Teaching English to Young Learners Using

Songs
By Ardhiansyah Tegar W.
NIM. 1005085046
Class B Regular 2010

I. Background
Language, as the most important part of communication
needs to be taught to children as their knowledge to
communicate with others. Children as the learner
themselves are not too interested in learning. So we as the
teacher should know how to make them interested in
learning. One of the ways to make them interested is by
using songs. Children really like singing. By using songs in
teaching, students can enjoy the learning process and be
interested to keep studying.

II. Review of related literature

A. Concept of Teaching English to Young Learners
In teaching English to young learners, in this case,
the students of elementary school, the teachers must
comprehend the concept of acquisition and learning.
Acquisition can be defined as a process of having
language naturally or sub-consciously. On the other
hand, learning is a process of having language
consciously. Krashen and Terrell, (1983: 18) state that
acquiring a language is picking it up, i.e., developing
ability in language by using it in natural, communicative
situations. Children acquire their first language, and most
probably, second languages as well. Language learning is
different from acquisition. Language learning is knowing
the rules, i.e., having a conscious knowledge about
grammar. According to recent research, it appears that
formal language learning is not nearly as important in
developing communicative ability in second languages
as previously thought In line with childrens development
and the two concepts above (acquisition and learning),
the teaching of English to young learners at elementary
school requires situations in which the students acquire
language abilities by means of acquisition rather than
learning. It means that the students acquire language
naturally and communicatively.

B. Teaching English to Young Learners using Songs

In order to get children involved in the language class
and to ensure a natural anxiety-free language learning
environment certain techniques could be applied. One
of the best ways of getting children drawn in the
language class is through fun activities.
Among the fun activities songs, rhymes and games
are the most effective ones to be used for children in
the language class. Also they are fantastic materials for
the language teachers to use with young learners
because of their unlimited benefits.
- Music
Nothing can be as effective as music in childrens
language class. It has been already mentioned that
when children do not pay attention to boring
instructions in a language class as they are unaware of
the significance of learning a language they learn a
language very naturally if they enjoy what they are
 doing in the class. It has been said that children have a
natural taste for music and because of that English
language teachers around the world use such enjoyable
and supportive means for children to improve language
learning and acquisition. (Cakir, http://iteslj.org/, 1999)
Music being a source of motivation, interest and
enjoyment, it is much easier for children to imitate and
remember language than words which are just 'spoken'.
Again, a song or a chant can be used very effectively to
teach children the sounds and rhythm of the language
and to reinforce structures and vocabulary. Moreover
songs contain words and expressions of high frequency
and offer repetition. (Cakir, http://iteslj.org/, 1999)
The stress and intonation pattern of the spoken
language can be taught through music. Probably this is
the reason why Carolyn Graham, a renowned author
and teacher trainer at Harvard University, designed Jazz
Chants to teach the natural rhythm, stress and
intonation patterns of conversational American English.
However, Graham is not the only language teacher to
be aware of the fact that music can be a wonderful
medium for natural language acquisition. Language
teachers in Turkey, too, have been using English
language songs to help children pick up their English
through enjoyable activities. (Cakir, http://iteslj.org/,
1999)

III. Teaching English to Young Learners

Using Animal Sound Song
One of the methods to teach English to young
learners is using song. By using songs, students can be
interested in learning. They will enjoy the process of
learning and pay more attention to the lesson. By using
songs, students can also learn better about
vocabularies.
Here I use The Animal Sounds Song. This song is
appropriate for the 1st until 4th grade of elementary
school students. This song comes with video which is
very interesting. The video shows pictures of animals
which are very interesting to students.
Here is the lyric of the song.

Animal Sounds Song

the dog goes woof woof woof woof
the cow goes moo moo moo moo
the duck goes quack quack quack quack
and the owl says to whit to whoooo

the cat goes meow meow meow meow

the bird goes tweet tweet tweet tweet
the pig goes oink oink oink oink
and the little mouse says squeak squeak squeak,
(squeak, squeak, squeak)

these are the sounds that animals make

these are the sounds that animals make

the horse goes neigh neigh neigh

the sheep goes baa baa baa baa
the rabbit goex thump thump thump
and the people they say bla bla bla bla bla

the snake goee hiss hiss hiss

the chicken goes cluck cluck cluck cluck
the frog goes ribbit ribbit ribbit
the bees say buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz

these are the sounds that animals make

these are the sounds that animals make

the donkey goes haw hee haw hee haw

the elephent goes pawoooo
the bear growls grrr grrr
the lion roars raaaar
 these are the sounds that animals make
these are the sounds that animals make
these are the sounds that animals make
these are the sounds that animals make

Here are the steps in the use of the song:

1. Play the song and video;

2. Ask students to stand up;
3. Ask students to sing and dance like in the video

Advantages of using this song:

1. Students can enjoy the process of learning;

2. The use of this song can develop students vocabulary;
3. Students can interact with their friends in class while
singing together;
4. The can also develop students movement when they are
dancing while singing together.

Disadvantages of using this song:

1. To play this song, the teacher has to bring speakers and

music players;
2. The class will be noisy and disturb other classes;
3. Students will be addicted to the song and lose their
attention in the class after the song finished.

This method is still has some disadvantages. Thats why

theres no perfect method to teach English to young
learners. Each method has its own advantages and
disadvantages. The most important thing in teaching
English for young learners is the method must be fun and
enjoyable.
 IV. Lesson Plan

Lesson Animal Sounds Song

Name

Lesson To make participants interested to the class.

Objective
To develop participants vocabulary.

Lesson 30 minutes
Duration

Items Laptop/Music player

Required Speaker
LCD Projector to show video

Stage Time Steps

(Mins
)

Introduction 3 1. Say hello to the students.

2. Check the attendance list.
3. Tell them that today we are going to sing a
song. Explain what this means.
Song 15-25 1. Set up the instruments
2. Play the song and video
3. Ask students to stand up, sing together, and
dance together like in the video.

Evaluation 1. Did the students remember the song?

2. Did the students get new vocabularies from the
song?
V. References
1. Teaching English to Young Learners and Factors
to Consider in Designing The Materials by
Sukarno, Jurnal Ekonomi & Pendidikan, Volume 5
Nomor 1, April 2008.
2. Use of Songs, Rhymes and Games in Teaching
English by Shaheen Ara, The Dhaka University
Journal of Linguistics: Vol. 2 No.3 February, 2009
Page: 161-172, Published on December 2009 by
the Registrar, Dhaka University ISSN-2075-3098.