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Although the Didactic Unit has been designed for 3rd cycle primary school
students, it could also be applied to first and second cycle primary school students
depending on the difficulty of the activities we propose.
We have chosen particularly this song because it is going to help our
children’s language and physical development, it is short enough for the age-group to
remember, it requires active participation of the students, it is quite repetitive, it is an
authentic material, it provides examples of ‘real’ language and help to bring the ‘real’
world into the classroom. Songs contribute to encourage learners’ interest to study the
language, and they are useful to establish a warm and relaxing atmosphere in the
classroom.
The language in traditional songs is rich and colourful and extends the
children’s vocabulary beyond the limited range of their own day-to-day experiences.
The use of rhyme encourages children to explore the sounds of words, and the use of
imagery enriches their perception of the world and their ability to express what they
feel.
One of the linguistic advantages of songs is that learners will happily repeat
the same structure, even the same words, over and over again without getting bored.
Songs are particularly useful in a stressed-timed language such as English because the
rhythm forces us to put the stress on the right syllables and to observe the strong and
weak forms. At the same time pronunciation is improved as the students are
concentrating on sound rather than meaning. Students at this age are excellent mimics.
They are particularly good at copying intonation.
Songs also help teachers to establish a friendly atmosphere in the classroom
in order to create a feeling of respect and cooperation, and to encourage their selfesteem.
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