i
Lis en, sing and lea n:
he place o songs in p ima y FL lea ning in Po ugal
Ana So ia Enca nação C is ino Nob e
Rela ó io de Es ágio de Mes ado em Ensino de Inglês
no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico
Ve são co igida e melho ada após De esa Pública
Ma ço 2017
i
Rela ó io de Es ágio ap esen ado pa a cump imen o dos equisi os necessá ios à
ob enção do g au de Mes e em Mes ado de Ensino de Inglês no 1º Ciclo do Ensino
Básico ealizado sob a o ien ação cien í ica da P o esso a Dou o a Sandie Mou ão e da
P o esso a Dou o a Ana Gonçal es Ma os.
ii
Dedica ed o my son and my pa en s.
iii
AKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like o hank D . Sandie Mou ão o he guidance and suppo
h oughou he whole p ocess ha ended wi h he w i ing o his p ojec . Fo being a
ole model and inspi e me o become a be e eache .
I would also like o hank my co-ope a ing eache Wilson Fe nandes o le ing
me se up his huge s udy wi h ‘his’ lea ne s ne e doub ing ha I had he compe ence
o each all ha was planned o he i s e m.
A special hanks o my son o his suppo , pa ience and unde s anding and a
huge hanks o my pa en s o hei lo e, encou agemen and, li e ally, ood.
I has been a wonde ul expe ience, al hough exhaus i e a he same ime, so I
would like o close by hanking e e yone who played a pa in my MA in Teaching
English in he 1s Cycle o Po uguese Basic Educa ion ad en u e. My li e is be e o
ha ing me all o you.
i
ABSTRACT
LISTEN, SING AND LEARN: THE PLACE OF
SONGS IN PRIMARY FL LEARNING IN PORTUGAL
ANA SOFIA ENCARNAÇÃO CRISTINO NOBRE
KEYWORDS: English as a o eign language (EFL), young lea ne s, songs,
language lea ning, ac ion esea ch
Songs a e known o young lea ne s and p esen an excellen o ma o
inc easing in e es and mo i a ion o lea n a o eign language. This ac ion esea ch
s udy ga e me he oppo uni y o ind ou when should eache s make use o a song o e
a hema ic uni in a se o lessons and o ind ou when and how a song is mos
suppo i e o he lea ne s’ language acquisi ion p ocess. To ob ain in o ma ion abou
he impac o singing songs in he English class oom I unde ook an empi ical s udy
wi h a g oup o ou een lea ne s and a con ol g oup o se en een lea ne s, based on an
ac ion esea ch me hod, in a Po uguese public school. Da a was collec ed h ough
ques ionnai es, wo kshee s, sel assessmen g ids, o mal assessmen es esul s and my
eache ’s jou nal. Resul s ha came up om e lec i e p ac ice and sys ema ic
collec ion o da a helped o cla i y he impo ance o using songs epea edly when
compa ed o singing only once. Howe e , esul s also show ha he con ol g oup
lea ne s we e able o acqui e language wi hou singing songs as o en. I was possible o
conclude ha he use o songs epea edly is meaning ul o enable lea ne s o acqui e
communica i e abili ies and li e acy, i impac s on lea ne s’ p osody and i in luences
lea ne s’ mo i a ion in he class oom.

RESUMO
LISTEN, SING AND LEARN: THE PLACE OF
SONGS IN PRIMARY FL LEARNING IN PORTUGAL
ANA SOFIA ENCARNAÇÃO CRISTINO NOBRE
PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Inglês como língua es angei a (EFL), 1º Ciclo Ensino
Básico, canções, in es igação-ação
Pa a o ensino de língua es angei a no 1º Ciclo do Ensino Básico exis em á ios
ecu sos de que o p o esso dispõe pa a p opo ciona aos alunos expe iências
signi ica i as de audição e exposição à língua, p odução o al, lei u a e esc i a, sendo as
canções um deles. Mas em que ci cuns âncias se de e á can a nas aulas de Inglês? E de
que o ma essa a i idade ajuda na aquisição da língua? Com o im de encon a
espos as pa a es as pe gun as e en a ap o unda o conhecimen o ace ca do impac o
que êm as canções nas ap endizagens dos alunos, ealizei um es udo empí ico a a és
do mé odo de ac ion esea ch, em con ex o de sala de aula, con ando ambém com
esul ados p o enien es de um g upo de con olo. A ecolha de in o mação oi ei a
a a és de espos as dos alunos a ques ioná ios, ichas de abalho, ichas de au o
a aliação, esul ados do es e suma i o e egis os de obse ação do p o esso . Os
esul ados ob idos, que pela e lexão de p á icas que pela ecolha sis emá ica de dados,
ajuda am a e uma pe ceção undamen ada ace ca da impo ância das canções pa a o
p ocesso de aquisição da língua quando can adas epe idamen e ou apenas uma ez
du an e as aulas de cada unidade emá ica. Foi possí el conclui que o núme o de ezes
que uma canção é can ada em esul ados mui o p óximos, no que à aquisição da língua
diz espei o, quando em ez des as se u ilizam ou os ecu sos. Não obs an e, pude
e i ica di e enças na li e acia, nas capacidades de comunicação dos alunos, no e olui
da p osódia e na mo i ação e in e esse po pa e dos alunos.
