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INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Using various kinds of Media in the classroom has always been a challenge, and how to bring these
Media in the classroom is more than a challenge. Students and teachers should be able to use in their
classrooms different media through different technologies. Media provide teachers and students with
creative and practical ideas. They enable teachers to meet various needs and interests of their students.
They also provide students with a lot of language practice through activities using newspapers,
magazines, radio, TV, movies, books, Internet, etc, and tasks which develop reading, writing, speaking
and listening skills. They entertain students and encourage reading English in general, both inside and
outside the classroom, promoting extensive reading by giving the students the confidence, the
motivation and the ability to continue their reading outside the classroom. Media “inform, amuse, startle,
anger, entertain, thrill, but very seldom leave anyone untouched”. (Shirley Biagy, 1996)
Media Education is important because it develops students’ creative powers for those images, words
and sounds that come to the students from various Media. Thus, creating more active and critical media
users, who will always be more demanding in the future. Media Education has to do with film and
television, press and radio, their impact on the students’ progress. It has to do with what to teach through
media, when and how. Its aim is to enable students to develop critical thinking, analyzing and reflecting
on their experiences while using various means of Media .
Newspapers are easy to be brought in the class in different subjects and courses, especially in
literature, language classes, etc. There are different purposes and ways for using newspapers in language
classroom. They may be used for the culture they transmit. The more widely students read, the greater
their understanding of this cultural meaning will be . They may be used for the wide variety of text types
and language styles, not often found in textbooks. At the same time, newspapers provide a natural source
of many of the varieties of Written English that become very important to students, and valuable for
language study as the students progress.
As with newspapers, magazines are resources for different subjects, cutting out pictures and
passages associated with particular topics. Magazines are also sources in language development in
providing pictures to stimulate verbal or written stories. For example, they may be used for introducing
colors and clothes, means of transport, short stories, stimulating picture discussions and for other
supplementary materials as well, which cover a topic that may be under discussion in a language class.
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1.2.3 Radio and Education
Radio plays an important part in developing people’s imagination, in creating pictures in the mind
through the power of words, it stimulates the imagination to fill in the visuals, etc. The listeners see
the drama in their heads. Thus, when radio is used in the classroom it helps students to promote their
imagination, to voice their creativity. A lot of radio programs contribute to language learning.
Besides getting new information and entertainment, in language classes radio helps the
pronunciation, the intonation, the pitch of voice, etc. These might be successful if we undertake adequate
preparation and design carefully graded tasks. Students gain a feeling of satisfaction from having
understood something of an authentic broadcast, we can see the joy in their faces.
TV programs may be used as warming-up activities, pre-activities for the coming issue, as
supplementary materials for a certain topic, for up-to-date information, to update the information in the
textbooks, etc. Documentaries are also educational. Documentaries on Wildlife, on Civil War, on
Discovery Channel, and others, have opened valuable windows for our students. Through them our
students can learn about languages, cultures, science, etc. Some of these documentaries, if carefully
selected may be used successfully in the classrooms and be a part of the curriculum. They may help
students to better understand the subject.
We should encourage the students to see as many films as possible outside the classroom or parts of
films in the classroom. Watching films is very important as it increases their visual and critical
awareness. Watching films in the classroom can be realized through recording them. Anyway it is
difficult to use films in the classroom. Sometimes they are difficult to understand but Western films for
example are easy to understand because there is a lot of action in them.
While using a film in the classroom to help our English we have paid attention to the accent, voice,
body language, choosing of the words, training ear and the eye, lifestyle, plot idea, summary, what’s
going on, why and how, and many other things depending on the aim we have put to ourselves. The
overall aim has always been to maximize comprehension and learn more English. We need to be able to
fit films into a classroom schedule organizing different activities that help this aim. In order to save time
we might tell the story of the film ourselves, illustrating it by showing three or four key scenes without
telling the end. Another way is the use of video-cassette. The students may watch the film themselves in
the video-classroom or at home and come the next day and present what they watched and what
happened in the film. Another way of using the films to teach English is that of comparing the film with
the book if the same story appears in both ways. This kind of activity can be done before or after
watching the film, it can be used to adopt or compare characters, to compare differences and similarities,
using the Venn Diagram, between the book and the film, the examples might be enumerous.
The book may be used to supplement and clarify the film, but at the same time the film may be used to
illuminate the book. All these could be done through several activities. We may also give assignments to
our students, write about your favorite film, your favorite characters, your favorite actors, what makes
them your ‘favorites’, the differences you see if a book has been made into a film, etc.
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When a preliminary work is done before watching the film the above activities may produce interesting
writing activities. These kinds of activities also contribute to the promotion of critical thinking especially
in evaluating films and improving language skills.
Other ways of using films in the classroom are: segmenting the film, pre-watching, while-watching and
post-watching activities, which are very useful as cloze exercises, quizzes, related readings, web sites,
film presentations, discussions, research work, etc.
