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Songs
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I love to use songs in my classroom.  Sometimes, I include popular music from Spain and Latin America and other times I include instructional songs.  Students love the musical component.  I do not require students to sing but most usually do sing.  Aside from singing songs, there are many other listening activities students can do with songs.

 

Song Activities
    Arrange Lyrics in the Correct Order
    1. Divide students in groups and have them sit together. 
    2. Distribute cut up lyrics from a song with which students are familiar.
    3. Ensure that the lyrics are shuffled.   
    4. To make the activity more difficult, add words that are not in the song. 
    5. Be sure that all students in the group can see and reach the lyrics.
    6. Play the song.  
    7. Meanwhile students pick out the lyrics and put them in the correct order.

    Cloze Activity
    1. Choose a song that contains vocabulary students have previously learned.
    2. Hold a conversation (not necessarily pertaining to song) using vocabulary words from the song.
    3. Ask comprehension questions in English to ensure that students were paying attention. 
    4. Pass out lyrics to the song.  Include blanks for students to fill in as they listen to the song. 
    5. Play the song.
    6. Afterwards, discuss the meaning of the song in Spanish.

    Dramatize a Song
    1. Choose a song.
    2. Write key vocabulary words on the board, preferable verbs or other words that students can pantomime. 
    3. Ask students to predict what the song is about based on the keywords.
    4. Teach actions to the song. 
    5. Play the song.
    6. Students perform the actions as they listen to the song.

    Musical or Opera
    1. Choose a Spanish musical or opera that students may enjoy or that correspond with the curriculum.
    2. Provide a synopsis of it and discuss pertinent background information. 
    3. Play an audio recording of the Spanish opera or musical. 
    4. Students listen and follow the voices or read along.
    5. Students fill out a worksheet and answer questions. 
    6. Afterwards, show the video. 
    7. Students act out scenes.
    8. Students sing the songs.

    Picture and Summary
    1. Play a song.
    2. Students write down the song title, the artist and what the song was about.
    3. Students illustrate the song.
    4. Afterwards, they explain their picture to the class in Spanish.

    Word Recognition
    1. Students write down words that they recognize from the song. 
    2. Each student shares a word in Spanish and tells the English meaning. 
    3. Record each word on the board. 
    4. Once a student says a word, that same word cannot be repeated. 
    5. Based on the keywords, ask students what they think the song is about. 

 

Resources
You tube - You can find videos to just about any type of song or dance here.  There are even videos that teach you to dance!  You can even download the videos and view them on a computer or iPod.

Launch: La Música en Yahoo! Yahoo España has online Spanish music & music videos including the Top 100.

Texas State Library and Archives Commission - This website has traditional songs and rhymes such as Los Elefantes, Las Mañanitas, Los Pollitos, Arroz con Leche, etc. along with audio files.

 

I also love to include popular Latin music in my classes. Some of my favorite CDs are:

  • Juanes
  • Shakira
  • Bacilos
  • Cristian Castro
  • Laura Pausini
  • Selena
  • Rosario
  • Ella Baila Sola
  • Julieta Venegas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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