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I – In oduc ion ...................................................................... 1
1. In oduc ion … ....................................................................... 1
PART II – Li e a u e Re iew ............................................................ 2
1. Common sense and eali y ..................................................... 2
2. The impo ance o songs .......................................................... 3
3. Holis ic lea ning ..................................................................... 3
4. Songs and cogni i e de elopmen ........................................... 4
5. Songs c ea e posi i e emo ions . ............................................... 4
6. Songs and linguis ic de elopmen ............................................ 5
7. Songs, li e a u e and his esea ch s udy ................................... 6
PART III – The Ac ion Resea ch ...................................................... 7
1. Con ex .................................................................................. 7
2. Me hodology .......................................................................... 7
2.1. Ac ion esea ch .......................... .................................... 7
2.2. Expe imen al g oup and con ol g oup ........................... 8
2.3. Consen ........................................................................ 9
2.4. Da a collec ion and analysis ........................................ 10
2.4.1. Cou se book analysis … .................................... 10
2.4.2. P e-s udy and pos -s udy ques ionnai es … ........ 11
2.4.3. Teache ’s jou nal …. ......................................... 11
2.4.4. Song wo kshee s ............................................11
2.4.5. S uden sel -assessmen shee s……………......11
2.4.6. Fo mal assessmen es …................................... 12
ii
3. Resul s ................................................................................. 12
3.1. Cycle 1 – Chan 1 and Song 1 ..................................... 12
3.1.1. Uni 1 chan and he necessi y o an ex a song 12
3.1.2. How we sang Chan 1 and Song 1 ..................... 13
3.1.3. Findings and discussion .................................... 14
3.2. Cycle 2 – Song 2 ........................................................ 16
3.2.1. Uni 2 song – Cool kids .................................... 16
3.2.2. How we sang Song 2 ........................................ 17
3.2.3. Findings and discussion – Expe imen al g oup and
Con ol g oup ................................................... 18
3.3. Cycle 3 – Song 3 ......................................................... 20
3.3.1. Uni 3 chan u ned in o a song ….. .................... 20
3.3.2. How we sang Song 3 … .................................... 20
3.3.3. Findings and discussion – Expe imen al g oup and
Con ol g oup ................................................... 21
3.4. P e-s udy and pos -s udy ques ionnai es …. ................. 22
3.4.1. Findings …. ............................................................. 23
3.4.2. Discussion …. .......................................................... 23
4. Conclusion and inal hough s … .......................................... 24
Lis o Re e ences … .................................................................... 27
Lis o Figu es…. .......................................................................... 29
Lis o Tables…. ........................................................................... 30
Lis o Appendices….. .................................................................. 31
iii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
FL – Fo eign language
EFL – English as o eign language
TPR – To al Physical Response
7
PART III – The Ac ion Resea ch
1 Con ex
This empi ical s udy was unde aken in a 1s cycle public school in a ci y subu b
o Lisbon. The e a e ci ca 420 s uden s a ending in he school yea 2016-17. The
neighbou hood may be cha ac e ized, o some ex en , as ha ing a low social and
economic s a us and a signi ican numbe o s uden s a e descendan s om A ican,
B azilian and Eas e n Eu opean immig an amilies.
The s udy ook place in a 4 h g ade class o 19 s uden s. O he 14 s uden s ha
ag eed o pa icipa e, 12 we e 9 yea s old and wo we e 10; nine we e boys and i e
we e gi ls. The class had one s uden wi h special educa ional needs who was no able
o answe he ques ionnai es and wo kshee s by he sel . None heless, she along wi h he
o he ou ha choose no o be included in he da a collec ion did all he p oposed
ac i i ies in English lessons. All s uden s had he cou se book New T ee ops 4 – Li o
do aluno (Ox o d Uni e si y P ess), adop ed by he school clus e .
This was he class’s second yea wi h manda o y English lessons, bu hey had
had English lessons since he 1s g ade. Lessons we e 60 minu es long, ook place wice
a week and he p esen esea ch was pe o med o e 20 lessons om Oc obe o
Decembe 2016.
2. Me hodology
2.1 Ac ion esea ch
In o de o ind answe s o he esea ch ques ions, I se up an ac ion esea ch
p ojec . This app oach has long been used o in es iga e language eaching con ex s.
Acco ding o Bu ns (2010), e e y eache in a class oom can be bo h an ‘in es iga o ’
and an ‘explo e ’ while being a pa icipan in wha he o she is ying o sol e o ind
ou wi h he lea ne s. Ac ion esea ch ‘in ol es aking a sel - e lec i e, c i ical and
sys ema ic app oach o explo ing you own eaching con ex s’ (Bu ns, 2010:2).
The main pu pose o his ac ion esea ch was o ind ou i singing songs in
English lessons helped s uden s lea n he language and wha he s uden s’ iews on i
we e: We e hey amilia wi h songs in English lessons? Did hey like o sing songs?

8
Did hey eel singing songs helped hem in he de elopmen o lis ening, speaking,
eading and w i ing skills? Suppo ed by da a collec ed h oughou he s udy I ied o
ind an answe o he ques ions: ‘When should we make use o a song?’ and ‘When is a
song mos suppo i e o language acquisi ion?’, hoping o cla i y i epea ing a song in
se e al lessons, ins ead o singing i jus once in a heme uni o no singing i a all,
made any di e ence in e ms o language acquisi ion.
The ac ion esea ch me hod helped me o be e unde s and he e ec songs we e
ha ing on lea ne s o e each cycle o he s udy and hus enabled me o con inuously
imp o e my p ac ice. I was designed o ha e h ee cycles o in e en ion.
Cycle 1: I ollowed he cou se book plan o uni 1, singing he chan only once
as indica ed by he eache ’s no es. Howe e , a e a lea ne s’ needs analysis I
used ano he song. I was no pa o he cou se book; I used i as a ou ine song.
Cycle 2: I ollowed he cou se book plan o uni 2, singing he song o e i e
lessons.
Cycle 3: I ollowed he cou se book plan o uni 3 and lea ne s sang he song in
e e y lesson.
2.2 Expe imen al g oup and con ol g oup
The expe imen al g oup, wi h whom I wo ked o e he 20-lesson pe iod, had
ou een lea ne s who ag eed o pa icipa e; he es o he lea ne s in he class oom did
he same ac i i ies, bu hei answe s we e no aken in o conside a ion o he s udy
esul s.
A e he Cycle 1 in e en ion I el ha i would be in e es ing i I could
compa e esul s achie ed by my g oup wi h esul s om ano he g oup singing in a
di e en manne , in o de o be e unde s and he e ec ha songs had had on lea ne s’
pe cep ion o he language acquisi ion. So, in Cycles 2 and 3 I had some p ecious help
om my co-ope a ing eache who ag eed o collabo a e in his s udy and au ho ized a
small in e en ion in one o his o he class g oups, so I could ha e a con ol g oup.
The con ol g oup had English lessons in he same school and consis ed o
se en een lea ne s. These pa icipan s we e in he same age g oup (9-10), in he same
school g ade and used he same cou se book. Lea ne s om he con ol g oup had
9
lessons wi h my co-ope a ing eache and sang one song and one chan as hey appea ed
as ac i i ies sugges ed in he cou se book, bu only in one lesson.
