Songs for English teaching by topik

These are several songs for English teaching. This list is not exhaustive. You can also create your own songs by adapting familiar ones,

changing the words or the tune to suit. They need to be simple, with a limited range of words.

They are in the approximate order of the units in which they are mentioned.

By Topic

Greetings

· I’m a little (dog), my name is (Chester),

(Chester), (Chester), What’s your name?

· Good morning, good morning, and how are you this morning?

Good morning, good morning, and how are you today?

· Good afternoon, good afternoon and now it’s time for English

Good afternoon, good afternoon, we’re happy to be here.

The Body

· Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes,

And eyes and ears and mouth and nose,

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes.

· Hand upon your head, hand upon your head,

Up and down, up and down, hand upon your head.

Hand upon your knee… etc…

· Clap hands, follow me, clap hands, follow me,

Clap hands, follow me, what will we do the next time?

Stamp feet, follow me, stamp feet, follow me,

Stamp feet, follow me, what will we do the next time?

Bend knees…

Swing arms… etc…

· I’ve got 10 little fingers, I’ve got 10 little toes,

I’ve got two ears, I’ve got two eyes,

But just one little nose!

· Roly poly poly, up, up, up,

Roly poly poly, down, down, down,

Roly poly poly, clap, clap, clap,

Roly poly poly, put your hands behind your back.

· I have two eyes, two ears, one nose,

I have two hands, two feet.

I have one mouth to smile and say,

“God made me just this way.”

Animals

· I’m a happy, happy hippo, yes I am,

I’m a happy, happy hippo, yes I am,

I’m a happy, happy hippo, a happy, happy hippo,

I’m a happy, happy hippo, yes I am!

I’m a good, good bear, yes I am…

I’m a bad, bad monkey, yes I am…

I’m a grumpy, grumpy lion, yes I am…

· Old McDonald had a farm, E, I, E, I, O

And on that farm, he had some sheep, E, I, E, I, O

With a ‘baa baa’ here and a ‘baa baa’ there,

Here a ‘baa’, there a ‘baa’, everywhere a ‘baa baa’

Old McDonald had a farm, E, I, E, I, O.

Old McDonald had a farm, E, I, E, I, O

And on that farm he had some cows, E, I, E, I, O

With a ‘moo moo’ here and a ‘moo moo’ there,

Here a ‘moo’, there a ‘moo’, everywhere a ‘moo moo’,

Old McDonald had a farm, E, I, E, I, O.

Continue with other animals

· God made cats to ‘miaow’ like that, ‘miaow’ like that, ‘miaow’ like that,

God made cats to ‘miaow’ like that, ‘miaow, miaow, miaow’.

God made dogs to ‘woof’ like that, ‘woof’ like that, ‘woof’ like that,

God made dogs to ‘woof’ like that, ‘woof woof woof’.

Continue with other animals

School

· Open, shut them, open, shut them

Put them on your lap, lap, lap

Open, shut them, open, shut them,

Give a little clap, clap, clap.

Roll them, roll them, roll them, roll them,

Roll them just like thiiiiiiiiiiis!

Wave them, wave them, wave them, wave them

Blow a little kiss

· Point to the ceiling, point to the floor

Point to the window, point to the door.

Clap your hands together, 1,2,3,

Put your hands upon your knees.

The Weather

· The sky is blue today, the sky is blue today,

Happy, happy, happy day, the sky is blue today.

The sky is grey today, the sky is grey today,

Sad, sad, sad day, the sky is grey today.

· I like the rain, it rains on me,

God made the rain and God made me.

I like the sun, it shines on me,

God made the sun and God made me.

Emotions

· If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands **

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands **

If you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it

If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands **

If you’re happy and you know it, stamp your feet ** …

If you’re happy and you know it, nod your head ** …

If you’re happy and you know it, say “we are” (we are!) …

· I’m sad, I’m sad,

I’m sad all day long,

I’m sad, I’m sad,

I’m sad all day long

Boo hoo hoo, boo hoo hoo (x3)

I’m sad all day long

I’m happy, I’m happy,

I’m happy all day long,

I’m happy, I’m happy,

I’m happy all day long.

Ha ha ha, hee hee hee (x3)

I’m happy all day long

Transport

· The wheels on the bus go round and round,

Round and round, round and round.

The wheels on the bus go round and round,

All day long.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish,

All day long.

