Songs are still a great teaching tool for older students!
Songs are uniquely effective learning tools in that way.
Older children still enjoy songs (we all do!
Songs are still a great teaching tool for older students!
Dont let that discourage you from using songs in the classroom with older children.
We simply need to change the ways we use songs.
Here is a five step plan for introducing a song to older learners.
As a sample, well use the song Mary Had A Kangaroo from theSuper Simple Songs AnimalsCD.
Listen and WatchStart by introducing or reviewing the words and gestures for the animals and their attributes.
you could introduce the words withflashcardsor pictures drawn on the board.
(Our favorite website for learning ASL isSigning Savvy).
Encourage the students to say the word as they do the sign.
Next, tell the students to just listen and watch as you play the song and do the signs.
You are not asking the students to sing, so there is no pressure for them.
They are just watching and listening.
And a camel.Mary had a camel, camel, camel.Mary had a camel.
Dont ask them to stand.
Dont ask them to sing.
Just let them give a shot to do the gestures as they listen.
Again, there is no pressure here, were just asking the students to listen and gesture.
Small Group WorkPut the students into groups and have them practice the signs on their own.
By now, theyve heard the song two times so the melody and lyrics should be familiar to them.
Again, they do not need to sing while doing this.
Simply ask the students to practice the signs to the song in their small groups.
You dont need to play any music, let them work at their own pace.
You may notice some of the students starting to sing on their own as they practice.
Write and ListenAfter listening to the song a couple of times, do the accompanyingfill-in-the-blanks worksheet.
Then listen to the song again as they check their work.
Youll find that most of the time, the students are happy to sing.
In fact, they probably already started singing the song in Step 3 or 4.
And this leads us to the bonus step!
Songs have the unique power to be heard by your students well after you listen to them in class.
Songs are powerful teaching tools for learners from 1-100 years old.
We simply have to adjust how we use songs in the classroom as our students grow older.
