Songs and rhymes are bound to be one of the fundamental ways in which you teach and practise new language. They are often children’s favourite activities as they can move about, sing in a group with their friends and make up actions to suit the words without really being aware that they are practising new vocabulary. You can make the experience new and refreshing each time you introduce a song by varying the actions they add, how loudly or softly they sing each line or verse, whether they are standing up or sitting down, whether they sing in groups or not etc. Although some adults are naturally reluctant to sing out on their own, children have few qualms about joining in and enjoy the challenge of singing in rounds or parts. Starting a lesson with a song, especially one with lively actions or which involves moving around the room to greet other people, is a great bonus. It sends an immediate message that this is a different kind of lesson full of vitality and enjoyment and emphasises the fun of communicating with others. It is truly astonishing how many children remember key vocabulary through the songs they have learned in their language lessons!
In time you may find that a small language choir emerges from a combination of classes or from the enthusiasm of individual children; recording a CD of language songs produced by your choir or class often proves to be a popular way of spreading the word about languages and a money spinner for school funds. Over the last few years, choirs have become more popular both in and out of schools and there has been a lot of publicity about the physical, intellectual and social benefits of singing. Many schools have thriving choirs these days, so why not combine the two and set up a language-based group of your own?
Over time you will need to set up a collection of resources, which should include a variety of song compilations. It is important to build up a mixture of authentic songs sung by native speakers of the language, as well as having a few commercially made language CDs which are suitable for the age group you teach. Probably the largest supply of songs will be those you make up yourself; they will cost nothing at all and be purpose-made to fit the kind of children you teach and the subjects you are working on.
Listening to authentic songs is a crucial early-learning experience which is easy to neglect. If you think back to how we all learned our mother tongue, we were exposed to years of absorbing the shape and sound of our language before we were able to express ourselves, and children should be given time to take in this flow and colour almost as background music. In this way, they will hold in their memory the intonation needed for the shape of a sentence, for the formation of a question, for the general rumble of a conversation in the new language. When you go to a new country it is fascinating to sit back and listen to the shapes of conversations going on around you and notice the difference between the sounds of different languages. This is the background hum which young learners need to tune into. Make use of every chance to play a song for a couple of minutes during each language lesson or incorporate one into the normal school day by having a suitable track playing whenever children are waiting for the register to be called, getting changed for physical education or lining up at the door.
These songs are often nursery rhymes or traditional songs just like the ones we all learned in childhood. They often have catchy, easy tunes, short lyrics, often with a chorus, and a bouncy style just right for bouncing a toddler on your knee. Young language learners could move about to them or perform actions and listen for particular sounds or join in the words displayed on a whiteboard. Look online (see for example www.little-linguist.co.uk) for suitable collections.
There are many commercial CDs on the market targeted at teaching primary school children, which cover all the main subject areas you will need and have lively and catchy tunes which are easy to pick up. Some have a sung track followed by a karaoke melody which enables you to practise to a backing track immediately and all have the words available for you to practise and reproduce. Some come as part of a complete package of a language scheme for different years of learning and provide follow-up suggestions.
These songs have the benefit of being free, purpose-built and tailor-made to suit your own class and your current topic. The first step is to find a straightforward tune which you know well enough to sing on your own which is also familiar to the children. Think back to traditional childhood songs which everybody knows and which could be adapted easily. The following tunes are some of our favourites for making up songs. Most children know them, the lines are fairly short and they have a catchy rhythm. The first two are obvious but that is no accident; they are easy to adapt to simple vocabulary and quick to learn.
Frère Jacques
London’s Burning
You Are My Sunshine
She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain
Jingle Bells
Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush
Polly Put the Kettle On
If You’re Happy and You Know It…
London Bridge Is Falling Down
Bobby Shaftoe
Agadoo
Oh, Oh, Oh, How Good Is the Lord
Nice One, Cyril
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
How Much Is That Doggy in the Window?
There’s a Hole in my Bucket
Lavender’s Blue
The Farmer’s in His Den
Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
The Animals Went in Two by Two
Red and Yellow and Pink and Green
Hot Cross Buns
Oh the Grand Old Duke of York
Three Blind Mice
Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be?
