““Songs for the EFL Songs for the EFL Soul”Soul”

Workshop for Teachers of Workshop for Teachers of EnglishEnglish

Michael E. Rudder, Ph.D.Michael E. Rudder, Ph.D.Regional English Language OfficerRegional English Language Officer

U.S. EmbassyU.S. Embassy

Objectives:Objectives:

Linguistic practice (vocabulary, grammar, structures)

Variety (text with music)

Motivation (music as universal language

of expression)

Fun (affective, expressive, creative)

Preparation Activities:Preparation Activities:

Schema-building (questions, visuals, background information)Vocabulary (key words, idioms,

expressions)

Grammar (verb tenses, structures, etc.)

Predicting the meaning (title and key words)

Strips (putting lyrics in order)

Cloze (listening and writing)

Writing assignment (on theme)

Re-write lyrics (change first line)

Discussion (interpretation, opinions, feelings)

Illustration (pictures or mime)

Dictation (listening and writing activity)

Cloze (oral or written)

Follow-up Activities:Follow-up Activities:

“WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD!”

I see trees of green

red roses too.

I see them bloom for me and you.

"what a wonderful world!"

And I think to myself,

I see skies of blueand clouds of white.

The bright blessed day,the dark sacred night.

“what a wonderful world!”

And I think to myself,

The colors of the rainbow

so pretty in the sky

are also on the faces of peoplegoing by.

I see friends shaking hands saying, “how do you do?”

They're really saying, “I love you” .

I hear babies cry,

than I'll ever know.

I watch them grow.

They‘ll learn much more

And I think to myself, "what a wonderful world!"

Yes, I think to myself, "what a wonderful world!"

“IF I HAD A HAMMER”

If I had a hammer,

I'd hammer in the evening all over this land.

I'd hammer in the morning.

I'd hammer out a warning.

I'd hammer out danger.

between my brothers and my sisters all over this land.

I'd hammer out love

I'd ring it in the morning.

I'd ring it in the evening all over this land.

If I had a bell,

I'd hang out a warning.

I'd ring out danger.

And sow a lot of love between my brothers and my sistersall over this land.

I'd sing it in the morning.

I'd sing it in the evening all over this land.

If I had me a song,

and I'd sing out a warning.

I'd sing about danger,

And sow a lot of love

between my brothers and my sisters all over this land.

and I got me a song to sing all over this land.

And I got me a hammer,

and I got me a bell,

It's the hammer of Justice.

It's the bell of Freedom.

Love between my brothers and my sisters all over this land.

And it's a song about

"Six Words"

From the pillows of my head

I was lying on the bed

And the room was filled with smoke

and my despair

Questions for Discussion

• Where is this person?

• What’s his/her mood?

• What’s the source of the smoke?

When the rain came weeping down

Like a shroud around the town

And its humid fingers matted in my hair

Questions for Discussion

• What metaphorical images are depicted?

• What’s the overall mood?

Something snapped inside my brain

Something made it very plain

That the sogginess of life was only me

Questions for Discussion

• What snapped inside the brain?

• What is the meaning of

“the sogginess of life”?

So I sat up and I wrote

I put six words in a note

And I threw it out through the window

To the street far below

Questions for Discussion

• Where is the writer?

• What are the contents of the note?

Six words that saved me

From the nightmare that enslaved me

Floated on the raindrops

To the pavement far below

Someone found them lying there

Someone cared enough to care

And I watched her

Like you watch a falling star

Questions for Discussion

• How has the mood changed?

• Who found the note?

And I smiled cause I could see

She had turned to smile at me

I had written just

___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___

Six words:

“I love you whoever you are.”

“I Believe”

A flower grows.

I believe for every drop of rain

that falls

I believe that somewhere in the darkest night

I believe, I believe.

A candle glows.

I believe for everyone who goes astray

Someone will come to show the way.

I believe above the storm

every word.

Will still be heard.

I believe that someone in the great somewhere

the smallest prayer

“love”Hears

Every time I hear a newborn baby cry

Or see the sky,

Or touch a leaf

Then I know why I believe.

BELIEVE !BELIEVE !and anything is possible