English Teachers Everywhere: Responding to Commands

Example Web Site and/or Technical Equipment Required

Website Example: http://www.etseverywhere.com/movement-songs/sitting-song

More Ways

Computer(s), Internet access, headphones or speakers

Activity Description

Have your students practice responding to commands often used when visiting the doctor, dentist, or optometrist with this fun TPR activity.

Preparation

Make sure you are able to play the song on your computer (that you have a media player such as Windows Media player to play the MP3 files) and that your speakers are loud enough for students to hear the words to the song.

How-To

Play the slower version of The Facial Movement Song a few times and have students write down the commands they hear.
Write these commands on the board and ask students to demonstrate the actions they know.
Write the commands they did not hear on the board and demonstrate their meaning.
Review all of the commands.
Play the regular version of the song and have students follow the commands.

Teacher Tips

If you are having trouble playing the songs, you may want to download them to your computer first. Select "Download" next to or below the versions of the songs you wish to play.

More Ways

This site offers an amazing array of listening activity ideas for use in an ESL classroom, many of which are songs. Here are a few of the categories:

Action Listening Games
Grammar Songs
Holidays
Modal Verb Songs
One-minute Songs
Podcast Articles
Recycle Songs
Sound Effect Activities
Vocabulary List Songs
Strange or Silly Songs

Many original songs created especially for English learners.

Levels

Beginning Literacy
Beginning Low
Beginning High
Intermediate Low

Standards

Basic Communication

(0.1) Communicate in interpersonal interactions

Basic Communication

(3.6) Understand basic health and medical information
(3.5) Understand basic principles of health maintenance
(3.1) Understand how to access and use the health care system