Baa Baa Black Sheep
I Had a Little Nut Tree
Sur le pont d’Avignon.
1 Use a familiar tune and add some simple words. Use as much repetition as possible so that it is accessible to everyone. If it helps, you could put the text up for the children to see as they sing.
2 Hum the tune first and use your hands to encourage everyone to hum with you so that they have got past the embarrassment of singing! Then you sing it on your own all the way through with the words.
3 Teach it line by line and keep practising it in manageable chunks.
4 When the children have mastered the basic song, look for possible actions or mimes to make it as lively and fun as you can.
One option to turn an ordinary song into something special is to turn it into a round by dividing the group into two or three sections to begin in sequence. It is easy to train a class to sing in a round and to make it clear that they will always sing it all the way through twice. Singing a song in the target language as a round is certainly impressive for an assembly or a small performance in front of a parallel class or a visitor!
It is also easy to make up a song on the spot as part of your lesson. Put up flashcards of your topic in front of the class or on the whiteboard in any order. Practise saying the words in the usual ways (see Chapter 2, ‘Using Flashcards’ for examples) and then hum the tune you want to use, inviting the children to hum with you. Next, point in turn to each card, singing the words to the tune. Start by just going between two or three cards at first, trying to catch the children out when you unexpectedly repeat one card several times on the run. When they are familiar with this, extend the song by pointing to different cards in succession to fit each part of the tune. This works well because children have to be alert to see what is coming next and they enjoy it if you play little games to go from one end of the cards to the other or if you choose funny repetitions. As a follow-up you could invite a child to come up and choose cards for the song or give the children a topic fan and ask them to sing in pairs when they pick each card.
A kinaesthetic approach to performing these songs helps to reinforce the language and makes the subject more inclusive. Adding a sociable element also helps to integrate children more fully with their classmates and makes sure that no one is left out.
The easiest songs for you to make up yourself matching words to movements are greetings, such as Hello, Good morning/evening/afternoon, Goodbye, How are you? What’s your name? With these essential phrases you can combine a simple greeting with a friendly movement. If you want to limit any moving about, ask children to turn to their neighbour first on one side and then the other and shake hands as they sing, then turn around to the people in front and behind.
If you have more space, another way is to ask half the class to make a circle and then ask the rest of the class to stand behind someone in the circle. The inner people then turn round to face the outer people and you have a set of two concentric rings and ready-made partners. Each set of partners sings the song, shaking hands, and then the outer circle rotates to the left, one person at a time, to sing with a new partner the next time etc. In this way you can practise a useful phrase many times, you discover a new unexpected partner each time and, significantly, no one is left out.
A third method is to ask everyone to find a space to stand in with a partner or two, making sure that no one is left out. Sing the song once and then on the count of one, two, three, each person has to run to a different partner or partners. Keep a rule that groups should look out for stray people to join up with or that the teacher stands in an obvious place as a partner for anyone caught out on their own.
Children could also perform in pairs or small groups and add any action as they sing, such as clapping the next word, touching their head, spinning round, jumping in the air, doing a high five, in any combination which suits the age of the class. Add a few choruses for your lyrics, by practising Oh No! Yes, yes! Yes, it’s true! No, it’s false! Or look out for praise words which can be inserted to add vigour such as: Hooray; Great; Fantastic!
English
Oh No! / Yes, it’s true / No, it’s false / Hooray / Great /Fantastic!
French
Mais non ! / Oui c’est vrai / Non c’est faux / Bravo / Génial / Fantastique !
German
Aber nein! / Ja, das ist wahr / Nein, das ist falsch / Hurra / toll / prima!
Another series of songs could be devoted to questions and answers, where children line up opposite each other and one side calls out the question as a chorus and the other side replies. This could then lead to paired work as above where children rotate around the class and ask each other the question and answer their partner’s question in turn. It is important to give time to practising question forms as they are often overlooked, as it is the teacher who often is the one who asks the question in the normal classroom routine, whilst the children provide the answer. Useful questions would be: What’s your name? How are you? How old are you? Where do you live? What time is it? Where are you going? What are you doing? How much is it? What is that?
