i

Agosto, 2019

(versão corrigida e melhorada após defesa pública)

Relatório de Estágio de Mestrado em Ensino de Inglês

no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico

Pau

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9

Chants, Raps and Songs:

How they Enhance Language Memorisation

Paula Cristina de Mira Fernandes

ii

Relatório de Estágio apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos

necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Ensino de Inglês no 1º Ciclo do

Ensino Básico, realizado sob a orientação científica da Professora Doutora

Carolyn E. Leslie e da Professora Doutora Ana Gonçalves Matos.

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Dedicated

To my parents,

who always encouraged me and taught me to never give up

and who I miss so much.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Thank you to all my students, past, present and from my practicum for their

readiness to sign the consent forms to participate in this research project; to their parents

for letting them participate; and to the headmaster of the school cluster for granting me

permission to carry out this research.

I would like to express my gratitude to Dra. Vera Batista for sharing her knowledge,

for giving good advice and guidance and for always believing in me, through all my ups

and downs. I would like to show my appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Carolyn E.

Leslie, for believing in me and sharing her precious time, guidance, valuable help and

support during this humongous adventure. I would also like to thank all my FCSH

professors, namely Professor Ana Matos, Professor Sandie Mourão, Professor Joana

Teixeira, Professor Teresa Botelho, Professor Sílvia Almeida, Professor João Paulo Ascenso

and Professor Conceição Castel-Branco for their support, availability and encouragement.

Thank you to my three musketeers Ana Débora, Silvina and Ekaterina.

I would also like to thank Dra. Eunice Rato for all her support, all my training centre

supervisors, my colleagues and all the people who were involved in making my life easier

and making this project possible.

A special thanks to my precious children Sofia and Daniel for their patience and

understanding. Thanks to my brothers… for their encouragement and support. To Paulo.

And to António, for being here for me and with me, unconditionally, and without whom

this giant leap would have been totally impossible to give. Thank you!

Khanimambo Xikwembu xa Matimba!

v

CHANTS, RAPS AND SONGS: HOW THEY ENHANCE LANGUAGE MEMORISATION

PAULA CRISTINA DE MIRA FERNANDES

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS: English Language Teaching, chants, language memorisation, young learners,

raps, chunks, English as a Foreign Language.

This action research study aims to show how chants, raps and songs can enhance

language memorisation in an English as a Foreign Language classroom and what

contributes to it. During my second practicum period I collected data through

questionnaires, worksheets, observation grids, a learning journal and students’

interviews. These tools helped me understand what is behind chants, raps and songs

when teaching a foreign language. I learned that my students loved rhythm, rhymes,

repetition, gestures, imitation, body language, intonation and that all of these combined

were a booster to language memorisation. I observed that there was language

appropriation and that children were able to recall chants, raps and songs taught in the

class through repetition, gestures and rhythm. Chants, raps and songs also contributed to

“maximise language pronunciation, intonation, ear training…” (Brewster, Ellis & Gerard,

2002, p.164). They have beats that contribute to language learning through the repetition

of chunks, enhancing memory ability. Teachers may use chants, raps and songs as

“warmers, as closers, to introduce new language, to practise language, to revise language

(Brewster, Ellis & Gerard, 2002, p.168). Should teachers use these more often they may

contribute to the ability to train their students’ memory.

vi

CHANTS, RAPS AND SONGS: HOW THEY ENHANCE LANGUAGE MEMORISATION

PAULA CRISTINA DE MIRA FERNANDES

RESUMO

PALAVRAS-CHAVE: English Language Teaching, chants, language memorisation, young

learners, raps, chunks, English as a Foreign Language, lengalengas, canções.

Este estudo pretende essencialmente mostrar como é que a música, o rap e as

lengalengas podem aumentar a capacidade de memória dos alunos. O projeto foi

realizado com o intuito de descobrir como é que os aprendentes de inglês memorizam

vocabulário e o que contribui para tal. A música, o rap e as lengalengas contêm ritmo. O

ritmo, a repetição, os gestos, a linguagem corporal, a entoação atraem as crianças de uma

forma natural e contribuem para aumentar a capacidade de memória dos alunos.

Contribuem igualmente para maximizar a pronúncia, a entoação e o treino auditivo

(Brewster, Ellis & Gerard, 2002, p.164). Os professores podem usá-los para criar rotinas,

introduzir vocabulário, praticá-lo e revê-lo (Brewster, Ellis & Gerard, 2002, p.168). Se

usarem a música, o rap e as lengalengas com mais frequência contribuirão para o

aumento da capacidade de memória dos seus alunos. A recolha de informação para este

estudo foi realizada através de questionários, fichas, registos de observação, diário de

bordo e entrevistas aos alunos. Esta investigação ajudou-me a perceber o que está

envolvido no processo de aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira através de músicas,

raps e lengalengas.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1

Chapter I - The Literature Review ...................................................................................... 4

I.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................. 4

I.2. Formulaic language, chunks, prefabricated language, chants and rap ...................... 4

I.3. How chants, raps and songs aid language learning .................................................... 5

I.4. How chants, raps and songs can be used in the classroom ........................................ 8

I.5. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 9

Chapter II - The Action Research ...................................................................................... 10

II.1. The context ................................................................................................................ 10

II.2. Methodology ............................................................................................................. 11

II.2.1. Action Research ...................................................................................................... 11

II.2.2. Consent forms ........................................................................................................ 11

II.2.3. How chants, raps and songs were taught ............................................................. 12

II.3. Data collection and Research tools........................................................................... 13

II.3.1. A learning journal: .................................................................................................. 14

II.3.2. Observation grids: .................................................................................................. 14

II.3.3. Worksheets: ............................................................................................................ 15

II.3.4. Questionnaires: ...................................................................................................... 15

II.3.5. Interviews: .............................................................................................................. 16

II.4. The Results ................................................................................................................. 16

II.4.A. How can students memorise language? ............................................................... 17

II.4.A.1. A learning journal: ............................................................................................... 17

II.4.A.2. Questionnaires: ................................................................................................... 18

II.4.B. How can I improve my students’ learning ability using chants, raps and songs? 22

II.4.B.1. Interviews: ........................................................................................................... 22

II.4.B.2. Worksheets: ........................................................................................................ 23

II.4.B.3. Observation grids: ............................................................................................... 24

II.5. Discussion and Conclusion ........................................................................................ 26

Final conclusion ................................................................................................................ 29

References ........................................................................................................................ 30

Appendices ....................................................................................................................... 33

1

Introduction I have been teaching English to adults with lower levels of education for the last

twenty years. Even if my teaching experience with young learners (YLs) is very short at

present, I feel passionate about student centred classrooms. The fact is that my adult

students respond very positively to these. Whenever they see me outside the classroom

they try to say something in English, which leads me continue using this teaching

approach. That behaviour shows how my students feel about trying to use English.

During this Master’s degree and in my first teaching practice period, I had to

observe a teacher in action, to coteach with her and then to solo teach with her support.

I was fortunate to see how my cooperating teacher provided exposure to vocabulary and

short phrases and encouraged students to participate in oral activities, first through whole

group repetition, then in smaller groups, in pairs and individually. Students liked

repetition. In fact, I believe repetition motivated students, maybe because they felt safe

using short phrases they knew, had learned, practised and could control.

This first teaching practice opportunity made me think of memorable times in my

life, especially related to my personal experience as an aunt and as a mother. When I was

a teenager, I started playing games and singing songs in English with my niece and

nephew. It was interesting to notice how they could remember and were able to repeat

short phrases I had taught them. Some years later, I did the same with my older son and

the results were better, as I could invest more of my time and patience on the amount of

language and on the feedback I gave him. This regular exposure to the language

contributed to motivate him to learn English, gave him time to listen and to produce

meaningful output and contributed to his success as an English language speaker. At that

time, it did not occur to me that oral repetition would become the object of my master’s

degree.

Before starting my second teaching practice, I had decided to do this research

project to try to find out how chants, raps and songs contribute to memory enhancement.

