How to Use Songs to Teach Kids Spanish

Your students will enjoy learning Spanish songs they can teach to others.

The Spanish language is spoken throughout the world and is quickly becoming a popular means of communication in the United States. Particularly in the Southwest, Florida, and large metropolitan areas such as New York and Chicago, Spanish speaking is on the rise. Because of its growing prevalence within the United States, teaching Spanish to school children is a worthwhile endeavor. Using songs to teach kids Spanish will help them increase their vocabulary as well as help them retain the information they learn.

Instructions

1. Research Spanish songs that relate by theme to your lesson plan. There are a variety of song selections with lyrics available on the Internet, so research should be fairly easy. After you have chosen the song(s), obtain the music file and print enough copies of the lyrics so that your students will each have a paper. Cover key vocabulary words on the lyric sheets; your students will later have to fill in lyrics with the words they hear in the song.

2. Review specific words that you want your students to listen for in the song. Write these words on the blackboard so that students can remember the list while listening to the song. Discuss the English translations of the words to help the students gain an understanding. Also, discuss the title of the song at this time.

3. Play the song at least twice so that students can listen and familiarize themselves with the music. Ask them what words they recognized and if they gained a greater understanding of the overall meaning of the song. See what sections of the songs they preferred over others and ask why.

4. Pass out the handouts with the lyrics and play the song again, this time letting the students read along. When the song comes to a word that you scratched out, stop the music and see what word the students heard. Help them fill in the correct answer and continue listening. This exercise will test their listening comprehension and will make them more aware of the importance of understanding Spanish.

5. Play the song several more times after all of the vocabulary words have been filled in. Allow the students to use the lyric sheet to read along one or two times, and then have them sing along from memory.

References

• Spanish Language Facts; Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language; Tom McArthur; 1998
• Musical Spanish: Teach Spanish-Musical Spanish Teacher's Guide

Resources

• The Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers: Teaching with Music I