French
Comment tu t’appelles? Comment ça va? Quel âge as-tu?
Où habites-tu? Quelle heure est-il? Où vas-tu?
C’est combien? Qu’est-ce que c’est?
German
Wie heißt du? Wie geht’s? Wie alt bist du? Wo wohnst du?
Wie spät ist es? Wohin gehst du? Was machst du? Was kostet das? Was ist das?
We have chosen some popular themes for examples of easy song structures. Try them out with your class, adapt them to the topics you are teaching and then you will imagine songs everywhere! Put the words on your whiteboard and sing them when you’re lining up or getting dressed for physical education. The translations of the songs that follow are not word-for-word, as the important thing is that the songs scan properly. But the topics are the same in each case and we have tried to fit the words as closely as possible. There is always room for poetic licence, remember!
Food is a good starting point for a simple song and always appeals to children.
Start with the simplest ideas and lots of repetition, for example a few common words for breakfast food. Point to the picture cards, do eating and drinking actions or hold up real food to prompt. With all these songs, you could start by repeating only one line all the way through and then build up to extra lines when you feel that the children are ready.
| French | |
| Un croissant, un croissant | |
| Un pain au chocolat | |
| Des céréales, de la confiture | (cereal, jam) |
| Un chocolat chaud pour moi. | (hot chocolate for me) |
| German | |
| Ein Glas Milch, ein Glas Milch | (glass of milk) |
| Eine Tasse Tee | (cup of tea) |
| Zwei Brötchen mit Käse darauf | (two rolls with cheese) |
| Orangensaft für mich. | (orange juice) |
| French | |
| J’ai un croissant, j’ai un croissant | |
| J’ai du pain, j’ai du pain | (I’ve got some bread) |
| Encore du beurre, encore | (more butter) |
| du beurre | |
| Moi, j’ai faim, moi, j’ai faim ! | (I’m hungry) |
| German | |
| Ich habe Brötchen, ich habe | (I’ve got some rolls) |
| Brötchen | |
| Ich esse ein Ei, ich esse ein Ei | (I’m eating an egg) |
| Mit Marmelade, mit | (with jam) |
| Marmelade | |
| Ich habe Hunger, ich habe | (I’m hungry) |
| Hunger. |
| French | |
| Je bois du café × 2 | (I drink coffee) |
| Je mange un croissant chaud × 2 | (I eat a warm croissant) |
| Je prends le petit déjeuner × 2 | (I have breakfast) |
| Bon appétit ! |
| German | |
| Ich trinke Kaffee, ich trinke Kaffee | (I drink coffee) |
| Ich esse ein Ei, ich esse ein Ei | (I eat an egg) |
| Wir frühstücken zusammen, | (We eat breakfast |
| wir frühstücken zusammen | together) |
| Guten Appetit! |
You could extend the idea by adding some days of the week and inviting children to choose some food each day.
| French | |
| Pour mon petit déjeuner, | (For my breakfast) |
| Le lundi, le lundi | (on Monday) |
| Pour mon petit déjeuner | |
| Je prends un croissant. | (I have a croissant) |
| Pour mon petit déjeuner | |
| Le mardi, le mardi | (on Tuesday) |
| Pour mon petit déjeuner, | |
| Je prends une banane. | (I have a banana) |
| German | |
| Für mein Frühstück am Montag, | (For my breakfast) |
| am Montag, am Montag | (on Monday) |
| Für mein Frühstück am Montag | |
| Esse ich gern Müsli. | (I like eating muesli) |
| Für mein Frühstück am Dienstag, | |
| am Dienstag, am Dienstag | (on Tuesday) |
| Für mein Frühstück am Dienstag | |
| Esse ich gern Joghurt. | (I like eating yoghurt) |
| …and so on, through the rest of the weekdays. | |
Or for more advanced groups, try adding a time to the mix and more detail about the food or drink.