Chants, chunks and songs have an important role in the national curriculum, as listening

and speaking skills are a priority in primary education. “A aprendizagem da língua

estrangeira no 1º ciclo do ensino básico em particular privilegia a oralidade” (Bravo, Cravo

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& Duarte, 2014, p.3), which means that the Portuguese curriculum for the 1st cycle of

Education in English focuses on oral skills. It also says that the acquisition of lexical

structures and chunks are more important than the acquisition of isolated words.

Moreover, Aprendizagens Essenciais (Direção-Geral da Educação, 2018) adds that at the

end of the 1st cycle students should be able to produce and identify words, short phrases,

rhymes, chants and songs. Nevertheless, if we look closely at the majority of course books

available in Portugal, we see that most of them have little focus on listening and spoken

interaction or production. In fact, their main focus is on reading and writing, which means

young learners do not have many opportunities to develop their listening and speaking

skills in the classroom. As a consequence of this, students might lower their levels of

interest in the language and may find it more and more difficult to speak and interact with

their peers. Speaking in a foreign language is an imitation of sounds, repetition

accompanied by images, gestures and physical movements and rhythm. When it comes

to introducing a foreign language in primary education, learners should be given the

opportunities to put into practice all skills, but prioritizing listening and speaking over

reading and writing.

Moreover, I wanted to find out how students recalled the language they were

taught in the classroom through chants and songs. Is the repetition of words and short

phrases provided by chants, raps or songs and accompanied with images, gestures,

physical movements and rhythm enough to help students learn? Chants and songs

promote language learning as they facilitate memorisation “by creating mental linkages,

applying images and sounds, employing action and rhythm and reviewing” (Oxford, 1990,

p.18). Rhythm, rhyme, beat, language repetition, movement and gestures, together with

chants and songs in the daily routine of a classroom give YLs the motivation they need to

be able to participate orally, “even if their level of proficiency is low” (Oxford, 1990, p.18).

Therefore, the two research questions I tried to answer were “How can I improve

my students’ learning ability using chants, raps and songs?” and “How can students

memorise chants, raps and songs?”

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Chapter I of this project presents the literature review, which provides the

background information to support my research. Chapter II presents the action research.

It presents the context, the data collection tools, the methodology, results and findings,

the conclusion of my work and ideas for future research.

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Chapter I - The Literature Review

I.1. Introduction

The literature review of this research project focuses on chants, raps and songs

and how they contribute to language memorisation. It aims to investigate how YLs may

improve their learning through these tools. First, I will start by defining ‘formulaic

language’, ‘chunks’ and ‘chants’, as it is relevant to understand what they are and how

important they are in language learning. Secondly, I will address the importance of chants,

raps and songs in a child’s life. Thirdly, I will reflect on their importance and explain their

role in learning a foreign language. Fourthly, I will explain at which stages of an English as

a Foreign Language (EFL) lesson they can be taught. Finally, I will present my conclusions.

I.2. Formulaic language, chunks, chants and rap

According to Wray (2002) “a considerable proportion of our everyday language is

‘formulaic’” (p.1), that is “predictable in form and idiomatic”. This formulaic language,

which can also be referred to as a chunk, refers to several words that are usually stored

together in our memory and used as a whole. Zimmer (2010) states that children should

learn not on a word-by-word basis but in larger lexical chunks as these are “committed to

memory”. Chunks may consist of simple combinations of two, three or four words (Biber,

1999) that appear together frequently. They can be set phrases with classroom language

“Sorry, but I don’t understand” or “Can you repeat that, please?” They can be semi-fixed

expressions such as “I love chocolate”, “It’s a beautiful day and I’m not scared” (Rosen,

1989), “In my opinion", "How are you?" or "Know what I mean?" (Nordquist, 2018), and

they can be collocations, such as “the big, bad wolf” or “a beautiful sunny day”.

Using chunks facilitates communication among native speakers, as Schmitt (2000)

explained. It is much easier for a native speaker to use “ready-made chunks” instead of

having to think of word selection. For speakers of EFL, chunks are taught as a starter, as a

first step to learn a language. Repetition of chunks of language through the use of

classroom language, teacher’s language, songs, rhymes and the fact that chunks are ready

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to be used scaffolds non-natives’ language learning process. It also provides students with

a sense of confidence, enabling them to use the language with their peers.

On the contrary, Swan (2006, p.3) argues that the “methodology of the chunking

approach will never produce nativelike proficiency” as there are so many variants that a

language learner might take years to learn them all. In my opinion, when introducing new

vocabulary and learning a foreign language in primary education, chunks are always an

asset as they are ready to be used. Teachers should teach students the chunks, plus the

appropriate pronunciation through repetition. At this stage, nativelike proficiency is not

an issue yet. The fact is chunks are taught in EFL classroom and they are here to stay

(Zimmer, 2010).

Chants are “stretches of real language put into a rhythmic framework” as Forster

(2006, p.64) puts it. Chants are examples of formulaic language as they are comprised of

chunks. They involve repetition, rhythm, and musicality of words or sounds. Students just

have to use the chant they learned in a rhythmic ‘prêt-à-porter’ utterance, which means

that the chant is ready to be used. Raps are a type of popular music with a “strong beat,

in which words are chanted or spoken”, according to the online Cambridge Dictionary

(CUP, n.d.). In my opinion, they are connected to a sense of rebellion and children do like

to be defiant.

Chants, raps and songs stimulate short and long term memory and memory has a

crucial role in language comprehension and learning. It stores information about the

language used and “uses the data to make sense and communicate” (Eghlidi,

Talebinezhad & Fard, 2017, p.321). These authors say that memory holds verbal

information through repetition, which is fundamental for language storage and

processing.

I.3. How chants, raps and songs help develop language learning

It has been proved that music is a powerful teaching tool that fosters language

acquisition, retention and production from an early age. “Children love songs”, as

Brewster, Ellis and Girard (2002, p.162) state. Their “repetitive nature and rhythm” bring

a positive effect into the classroom’s environment and a feeling of enjoyment, which

6

motivates YLs for the language learning process (Read, 2007, p.184). So, why should

teachers not take advantage of such a natural and precious tool?

Chants and songs are natural in any language acquisition process and they play an

important role when it comes to learning a foreign language, as they can be used in real

life situations. Using them in classroom activities provides opportunities for verbal and

non-verbal participation and everyone can join in, allowing tongue-tied learners to

practise their oral skills as well. They help “developing phonemic awareness and reinforce

the stress, intonation and rhythm of words” (Dias & Mourão, 2005, p.84). Graham (1994,

p.5) states that chants provide a “natural way of learning, closer to a nativelike learning

environment”. Brewster, Ellis and Girard (2002) also refer to songs, rhymes and chants as

perfect for learning. Chants and songs facilitate and promote language learning, as they

facilitate memorisation “by creating mental linkages, applying images and sounds,

employing action and rhythm and reviewing” (Oxford, 1990, p.18). In the daily routine of

a classroom they give YLs the motivation they need to be able to participate orally, “even

if their level of proficiency is low” (Oliver & Philp, 2014, p.51). This means that even

weaker students may use those bits of language without fear of failure.

Learners are given adequate language models through the use and repetition of

chants, raps and songs. This practice enables children to make new phrases and

sentences. Their use in the classroom seems to be predictable, familiar and repetitive and

YLs know “what they should say or do” (Oliver & Philp, 2014, p.51). Therefore, it

contributes to increase learners’ greater motivation and memorisation ability, as they use

the language with their peers, that is, useful in real life situations. Chants, raps and songs

used in “repeated recycling of vocabulary in different contexts has been shown to foster

vocabulary acquisition in YLs” (Kersten, 2015, p.137). If YLs are frequently exposed to

learning experiences, they will be able to train their memory and perception skills. The

more input they get, the more they will retain. When students hear themselves

repeatedly, they acquire language unconsciously. Children will then increase their “lexical

items and multi-word structures” and will improve their “speech rhythms, intonation and

pronunciation” (Foster, 2006, p.63). YLs must then receive enough exposure through

repetition so that chants, raps and songs can be stored in their memory. Providing

learners with exposure to natural language will improve their memorisation ability,

7

through drilling and repetition. As Hillyard puts it, “repetition is the key” (2003, p3). In

addition, longer strings of words will be easier to memorise (Foster, 2006). At some point,

learners will be able to “unpack” and modify these strings to create new phrases.