In e en ions in bo h g oups can be seen in he igu e below.
Expe imen al g oup
Con ol g oup
Uni 1:
Sing chan once
+ Begin o sing ex a song as ou ine song
Comple e song wo kshee
Sel -assessmen shee
Uni 2:
Sing song o e i e lessons
Comple e song wo kshee
Sel -assessmen shee
Uni 2:
Sing song once
Sel -assessmen shee
Uni 3:
Sing song o e i e lessons
Comple e song wo kshee
Sel -assessmen shee
Uni 3:
Sing song once
Sel -assessmen shee
Fo mal assessmen es
Figu e 1: In e en ions in expe imen al g oup and con ol g oup
2.3 Consen
I began his s udy a e collec ing consen om he school clus e ’s headmas e ,
he pa en s and he child en. Each in o med consen documen had a b ie summa y o
wha he s udy was abou . In o med consen documen s we e w i en in Po uguese wi h
a language s yle adap ed o sui he ecep o ’s unde s anding (see Appendix A, B). In
he in o med consen documen p epa ed o lea ne s, I ook in o conside a ion he
simplici y o language and I used small pic u es, almos like he s yle used in ebus bu
wi hou subs i u ion o wo ds. The poin was o call hei a en ion o each pa ag aph
(see Appendix C). Lea ne s we e old he pu pose o he s udy and I explained wha
kind o ac i i ies I would se up in ou lessons. I el was impo an ha lea ne s could
unde s and ha I was asking hem o pa icipa e in and ha hey we e ee o decide i
hey wan ed o ake pa o o decline. Lea ne s we e gi en he oppo uni y o ask
ques ions and I answe ed hei doub s and ea i med ha hei pa icipa ion was
olun a y and hey could s op pa icipa ing a any ime, and i ha was he case I would
no include hei answe s in my s udy.
10
2.4 Da a collec ion and analysis
2.4.1 Cou se book analysis
While planning his piece o esea ch I had o o e come wha I conside ed a
p oblem. The cou se book in use, adop ed by he school clus e , was New T ee ops 4
(Ox o d Uni e si y P ess) and i p esen ed se en songs and h ee chan s in Uni s 1, 2
and 3, among many o he ac i i ies, o be used in my 20-lesson planning o de elop his
s udy. Sugges ions in he Teache ’s Book we e o sing he uni ’s main song o e wo
lessons and all he o he songs and chan s only in one lesson. None o hese songs we e
sugges ed o be lesson ‘opene s’ o ‘ inishe s’, no o be sung in he manne o a
con inued ou ine. Wi h his in mind, I had o make a choice. Fo his s udy I used he
ollowing songs (see also Appendix D):
Cycle 1
Chan 1 – Uni 1 – Theme: In he own
Sung only in 1 lesson as indica ed in he
eache ’s no es
Song 1 – ou o he cou se book - Hello!
Sung as a ou ine song o ill in an impo an
language gap, o e 15 lessons
Cycle 2
Song 2 – Uni 2 – Theme: Numbe s
Sung o e 5 lessons
Cycle 3
Song/Chan 3 – Uni 3 – Theme: Food
and d ink
Sung o e 5 lessons. Ly ics modi ied by
eache .
Figu e 2: Chan s and songs used in he s udy
The choice o songs was based p ima ily on he ocabula y and chunks o
language ha me he Me as Cu icula es de Inglês 1º Ciclo (na ional cu iculum)
equi emen s and, ha being so, p esen ed language which could be used by lea ne s in
di e en speaking, eading and w i ing ac i i ies, o he han me ely lea ning and singing
a speci ic song. All songs wi h he excep ion o he Cycle 1 chan we e sung o e i e
lessons o mo e, wi h he suppo o isual aid ( lashca ds) and To al Physical Response
(TPR) ges u es; I also included a ia ion wi h di e en oice in ona ion – sad and happy
o as and slow – acco ding o he ly ics hema ic possibili ies and ‘mou hing’ he ly ics
o omi ing a pa icula wo d wi hou singing i aloud.
11
2.4.2 P e-s udy and pos -s udy ques ionnai es
I p epa ed and applied a ques ionnai e a he beginning o he s udy (see
Appendix E) and a he end o he s udy (see Appendix F), i s o ind ou i lea ne s
we e amilia wi h singing songs ela ed wi h English opics and i hey liked/disliked
he use o songs in he class oom and a e wa ds o see i s uden s had changed hei
minds in any way abou singing songs in English lessons.
2.4.3 Teache ’s jou nal
A e he lessons, I ook no es om obse a ions made in he class oom. These
included eache ’s no es abou se ing up singing ac i i ies and lea ne s’ eac ions,
language use and beha iou .
2.4.4 Song wo kshee s
I p epa ed wo kshee s as a ollow-up song ac i i y, one o e e y song augh , o
assess eading and w i ing skills (see Appendices G, H, I). To do hese wo kshee s,
lea ne s had o sing along wi h he song wi h audio and hen comple e gaps wi h gi en
wo ds. In he second lis ening, lea ne s had o check hei answe s while singing and
eading he ly ics. Lea ne s comple ed he wo kshee s o e he hi d/ ou h lesson
singing each song.
2.4.5. S uden sel -assessmen shee s
These we e p epa ed o collec da a o s uden s’ pe cep ion o hei language
acquisi ion: unde s anding and abili y o say, ead and w i e key sen ences o s uc u es
con ained in he songs. The e was one sel -assessmen shee o each song (see
Appendices J, K, L). This was he only da a collec ion ool ha was applied in he
con ol g oup ega ding Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 songs (see Appendix M), enabling a
compa ison be ween g oups.
12
2.4.6 Fo mal assessmen es
I collec ed lea ne s’ esul s om he exe cises o he e mly o mal assessmen
es which had ocabula y o s uc u es p esen ed in songs in o de o be able o
compa e hose wi h he lea ne s’ pe cep ions o wha hey had lea n om singing. I
could no compa e bo h g oups because he o mal assessmen es s applied we e
di e en in he expe imen al g oup and he con ol g oup.