| French | |
| Lundi, je bois un chocolat chaud, | (On Monday I drink a hot chocolate) |
| un chocolat chaud, un chocolat chaud. | |
| Lundi je bois un chocolat chaud | |
| À sept heures et demie. | (at half past seven) |
| Mardi, je bois un jus d’orange, | (On Tuesday I drink orange juice) |
| un jus d’orange, un jus d’orange | |
| Mardi je bois un jus d’orange | |
| À sept heures et demie. |
| German | |
| Montag trinke ich eine heiße Schokolade, | (On Monday I drink a hot chocolate) |
| eine heiße Schokolade, eine | |
| heiße Schokolade, | |
| Montag trinke ich eine heiße | |
| Schokolade, | |
| Um halb acht am Morgen | (at half past seven in the morning) |
| Dienstag trinke ich Orangensaft, | (On Tuesday I drink orange juice) |
| Orangensaft, Orangensaft, | |
| Dienstag trinke ich Orangensaft, | |
| Um halb acht am Morgen | (at half past seven in the morning) |
| …and continue through the week, changing the drink/food and time too if it is appropriate. | |
| Another lively option is to add a chorus. Think up some actions and a rousing finale. | |
| French | |
| Je voudrais un croissant, oui | (I would like a croissant, |
| c’est vrai (thumbs up) | yes it’s true) |
| Je voudrais du beurre… | (I would like some butter) |
| Je voudrais du pain… | (I would like some bread) |
| Je voudrais manger tout de | (I would like |
| suite, oui c’est vrai ! | to eat straightaway) |
| German | |
| Ich hätte gern ein Brötchen, | (I’d like a bread roll, |
| aber wirklich! (thumbs up) | yes really!) |
| Ich hätte gern die Butter… | (I would like some butter) |
| Ich hätte gern das Brot… | (I would like some bread) |
| Ich habe großen Hunger, aber wirklich! | (I’m really hungry, yes, truly!) |
With this one, you could just sing the same line all the way through to make separate verses and add oui, c’est vrai at the end of each line or aber wirklich! rising to a crescendo on the last oui, c’est vrai ! or aber wirklich! You could also vary it by encouraging children to say what they don’t like, or at the end of the line they could substitute non, c’est faux ! or nein, nicht wahr! (no, it’s not true).
The next format gives you the chance to add the name of a teacher or child in the school and an appropriate (or inappropriate) food or drink along with a useful final phrase. You could vary this with other expressions such as Goodbye, Good luck, See you soon.
| French | |
| Monsieur Jacques mange les frites | (Mr Jacques eats chips) |
| Tous les lundis, tous les lundis | (every Monday) |
| Monsieur Jacques mange les frites | |
| Tous les lundis. Bon appétit ! | |
| Monsieur Jacques mange les glaces | (eats ice cream every Tuesday) |
| Tous les mardis, tous les mardis etc. |
| German | |
| Herr Steinwald isst gern Pommes, | (Mr Steinwald likes eating chips) |
| Jeden Montag, jeden Montag, | (every Monday) |
| Herr Steinwald isst gern Pommes, | |
| Jeden Montag. Guten Appetit! | |
| Fräulein Schwarz isst gern Eis, | (Miss Black likes eating ice cream) |
| Jeden Montag, jeden Montag etc. |
Everyone knows this song; it works well in a circle and is a good choice for adding actions.
| French | |
| Si tu aimes les bananes, tape tes mains × 2 | (If you like bananas, clap your hands) |
| Si tu aimes les bananes, tu aimes les bananes, | |
| Tu aimes les bananes, tape tes mains. | |
| Si tu aimes les cerises, touche ta tête × 2 | (If you like cherries, touch your head) |
| Si tu aimes les fraises, claque tes doigts × 2 | (If you like strawberries, click your fingers) |
Hobbies or daily routines work well in song form; here are two simple ones to start with. Remember that if this is too much vocabulary in one go, just keep to one line all the way through.