The rhythm associated to music connects brain and memory. Teachers must take

advantage of this brain-memory link “whether the words are chanted or sung” (Graham,

2001, p.9). Furthermore, young children will love anything with music or a beat (Forster,

2006). As they love to play, their ability to sing, pick up sounds, remember melodies and

rhythms is strong, so why not use this as an asset and teach them vocabulary items and

language items? (Forster, 2006). Murphey believes that “music has the power to engrave

itself into our brains” (1992, p.3). As songs work on both our short and our long-term

memory, they are adequate tools to be used in the language classroom. As our short-term

memory is in fact short, by chanting, rapping or singing students can “take smaller bits of

information and combine them into more meaningful, and therefore more memorable,

wholes” Murphey (1992, p.3).

Bor (2012) argues that the way we see language patterns and make connections

are important for memory and creativity. He claims that chunks aid memory and they can

enhance our memory ability through practice, association of ideas, vocabulary

connections and mnemonics. Any first or foreign language acquisition process involves

the acquisition of memorised sequences of language as “working memory is heavily

involved in language acquisition” (Ellis & Sinclair, 1996, p.234).

According to Wray (2002, p.279), “Large units are most useful for routine

interaction”, especially with foreign language learners. This means that larger chunks are

preferable to smaller ones, as the process to create fluent output is more challenging.

However, larger units are more difficult to memorise, as explained above. Myles, Hooper

and Mitchell (1998, p.358), after studying French learners, stated that “the use of

formulas did indeed facilitate entry into communication and speed up production in early

stages”. Regarding language memorisation, Conesa and Rubio (2015) give the example of

teaching the alphabet to children. Their study concludes that children learned it faster

and hence memorised it better when teachers sang along with them. They also mention

the fact that children are more motivated and stimulated by authentic materials, such as

realia. Chants, raps and songs are authentic language, and most course books already

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incorporate these. Bilbrough (2011) adds that memory is “the glue that binds us to the

world of language” (p1). Foster (2006) concludes by saying that children need to make

use of their memory to make and complete sentences or phrases.

Read (2005) states that the best way to “maximize the benefits of using chants and

songs” (p.183) in lessons is in an integrated way. The use of a range of skills in a sequence

of different activities enhances language transfer into other contexts in a safe way. This

brings confidence to YLs.

I.4. How chants, raps and songs can be used in the classroom

Language teachers should make use of chants, raps or songs as part of their

classroom routine, i.e., to start or finish their lessons, to illustrate and introduce topics,

to add variety or a change of pace, to introduce new vocabulary or to recycle already

known language. Forster considers chants and songs of great value when teaching long

stretches of real language, especially when related to “classroom functions, daily routines

or communicative situations” (2006, p.65). She considers two aspects when presenting

chants and songs to YLs: the students’ age and the relevance of the chant or song.

Moreover, to attain a good result from the very first contact with the language she

presents some guidelines. First, to present the chant orally, little by little in every lesson,

always reviewing and revisiting previous vocabulary and learned chants (Foster, 2006),

raps and songs. To revisit language is an opportunity to “review and build confidence”

(Foster, 2006, p.65). Second, to use creativity to be able to create new chants. All

elements recommended by the Total Physical Response approach to teaching should be

used. Clapping, tapping, snapping fingers, making body gestures and whistling contribute

to enhance memorisation ability (Mejzini, 2016) and are, therefore, important tools to

promote improvement in English speech, rhythms, intonation and pronunciation and a

facilitation of memorisation of longer chunks.

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I.5. Conclusion

Chants, raps and songs have rhythmic melodic beats that contribute to language

learning, through the repetition of chunks. They are particularly relevant for the YLs’

language learning process, as they facilitate and enhance memory ability. Teachers may

use them as “warmers, as closers, to introduce new language, to practise language, to

revise language (Brewster, Ellis & Gerard, 2002, p.168). They also contribute immensely

to “maximise language pronunciation, intonation, ear training…” (Brewster, Ellis &

Gerard, 2002, p.164).

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Chapter II - The Action Research

II.1. The context

This study took place during the first term of the 2018/2019 school year, in a 1st

cycle public school in a small town in the outskirts of Lisbon. It is a small school in a small

community, with 5 classes in total, from preschool to 4th grade. The community seems to

have a low social and economic status, as represented by the government’s support to 7

school children. My class was a 3rd grade class with 27 students, 14 girls and 13 boys of 8

and 9 years old. The class had 2 students with special educational needs. The classroom

was small for the number of students, but there was a computer with internet access and

an interactive board.

The students’ first language (L1) was Portuguese and they were having English

classes for the first time in their lives, although one of them was a native speaker of

English. There were five excellent students and three disruptive learners. Overall, they

were very interested and increased their level of participation over time. They tended to

remain engaged and on task, but sometimes they became disruptive.

The lessons were 60 minutes long and took place twice a week, on Tuesdays at

4.30 pm and on Thursdays at 11.30 am. I taught 18 lessons during the 10 week-duration

of my second practicum, from October to December 2018. The topics were covered as

determined by the national curriculum, but taught in a spiral way, according to the school

cluster’s methodology, in which every topic should be connected to others. I taught the

Alphabet, Autumn, Numbers 1-20, How old are you, Days of the week and Months. The

festivities celebrated from an intercultural perspective were Halloween and Christmas.

The way the topics were presented in the course book, Stars 3 (Lindade, Botelho

& Lucas, 2015, p.2) was not natural, as they were not linked to the previous or following

ones and they did not flow. The course book had a chant and a song per unit, and an

immense amount of listening, pointing, repeating and matching, reading and writing.

With no speaking activities whatsoever in Unit 1, it offered little spoken interaction

opportunities. The national curriculum (2005, p.3) mentions that the learning process

should be gradual, and move from oral comprehension and repetition to simple

11

interactive situations. To supplement her lessons, my cooperating teacher introduced

songs to teach greetings and school objects. The approach was student-centred,

interactive and collaborative, and in line with the national curriculum’s aims for the 1st

cycle (Bravo, Cravo & Duarte, 2014).

II.2. Methodology

II.2.1. Action Research

The main goal of this project was to answer the questions “How can I improve my

students’ learning ability, using chants, raps and songs?” and “How can students

memorise language, through chants, raps and songs?” In order to find the answers to my

research questions, I set up an action research plan. This involved “taking a self-reflective,

critical and systematic approach to exploring your own teaching contexts” (Burns, 2010,

p.2).

I had to overcome the fact that the course book only presented one song and one

chant per unit. Therefore, I followed the cluster’s orientations and tried to find a chant,

rap or song for each topic to be taught. I planned each chant, rap and song I would be

teaching, I taught set phrases and semi-fixed expressions, put the plan into action and

observed the results. I reflected on the results and adapted the plan according to the

feedback received from the students. I revised, adapted and planned the following steps.

This method helped me to reflect on my teaching practice and on my students’ learning

process and to be critical about my teaching, my materials, activities and findings. During

this period, I collected data to help me answer my research questions.

II.2.2. Consent forms

First, I informed the cluster’s director of the purpose of my study (Appendix A),

asking for her permission to conduct the study. Second, a letter of consent written in

Portuguese was sent to parents (Appendix B), explaining the aim and the length of the

project, as well as the methodology regarding data collection. Third, students were also

asked for their consent (Appendix C). I explained why it was important for them to

participate and that they could choose not to participate at any point. 27 students agreed

12

and signed their voluntary consent forms. 5 parents did not hand in their consent forms.

After receiving positive feedback from the school cluster, I started my practicum on the

4th October of 2018. I taught 18 lessons.

II.2.3. How chants, raps and songs were taught

Table 1 - Topics taught with chants, raps or songs

The alphabet

How do you spell your name?