This ac ion esea ch was designed o ha e h ee cycles o in e en ion, apa
om p e-s udy and pos -s udy ques ionnai es ha we e designed o ind ou i lea ne s’
iews owa ds singing had changed in any way. The pu pose was o disco e how
lea ne s hough singing had helped hem lea n he language, i a all. The in o ma ion
a ising om he da a collec ion ools will hope ully enable me o in e p e he indings
and o each some conclusions abou he main ques ions o his esea ch.
3. Resul s
Wi h wo ques ions in mind ‘When should we make use o a song?’ and ‘When
is a song mos suppo i e o language acquisi ion?’ I unde ook an ac ion esea ch
s udy in English lessons o e he pe iod o wen y lessons while I was doing my
supe ised eaching p ac ice. In his sec ion I will p esen and discuss esul s om each
cycle o in e en ion.
3.1 Cycle 1 – Chan 1 and Song 1
3.1.1. Uni 1 chan and he necessi y o an ex a song
The chan in Uni 1 o he cou se book on he heme In he own was done as
sugges ed in he Teache ’s Book, as an ac i i y in only one lesson, in eg a ed in o he
uni ’s language con en s. Lea ne s lis ened o he audio wice and sang once. Ly ics can
be seen below.
Chan 1
A police s a ion, a oy shop,
A lib a y, a ma ke .

13
In my own. In my own.
A ca é, a pos o ice,
A playg ound, a school.
In my own. In my own.
Also in his cycle and because ou ines a e e y impo an wi h young lea ne s I
in oduced a song on he heme o G ee ings ha was no in he cou se book – he song
was Hello! om Supe Simple Songs. This song was used as a lesson opene om he
six h lesson on. As can be seen below, he ly ics p o ide examples o how lea ne s can
g ee each o he .
Song 1 – Hello!
Hello, hello
Hello, how a e you? ( epea )
I’m good!
I’m g ea !
I’m wonde ul! ( epea )
Hello, hello
Hello, how a e you? ( epea )
I’m i ed!
I’m hung y!
I’m no so good! ( epea )
Hello, hello
Hello, how a e you? ( epea 3x)
3.1.2 How we sang Chan 1 and Song 1
Chan 1 was sung in one lesson only bu I had o supplemen he sugges ions
made in he Teache ’s Book. I displayed lashca ds on di e en pa s o he class oom
walls o isual suppo , o de ed sequen ially as hey appea ed in he chan , and did a
‘poin ing o he wo d’ ac i i y while lea ne s lis ened he second ime. This was no
sugges ed bu I conside ed i necessa y because lea ne s had nei he isual suppo no
he ly ics in he cou se book o allow hem o ollow he audio sequence. Pic u es
displayed in he cou se book we e in a di e en o de and hese we e new ocabula y
14
wo ds which I el impo an o associa e wi h meaning om he s a . Some lea ne s
began o sing he chan he second ime and all he g oup sang along he hi d ime I
played i .
Song 1 – I displayed lashca ds on he boa d wi h images o he six possible
answe s o he ques ion – How a e you? Lea ne s p ac ised cho al d illing he ques ion
wi h To al Physical Response (TPR) ges u es and hen I augh one ges u e o each
possible answe . O e he i s wo lessons, lea ne s jus lis ened o he audio and
pe o med he TPR along he song sequence. A e lis ening I g ee ed and I asked e e y
s uden how hey we e, and lea ne s answe ed, making he sui able ges u e. F om he
hi d lesson on, lea ne s began o sing along and use speech o answe s. F om he i h
ime on lea ne s asked he ques ions and ga e he answe s o each o he . This song was
planned o be a ou ine song o e Cycle 1 lessons a e I had done my weekly lea ne s’
need’s analysis and I decided i could no wai un il he beginning o Cycle 2 o he
good o class managemen ; i se ed as a lesson opene ac i i y and was used un il he
end o his esea ch p ojec . Lea ne s comple ed a wo kshee a he end o Cycle 1 wi h
he song ex , illing in he gaps wi h gi en wo ds a e lis ening and singing he song, o
assess eading and w i ing skills (see Appendix G) and also comple ed a a ge language
sel -assessmen shee on which hey had o exp ess, acco ding o hei pe cep ion o
deg ee o abili y, i hey we e able o unde s and, say, ead and w i e ocabula y,
ph ases o sen ences con ained in he song ex s (see Appendix J).
3.1.3 Findings and discussion
Chan 1 – Acco ding o my class oom obse a ion no es, ega ding speaking
ac i i ies done ollowing he lesson plan (a miming game and a w i ing/ eading ask on
he boa d), ‘ he chan ac i i y seemed o help a ew lea ne s o imp o e in ona ion o
some ocabula y i ems like lib a y o police s a ion, which a e wo ds ha i ead in
Po uguese ha e di e en sounds because o ou phone ic di e ences, namely wi h he
sound we p oduce wi h owels i and o’ (jou nal, 11 h Oc obe 2017). This is one o he
easons eache s a e encou aged o use songs and chan s suppo ed by B ews e , Ellis
and Gi a d con ic ions (2002).
15
In he o mal assessmen es comple ed a he end o e m wi h con en s om
Uni s 1, 2 and 3, all lea ne s we e able o do wi h success he lis ening and w i ing
exe cises which in ol ed ocabula y p esen ed in his chan .
Song 1 – This song se ed o ill in he gap o g ee ings language in he cou se
book. Lea ne s we e only able o say – Hello!. So, asking and answe ing he ques ion
How a e you? was new language and he song helped in he acquisi ion o chunks ha
enabled lea ne s in speaking in e ac ion and speaking p oduc ion. A he same ime, i
allowed me o see how s uden s would eac in e ms o language acquisi ion when
p esen ed wi h a song ha did no ha e ollow up exe cises in eg a ed in o a hema ic
uni . Lea ne s eac ed posi i ely; his pa icula song no only helped o c ea e a posi i e
one a he beginning o e e y lesson, bu also because o all he o mulaic language i
con ains, i helped lea ne s o speak English wi h each o he in e e y lesson om he
s a , once hey began o ole play he ques ion and answe . Because i was se up as a
lesson ‘opene ’ ac i i y, i ac ed like a con idence boos e , p epa ing lea ne s o he
ac i i ies ha ollowed. In di e en lessons lea ne s sang he song wi h he suppo o
isual aid ( lashca ds), To al Physical Response (TPR) ges u es, wi h di e en oice
in ona ion – sad and happy – acco ding o he ly ics and ‘mou hing’ he ly ics wi hou
singing. F om he second week on audio suppo was no longe needed, indica ing ha
lea ne s had made he song ‘pa o hem’ (Mu phey, 1992:6).