| French | |
| Je joue au foot × 2 | (I play football) |
| Je fais du vélo × 2 | (I go cycling) |
| Je fais de la natation × 2 | (I go swimming) |
| Je suis fatigué(e) × 2 | (I’m tired) |
| Germany | |
| Ich spiele Fußball × 2 | (I play football) |
| Ich fahre Rad × 2 | (I go cycling) |
| Ich schwimme sehr oft × 2 | (I go swimming a lot) |
| Ich bin müde | (I’m tired) |
| French | |
| Je me lève × 2 | (I get up) |
| Je me lave × 2 | (I get washed) |
| Je me brosse les dents × 2 | (I brush my teeth) |
| Je m’habille × 2 | (I get dressed) |
| German | |
| Ich stehe auf × 2 | (I get up) |
| Ich wasche mich × 2 | (I get washed) |
| Ich putze die Zähne × 2 | (I brush my teeth) |
| Ich ziehe mich an × 2 | (I get dressed) |
This is a useful tune as it gives you scope for longer sentences. It could be sung as a question-and-answer song with half the class singing each part and suitable actions for the hobbies.
| French | |
| Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce soir? × 2 | (What are you doing this evening?) |
| Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce soir? | |
| Je fais de la lecture. | (I’m reading) |
Subsequent verses could end in:
| Je fais du foot | (playing football) |
| Je fais du vélo | (cycling) |
| Je joue aux cartes | (playing cards) |
| Je fais du ski | (skiing) |
| Je joue du piano etc. | (playing the piano) |
| German | |
| Was machst du heute Abend? × 2 | (What are you doing this evening?) |
| Was machst du heute Abend? | |
| Ich lese ein Buch | (I’m reading a book) |
Subsequent verses could end in:
| Ich spiele Fußball | (playing football) |
| Ich fahre Rad | (cycling) |
| Ich spiele Karten, | (playing cards) |
| Ich fahre Ski | (skiing) |
| Ich spiele Klavier etc. | (playing the piano) |
| French | |
| Il fait froid × 2 | (It’s cold) |
| Il fait chaud × 2 | (It’s hot) |
| Il neige, il pleut | (It’s snowing, it’s raining) |
| Quel temps fait-il aujourd’hui ? | (What’s the weather like today?) |
| German | |
| Es ist kalt × 2 | (It’s cold) |
| Es ist heiß × 2 | (It’s hot) |
| Es regnet, es schneit | (It’s snowing, it’s raining) |
| Wie ist das Wetter heute? | (What’s the weather like today?) |
A little seasons song:
| French | |
| Printemps, été × 2 | (Spring, summer) |
| Automne, hiver × 2 | (autumn, winter) |
| Sont les quatre saisons × 2 | (are the four seasons) |
| Printemps, été | |
| Automne, hiver. | |
| German | |
| Frühling, Sommer × 2 | (spring, summer) |
| Herbst und Winter × 2 | (autumn and winter) |
| Sind die vier Jahreszeiten × 2 | (are the four seasons) |
| Frühling, Sommer | |
| Herbst und Winter. |
A more complicated song is based around this tune:
Classroom instructions can work well in song form combined with appropriate actions.
| French | |
| Marchez vite, vite, vite | (Walk quickly) |
| Levez-vous, asseyez-vous | (Stand up, sit down) |
| Sautez trois fois à gauche | (Jump three times to your left) |
| Dansez lentement à droite. | (Dance slowly to your right) |
| German | |
| Geht mal schnell, schnell, schnell | (Walk quickly) |
| Steht auf, setzt euch | (Stand up, sit down) |
| Springt dreimal nach links | (Jump three times to your left) |
| Tanzt langsam nach rechts. | (Dance slowly to your right) |
Naming body parts and singing greetings make a good partner song, with a wave to your friend.
| French | |
| Touchez la tête et touchez les yeux | (Touch your head and touch your eyes) |
| Bonjour ! Bonjour ! | |
| Touchez le nez et touchez la bouche | (Touch your nose and touch your mouth) |
| Bonjour ! Bonjour ! | |
| Touchez le cou et touchez le dos | (Touch your neck and touch your back) |
| Touchez le bras et touchez l’épaule | (Touch your arm and touch your shoulder) |
| Un, deux, trois, quatre, | |
| Bonjour ! Au Revoir ! | |
| German | |
| Berührt den Kopf und auch | (Touch your head and |
| die Augen | also your eyes) |
| Hallo! Hallo! | |
| Berührt die Nase und auch den Mund | (Touch your nose and also your mouth) |
| Hallo! Hallo! | |
| Berührt den Hals und auch den Rücken | (Touch your neck and also your back) |
| Berührt den Arm und auch die Schulter | (Touch your arm and also your shoulder) |
| Eins, zwei, drei, vier, | |
| Hallo! Tschüssi! |
What other school subject invites everyone to get up in the middle of the lesson, dance around or act like a rocket? We want children’s language experience to be meaningful but also memorable, enjoyable and accessible. This approach also gives many opportunities for paired and partner work where communication with others is the key. These examples of action rhymes can be the starting point for a lesson to wake up a class and remind them of the fun in store in the next half hour or so or a reward for great concentration and co-operation. When you make up your own, try to bear in mind the following useful steps:
• use the ‘I say, you repeat’ format;
• look for repetition or a chorus;
• choose easy memorable actions;
• establish a steady rhythm;
• look for an exciting finale;
• bring in an element of suspense to keep everyone guessing;
• establish a versatile model so that older children do not feel too self-conscious.
