Best Practices Presentation

Title: Teaching with songs Reviewing the Present Progressive Tense

Presented by: WU Yuen-ching, Joely
Date: 30 July 2003
Thelessonaimsatusingmusictoteachgrammar.Studentsareexposedtotheuseofthepresent
progressivetenseinanamusingway.Thefourskills,reading,speaking,listeningandwriting,
areintegratedinthislesson.
TeachingPoint

Target language: consolidate and recycle students knowledge of the present progressive
tensebyreviewingandpracticingthetargetgrammarformthroughasong:TomsDinerby
SuzanneVega

Vocabulary:talkingaboutpresentandactionverbs

IntendedAudience
SecondaryonestudentswithintermediatelevelofEnglishandmoderatemotivationtolearnand
participateinclassactivities
Objectives

Toconsolidateandrecyclestudentsknowledgeofusingthepresentprogressivetenseby
doingacontrolledexercise

Toenhancestudentsskillsinlisteningforspecificinformation

Topracticetalkingaboutpresentactionsbyexchanginginformationwithclassmates

Toincreasethestudentsvocabulary ofwordsbyreadingthelyrics ofthesongand

exploringthemeaningofunfamiliarwords

Toactivatestudentsimaginationbywritingastory

Materials

Tapewiththesong/CDforlisteningactivity

Worksheets/Exercisesofthepresentprogressivetense

Lyricsofthesong:TomsDiner

Board/OHP
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RelevanceorapplicationofthistechniquetoyourteachingsituationinHongKong
AsstudentsinHongKongareratherpassiveandlackmotivationtolearnEnglish,theteacher
mustputinconcertedeffortstoarousestudentsmotivationandinterestinlearninggrammar.
Thislessonattemptstoconsolidatewhatstudentshavealreadylearntthroughaninterestingway
i.e.learningEnglishgrammarthroughasonginordertomakegrammarlearningenjoyable.
Teachingthroughmusiccanaccommodatestudentswithdifferentlearningstyles.Inthiscase,I
believeitcandefinitelyhelpstimulatetheauditoryareaofthestudentsbrainandgraspstudents
attentioninclass.Also,learningEnglishthroughsongslowersstudentsaffectivefilterproviding
anonthreateningatmosphereforstudentswhoareanxiouswhenspeakingEnglishasasecond
languageinaformalclassroomsetting.
In Hong Kong, most of the English teachers teach grammar by means of explaining the
grammaticalrulestostudentsexplicitlyandthenfollowwithlotsofdrillingexercises.Bydoing
so,studentswillfindthatlearninggrammarisveryboringanduselessbecausegrammaristaught
inanisolatedcontextwithoutanyrealcommunicationpurpose.AccordingtoStephenKrashen,
language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules, and does
not require tedious drillandacquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances
but with the messages they are conveying and understanding".In this sense, teachers should put
grammar items into context so that students can have the actual practice of using the grammar
item. Songs are the means through which people expressing personal thoughts and feelings.
They provide authentic texts and thus are motivating. Learninggrammarthroughsongs,students
can actually understand the grammar item being taught can be used authentically for
communicationpurpose.
Procedures
Presentation
1. Informstudentswhatthelessonisabout
2. Recaptheknowledgeofthepresentprogressivetense
WarmupActivity
3. TasksSswhethertheyknowwhatdineris(a small restaurant at the side of the road).
TshowsSsapictureofadinertocontextualizeit
4. TelicitsanswersfromSsandexplainstheword
5. TasksSstoimaginethattheyareinTomsDinerandasksSswhattheyaredoingin
thediner.
6. Telicitsanswerlike:Iamsitting,Iameating,Iamdrinking