I w o e on my class oom obse a ion no es ha ‘six lessons a e we s a ed o
sing e e y lea ne was able o use he song’s o mulaic language, spoken as e e yday
con e sa ion, and ask and answe he ques ion –How a e you? wi hou eache ’s help’
(jou nal, 8 h No embe 2016).
Resul s om he song wo kshee con aining he ly ics ex (Appendix G)
indica e ha he majo i y o lea ne s in he g oup we e able o ead and copy some
wo ds in o blank spaces: ou o he 14 pa icipan s in he s udy, 12 lea ne s comple ed
he exe cise wi hou mis akes and wo lea ne s had one spelling mis ake each, in wo ds
copied in o spaces.
Lea ne s comple ed a a ge language sel -assessmen g id (Appendix J). The
whole g oup indica ed ha hey we e able o unde s and and say all he language
p esen ed in he song, while esul s om one lea ne indica ed ha he was no
comple ely able o ead he pa o he sen ences ‘I’m g ea !...’ and esul s om wo
lea ne s indica ed hey had di icul y w i ing he language p esen ed in he song. None
16
o he pa icipan s icked he ‘I’m no able’ column. These esul s seem o con i m wha
lea ne s did on he wo kshee . Bu e en so, wi h only one w i ing (copy) exe cise done
on he wo kshee wi h he song ex , I was somewha su p ised wi h he esul o 12
lea ne s indica ing hey eel hey a e able o w i e he language p esen ed. I can only
a ibu e his o he posi i e eeling o ‘I can’ ha songs ha e on young lea ne s’ minds
acco ding o Read (2007) and Dias and Mou ão (2005).
3.2 Cycle 2 – Song 2
3.2.1 Uni 2 song – Cool kids
The song Cool kids is in Uni 2 o he cou se book on he heme Numbe s. I was
used as a singing ac i i y o e i e lessons, in eg a ed in o he uni language con en s.
Lea ne s had he suppo o audio, isual aid (cou se book image and lashca ds) and
TPR ges u es. The cou se book only had a ex wi h pa ial ly ics, as can be seen in
Figu e 3 below. I selec ed his song because no only i was use ul o p ac ising he
p osody o numbe s om ele en o wen y and p o ided a good example o di e en
le e s which ha e he sound /k/, bu also because i helped lea ne s o acqui e language
o communica e pe sonal in o ma ion, which is one o he equi emen s in Me as
Cu icula es de Inglês 1º Ciclo (na ional cu iculum). Ly ics we e as ollows:
Song 2 – Cool kids
(in bold a e he ly ics p esen ed in he S uden ’s book)
We’ e he cool kids. We’ e he cool kids.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
Cam om numbe 11. Cole om numbe 12.
Ca om numbe 13. We’ e all cool kids.
And I’m Ch is Cool om numbe 14.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
We’ e he cool kids. We’ e he cool kids.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
Kile om numbe 15. Ka e om numbe 16.
Ki om numbe 17. We’ e all cool kids.
23
de elopmen o he ou skills. Did singing songs help hem o unde s and, speak, ead
and w i e in English?
3.4.1 Findings
As can be seen in Table 1, p e e ences changed and so did he lea ne s’
awa eness o he bene i s o songs in hei speaking, eading and w i ing abili ies.
P e-s udy ques ionnai e
Pos -s udy ques ionnai e
Always
Some imes
Ra ely
Ne e
Always
Some imes
Ra ely
Ne e
Do you like singing songs in English
lessons?
1
12
-
2
-
12
2
-
-
Does singing help o unde s and
English?
10
1
2
1
11
2
1
-
Does singing help o speak in
English?
10
2
1
1
1
12
-
1
1
Does singing help o ead in English?
8
2
3
1
10
2
2
-
Does singing help o w i e in
English?
9
-
3
2
1
11
2
-
1
Table 1: Answe s om P e-s udy and Pos -s udy ques ionnai es
3.4.2 Discussion
The pos -s udy ques ionnai e esul s abo e clea ly show ha lea ne s om his
age g oup like o sing. This is p obably because lea ne s eel singing helps hem o
unde s and and o speak, ead and w i e in English. Some imes, ecalling a song is all
ha is needed o ind a sui able wo d o sen ence o answe a ques ion o simply say
some hing in English. My opinion, based on wha I saw du ing he lessons, is ha
lea ne s conside songs use ul. Tha explains why mos o he ime lea ne s a e happily
willing o lea n songs ha hey would no conside lea ning and singing in Po uguese
because o he simplici y and epe i ion o ly ics and melody which would be mo e
app op ia e o younge ages.

24
The esul s om he pos -s udy ques ionnai e seem o indica e ha he wo k I
de eloped wi h he expe imen al g oup, h ough singing and comple ing he wo kshee s,
helped lea ne s o be mo e awa e o he ou skills in ol ed in lea ning a language –
lis ening, speaking, eading and w i ing. Lis ening o he songs c ea ed a pu pose o
lea ne s o unde s and English and a he same ime he se ing o asks o a p e-
lis ening s age like looking a pic u es, poin ing o lashca ds, lea ning ges u es o go
wi h wo ds, a while-lis ening s age wi h singing and a pos -lis ening s age backed up
wi h ole-play dialogues and he wo kshee s helped lea ne s o be ully engaged in
lea ning o e he lessons.