If you are not confident about singing, the nearest thing is to make up some action rhymes where children can use a steady rhythm to practise language. Most of the songs suggested above could be converted into a rhyme with a strong beat and suitable actions. For example, for more experienced classes, two lines could face each other for a ‘question and answer’ format and the first side ask: Where are you going? Where you going? with their hands cupping their mouths as if they are calling out. The teacher holds up two cards and the reply might be: I’m going swimming and I’m going to play tennis (with an action for each). Then the opposite side ask the question.
Body parts lend themselves well to action rhymes. There is no end to the possibilities of touching parts of your head or your body and calling out numbers or spinning round, marching on the spot or jumping up in the air. Adding a bit of dancing is often a winner as long as you join in, as children love to see teachers looking rather silly. For example:
English
One, two, three, touch your head,
Four, five, six, jump, jump,
Seven, eight, nine, touch your knees,
Ten, ten, ten, turn around.
Un, deux, trois, touchez la tête,
Quatre, cinq, six, sautez, sautez ! Sept, huit, neuf, touchez les genoux,
Dix, dix, dix, tournez-vous.
German
Eins, zwei, drei, berührt den Kopf,
Vier, fünf, sechs, springt, springt,
Sieben, acht, neun, berührt die Knie,
Zehn, zehn, zehn, dreht euch herum.
Or:
English
Walk, walk, run, run
Jump, jump, touch your feet
Dance, dance, turn around
One, two, three, four, five.
French
Marchez, marchez, courez, courez,
Sautez, sautez, touchez les pieds,
Dansez, dansez, tournez-vous
Un, deux, trois, quatre, cinq.
German
Geht, geht, lauft, lauft
Springt, springt, berührt die Füße
Tanzt, tanzt, dreht euch herum
Eins, zwei, drei, vier, fünf.
End on a star jump!
You could turn these into clapping rhymes where children clap routines in pairs or even standing in lines, tapping on each other’s backs. Another possibility is to incorporate them into skipping rhymes for the playground; they make an intriguing attraction for bystanders.
This is a good starter for beginners who have learned a few classroom instructions. Start with everyone sitting facing the teacher, hanging heads like sleeping teddy bears. As you say the instructions they copy the words and do the actions:
| French | |
| Nounours | Teddy Bear |
| Nounours, nounours levez-vous ! | (Get up!) |
| Nounours, nounours tournez-vous ! | (Turn round) |
| Nounours, nounours dîtes ‘bonjour’ ! | (Wave hand, say ‘hello’) |
| Nounours, nounours asseyez-vous ! | (Sit down) |
| Nounours, nounours dormez bien. | (Hang head, go back to sleep) |
| German | |
| Teddybär | |
| Teddy, Teddy, steh auf! | (Get up!) |
| Teddy, Teddy, dreh dich herum! | (Turn round) |
| Teddy, Teddy, sag ‘Hallo’! | (Wave hand, say ‘hello’) |
| Teddy, Teddy, setz dich | (Sit down) |
| Teddy, Teddy schlaf gut! | (Hang head, go back to sleep) |
This is a simple but exciting way to practise numbers and to have a little performance. Even children who know their numbers need to practise saying them in reverse. You could demonstrate this first and then let them guess what the rhyme is about. Tantalise them by delaying saying the ‘zero’ so they have to wait for the excitement. Everyone works in unison. Play a ‘beat the teacher’ game to catch them out, for example the children look around, you call the title to surprise them and see if they can be ready before you!