Halloween short story

How old are you? / Numbers 1-10

What’s your favourite / day of the week?

Activities such as speaking, listening, reading and role-playing were carried out,

either to introduce or to practise chants, raps or songs.

a) The alphabet chant. To introduce the letters of the alphabet I brainstormed

them first, in case some students already knew them. I wrote each letter on the board, a

line for each verse of the chant I wanted to teach the students (Appendix D). Students

and I grouped the letters according to their sounds. The letters were taught as a chant. I

chanted the first 7 letters of the alphabet and students repeated them. I chanted the

following 9, 6 and 4 letters and students repeated them, first as a whole group and then

in rows. In the following lesson, groups of students said the chant for others to repeat.

Students with special educational needs and weaker ones volunteered too. Every student

participated in the alphabet chant.

b) How do you spell your name? In October, students were struggling to ask the

question ‘How do you spell your name?’ (Appendix E). The number of words might have

13

been an issue and “do” was always missing, maybe because it had no correspondence in

their L1 question structure. I introduced a rap, accompanied by intonation, gestures,

adequate rhythm, rebel moves, crossing my arms and saying ‘Huh?’ at the end. Students

wanted to participate and repeat the chant. The chant ‘How do you spell your name?’ had

been introduced effectively.

c) The Halloween story. (Appendix F) Based on Carolyn Graham’s video (2018), I

introduced the four characters of the story, I explained what they did and drilled the story.

At the end of the lesson, students were able to chant the story by themselves, through

repetition and gestures.

d) How old are you? (Appendix G) This question was not planned to be taught as

a chant. As a matter of fact, students were struggling to ask the question correctly and

they kept asking ‘How are you?’ instead. I turned it into 2 chunks (How old - are you?),

and added rhythm and repetition, gestures and body language to help students say their

age (numbers 1 to 10).

e) Days of the Week (Appendix H). The students heard the song “Days of the

Week” (Martin & Rose, 2017) twice and practised the days of the week in a memory game

on the board. The aim was not to learn the song. The question ‘What’s your favourite day

of the week?’ was divided into two chunks to ease the learning process and was written

on the board separately ‘What’s your favourite - day of the week?

II.3. Data collection and Research tools

To increase the quality and rigour of the research, I tried to collect data through a

significant range of observational and non-observational tools and I used both

quantitative and qualitative data. A learning journal, observation grids, questionnaires,

interviews and worksheets were the research tools used to strengthen triangulation. The

questionnaires and worksheets were carried out anonymously.

14

II.3.1. A learning journal

I used a learning journal to reflect on my teaching and on my students’ learning

with chants, raps and songs. I collected thoughts, reflections on my lessons, on my

students’ learning and their comments. I took notes of what had gone well or should be

corrected and avoided next time, what I could have done differently, which activities and

stages had taken longer than expected and why, my students’ comments, struggles,

learning, reactions and behaviour. I used my learning journal to focus on what I could

repeat or needed to improve in the following lesson. I collected moments to reflect on

and I knew exactly when and in what circumstances they happened. In the spare pages of

my journal I wrote some examples of good practices or important quotations to focus on,

concerning the difficulties I faced during my practicum. My comments were analysed and

are presented as quotations in Section II.4 Results.

II.3.2. Observation grids

Observation grids (Appendices I, J, K and L) were used to keep track of the

students’ level of participation, difficulty in using the language, task achievements and

language memorisation. The purpose was also to have a different perspective, my peers’

perspective on a small group of 4 children. My cooperating teacher and my peers, who

came to observe me separately in November and in December, were asked to focus on a

small group of students during chant activities: the alphabet chant (Appendix D), the

Halloween story chant (Appendix F) and the “How old are you” chant (Appendix G). The

observation grids were filled in during 3 lessons, by a total of 4 teachers. In the 1st lesson,

during a classroom activity, 3 teachers observed 3 groups of 4 students. In the 2nd lesson,

during another classroom activity 3 teachers observed 3 other groups of 4 children. In the

3rd lesson, 2 teachers observed 2 groups of 4 children. While observing, teachers were

focusing on whether each student had shown difficulties in saying the letters, used the

language with long pauses or used the language effectively, without long pauses for the

1st activity. Were YLs able to say the alphabet chant? For the 2nd, teachers were focusing

on whether YLs showed difficulties in achieving the task, i.e., saying the chant, if they

carried out the task, but with some difficulty or carried out the task successfully and with

relative ease. For the 3rd activity, teachers had to focus on whether children had

15

memorised the language structure and chant with difficulty or apparent ease. The results

are presented in Section II.4 Results.

II.3.3. Worksheets

I used worksheets (Appendices M) to verify whether students were able to

remember and had learned chants, raps and songs taught previously. After oral practice,

they had to sequence verses and reorder words to make sentences related to chants, raps

and songs. These were:

“How old are you?”

“I’m X years old.”

“How do you spell your name?”

Reorder numbers 1 to 10.

“When is your birthday?”

“My birthday is in August.”

“What’s your favourite day of the week?”

“My favourite day of the week is ______.”

The results were collected, assembled and coded according to the students’

answers and are presented as percentages in Section II.4 Results.

II.3.4. Questionnaires

I used anonymous questionnaires to find out whether students felt chants, raps

and songs had been important to memorise the language taught (Appendix N) and to

know what they did to remember the vocabulary or structure taught (Appendix O).

Questionnaires were completed anonymously and I asked the students to be truthful.

After oral revision of each topic, all students filled in the questionnaires in December 2018

and in January 2019. I used closed questions in the first questionnaires and students were

asked to colour the appropriate face, according to their answers to the questions. I used

a multiple-choice questionnaire in January with only one possible option, as I wanted

16

students to choose what the most important learning aspect had been. The results were

analysed as percentages related to the YLs’ perspective of how important those

instruments were for their learning process. The data were assembled, analysed, coded

according to the students choices and are presented in Section II.4 Results.

II.3.5. Interviews

I interviewed eleven randomly selected students individually (Appendix P) in

January. The interviews were conducted in Portuguese. They were not recorded, but the

students’ answers were registered in my learning journal. The aim was to gather evidence

on how YLs thought they remembered chants, raps and songs taught in the classroom and

what they did to remember them. I wanted to know their opinion on what made

memorisation possible and what could have contributed to vocabulary memorisation.

During the interview, all YLs were asked to sing parts of chants, raps and songs they had

been taught. They were also asked how they memorised the vocabulary and structures

taught in the classroom, how they felt and if they enjoyed learning with chants, raps and

songs. The results were assembled, analysed and categorised according to the students’

answers and these can be seen in Section II.4 Results.

II.4. The Results

This part of the project aims to present the results of my action research study,

based on the data collected during my practicum, in order to answer my research

questions ‘How can I improve my students’ learning ability using chants and songs?’ and

‘How can students memorise language?’ I collected data at different points in time

through my learning journal, observation grids, worksheets, questionnaires and

interviews. I tried to get as much information as I could to obtain a stronger and richer

research project.

17

II.4.A. How can students memorise language?

II.4.A.1. A learning journal

The questions ‘What’s your favourite day of the week?’, ‘When is your birthday?’

and the answer ‘My favourite day of the week is ___’ were taught as one chunk, one single

unit. ‘My birthday is in ____’ also. However, as students were struggling with the number

of words in the sentences, I divided them into two chunks. Children transformed the

sentence into a rap verse, using their arms to give the right rhythm and adding “Huh?” at

the end. They showed language appropriation in ‘What’s your favourite / day of the week,

Huh?’, ‘When is your birthday?’ and in ‘My favourite day of the week is / ___’ and ‘My

birthday is in ____’. They introduced moves between chunks and after saying them.

According to my learning journal “a student crossed his arms as in a rap move and turned

the question into a chant” (2018, Dec, 6th 2018).

When in December 2018 I used my arms with rhythm to elicit the chants, most

students were able to say them. Only one student was able to recall the alphabet chant,

but then the rest of the students chanted along. Only one student was able to remember

and say the ‘How do you spell your name?’ question. 10 out of 11 randomly chosen

students remembered the whole Halloween story chant. Without saying a word, just with

gestures, hands and arms moving in the right rhythm, most students were able to say the

chant ‘How old are you?’ They knew the language taught orally.