Teachers should be creative and decide themselves for the procedures that they feel that have worked
well. Watching a film in real life is usually fun and relaxing. We , the teachers should try to create a
similar atmosphere in the classroom so that both the teacher and the students enjoy the film and the tasks
along with it.
Internet is not merely a source of authentic material in English but also a source of information about
all sorts of topics we may want to discuss in the classroom and at the same time a source of professional
knowledge for teachers in the form of bibliographies, articles, courses and conferences. Internet helps
students and teachers to compare and classify information, to induce and deduce ideas, to analyze errors,
to abstract concepts, to analyze perspectives, to gather information, to work in teams, etc.
The Internet is an excellent tool for locating the latest news not yet published. Information on the
Internet has three characteristics that distinguish it from traditional classroom materials such as books,
supplementary readings, videos and films. The information on the Internet is extensive, dynamic and
readily accessible.
The Internet is nowadays considered to be the greatest innovation in Information Technology. The
number of the users of the Internet increases dramatically everyday. The benefits and uses of the Internet
for education are growing with every passing day. Internet can make education more attainable by more
people. It can promote improved and new types of learning.
Some other sophisticated High-tech tools and learning systems are: Smart Board, Blackboard, etc,
which have a lot of advantages: they save space and time, they allow teachers to organize courses and
lectures, they track students’ progress and they increase students’ participation and autonomy.
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CHAPTER II
CONTENT
2.1 THEORIES
If it’s true that listening skills are the most important outcomes of early language teaching ( Demirel
2004 ) , that explains the constant demand for methods that successfully improve listening skills of
learners . Listening is the receptive use of language, and since the goal is to make sense of the
speech, the focus is on meaning rather than language (Cameron 2001). Sarıçoban (1999) states
that listening is the ability to identify and understand what others are saying.
Songs and stories can be one of the most enjoyable ways to practice and develop listening
skills.Musical expression is an essential part of the human experience , and children respond
enthusiastically to songs and welcome them .
Many teachers like to use songs and stories in the English classroom. Good motivation tools, songs and
stories are fun and relaxing , and they provide a class with variety and a break from textbooking study .
Particularly with younger learners , songs and stories are often used to teach new vocabulary in a
nonthreatning , naturalistic manner. Older students and advanced learners can anlyze lirics and explore a
songwriters language choice and usage , along a with cultural elements such as social , values , human
relationships , spirituality , patrotism and dissent ( Murphey 1992 ) .
Listening is the ability to identify and understand what others are saying. For learners , listening is
how spoken language becomes input ( i.e. , it is the first stage of learning a new language ) . In the
classroom , this happens by listening to the teacher , a CD , or other learners . It is the process of
interpreting messages – what people say .
When we use storytelling, we are not only using language in the text but also the whole context
which brings out the meaning. In stories, children learn the language in a meaningful way. In the
teaching and learning process, when the teachers are telling the stories while the students are listening,
they focus on meaning first. Some teachers might present the new language by repeating saying them
several times, and they require students to listen carefully. They think that the more the teacher repeats
the new language, the better the children will remember it. In this way, children learn some single words
or some sentences.
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2.2.2 Stories can provide natural repetition.
When the students read the stories, they tend to pay attention to the key words or new language can be
naturally repeated in stories. Children have another instinct in language learning—picking up chunks.
The use of storytelling in also enhancing students’ listening skill. While children listen to stories, they
try to guess the meaning of the new words and to grasp the main idea. Thus storytelling develops
children’s listening skill—seeking details. Some teachers require children to listen carefully when they
begin to say the new sentences or words. While listening, children just concentrate on the pronunciation
of the words or sentences, but not the meaning of it or the meaning of a context. In storytelling the
characteristic needed to improve and motivate students because in the storytelling, most of the children
love, some of teachers love too and it doesn’t require a lot of preparation .There are many kinds of
stories, such as fables, parables, myths and legends.
The most proeminent features of songs that reinforce language acquisition include their rhythmic and
repetitive nature and the joy that association between melody and content brings to the learning activity .
Children have a keen awareness of rhythm , and they have not yet experienced the anxiety that can
accompany learning a foreign language . Therefore , songs are considered to be a sine qua non of
teaching English to young learners .
Language teachers can and should use songs as part of their classroom teaching repertoire. Songs
contain authentic language, are easily obtainable, provide vocabulary, grammar and cultural aspects and
are fun for the students.
They can provide valuable speaking, listening and language practice in and out of the classroom. Some
key reasons songs can work exceedingly well in the foreign language classroom include the following:
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2.4. 1 Songs almost always contain authentic, natural language
This often contrasts the contrived, stilted language found in many student texts. Of course songs can also
go to the other extreme by using overly crude, foul or otherwise objectionable language. With careful
screening, an extensive library of usable songs for language learning can be compiled.