The s a ing poin o his ac ion esea ch s udy was ying o ind ou when o
use a song in English lessons, also wi h he hope o cla i ying i epea ing a song o e
se e al lessons, ins ead o singing i jus once in a hema ic uni o e en no singing i a
all, made a di e ence in e ms o language acquisi ion. T iangula ion o da a was e y
use ul in helping o unde s and all he indings, especially he numbe s ha eme ged
om quan i a i e da a ools. Resul s o e he h ee cycles o in e en ion seem o
sugges ha lea ne s a e able o acqui e language om a song when i is no pa o a
hema ic uni om he cou se book as long as ha song is sung enough imes o
lea ne s o lea n i and con ains o mulaic language ha can be used in o he si ua ions,
like eal-li e meaning ul con e sa ions o class oom ole-plays. Howe e , in he case o
he songs in eg a ed in o he cou se book uni s, elying only on sel -assessmen esul s,
singing he same song o e i e lessons seemed o ha e made li le di e ence o none in
he lea ne s’ pe cep ions o wha hey had lea ned. None heless, wi h he expe imen al
g oup only, eache ’s obse a ion no es seem o indica e he posi i e one o lessons,
lea ne s’ mo i a ion, imp o emen s in p osody and lea ne s’ ex a oppo uni ies o be
exposed o language, o sing he songs and p ac ise he language ou side he class oom.
4. Conclusions and inal hough s
Unde aking his ac ion esea ch p ojec while doing my supe ised eaching
p ac ice made me look deepe in o my class oom p ac ice and disco e di e en ways
o implemen ing ac i i ies. De eloping his s udy made me see how e e y hing is
connec ed in he p ocess o lea ning a o eign language. I lea ned in e e y s ep o he
p ocess and became iche ying o disco e wha is beyond he isible aspec o he
ac ha young lea ne s like singing songs.
25
My expe ience as a young lea ne English eache in Po ugal is ha mos
lea ne s om his age g oup a e no able o sing au onomously be o e he hi d o ou h
di e en occasion (lesson). The e o e, i lea ne s sang all he chan s and songs as
sugges ed in he cou se book, i would be e y di icul o a song o be lea ned and
became a ‘pa o hem’. This kind o Teache ’s Book sugges ions migh be one o he
easons o eache s saying ha songs a e no a use ul esou ce o language lea ning
and can p o ide an excuse o lea ing songs ou o he class oom. Singing a song once
can be a unny and engaging ac i i y bu migh no be meaning ul in e ms o language
acquisi ion o lea ne s.
I hope my app oach o he p ocess o selec ing a song ha will suppo he uni
language and he di e en sugges ions I make o a ied kinds o ac i i ies a eache
migh do wi h a song, may be use ul o o he eache s and, i ha is he case, ha i may
inspi e eache s o s op ea ing he use o songs in English lessons and decide o gi e i
a y.
My indings su p ised me because when I s a ed o de elop he idea o esea ch
in o he use o songs in he young lea ne English class oom I had he eeling ha
singing songs would ha e a bigge e ec on he language acquisi ion p ocess. The ac
ha all he songs bu one we e in eg a ed in o he cou se book uni s o wo k and he
language used in hose same songs was also used in a a ie y o o he ac i i ies may
ha e accoun ed o singing being jus one esou ce among many o he s when i comes
o explaining i s impo ance in eaching and lea ning a o eign language. In my
expe ience as a eache , I eel ha lea ne s who habi ually sing a e mo e eady o
in e ac in no mal con e sa ion on hemes known o hem han o he s who do no . Bu
ha is an idea o u u e esea ch.
As such, I’m lea ing an open doo o u u e esea ch wi h young lea ne s in he
p ima y school age g oup. Wha would indings be i we na owed he ield o esea ch
o songs o young lea ne s o English as a o eign language o y o disco e wha
di ec impac i would ha e on con e sa ion skills? Wha would be he ou come i he
ocus was jus on he speaking abili y? I am e y cu ious abou i and I would like o be
in a posi ion o do mo e in-dep h esea ch ela ed o i bu i would su ely equi e a
bigge s udy wi h a di e en ocus han he one I unde ook and, mos o all, mo e ime
which I’m no su e is compa ible wi h he eaching p o ession.
26
In sho and coming back o my ini ial esea ch ques ions – When should we
make use o a song? Taking my esul s, I belie e ha we should plan o songs in
English class. Songs a e a ool as use ul as all he o he s eache s ha e adi ionally been
using o each a o eign language. Taking in o accoun all he ad an ages ha come
om an engaging ac i i y, singing is a un and mo i a ional g oup ac i i y. In addi ion,
singing also easily equips lea ne s wi h ocabula y and exp essions hey can ake wi h
hem ou o he class oom. – When is a song mos suppo i e o language acquisi ion?
The esul o his ac ion esea ch s udy enabled me o acknowledge ha he e was no a
g ea di e ence in he ou come o language acquisi ion in he English class oom
be ween whe he lea ne s sang a song only once o many imes. Excep o he one song
ha was no pa o he cou se book collec ion, all he o he songs and chan s we e
augh as pa o he cou se book ac i i ies and I conside ha he igh way o use hem.
Lea ne s acqui ed he language by lea ning and exploi ing in English wi h all he
esou ces and ools used in he h ee uni s o wo k. So, in mos o he s udy I could no
disco e he ex en o language acqui ed jus om singing. Howe e , he indings
sugges ha he mo e he lea ne s sing he mo e hey a e exposed o English language
and ha e ex a oppo uni ies o lea n. Songs a e a good ehicle o epe i ion. The
expe imen al g oup lea ned sen ences and exp essions which he con ol g oup did no .
A he same ime lea ne s we e mo i a ed and clea ly seemed o enjoy he singing
momen s in he class oom because hey asked o sing when i was no planned. I would
say ha a song is mos suppo i e o language acquisi ion when i has a clea pu pose,
when i p esen s meaning ul language o lea ne s, when i is in eg a ed in a hema ic
uni and mos o all when is sung o e he numbe o lessons lea ne s would ake o
lea n i and make he song pa o hem.
27
REFERENCES
B ews e , J., Ellis, G. & Gi a d, D. (2002). The P ima y English Teache 's Guide: New
Edi ion. Ha low: Pea son Educa ion.
Bu ns, A. (2010). Doing Ac ion Resea ch in English Language Teaching: A Guide o
P ac i ione s. Abingdon: Rou ledge.
Da is, G. M. (2013). In es iga ing he use o songs in acili a ing o mulaici y in e y
young lea ne s o English as an addi ional language (Unpublished mas e ’s hesis).
