Theory

Why do we use stories, songs, poems etc. for our FL class in preschool?

During the last two weeks we have been working on the advantages of using songs, stories, poems, riddles, fables, nursery rhymes, playground games etc. in the context of a FL class, both in preschool and the first years of primary school.

We've learnt that it has many advantages regarding motivation: the use of real texts, the fact that we may be promoting real interaction with some of the activities etc.

Each group has prepared a presentation with a web 2.0 tool of their choice. My groups choice is Prezi, a colaborative tool that allows you to create original presentations on your own or as a part of a group. This is our presentation (Coming soon a few tips when using Prezi).

Please, note that the presentation misses an idea we only went over verbally: the fact that many of those activities are an excellent way to promote communication strategies (as something completely separated from pure expression and/or comprehension and more focused on skills related to the interaction itself).

The most recurrent ideas among other groups have been the following:

-It helps to present new vocabulary within a context. That allows children to learn things that are more than formally correct. They are examples of a real use of a certain word, expression etc.

-It is motivating, amusing, helps creating a good working atmosphere and promotes creativity.

-Both its length, usually very short, and its structure, usually predictable and full of recurrent patterns, are ideal to work both with small children and with a second language first learners, as it helps to build up their self-confidence.

-It is an excellent way of improving children's listening skills.

-It helps improving pronunciation as when reciting or reading we don't only pay attention to the plain code, but to the intonation, rhythm, stressing etc.

-Quite often it provides us with a good excuse for working in pairs and in groups that besides being a good way of improving communication strategies, allows us to develop other cross curricular topics such as socialization, self-responsibility or a certain moral value. In addition, I honestly believe that the kind of learning that happens within a social context is usually deeper and longer lasting.

-A single text can admit a wide range of pre and post activities. Those activities might be intended for different levels as well as focused on a cross curricular approach to topics. For example a song about farm animals can be used to develop concepts which belong to science class (or get to know your social and natural environment, as we call it in Spain). As an example, here it is an audiovisual text, published on the recommended blog Mi Primer Año en Red, which may be used as a simple text with a strong context for an English class, as a text to work science concepts with or even as a text to learn English within the science class (which is what the author of the blog originally intended).

-Some of my classmates think that one of these texts' main features is that their vocabulary and structure are really accessible to children and new learners. I couldn't disagree further. Quite often the vocabulary and expressions are not precisely easy for first learners and most times includes verbal tenses, structures and words that they are not suppose to know yet. Then why do we use them? Here comes the good thing: BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW THOSE THINGS.  Well, that and the fact that we provide them with a really good scaffolding when we support our texts with a good context (pictures, finger puppets, body language etc.).

What do you think?

What does the curriculum say about using short stories and other small texts such us songs or nursery rhymes?

We have been looking into the Spanish curriculum to find out and we have made a mind map using Poplet.

If you have any problems reading it, simply download it and use the zoom.As usual, your comments are more than welcome.