LEARNING ENGLISH WITH SONGSPaper
Two important factors for learning English as a foreign language with young learners are the desire to learn and the enthusiasm for foreign languages. Teachers need to consider that young learners perceive the world holistically and learning a foreign language depends on their developmental stage. Young learners learn a new language spontaneously and without prejudice, which makes their learning effective. Activities must be chosen in order to attract pupils’ attention as well as amuse and teach them, therefore the knowledge is more durable. A great tool for learning English are English songs for children. Pupils hear and see words and at the same time learn the language and new vocabulary. When we choose an English song, we have to be careful that it is appropriate for the child's level and their current knowledge. It is important for a child to develop not just auditory but also visual literacy, as receiving information through English songs for children is part of learning. Based on the words and pictures in English songs for children, the pupil will be able to tell us what the song is about, even though he or she does not yet understand all the vocabulary. The purpose of this paper is to present examples of English songs for children and their use in English lessons in the first cycle of primary school. A general lesson plan with activities for a given song is presented in the paper. Because songs cover different themes and topics, the activities can be varied but they have to be adapted to the children’s developmental stage with the aim for pupils to become active speakers.