Silly Songs that Get Me Through the Day
Recently I have been bursting into song while teaching, much to the dismay of my long-suffering students (hence the accusation "you're klazee"). I use this to add comedy to the monotony of the CDI curriculum, as well as using them to motivate my kids to participate in class. These songs were composed on the spot in moments of desperation, but they seem to very effective. "Necessity is the mother of invention" (or composition!) as they say, and I certainly am at my most creative when I hit the peak of my neediness (and klaziness).The preposition song:
" Preposition, preposition, where are you? (point at the word in the sentence)
Here I am, here I am, how do you do?"
The because song:
"B B B Because B is the cause"
...to teach them the grammar: Sentence A (the first sentence) is effect, Sentence B (the second sentence) is the cause, connected by because.
The participation song:
" Participation, congratulations! A+A+A+A+A+! Put your hand up, I'll stop
singing..."
Not to mention the Super Student Stick. The stick comes out when none of the kids want to answer a question, usually involving making up example sentences using new key grammar or idioms. The Super Student Stick entails me whipping out a marker pen, and using it like metal detector as I walk around the classroom…beep beep beep… until I suddenly shout BEEEEEEEEP while shaking the pen wildly in the direction of a random, unsuspecting student. The class is on tenterhooks, backs rigid as they wait to see who will be chosen. For the middle school (aged 13 to 15) I play “Spin the Stick”, something more sober for those mature and sophisticated teenagers (ahem). Neither of these are anything to do with silly songs, but they have something to do with silliness, so thought they deserved a mention.
posted by Louise @ 10:26 pm
Its still better then the "Wow it's big" song :-P
Mike
Do you ever use the School House Rock videos? I tend to find Sesame Street and SHR videos on YouTube. My kids love them. I must have played the stupid Pointer Sister's Pinball 12 song at the start or end of 75% of my classes for the last two months and the kids still like it.