Kellog College, Uni e si y o Ox o d, Ox o d
Da is, G. M. (2017). ‘Songs in he young lea ne class oom: A c i ical e iew o
e idence’. ELT Jou nal. Ad anced online publica ion.
h ps://academic.oup.com/el j/a icle-abs ac /doi/10.1093/el /ccw097/2834983/Songs-
in- he-young-lea ne -class oom-a-c i ical
Dias, A. & Mou ão, S. (2005). Inglês no 1º Ciclo, P ác icas Pa ilhadas: Suges ões
Pa a P ojec os de Ensino do Inglês no 1º Ciclo. Po o: Edições Asa.
Dolean, D. D. (2015). ‘The e ec s o eaching songs du ing o eign language classes on
s uden s’ o eign language anxie y’. Language Teaching Resea ch, 5(1), 1-16.
Fonseca-Mo a, M. C. (2016) Music and language lea ning: an in oduc ion. In M.
Ca men Fonseca-Mo a & M. Gan (Eds). Melodies, hy hm and cogni ion in o eign
language lea ning (pp.2-6). Newcas le upon Tyne: Camb idge Schola s.
Hillya d, S. (2013) ‘Va ied epe i ion o songs in EFL kinde ga en con ex s.’ IATEFL
Young Lea ne and Teenage Special In e es G oup Publica ion, Sp ing 2013, 19-22.
Kampa, K. (2014) Chan s and songs in he young lea ne class oom: a compa ison o
music use, pu pose and e ec i eness om na i e Japanese speake and na i e English
speake pe spec i es (Unpublished mas e ’s hesis). S Cloud S a e Uni e si y,
Minneso a
Ke s en, S. (2015) Language de elopmen in young lea ne s: he ole o o mulaic
language. In J. Bland (Ed). Teaching English o Young Lea ne s: C i ical Issues in
Language Teaching Wi h 3-12 Yea olds (pp.129-145). London: Bloomsbu y.
28
Ludke, K. M., Fe ei a, F. & O e y, K. (2014). ‘Singing can acili a e o eign language
lea ning’. Memo y and Cogni ion, 42 (1), 41-52.
Mu phey, T. (1992) Music & Song. Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y P ess
Pa e son, A. & Willis, J. (2008) English h ough Music. Ox o d: Ox o d Uni e si y
P ess
Read, C. (2007). 500 Ac i i ies o he P ima y Class oom. Ox o d. Macmillan.

29
LIST OF FIGURES
Figu e 1: In e en ions in expe imen al g oup and con ol g oup
Figu e 2: Chan s and songs used in he s udy
Figu e 3: Song 2 – Ly ics p esen ed o lea ne s in he cou se book
30
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Answe s om P e-s udy and Pos -s udy ques ionnai es
31
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A – In o med consen le e o school clus e ’s headmas e ……….
i
Appendix B – In o med consen le e o pa en s ……………………………….
ii
Appendix C – In o med consen le e o pupils ………………………………...
iii
Appendix D – Ly ics o songs used in class oom ……………………………….
i
Appendix E – P e-s udy ques ionnai e ………………………………………….
Appendix F – Pos -s udy ques ionnai e …………………………………………
i
Appendix G –Wo kshee song Hello! …………………………………………...
ii
Appendix H – Wo kshee song Cool kids ……………………………………….
iii
Appendix I – Wo kshee song Food and d ink ………………………………….
ix
Appendix J – Sel -assessmen shee - song Hello ………………………………
x
Appendix K – Sel -assessmen shee - song Cool kids ………………………….
xi
Appendix L – Sel -assessmen shee - song Food and d ink …………………….
xii
Appendix M – Sel -assessmen shee o con ol g oup ………………………...
xiii
i
Appendix A – In o med consen le e o school clus e ’s headmas e
Pedido de au o ização ao Di e o do Ag upamen o de Escolas ------------------
Exmo. S . Di e o ----------------,
Chamo me Ana So ia Nob e e é com mui o gos o que i ei es agia du an e o 1º pe íodo des e ano le i o na Escola
Básica ----------------.
Es ou a aze um Mes ado em Ensino de Inglês no 1º Ciclo, na Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas pe encen e à
Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa, e o mes ado implica que du an e o es ágio aça um pequeno p oje o de in es igação. Es e p oje o
se á incluído no meu ela ó io inal. O meu abalho in i ula-se: Lis en, sing and lea n: The place o songs in p ima y FL lea ning in
Po ugal - (Ou i , can a e ap ende : O papel das canções na ap endizagem da Língua Es angei a em Po ugal).
Venho, po es e meio, solici a a sua au o ização pa a pode ealiza o p oje o que ai deco e en e ou ub o e
dezemb o de 2016 du an e o meu es ágio, com a u ma 4C, na Escola Básica ---------------
Depois de pedi ambém au o ização aos Enca egados de Educação e aos alunos pa a os inclui no meu es udo, a
ecolha de dados se á e e uada median e obse ação dos alunos, ques ioná ios e ichas de au o a aliação, e exce os do meu
diá io de p o esso . A qualque momen o os alunos pode ão escolhe não pa icipa . As in o mações ob idas se ão e e idas no
meu ela ó io inal de mes ado e e en ualmen e em a igos académicos e con e ências.
A ins i uição e odos os seus uncioná ios e as c ianças pe manece ão anónimas em qualque ci cuns ância. Nunca
se ão i adas o og a ias nem ob idas imagens, nem da ins i uição nem das c ianças.
Se i e ques ões a coloca sob e o p oje o ag adeço que me con ac e pessoalmen e, es a ei à sua disposição a a és
do E-mail - noble.so [email protected]
Ag adeço a sua au o ização pa a que possa ealiza o meu es udo. Peço que me seja en egue o des acá el abaixo a é
ao dia 10/10 (segunda ei a).