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7. DistributeaworksheettoSs(ahandoutwithpicturesdescribingthesong)
8. Groupwork
DivideSsintogroups/pairs:worktogethertofindoutthedifferencesineachpairof
picturesintheworksheet(candoitasacompetition:thegroupwhocanfindoutthe
mostdifferenceswiththeleasttimeisthewinner)
9. TinvitesthegrouptocirclethedifferencesintheOHP.Sshavetotellwhatarethe
differencessuchasitisraining,thewomanisshakingherumbrella.<Skillsinvolved:
Speakingandlistening>
ListeningActivityandgrammarpractice
10. Thesongisplayed.Sspayattentiontothelyrics(Ssrelaxandlistentothesong)
11. TtellsSstofindoutwhichpicturethesongisreferringto.Thesongisplayedagain.
Pausebetweeneachpairofpictures.TelicitsanswersfromSsandasksthemwhich
lineofthelyricsgivesthehint,e.g.Thewomanisshakingherumbrella.
12. Afterlisteningtothesong,Ssareaskedtodothecontrolledexerciseusingthepresent
progressivetense.
13. TchecksanswerswithSsbyelicitinganswersfromSs.
PostlisteningActivity
14. DistributethelyricstoSs.
15. TasksSsiftheyfindanyunfamiliarwordsandelicitsmeaningsofthewordsfromSs
(Sscaneasilyguessthemeaningfromthepictures)<Skillsinvolved:readingand
vocabularybuilding>
16. WritingSsaredividedintogroupstowritethesongasastory.Aftertheyhave
finished,Ssareinvitedtosharetheirstorieswithothers.
Lessonends
UsefulwebsiteforteachingEnglishthroughmusicandsongs

http://esllounge.com/songstop.html

http://eslcafe.com/ideas

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Exercise:fill in the missing verbs in the present progressive tense. Add pronouns if necessary.
pretend

look

wait

turn

think

watch

try

sit

kiss shake

feel

listen

Tom's Diner - Words and music by Suzanne Vega

(source: http://www/etmo.org.il/grammar/tomsdiner.com)

I __________________ in the morning at the diner on the corner.

I __________________ at the counter for the man to pour the coffee.
And he fills it only halfway, and before I even argue
He ____________________ out the window at somebody coming in.
"It is always nice to see you," says the man behind the counter
to the woman who has come in. She __________________ her umbrella.
And I look the other way as they _________________ their hellos.
____________________ not to see them. Instead I pour the milk.
I open up the paper, there's a story of an actor
who had died while he was drinking. It was no one I had heard of.
And _________________ to the horoscope and __________________ for the funnies
when_____________________ someone __________________ me.
And so I raise my head. There's a woman on the outside _______________inside.
Does she see me?
No she does not really see me 'cause she sees her own reflection.
And ___________________ not to notice that she's hitching up her skirt.
And while she's straightening her stockings, her hair has gotten wet.
Oh, this rain it will continue through the morning.
As ________________ to the bells of the cathedral,
I ____________ of your voice...
And of the midnight picnic once upon a time before the rain began...

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I finish up my coffee. It's time to catch the train.

Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega

I am sitting
In the morning
At the diner
On the corner
I am waiting
At the counter
For the man
To pour the coffee
And he fills it
Only halfway
And before
I even argue
He is looking
Out the window
At somebody
Coming in
"It is always
Nice to see you"
Says the man
Behind the counter
To the woman
Who has come in
She is shaking
Her umbrella
And I look
The other way
As they are kissing
Their hellos
I'm pretending
Not to see them
Instead
I pour the milk
I open
Up the paper
There's a story
Of an actor

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Who had died

While he was drinking
It was no one
I had heard of
And I'm turning
To the horoscope
And looking
For the funnies
When I'm feeling
Someone watching me
And so
I raise my head
There's a woman
On the outside
Looking inside
Does she see me?
No she does not
Really see me
Cause she sees
Her own reflection
And I'm trying
Not to notice
That she's hitching
Up her skirt
And while she's
Straightening her stockings
Her hair
Is getting wet

Oh, this rain

It will continue
Through the morning
As I'm listening
To the bells
Of the cathedral
I am thinking
Of your voice...
And of the midnight picnic
Once upon a time
Before the rain began...

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I finish up my coffee
It's time to catch the train

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