2.4.4 Songs can be selected to suit the needs and interests of the students
In English especially, so many songs are available that selection of songs with suitable themes, levels
and vocabulary is not at all difficult. Allowances can also be made for complexity or simplicity of
language, depending on the students, by selecting and using suitable songs.
2.4.8 Song lyrics can be used in relating to situations of the world around us
Songs have been used as vehicles of protest for civil rights, workers’ rights, along with an untold number
of other causes. They’ve expounded on pollution, crime, war and almost every social theme or cause.
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2.5 THE ACTIVITIES FOR TEACHING ENGLISH THROUGH SONGS
According to Davies and Pearse (2000), this stage is useful to prepare the learners for what they are
going to hear, just as we usually prepare for real-life situations. Important points to consider for this
stage are as follows:
To get the students interested in the topic of the song and to warm them up.Next, read the
title of the song aloud, and explain it through actions and visuals.
Ask the students if they already know any words in English related to the title of the song.
On the board, write any English words that the students mention.
Finally, explain the unknown vocabulary from the song through actions and visuals.
This stage is useful to help the learners understand the text through activities.Here are the activities
while :
First listening. The aim of the first listening, as pointed out by Harmer (1991), is to give
students an idea of what the listening material sounds like. Let the students listen to the song
without any interruptions so that they will have an opportunity to hear the music and the
lyrics.. After the free listening, tell the students to look at the lyrics of the song (from the
handout, textbook, board, or screen ), since this is probably the best time to let students see
and read the lyrics.
Next, read the lyrics of the song aloud and ask the students to listen and follow from the
handout. Finally, read the lyrics aloud line by line and ask the students to repeat every line aloud.
After completed the repetition phase, use the actions for the song. Read every line aloud,
demonstrate the associated actions, and ask the students to do the same actions. The following well-
known song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” teacher can illustrates the activity.
Second listening. Play the song again and guide the students both by singing and doing the
actions that you have already taught. This time, ask the students to just listen and do the
actions under your guidance. Hearing the teacher sing the song and seeing the teacher do the
actions help students overcome feelings of shyness and lack of confidence.
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Third listening. This is the stage when students are asked to sing the song along with the
CD or the teacher line by line. As a teacher, check for correct intonation of language—not
music—and pronunciation, and do some remedial work on any problematic intonation or
pronunciation.
Fourth listening. Ask the students to sing the complete song along with the CD and join in
the singing yourself. Also, ask the students to do the accompanying actions.
This stage is generally accepted as the stage when the teacher moves on from listening practice to focus
on other language skills such as reading, speaking, and writing.
By using songs in the classroom, students can practice their listening skills and increase their cultural
knowledge. The pronunciation and rhythm lessons are the same as for the children’s songs and the
lessons may help students become more interested in different types of songs. Practicing lyric reading,
studying the vocabulary, and listening to various songs can help students become more familiar with
popular songs and make them more confident in their ability to listen and understand the world around
them (Brown, 2006).
CHAPTER III
CONCLUSION
3.1 Teaching English through songs and stories using Media devices
Listening skill using Media devices is one of the basics of learning languages and acquiring them is
very important in language learning. It is better to look for good method and modern in teaching
listening. We can use some activities that can stimulate the students to improve their listening skill the
activities such as listen to English songs, playing games, and using story.
In listening English songs, students can listen to the pronunciation of words and sing along with the
songs. Using storytelling in early age aims to make a student able to listen carefully what the speaker
say, a student can ask anything, then they can express their mind. Teachers can help students practice
and reinforce their listening abilities daily in the classroom. Improve listening skill by using songs and
stories so that the lessons can be understood and implemented gradually.
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REFERENCES
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INDEX
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.2 Types of means of Media
1.2.1 Newspapers in the classroom
1.2.2 Magazines in the classroom
1.2.3 Radio and education
1.2.4 Television in the classroom
1.2.5 Using movies to teach English
1.2.6 Internet for teachers and students
CHAPTER II : CONTENT
2.1 Theories
2.2 Teaching English through stories
2.2.1 Stories provides meaningful contexts
2.2.2 Stories can provide natural repetition
2.2.3 Children’s listening skill can be developed
2.3 The activities for teaching English through stories
2.4 Teaching English through songs
2.4.1 Songs almost always contain authentic, natural language
2.4.2 A variety of new vocabulary can be introduced to students through songs
2.4.3 Songs are usually very easily obtainable
2.4.4 Songs can be selected to suit the needs and interests of the students
2.4.5 Grammar and cultural aspects can be introduced through songs
2.4.6 Time length is easily controlled
2.4.7 Students can experience a wide range of accents
2.4.8 Song lyrics can be used in relating to situations of the world around us
2.5 The activities for teaching English through songs
3.1 Teaching English through songs and stories using Media devices