On the 17th January 2019 I finished collecting data. I wanted to know if students

still remembered chants, raps and songs taught in class. I used body language and a

certain rhythm and, without saying a word, most students were able to say the chant

‘How old are you?’ more than once and they asked the question correctly. They were able

to recall the Halloween story chant, the question ‘What’s your favourite day of the week?’

and how to answer it, to ask the question ‘How do you spell your name?’ as a rap, arms

crossed and ‘When is your birthday?’, all with language elicited through body language.

From the notes I wrote in my learning journal from direct observation, results show that

students did memorise language through gestures, rhythm and repetition. I asked

students if they remembered the alphabet chant. Initially, they started singing the

traditional song but then, as I moved my arms according to the chant’s rhythm, they

realized it was not what I had taught them. They remembered the rhythm, the gestures

18

and the whole chant. In January and without saying a word, just using my hands and arms

together with the rhythm from the chant, I elicited ‘How old are you?’ The students

realised it was related to a chant. I drew a big question mark on the board to elicit the

question. Four students gave me the correct question.

According to my learning journal’s entries, I was successful in teaching with chants,

raps and songs, as students were able to memorise language through repetition, gestures

and rhythm. In December 2018, YLs had already shown language appropriation and

memorisation ability. “I did some rap gestures and after a while a student recalled the rap

and all students said the chant” (Learning Journal, Dec, 6th 2018). Language appropriation

and memorisation ability were reconfirmed in January 2019. “In order to see whether

students still remembered the chant ‘How old are you’, I moved my arms in a specific

rhythm. YLs understood it was from a chant as I crossed my arms in the end and repeated

it all over again. From the rhythm and gestures students gave me the chant I wanted.”

(Learning Journal, Jan, 3rd 2019). “Only through gestures and the right rhythm, students

were able to tell me and say the chant I was eliciting” (Learning Journal, Jan, 17th 2019).

On the other hand, through my journal’s entries, I learned that I can improve my students’

learning ability with chants, raps and songs. If I motivate and give YLs what they like, that

is, music, rhythm, repetition, some rebel moves and some exposure, if they enjoy the

experience it will be a boost to their participation in the activities and to their ability to

learn.

II.4.A.2. Questionnaires

All the questionnaires (Appendices N and O) were written in Portuguese and the

objective was to understand the students’ perspective and opinion on their learning.

Table 2 Questionnaire % and No of students / 27

- The alphabet chant No Maybe Yes

1 - Do you think the chant helped you memorise the

sound of the letters?

4%

(1)

4%

(1)

93%

(25)

19

2 - Do you think the rap helped you to spell better? 7%

(2)

4%

(1)

89%

(24)

3 - Did you like to learn the chant? 0%

(0)

4%

(1)

96%

(26)

As shown in Table 2, 93% of the students agreed that the alphabet chant helped

them memorise the sound of the letters and 89% of the students said it helped them to

spell better. This means most students acknowledged that chants contributed to

memorisation of the sounds of the letters of the alphabet.

Results in Table 3 show that 93% of students believe the story helped them

memorise the characters’ names and say the words. In fact, three months later in the final

questionnaire (Table 6), children still remembered the whole story chant. The

repetitiveness, the rhythm, the gestures and the pertinence of the theme at that time of

the year contributed actively to the memorisation of the story.

Table 3 Questionnaire % and No of students / 27

- The Halloween story chant No Maybe Yes

1 - Do you think the story helped you memorise words? 0%

(0)

7%

(2)

93%

(25)

2 - Do you think the story helped you say the words? 0%

(0)

7%

(2)

93%

(25)

3 - Did you like to learn the story? 7%

(2)

0%

(0)

93%

(25)

Table 4 Questionnaire % and No of students / 27

- How old are you chant - Numbers 1-10 No Maybe Yes

1 - Do you think this chant helped you memorise the

question ‘How old are you?’

4%

(1)

4%

(1)

93%

(25)

20

According to Table 4, 93% of the students answered the chant helped them

memorise the question ‘How old are you?’ and 85% reported it helped them say the words

correctly and memorise numbers 1 to 10.

Table 5 Questionnaire % and No of students / 27

- Favourite Day of the Week No Maybe Yes

1 - Do you think the chant helped you memorise the days

of the week?

7%

(1)

15%

(4)

78%

(22)

2 - Can you ask the question 'What's your favourite day of

the week?'

7%

(2)

26%

(7)

67%

(18)

3 - Can you answer the question ' What's your favourite

day of the week?'

4%

(1)

0%

(0)

96%

(26)

4 - Do you think the chant helped you say the words? 0%

(0)

15%

(4)

85%

(23)

As we can see from Table 5, 67% of the students answered they were able to ask

the question ‘What’s your favourite day of the week?’, 96% replied they knew how to

answer it and 85% confirmed the chant had been most valuable to help them ask and

answer the question.

2 - Do you think the chant helped you say the words? 0%

(0)

15%

(4)

85%

(23)

3 - Do you think the chant helped you memorise numbers

1 to 10?

0%

(0)

11%

(3)

89%

(24)

4 - Do you think the chant helped you say the numbers 1

to 10?

0%

(0)

11%

(3)

89%

(24)

5 - Did you like learning the chant? 4%

(1)

7%

(2)

89%

(24)

21

Table 6 Questionnaire % and No of students in a total of 27

A - What do I do to remember English vocabulary and sentences?

1 - Do not know

2 - Ask a relative or a friend for help

3 - Think in Portuguese

4 - Read 5 - Write and read

6 - Say it aloud

7 - Think about the rap

15%

(4)

15%

(4)

11%

(3)

0%

(0)

7%

(2)

4%

(1)

48%

(13)

B - Do you think raps and chants helped you memorise vocabulary? How?

1 – Yes, they helped me…

a)

…because they have rhythm

b)

… because they have gestures

c)

… because they are funny

d)

… because they help me enhance my English

2 – No, they did not help me.

3 – I do not know.

70% (19)

4% (1)

7% (2)

4% (1)

55% (15)

26% (7)

4% (1)

According to the final questionnaire (Appendix O), also in Portuguese, Table 6, 48%

of the students claimed they thought about the chant to recall the vocabulary they were

looking for. 70% of the students said chants, raps and songs helped them memorise

vocabulary. Of the 70%, 55% stated they helped them enhance their English, 7% answered

because they had gestures, 4% because they were funny and 4% because they had

rhythm. 26% stated chants, raps and songs did not contribute to memory enhancement.

Again, these results were obtained from the children’s perspective and might not

correspond to reality. They might mean that students do recognize the vocabulary, know

its meaning or may not want to let the teacher down. To overcome this problem and better

understand it, I decided to conduct 11 individual interviews.

22

II.4.B. How can I improve my students’ learning ability using chants, raps and

songs?

II.4.B.1. Interviews

At the end of the practicum, 11 randomly selected students were individually

interviewed (Appendix P) in Portuguese. For each question they could only choose one

option. 100% of children mentioned chants, raps and songs had helped them memorise

vocabulary.

Table 7 Interviews % and No of students / 11

Individual interviews

No Maybe Yes

1 - Do you think raps, chants and songs helped you

memorise the words?

0%

(0)

0%

(0)

100%

(11)

They help

memorising

vocabulary

Rhythm

helps

memorising

vocabulary

It is fun They

make

learning

easier

I do not

know

2 - What do you think of

learning with raps, chants

and songs?

37%

(4)

9%

(1)

27%

(3)

18%

(2)

9%

(1)

Rhythm Gestures Repetition Enjoyment

3 - What contributed more to the

memorisation of the language?

18%

(2)

65%

(7)

9%

(1)

9%

(1)

With Without Don’t know

4 - Is it easier to learn with or without chants, raps and

songs, in your opinion?

