Песня как образовательный ресурс на уроках английского языка

In relation to language learning, the use of songs offers some advantages:

• Songs provide variety and fun and are enjoyable.
• They are highly motivating and memorable.
• They are valuable in bridging the gap between the pleasurable experience of listening or singing and the communicative use of language.
• They help students focus on cross-cultural peculiarities and develop their socio-cultural competence.
• Musical materials are easily available to the teacher.

“Songs are a powerful tool in teachers’ hands”. [3] Let’s have a look at some examples of how songs can help us focus on the form of the language as well as the cultural background, which is useful for breaking national stereotypes and making people of different cultures understand each other better.

Oh, Susanna! The words and music for this song were composed by Stephen Foster in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania in 1848. It became the ‘theme song’ of the miners (“Forty-Niners”) during the Gold Rush of 1849.

Oh, I come from Alabama
With a banjo on my knee,
I’m going to Louisiana,
My true love for to see.

Oh, Susanna!
Now don’t you cry for me,
For I come from Alabama,
With a banjo on my knee.

Suggested Exercises:

Oh, I come from _____________
With a ______________ on my knee,
I’m going to _________________,
My true love for to see.

Oh, _________________!
Now don’t you cry for me,
For I come from __________________,
With a ______________ on my knee.

• What other American states might the singer come from? (Arizona, California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota)
• What other names could his beloved have? (Elizabeth, Diana, Rosanna, Roxana, Johanna, Olivia, Georgina, Patricia, etc)
• Could it happen in your country? What would a Russian lover sing? (Elicit from students- names to substitute: Tatiana, Marina, Galina, Svetlana, Loudmila, etc.; Russian cities: Ekaterinburg, St.Petersburg, Blagoveshchensk, etc.; Russian musical instruments: garmoshka, balalaika.) [2]

You Are My Sunshine. This song was written by Jimmie Davis, a former governor of Louisiana and amateur country music singer, with the collaboration of Charles Mitchell. It is one of many popular songs that relate emotions to weather.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine;
You make me happy when skies are gray.
You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you;
Please don’t take my sunshine away.

The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamt I held you in my arms.
When I awoke, dear, I was mistaken,
So I hung my head and I cried.

Suggested Exercises:

1. Identify the musical style (Bristol, Tennessee, is recognized as the "Birthplace of Country Music").
2. American English: gray (color, favorite, candy, cookie, vacation). British English: grey (colour, favourite, sweets, biscuit, holiday)
3. “Weather Idioms” Read the list of idioms and match with the definitions. Be in a fog, a fair-weather friend, rain or shine, stormy weather. Bad times; in good times or bad times; be confused, inattentive, often because of worry; someone who is your friend only when things are going well.
4. Complete the sentences with the idioms

• My boss ________________________ these days; he doesn’t seem to hear anything I say. He must be very worried about something.
• John said he’d be my friend through ______________________________. But since I told him I was having a trouble at work, I haven’t heard from him. I guess, he was just ____________________________________________.

5. Since my wife and I separated, there’s been nothing but __________________________ ________________________ in my life – just one problem after another.

• Can you think of times in your life when one of these idioms would have been appropriate?
• What makes you feel happy when skies are gray? [1]

You ______ my sunshine, my only sunshine;

You __________ me happy when skies _________ gray.

You’ll never ________, dear, how much I __________ you;

Please don’t __________ my sunshine away.

The other night, dear, as I __________ sleeping,

I _____________ I __________ you in my arms.

When I ____________, dear, I _________ mistaken,

So I __________ my head and I ____________.

6. Fill in the gaps with verbs in Present Simple/ Past Simple (irregular verbs)

Save Me Now. This song was written by Jeff Lynn (Electric Light Orchestra) in 1990s and is related to the topic of environmental problems.

One day the earth woke up, said
"Boy I feel half dead
Somebody's turning up the poison
And it's getting in my head
Sometimes I wish my guests
would move away somewhere
Yes I'm burning up all over
I can't even breathe the air
Save me now, save me now, save me now come on and
Save me now, save me now, save me now
One day the earth woke up, said
"Boy it's getting hot
And remember all those trees I had
Well now there ain't a lot
And my eyes kept slowly trickling
Down to where the party's at
And if everybody's going there well
That's the end of that"

Suggested Exercises:

One day the earth fell asleep, said
"Boy I feel half dead
Somebody's turning down the poison
And it's getting out of my head
Sometimes I wish my guests
would move here from somewhere
Yes I'm burning up all over
I can even breathe the air
Save me now, save me now, save me now come on and
Save me now, save me now, save me now
One day the earth fell asleep, said
"Boy it's getting cold
And remember all those trees I didn’t have
Well now there are a lot
And my eyes kept slowly trickling
Up to where the party's at
And if everybody's going there well
That's the beginning of that"

• Present the title of the song. What can the song be about? Who could say this?
• Find errors and correct them for the words with the opposite meaning.
• What place on earth could the singer be from?
• Why is the earth so sad?
• Using Imagination: What other creatures or objects might say of suffering from ecological problems if they could speak?
• Make a project “Save The Earth Now”.

White Christmas. The music and lyrics for this song were written by Irving Berlin in 1942 and originally featured in the movie Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby. An interesting fact: Irving Berlin was born to a Jewish family in Tumen, Russia in 1888. In 1893 his family immigrated to the United States of America. In a career that spanned 60 years, Berlin wrote all kinds of songs, about 1250 of them, including God Bless America. He had much influence on the development and performance of American popular song.

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten and children listen
to hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas,
with every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright,
and may all your Christmases be white

Suggested Exercises:

• Jumbled lyrics. Put the strips with the lines from the song in the correct order.
• In what countries do people celebrate Christmas? Is it celebrated in your country? Is it celebrated the same way? Would you like to visit other countries at Christmas time? Why?
• Find Christmas words in the song (Sleigh, bells, white snow, Christmas card) Do you know other words related to Christmas? In a circle, in turn (Santa Clause, gifts, Rudolf, reindeer, Christmas tree, Christmas stocking, etc.)
• What do people wish to each other at Christmas? (We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you good luck, good health, etc. May your Christmas be merry and bright!)
• Write a Christmas card to children from other countries that celebrate Christmas.
• Write about the most important holiday in your country (family).

To sum up, there are many ways of using songs, this flexible and attractive resource, and teachers can easily think of plenty of exercises to reach the necessary educational aims.

Literature:

1. Alice H.Osman and Jean McConochie “If You Feel Like Singing” 1993.
2. Kevin McCoughey – Interactive American Hit Parade workshop 2003.
3. Tim Murphey “Music & Song” 1992.