The children on the bus go chatter, chatter, chatter…

The driver on the bus goes “please be quiet”…

(the verses can be changed to suit the circumstances!)

· Look, I am a fire engine, fire engine, fire engine,

Oh look, I am a fire engine, ding ding ding ding ding.

Look I am a yellow car, yellow car, yellow car,

Oh look I am a yellow car, beep beep beep beep beep.

Look I am a big big bus, big big bus, big big bus,

Oh look I am a big big bus, on my way to school. (continued …)

Look, I am a little bike, little bike, little bike,

Oh look, I am a little bike, ring ring ring ring ring.

Numbers

· One little, two little, three little teddy bears,

Four little, five little, six little teddy bears,

Seven little, eight little, nine little teddy bears,

Ten little teddy bears.

The House

· I’ve got a house in a big tree

I live up there, happy and free

I’ve got a chair, I’ve got a bed

I’ve got a roof over my head

The Family

· My mother, my father and baby

My brother, my sister and me

My mother, my father and baby

How happy together we’ll be.

· God made daddies, God made mummies

God made brothers, God made sisters,

God made children just like me,

For his loving family.

Food

· What is yellow? What is yellow?

Can you see? Can you see?

Melons and bananas, melons and bananas,

One two three, one two three.

· Five red apples hanging in a tree,

Five red apples hanging in a tree,

And if one red apple should accidentally fall,

There’ll be 4 red apples hanging in a tree.

Four red apples hanging in a tree… etc

Three red apples hanging in a tree… etc

Two red apples… etc

One red apple hanging in a tree,

One red apple hanging in a tree,

And if one red apple should accidentally fall,

There’ll be no red apples hanging in a tree.

(the fruit and the starting number to be changed as appropriate)

· Who made apples? God did, God did,

Who made carrots? God did, God did,

Who made bananas? God made them,

All for us to eat!

Clothes

· Are you wearing red today, red today, red today?

Are you wearing red today, yes or no?

(change the colour as appropriate)

Other

· What’s this, what’s this?

It’s a cat, it’s a cat.

This cat is very fat.

This cat is very fat.

What’s this, what’s this?

It’s a pig, it’s a pig.

This pig is very big.

This pig is very big.

What’s this, what’s this?

It’s a ball, it’s a ball.

This ball is very small.

This ball is very small.

What’s this? It’s a cat, it’s very fat.

What’s this? It’s a pig, it’s very big.

What’s this? It’s a ball, it’s very small.

A cat, a pig, a ball

Classroom Management

Classroom Management

· Use a wide variety of activities during a lesson in order to keep the children motivated.

· Have different activities where the children have to move around.

· Intersperse active activities with quiet ones.

· End the lesson with a quiet activity.

· Encourage the children to raise their hand when they wish to participate, not shout out.

· Sit on the floor with the children (the closer you are to their level the better so they

identify with you when you demonstrate an activity and you realise how uncomfortable it

can be!).

· Sit the children so that they all have equal access to the activity (in a circle or semicircle

is best).

· Allow the use of L1 until the children are ready to produce L2. Whenever appropriate,

say what they have said in L1 back to them in L2.

· If you notice a particular child is becoming restless then involve him directly in the lesson

immediately, e.g. give him the next turn at the game or give him a job to do (collect the

cards from the others or stick the pictures on the wall etc)

· Give lots of encouragement and praise.

· Try to avoid misbehaviour by using the above strategies, but when it happens, as is

inevitable,

1. Make sure the misbehaviour is not the result of misunderstanding your instructions.

2. Use L1 if necessary so the child understands what is happening.

3. If possible, discipline the child on his own, not in front of the whole group (not always

possible!)

4. Use punishments appropriate to the age of the child and consistent with the whole

school policy (if there is such a thing!)

5. Have strategies already thought-out, for example a rising scale of punishment if the

child continues to misbehave, which can be communicated to the whole class and

therefore all the children know what to expect if they misbehave. For example:

I. Warning; if you do that again, you’ll have to sit apart from the group

II. Sit the child apart from the group for a short and specified period of time

(e.g.1 minute for each year of their life)

III. Send the child to another teacher to be disciplined verbally

IV. The child loses a few minutes of break time

BE CONSISTENT; use the same strategies with all children and every time there is

misbehaviour and if you threaten a punishment make sure you carry it out.