73%

(8)

9%

(1)

18%

(2)

The

alphabet

chant

How old are

you chant

How do

you spell

your

name

chant

Halloween

story

chant

Do not

remember

23

5 - Do you still remember

the raps, chants and

songs? Show it.

91%

(10)

91%

(10)

91%

(10)

91%

(10)

9%

(1)

According to Table 7, question 1, all 11 students interviewed agreed that chants,

raps and songs helped learning and memorising vocabulary (100%). However, in question

2, only 37% YLs agreed that chants, raps and songs helped memorising vocabulary. 27%

said it was fun, 18% thought they made learning easier, probably because students could

remember the vocabulary taught, and 9% stated that rhythm helped them remember.

Despite these results, all 11 students agreed that fun, easier learning and rhythm

contributed to language memorisation.

In question 3, students were asked what, in their opinion, had contributed more

to language memorisation. 65% identified gestures, 18% rhythm, 9% repetition and 9%

enjoyment. I believe the intonation of words, melody, body language and the enjoyment

they had when saying the chants, raps and songs and doing the gestures contributed to

memory enhancement. As for question 4, 73% of students found it easier to learn with

chants, raps and songs, 9% without and 18% did not know. This means children have a

very positive opinion of this teaching approach. After asking children what chants, raps

and songs they remembered in question 5, 91% still recalled them all. This shows children

were engaged in the learning process, they were motivated and confident to put into

practice words and structures they knew. On the other hand, I believe these interviews

carried out to 11 students also show how I can improve my students’ learning ability using

chants, raps and songs. Students became engaged, motivated and showed language

appropriation which, all combined, were a boost to improve their learning.

II.4.B.2. Worksheets

After a drilling and repetition exercise, students were invited to reorder the days

of the week on the board, using word cards, and to ask and answer about their favourite

day of the week.

24

Table 8 Worksheet % and No of students / 27

- Favourite Day of the Week Did not

reorder

Reordered

partially

Reordered

successfully

Absent or

did not try

1 - Sunday, Wednesday, Tuesday, Monday,

Saturday, Friday, Thursday

4%

(1)

22%

(6)

44%

(12)

30%

(8)

2 - your / week / favourite / what’s / the /

of / day?

15%

(4)

4%

(1)

52%

(14)

30%

(8)

3 - week / is / favourite / of / the / day /

my

19%

(5)

4%

(1)

52%

(14)

25%

(7)

As shown in Table 8, 12 students were immediately able to reorder the days of the

week, 14 succeeded in making correct sentences ‘My favourite day of the week is…’ and

in asking the question ‘What’s your favourite day of the week?’ The teacher drilled and all

students repeated chants as a whole group before doing the worksheets. Although they

were able to repeat the chants, some of them did not succeed in reordering words to

make sentences.

II.4.B.3. Observation grids

Groups of 4 students were observed and assessed during chants and pair work

activities by my cooperating teacher, my peers, one per lesson, and myself in 3 different

lessons. Overall, 12 children were observed per lesson and per task.

Table 9 Assessment scale No of students / 12 per task

1 2 3

Difficulties in saying the

letters or in using the

language.

Uses the language but with

long pauses.

Uses the language

effectively without pauses.

25

Had difficulties in

achieving the task.

Carried out the task but

with some difficulty.

Carried out the task

successfully and with

relative ease.

Table 9 shows on a 3 point assessment scale the activities observed according to 2

criteria: task achievement and language structure, regarding memorisation ability.

Table 10 Observation Grids No of students / 12 per task

Task 1: Memorisation – Assessment 1 2 3

1 - The alphabet chant 3 1 8

Task 2: Tell story in small group – Assessment 1 2 3

2 - The Halloween story chant 1 2 9

Task 3: Do the chant – Assessment 1 2 3

3 - How old are you? 3 2 7

Task 4: Do the chant – Assessment 1 2 3

4 - When is your birthday? 2 5 5

Observation grids (Appendices I, J, K and L) were of extreme relevance as they

helped me keep track of my students’ progress in each of the topics mentioned. YLs had

to say the chants in their groups and results may be seen in Table 10. As explained

previously, each teacher had to observe and assess a group of 4 students, according to the

assessment parameters. Most children observed accomplished the tasks successfully and

showed language memorisation. These grids helped me observe which students were on

task and focused on it, who struggled more, whether students used English during the

tasks, who was able to say the chant, rap or song, or who remembered the chant using

body language.

26

II.5. Discussion and Conclusion

This section focuses on the analysis of the results obtained through the

tools used in this action research plan, i.e., a learning journal, questionnaires, worksheets,

observation grids and interviews. These were used to answer the two research questions

“How can I improve my students’ learning ability, using chants, raps and songs?” and “How

can students memorise vocabulary through chants, raps and songs?”

The question “How can I improve my students’ learning ability using chants, raps

and songs?” was answered through the activities done with chants, raps and songs. The

results show that children reacted very positively to them. The students were always very

receptive, motivated and ready to participate and the questionnaires show that they

thought that chants and songs helped them memorise the vocabulary learned in class.

This happened in such a way that they showed language appropriation, turning questions

into chants and raps. Concerning the research question “How can students memorise

language?” results from the final questionnaire show that most students resorted to the

chants, raps and songs to access the language they needed. Students highlighted the fact

that chants, raps and songs were kept in their memory and that they enhanced their

English ability.

In the interviews carried out in January 2019, 11 randomly chosen students were

asked 5 questions related to the action research question “How are students able to recall

chants and songs learned in the classroom?” All students were unanimous in stating that

chants, raps and songs helped them memorise vocabulary because they had gestures,

rhythm, repetition and they were fun.

Observation grids were filled in by my cooperating teacher, observing peers and by

myself. They helped me observe who was on task and focused, who participated or not,

who struggled more, who did not use English during activities, who was able to say the

chant, rap or song, and who remembered the chant using body language. They were of

extreme importance, as they helped me keep track on the students’ progress.

The worksheets show that, even if writing was not considered for this action

research project, half of the students succeeded in reordering weekdays and writing down

the sentence and the question. Students had previously transformed phrases and semi

27

fixed expressions into chants. As half of them did not succeed in reordering words to make

sentences, I wonder if they were exposed enough to the written form. In my opinion,

learning with chants, raps and songs may not be enough in EFL. They should always be

complemented with reading and writing. One student mentioned “it is important to learn

with and without raps, because raps are good to memorise vocabulary for those who like

raps, but for the ones who do not like them it might be good to learn differently” (Learning

Journal, Jan 17th 2019).

Comparing the data collected from my learning journal with that from students’

direct observation, I believe that the most important feature were the “raps, due to the

‘I’m bad’, rebel feeling behind gestures and rhythm” (Learning Journal, Dec, 6th 2019), and

children liked being a part of that. As mentioned above, during this project and in two

different occasions, YLs showed language appropriation, as they spontaneously

transformed phrases and semi fixed expressions into raps.

There is no doubt about the students’ engagement, motivation and interest

towards EFL and the theme. Raps, chants and songs are important to engage students, to

make them more at ease and comfortable to learn and to create a healthy learning

environment. I believe this approach may be useful for tongue-tied YLs, as it seems to help

shy students. Students did not feeI nervous; on the contrary, even students with special

educational needs wanted to go up front and show their colleagues they could do the

speaking task. And they did. They felt important and valued by their peers. Nevertheless,

we need to take students further and provide them with varied tools to work with. I am

afraid I was too focused on listening and speaking skills and I should have given students

more written material, as a way of confirming and consolidating what they had learned.

The results from the worksheets would certainly look different.

This action research project, in conjunction with my practicum, was important for

me, as a teacher, because I developed teaching skills I would not have gained otherwise.

They made me reflect about my teaching, on illustrating, modelling and presenting, rather

than repeating myself. I now have more doubts than ever before, which means I am

questioning myself. They made me wonder whether the students had learned, how they

had learned and how I knew they had; if the students had gained listening, speaking,

reading and writing skills in each lesson; if the students had worked in a big group, small

28

groups, in pairs or individually. They made me consider that a student-centred lesson is

much more interesting to students than a teacher-centred one. They made me think how

rebel moves may affect students’ attitudes and how I can make them constructive,

preventing students from being disruptive. They made me realise that effective classroom

management is achieved through relationships, routines, rules, rights, responsibilities,

rhythm, respect and rewards.