Vocabulary: numbers in reverse from ten to zero.
French
dix, neuf, huit, sept, six, cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un, zéro
German
zehn, neun, acht, sieben, sechs, fünf, vier, drei, zwei, eins, null
1 Call out The rocket (in French La fusée in German Die Rakete).
2 Stand absolutely still and put your hands together in front of you as if in prayer. Insist on silence and complete attention.
3 Count down from ten to five slowly, with students repeating after you. Keep your hands still. When you reach five, move your hands slightly upwards, still together. When you get to zero, call that number loudly all together, bringing your hands up and then down by your sides as if for a rocket taking off. You could play it again with a volunteer calling out the numbers or a group taking it in turns.
This action rhyme can be taught in the first term and still be useful a couple of years later as a reminder and a short lesson filler. Teach it line by line, with the class repeating. Do it first with the class facing you to learn the steps and then they can perform in pairs facing one another. Children love it as a moving game and you can perform it several times in succession. They can change partners each time you complete the rhyme as you call out One, two, three, CHANGE! (French: Un, deux, trois, CHANGEZ ! German: Eins, zwei, drei, Plätze tauschen!) and to the left, to the right (French: à gauche, à droite, German: links, rechts).
Follow these actions in order:
| English: left, right | Action: stretch both arms in each direction to the side |
| French: à gauche, à droite × 2 | |
| German: links, rechts × 2 | |
| English: up, down | Action: raise and lower both arms |
| French: en haut, en bas × 2 | |
| German: auf, ab × 2 | |
| English: in front, behind | Action: arms in front and then behind heads |
| French: en avant, en arrière × 2 | |
| German: nach vorn, nach hinten × 2 | |
| English: slowly, slowly | Action: slowly raise arms in front and then lower them |
| French: lentement, lentement × 2 | |
| German: langsam, langsam × 2 |
(Keep them waiting in suspense here as this next bit is a favourite!)
Make a collection of simple verbs which describe an action you might practise at school, in physical education or in the classroom. Discuss which actions you might perform on different days. Look for an interesting culmination to the week for Sunday. Use a steady rhythm. Everyone repeats after you and does an action for each verb. Have a dramatic action for the final line as in the example below.
| English: | French: | German: |
| The week | La semaine | Die Woche |
| On Monday | Lundi je dors | Am Montag schlafe ich |
| I sleep | ||
| On Tuesday | Mardi je cours | Am Dienstag laufe ich |
| I run | ||
| On Wednesday | Mercredi je marche | Am Mittwoch spaziere ich |
| I walk | ||
| On Thursday | Jeudi je saute | Am Donnerstag springe ich |
| I jump | ||
| On Friday | Vendredi je nage | Am Freitag schwimme ich |
| I swim | ||
| On Saturday | Samedi je lis | Am Samstag lese ich |
| I read | ||
| and on Sunday | et dimanche je danse ! | und am Sonntag tanze ich! |
| I dance |
To make a more complicated rhyme, replace the verbs above by making a list together of hobbies or activities which students like doing, for example: I play football; I do sport; I listen to music; I play the violin.
French
je joue au foot; je fais du sport; j’écoute de la musique; je joue du violon.
German
ich spiele Fußball; ich treibe Sport; ich höre Musik; ich spiele Geige.
In pairs, students could make up their own rhyme and perform it with a partner, using an appropriate action for each phrase. They could announce the title: Hannah’s week; la semaine de Hannah; Hannahs Woche etc.
This is an easy rhyme for beginners in their first term using some common colours, although they are not the authentic colours of the rainbow of course! Have a set of colour flashcards for volunteers to hold up.
• Call out a colour name and choose a child to come to the front of the class to hold the card.
• Select about six or seven colours, as far as possible the colours of the rainbow.
• You say each line of the rhyme, they repeat and a child raises that colour card.
• On the last line, each person raises their card in turn to make the arc shape and everyone else slowly moves both their arms in the air from one side to the other to represent the arc and calls out the final words together.