Cacém, 4 de Ou ub o de 2016
Ana So ia Nob e
_______________________________
P o .ª D .ª Sandie Mou ão
O ien ado a de Es ágio
FCSH, Uni e sidade No a de Lisboa
_______________________________
Eu, ____________________________________________________ , Di e o do Ag upamen o de Escolas -----------, ------
--, decla o que ui in o mado dos obje i os do p oje o in i ulado Lis en, sing and lea nk: The place o songs in p ima y FL lea ning
in Po ugal (Ou i , can a e ap ende : O papel das canções na ap endizagem da Língua Es angei a em Po ugal) e au o izo Ana
So ia Nob e a ealiza o es udo, com a u ma 4C na Escola Básica --------------
Assina u a:
Da a: ___/___/_____ ___________________________
iii
Appendix H – Wo kshee song Cool kids
My code name is M . / Ms. ____ Oc obe , 2016
ou een wel e wen y i een
1 – Lis en o he song.
2 – Lis en o he song again and w i e he missing wo ds.
3 – Lis en o he song one mo e ime and check you wo ds (You can
sing!) 
Cool Kids
We’ e he cool kids. We’ e he cool kids.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
Cam om numbe ele en. Cole om numbe ___________.
Ca om numbe hi een. We’ e all cool kids.
And I’m Ch is Cool om numbe ou een.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
We’ e he cool kids. We’ e he cool kids.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
Kyle om numbe __________. Ka e om numbe six een.
Ki om numbe se en een. We’ e all cool kids.
And I’m Ka a Cool om numbe _______________.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
We’ e he cool kids. We’ e he cool kids.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
Cla k om numbe eigh een. Cli e om numbe nine een.
Cla e om numbe _____________. We’ e all cool kids.
And I’m Chloe Cool om numbe ou een.
Mee he cool kids. Mee he cool kids.
So Cool!

ix
Appendix I – Wo kshee song Food and d ink
My code name is M . / Ms. ____ Decembe , 2016
I like ish (2x) nice soup (2x) I don’ like
1 – Lis en and sing he chan . 
2 – Lis en o he chan again and w i e he missing wo ds.
3 – Read and lis en o he chan one mo e ime and check you wo ds
(You can sing!) 
The Food chan
Mmm! Spaghe i ...nice spaghe i!
Mmm! _____ … I like _____! 
Mmm! Milk … I like milk! 
Mmm! Rice … __ _______ ice! 
Mmm! Salad … _____ salad!
Mmm! Fish … I don’ like ish! 
Mmm! B ead … I don’ like b ead! 
Mmm! Chicken … I don’ like chicken! 
Mmm! Spaghe i ...nice spaghe i!
Mmm! Soup … I don’ like soup! 
Mmm! Milk … __ _____ _____milk! 
Mmm! Rice … I don’ like ice! 
Mmm! Salad … nice salad!
Mmm! ______ … I like ______! 
Mmm! B ead … I like b ead! 
Mmm! Chicken … I like chicken! 
Mmm! B ead … I like b ead! 
Mmm! Chicken … I like chicken! 
x
Appendix J – Sel -assessmen shee song Hello
MOSTRA O QUE SABES
Sel Assessmen
Can as e já á ias ezes na aula a canção Hello!. Mos a o que sabes, p eenchendo a g elha
abaixo, dizendo o quan o a canção e ajudou a comp eende , sabe dize , sabe le e sabe
esc e e a língua Inglesa.
SOU SUPER CAPAZ = SOU CAPAZ = SOU POUCO CAPAZ = NÃO SOU CAPAZ = ▬
COMPREENDER
DIZER
LER
ESCREVER
Hello!
How a e you?
I’m g ea !
(I’m wonde ul! I’m
good!)
I’m no so
good!
(I’m i ed! I’m
hung y)
My code name is M . / Ms. ____ No embe 2016
xi
Appendix K – Sel -assessmen shee song Cool kids
MOSTRA O QUE SABES
Sel Assessmen
Can as e já á ias ezes na aula a canção Cool Kids. Mos a o que sabes, p eenchendo a g elha
abaixo, dizendo o quan o a canção e ajudou a comp eende , sabe dize , sabe le e sabe
esc e e a língua Inglesa.
SOU SUPER CAPAZ = SOU CAPAZ = SOU POUCO CAPAZ = NÃO SOU CAPAZ = ▬
COMPREENDER
DIZER
LER
ESCREVER
Numbe s 11-20
Cool!
We’ e he cool
kids
I’m Ch is Cool
om numbe
( ou een).
My code name is M . / Ms. ____ No embe 2016
xii
Appendix L – Sel -assessmen shee song Food and d ink
MOSTRA O QUE SABES
Sel Assessmen
Can as e já á ias ezes na aula a canção The Food Chan . Mos a o que sabes, p eenchendo a g elha
abaixo, dizendo o quan o a canção e ajudou a comp eende , sabe dize , sabe le e sabe esc e e a
língua Inglesa.
SOU SUPER CAPAZ = SOU CAPAZ = SOU POUCO CAPAZ = NÃO SOU CAPAZ = ▬
COMPREENDER
DIZER
LER
ESCREVER
Food ocabula y
(spaghe i, soup,
milk, ice, salad, ish,
b ead, chicken)
Mmm, nice salad!
I like (soup).
I don’ like (milk).
My code name is M . / Ms. ____ Decembe 2016
xiii
Appendix M – Sel -assessmen shee o con ol g oup
My name is _________________________________ Decembe /2016
MOSTRA O QUE SABES
Sel Assessmen
Pensa no que ap endes e nas aulas de Inglês du an e as Unidades 2 e 3 (Uni 2 – Numbe s e Uni 3 –
Food and d ink) e p eenche as g elhas abaixo com os símbolos que es ão na legenda.
(Não es ás a se a aliado/a, nem há espos as ce as ou e adas. Es a icha só se á ú il se esponde es com a
e dade.)
SOU SUPER CAPAZ = SOU CAPAZ = SOU POUCO CAPAZ = NÃO SOU CAPAZ = ▬
Uni 2 – Numbe s
COMPREENDER
DIZER
LER
ESCREVER
Numbe s 11-20
(ele en, wel e,
hi een, ou een,
i een, six een,
se en een, eigh een,
nine een, wen y)
Cool!
We’ e he cool kids
I’m Ch is Cool om
numbe ( ou een).
Uni 3 – Food and d ink
COMPREENDER
DIZER
LER
ESCREVER
Food ocabula y
(spaghe i, soup, milk,
ice, salad, ish, b ead,
chicken)
Mmm, nice salad!
I like (soup).
I don’ like (milk).
Thank you!

xi