The purpose of this action research project was to answer the questions “How can

I improve my students’ learning ability using chants, raps and songs?” and “How can

students memorise chants, raps and songs?” Children love songs as Brewster, Ellis and

Girard (2002, p.162) stated. Their “repetitive nature and rhythm” bring a positive effect

into the classroom’s environment and a feeling of enjoyment, which motivates YLs.

Learners were always very receptive, motivated and ready to participate. They even

transformed questions into chants and raps. Rhythm, rhymes, repetition, gestures,

imitation, body language and intonation combined were an aid to language memorisation.

Chants, raps and songs contributed to short and long term memory and memory has a

crucial role in language comprehension and learning. It holds verbal information through

repetition, which is fundamental for language storage and processing. Most students

resorted to the chants, raps and songs to access the language they needed. Chants, raps

and songs were kept in the students’ memory and they enhanced their learning ability.

The repetition of words and short phrases provided by chants, raps or songs, accompanied

with images, gestures, physical movements and rhythm were not enough to help students

memorise language. They promoted language learning, as they facilitated memorisation

through the creation of mental linkages. However, there is much more to do done when

learning a language. During the interviews one of the students said it was important to

learn with chants, raps and songs, but also without them because if some students liked

learning that way, others might not. Studying and comparing both ways of learning could

be a matter for future research.

29

Final conclusion

As shown by the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data, the use of

chants, raps and songs contributed to language memorisation. In my opinion, the major

finding of this action research project was that chants, raps and songs contributed to

increase the students’ levels of interest in English. YLs showed listening and repeating

skills, through repetition, gestures and body language, rhythm, rhymes, imitation and

intonation. However, according to the data gathered throughout the worksheets done

after drilling exercises, students did not know how to write what they had been saying or

to order words to make sentences. The repetition of words and short phrases provided by

chants, raps and songs proved not to be enough to learn the language, although they

promoted language memorisation. Despite the fact YLs knew the language taught orally,

they were incapable of ordering it to make sentences.

30

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33

Appendices

34

APPENDIX A - Pedido de autorização

Direção do Agrupamento de Escolas - EB1/JI

Exma. Sra. Diretora,

O meu nome é Paula Cristina de Mira Fernandes e encontro-me a terminar o Mestrado em Ensino

de Inglês no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade

Nova de Lisboa.

Este Curso de Mestrado pressupõe a realização de um projeto de investigação a par da Prática de

Ensino Supervisionada (PES) II. Este projeto intitula-se projeto Chants, Raps and Songs: How they

Enhance Language Memorisation (De que forma é que o uso de lengalengas, raps e músicas

aumenta a capacidade de memorização de vocabulário) e é para mim um privilégio poder fazer a

Prática de Ensino Supervisionada II na EB1/JI, acompanhando a Professora durante o 1º período

e início do 2º período deste ano letivo.

Assim, venho solicitar autorização para desenvolver este projeto com o 3º ano, entre outubro de

2018 a janeiro de 2019. Irei solicitar igualmente autorização aos pais e encarregados de educação,

bem como às próprias crianças, as quais poderão, em qualquer altura, decidir não participar nas

atividades. A recolha da informação será feita a partir de grelhas de observação, fichas de

trabalho, questionários, entrevistas em grupo e outros registos escritos. As informações obtidas

serão referidas em relatório final de mestrado e eventualmente em artigos académicos e

conferências. A instituição, os seus funcionários e as crianças permanecerão anónimas e não serão

obtidas fotografias nem quaisquer imagens da instituição ou das crianças.

Para qualquer questão ou informações, por favor não hesite em contactar-me através do email

ou do telemóvel.

Agradeço desde já a atenção dispensada e aguardo autorização para iniciar este projeto de

investigação a partir do dia 3 de outubro de 2018.

EB1/JI 01/10/2018 Paula Cristina de Mira Fernandes

Professora Drª Carolyn E. Leslie Orientadora de Estágio FCSH, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

____________________

____________________

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eu, Diretora do Agrupamento de Escolas, declaro ter sido informada dos objetivos do projeto

Chants, Raps and Songs: How they Enhance Language Memorisation (De que forma é que o uso

de lengalengas, raps e músicas aumenta a capacidade de memorização de vocabulário) a

desenvolver com os alunos da EB1/JI e que autorizo a realização do estudo.

Data: ___ / ___ / ____

Assinatura: ___________________

35

APPENDIX B

Pedido de autorização aos Pais e Encarregados de Educação

Caros Pais e Encarregados de Educação,

O meu nome é Paula Cristina de Mira Fernandes e irei fazer o meu estágio final junto dos vossos

educandos durante o 1º período e parte do 2º do ano letivo 2018/19. Encontro-me a concluir o

Mestrado em Ensino de Inglês no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e

Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa e terei que realizar um pequeno projeto de

investigação. Este projeto será incluído no relatório final do Curso de Mestrado e intitula-se

projeto Chants, Raps and Songs: How they Enhance Language Memorisation (De que forma é que

o uso de lengalengas, raps e músicas aumenta a capacidade de memorização de vocabulário).

Assim, venho pedir a vossa colaboração e autorização para poder incluir os vossos educandos

neste projeto, que irá decorrer de outubro de 2018 a janeiro de 2019.

A recolha de dados que irá suportar as conclusões deste estudo será efetuada através de grelhas

de observação e entrevistas em grupo dos educandos em atividades que envolvam

comunicação/interação, para o que será também necessária a autorização dos mesmos.

Em qualquer fase deste estudo os vossos educandos poderão escolher não participar. As

informações obtidas irão constar de relatório final de mestrado e eventualmente poderão incluir

artigos académicos e apresentações em conferências. A instituição, os seus funcionários e as

crianças permanecerão anónimas em qualquer circunstância e não serão obtidas fotografias ou

quaisquer imagens, da instituição ou das crianças.

Para qualquer questão, agradeço contacto através da Coordenadora da Escola.

Para que os vossos educandos possam participar neste projeto de investigação, agradeço a

assinatura da presente autorização, após o que deverão proceder à sua entrega, através dos

educandos, no início de outubro.

EB1/JI 01/10/2018 Paula Cristina de Mira Fernandes

Professora Drª Carolyn E. Leslie Orientadora de Estágio FCSH, Universidade Nova de Lisboa

____________________

____________________

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eu, ____________________, encarregado/a de educação de ________________________,

declaro que fui informado/a dos objetivos do projeto intitulado projeto Chants, Raps and Songs:

How they Enhance Language Memorisation (De que forma é que o uso de lengalengas, raps e

músicas aumenta a capacidade de memorização de vocabulário) e que autorizo o meu

educando/a a participar nesse estudo.

Data: ____________________________

Assinatura: ___________________________

36

APPENDIX C

Convite para participares no meu projeto

Hello!

Chamo-me Paula e escolhi a tua turma para

entrar num projeto da faculdade onde estou a estudar para ser professora de inglês.

Para isso, preciso da tua ajuda. Queres ajudar-me?

O projeto vai ajudar-te a melhorar o teu inglês e é muito simples. Eu vou dar aulas

de outubro a janeiro, fazer algumas atividades a pares ou em grupos contigo e com

os teus amigos e fazer algumas perguntas para saber se estão a sentir-se à-vontade

a falar inglês. No final, toda esta informação vai ser reunida, estudada e apresentada

no meu trabalho final.

Então, ajudas-me a ser professora de inglês um dia? Os teus pais já

sabem de tudo. Só preciso da tua participação, mas em qualquer altura

podes escolher não participar. Tu é que decides. Basta dizeres. E mais, como o teu

nome não vai estar escrito no meu trabalho, vais poder escolher um outro nome

(caso queiras) e dizeres-mo, para eu te chamar assim. Só não posso nem vou

tirar fotografias tuas nem da escola. Caso tenhas alguma dúvida, podes sempre fazer

as perguntas que quiseres. Vai ser divertido e eu gostava muito que participasses!

