Hallo/Guten Morgen, Daumen!. . . . . . . . . . . Make a fist
Hallo/Guten Morgen, Zeigefinger!. . . . . . . . . Put up thumb
Hallo/Guten Morgen, Mittelfinger!. . . . . . . . . .Raise forefinger
Hallo/Guten Morgen, Ringfinger! . . . . . . . . . .Middle finger
Hallo/Guten Morgen, kleiner Finger! . . . . . . . Ring finger
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wave whole hand |
When your children are ready, try
reversing the process with ‘Au
revoir/Auf Wiedersehen’ as the children
lower one finger at a time, wave their
hand to say goodbye and then finish
with a fist again.
Rhymes and songs are a means of
integrating the new language into the
children’s day for example, getting
children to line up at the start or end of
a lesson can be made more enjoyable
(and calmer) by using a song.
Mettez-vous en ligne
Mettez-vous en ligne
Tous les enfants de la classe
Mettez-vous en ligne
(Tune: The Farmer’s in his dell)
Stellt euch hintereinander auf,
Alle Kinder, alle Kinder!
Stellt euch hintereinander auf,
Alle Kinder!
(Tune: Nuts in May) |
Physical response
A number of action songs have similar
English versions and should engage all
the children in doing the actions. Don’t
forget that it is not necessary for the
children to try to reproduce the whole
song straightaway. Short extracts are
just as effective and a later run-through
might build on what the children have
learned already. One advantage of a
short active session is that it can help
to refocus the energy of the class at
the end of a longer lesson.You could
extend the activity by asking the
children to suggest other actions which
they can fit into the verses.
Ça bouge
Le doigt et le pouce,
.................Point with finger and thumb
Ça bouge (x3) ...........................Roll hands
Un, deux, trois ...........................Clap three times
Le doigt et le pouce,
.................Point with finger and thumb
Le bras, la jambe, ....................Stick out arm, leg
Ça bouge (x3)............................Roll hands
Un, deux, trois ...........................Clap three times
Le doigt et le pouce, .................Point with finger and thumb
Le bras, la jambe, ....................Stick out arm, leg
Debout, assis, ..........................Stand up, sit down
Ça bouge (x3)............................Roll hands
Un, deux, trois ...........................Clap three times |
Missing out words and replacing them
with actions is quite complicated for
younger children as they have to carry
the words and beat in their heads. It is
quite interesting to watch and see who
can do this.
Tête, épaules, genoux, pieds
Tête, épaules, genoux, pieds
Genoux, pieds
Tête, épaules, genoux, pieds
Genoux, pieds
Yeux, oreilles, et bouche et nez
Tête, épaules, genoux, pieds
Genoux, pieds
Kopf und Schultern, Knie und Zehen
Kopf und Schultern, Knie und Zehen
Knie und Zehen
Kopf und Schultern, Knie und Zehen
Knie und Zehen
Augen, Ohren, Mund und Nas’
Kopf und Schultern, Knie und Zehen
Knie und Zehen
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Amending
Using a traditional song, for example,
Savez-vous planter les choux? try a
simple listening activity in which the
children make up a verse of their own
according to the ‘theme’.
(Chorus) Savez-vous planter les choux
à la mode, à la mode?
Savez-vous planter les choux
à la mode de chez nous?
(Verse 1) On les plante avec le nez
à la mode, à la mode
On les plante avec le nez
à la mode de chez nous.
(Verse 2) On les plante avec le pied
à la mode, à la mode
On les plante avec le pied
à la mode de chez nous. |
Once they know the song, the children
can begin to suggest words they could
substitute for those in bold perhaps
connected to a completely different
theme. Instead of ‘body’ words, how
about ‘animals’, ‘foods’, ‘family’, etc.
The class could have great fun
illustrating their new song and
performing it to see how it sounds.
Don’t forget to look at CILT’s books
Let’s join in! Rhymes, poems and
songs and Rhythm and rhyme:
Developing language in French and
German for lots more ideas. www.cilt.org.uk/publications/primary.htm
Featured in Issue 19 of the NACELL bulletin, Autumn 2006
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