Então, posso contar contigo?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eu, ________________________ (escreve o teu nome), aluno/a da EB1/JI declaro que

li toda a informação sobre o projeto Chants, Raps and Songs: How they Enhance

Language Memorisation (De que forma é que o uso de lengalengas, raps e músicas

aumenta a capacidade de memorização de vocabulário) e que …

(pinta a carinha de acordo

com a tua resposta)

Data: ___ / ___ / ______ Assinatura: ___________________________

… quero participar no projeto da Prof. Paula

… não quero participar no projeto da Prof. Paula

EB1/JI - Paula Mira

37

APPENDIX D - The Alphabet Chant

- A, B, C, D, E, F, G?

- A, B, C, D, E, F, G

- H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P.

- H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P

- Q, R, S, T, U, V?

- Q, R, S, T, U, V

- W, X, Y and Z.

- W, X, Y and Z.

APPENDIX E - How do you spell your name? Chant

-How do you spell your name, huh?

APPENDIX F - Halloween Story - Chant

- Listen!

- What?

- A witch is singing. La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.

- Listen!

- What?

- A ghost is laughing. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

- Listen!

- What?

- A zombie is crying. Uhhhhhhhhh.

- Listen!

- What?

- A skeleton is knocking at the door. Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

38

APPENDIX G - How old are you? Chant

- How old, how old, how old are you?

- I’m 1, I’m 2, I’m 3, I’m 4.

I’m 5, I’m 6, I’m 7 years old.

I’m 8, I’m 9, I’m 10 years old.

APPENDIX H - Days of the week – Song (Martin & Rose Music. 2017. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GKmCQOy88Y)

Days of the week

There’s Sunday and there’s Monday

There’s Tuesday and there’s Wednesday

There’s Thursday and there’s Friday

And then it’s Saturday.

APPENDIX I - Observation grid - The Alphabet chant

1 2 3

Task

achievement:

Chant

memorisation

Difficulties in

saying the letters

Uses the

language but with

long pauses.

Uses the language

effectively without

pauses.

Date

Students

Chant

memorisation

GLOBAL Notes

1 1 2 3 1 2 3

2 1 2 3 1 2 3

39

APPENDIX J - Observation grid - The Halloween Story Chant

1 2 3

Task achievement:

Tell the story in

small group

Had difficulties

in achieving the

task.

Carried out the

task but with

some difficulty.

Carried out the task

successfully and with

relative ease.

Language structure

use

Memorisation

Difficulties in

using the

language.

Uses the

language but with

long pauses.

Uses the language

effectively without

pauses.

Discourse

management

Difficulties in

initiating

interaction and

in responding.

Occasionally

initiates

interaction and

responds

promptly.

Initiates interaction

and responds

promptly.

Date

Students

Tell the story in

small groups

Language

structure use

Memorisation

GLOBAL

1 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

APPENDIX K - Observation grid - How old are you? Chant

1 2 3

Task achievement:

Do the chant

Had difficulties in

achieving the

task.

Carried out the

task but with

some difficulty.

Carried out the task

successfully and with

relative ease.

Language structure

use

Memorisation

Difficulties in

using the

language.

Uses the

language but

with long

pauses.

Uses the language

effectively without

pauses.

Date

Students

Do the chant Language

structure use

Memorisation

Discourse

management

1 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

40

APPENDIX L - Observation grid – When is your birthday? My birthday is in___ chant

1 2 3

Task achievement

Do the chant

Had difficulties in

achieving the task.

Carried out the

task but with

some

difficulty.

Carried out the task

successfully and with

relative ease.

Language structure

use/memorisation

Difficulties in using

the language.

Uses the

language but

with long

pauses.

Uses the language

effectively without

pauses.

Discourse

management

Difficulties in

initiating

interaction and in

responding.

Occasionally

initiates

interaction

and responds

promptly.

Initiates interaction and

responds promptly.

Date

Students

Do the chant Language

structure use

Memorisation

Discourse management

1 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

2 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 3

41

APPENDIX M - Worksheets

Depois de termos relembrado oralmente,

1 Ordena a pergunta ‘Quantos anos tens’: you / old / How / are / ?

R:

________________________________________________________________________

2 Ordena ‘Tenho X anos’: years / I’m / x / old / .

R:

________________________________________________________________________

3 Ordena ‘Como se soletra o teu nome’: do / you / spell / How / your / name / ?

R:

________________________________________________________________________

4 Ordena de 1 a 10: ten / one / two / four /six / nine / three / five / seven / eight

R:

________________________________________________________________________

5 Como se pergunta ‘Em que mês fazes anos’: birthday / your / is / When / ?

R: ____________________________________________________________________

6 Diz em que mês fazes anos: birthday / My / in / is _______________.

R: ____________________________________________________________________

7 Como se pergunta ‘Qual o teu dia da semana preferido’: your / week / favourite

/ What’s / the / of / day / ?

R:

________________________________________________________________________

8 Diz qual o teu dia da semana preferido: week / is / favourite / of / the / day /

My / _______

R:

________________________________________________________________________

42

APPENDIX N - Questionnaires

1 – The alphabet chant

Pinta a carinha de acordo como te sentes em relação ao que te é perguntado.

Cantaste a música do abecedário.

Achas que a música te ajudou a memorizar os sons das letras?

Achas que te ajudou a soletrar melhor?

Gostaste de aprender a música?

2 – A Halloween chant

Pinta a carinha de acordo como te sentes em relação ao que te é perguntado.

Contaste uma história de bruxas no Halloween.

Achas que a história te ajudou a memorizar as palavras?

Achas que te ajudou a dizer as palavras?

Gostaste de aprender a história?

3 – My favourite day of the week song

Pinta a carinha de acordo como te sentes em relação ao que te é perguntado.

Os dias da semana em inglês.

Achas que a música te ajudou a memorizar os dias da semana?

Como se pergunta ‘Qual o teu dia da semana preferido’?

Responde à pergunta ‘Qual o teu dia da semana preferido’.

Dividir a pergunta ao meio ajudou-te a decorar as palavras?

43

4 – How old are you chant – Numbers 1-10

Pinta a carinha de acordo como te sentes em relação ao que te é perguntado.

Cantaste o RAP da idade nas aulas de inglês.

Achas que o RAP te ajudou a memorizar as palavras?

Achas que te ajudou a dizer as palavras (na pronúncia)?

Achas que te ajudou a memorizar os números até 10?

Achas que te ajudou a dizer os números até 10 (pronúncia)?

Gostaste de aprender o RAP?

APPENDIX O – 5 - Final questionnaire - January 2019

O que faço para me lembrar das palavras em inglês?

1. Não sei.

2. Peço ajuda a um familiar/amigo.

3. Penso em português.

4. Leio.

5. Leio e escrevo.

6. Pratico, falo.

7. Penso no RAP.

Achas que os RAP te ajudaram a memorizar as palavras em inglês?

1. Não.

2. Não sei.

3. Sim, porque

a. Têm ritmo.

b. Têm gestos.

c. São engraçados.

d. Me ajudam a falar melhor inglês.

44

APPENDIX P - Questions asked in the interviews

1 - Achas que os chants, raps e songs te ajudaram a memorizar as palavras?

(Do you think chants, raps and songs helped you memorise words?)

2 - O que achas de aprender com chants, raps e songs?

(What do you think about learning with chants, raps and songs?)

3 - Nos chants, raps e songs, o que achas que te ajudou a memorizar as palavras?

(What helped you memorise the words?)

4 - Como fizeste para memorizar os meses?

(What did you do to memorise the months?)

5 - Como fizeste para memorizar os dias da semana?

(What did you do to memorise weekdays?)

6 - Aprender com ou sem chants, raps e songs?

(Did you prefer learning with or without chants, raps and songs?)

7 - Ainda te lembras dos chants, raps e songs? Demonstra.

(Do you still remember chants, raps and songs? Show it!)