Category: efl

New Dinosaur Action Song for Children

New Dinosaur Action Song and Video! Run away from the dinosaurs, stomp your feet, chomp, and learn how to spell DINOSAUR. Full lyrics below video:

Lyrics:

Run, run away, run, run away

Dinosaurs have big feet to stomp, stomp, stomp
Dinosaurs have big teeth to chomp, chomp, chomp

If you see a dinosaur… If you see a dinosaur…
Run, run away, run, run away

Dinosaurs have big tails to swish, swish, swish
Dinosaurs have big mouths to roar, roar, roar

If you see a dinosaur… If you see a dinosaur…
Run, run away, run, run away

D, I, N, O, S, A, U, R D, I, N, O, S, A, U, R
dinosaur, dinosaur!
Run, run away, run, run away

New Teaching Tips Podcast Episode: Lesson Plan Archive # 1

In this new series I will talk you through a lesson that I taught to young learners. Today’s lesson is a preschool lesson students age 5-6, 30 minutes once a week class. Listen here or on Apple Podcasts search: Dream English Teaching Tips Podcast.

Below are the links to the materials I talked about in the lesson:

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes Song

https://www.dreamenglish.com/kidsongbodyparts

I Like Apples Book

http://kidsenglishbooks.com/ilikeapples

I Like Apples Song

https://www.dreamenglish.com/fruit

Goodbye Song

https://www.dreamenglish.com/goodbye

Follow us on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamenglish
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamenglishkids/

How to get your students to say, “My name is (student name)” using only English

When I teach young learners English ages 4-6 I do not use any of their L1 (native language). Teaching these students to say “My name is (student name)” can be a challenge. In this post I will talk about one method to teach students without using any props or L1. The basic concept is what I will call modeling. 

Modeling

The definition of modeling in an online dictionary is:

use (a system, procedure, etc.) as an example to follow or imitate.

What I mean by modeling is to get the students to imitate you, but also take the extra step to say the words and actions with your students until they can say it on their own.

Below are the steps I would take:

  1. As the teacher say a few times, “My name is (your name).” So I would say, “My name is Matt.” I would recommend doing this 2-3 times. Your students might try to repeat after you. That is ok.
  2. Next, ask a student to come to the front of the class. Make sure that you know their name. Hold their hand and gently raise it up and say their name. For example, “My name is Sally.” Say it very slowly like My…..name….. is….. Sally. Do not force your students to repeat after you. You are still giving an example. If they are ready they will speak. 
  3. Now try this again with other students. If you have a small class you can do it with every student. If you have a large class, pick a few students each class time. Eventually your students will be able to say the phrase, “My name is (student name).” 

It could take a few days, or a few weeks depending on the students age or level. Be patient, have fun with it. Laugh and smile a lot. I hope this is helpful!

Check out a Video on this Topic:

For more resources and a What’s Your Name? Song click here! 

Beginner English – Food Vocabulary

Learn 14 Food names in this beginner English vocabulary builder video:

Vocabulary: 

bread, cheese, chicken, eggs, fish, fries,  cheeseburger, hot dog, pizza, salad, sandwich, soup, spaghetti, steak

Phrase:

I like bread. Practice saying “I like ….” and a food.

Check out my Beginner English Video Playlist on YouTube. Colors, Numbers, Phrases and more. Click here!

New Fruit Song -Learn Six Fruit

New Fruit Song on YouTube! Learn how to say apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape. 
Also learn how to ask for fruit by saying, “I want an apple.” Fun for your young English learners. Lyrics Below Video:

Lyrics: Fruit Song -Be A Winner

apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape
apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape
Fruit is yummy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
If you eat fruit, you will be a winner 

I want an apple, apple
I want a banana, banana
I want a strawberry, strawberry, yummy!

apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape
apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape
Fruit is yummy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
If you eat fruit, you will be a winner 

I want an orange, orange
I want a peach, peach
I want a grape, grape, yummy!

apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape
apple, banana, strawberry, orange, peach and grape
Fruit is yummy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

If you eat fruit, you will be a winner 

YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/QQZ03_v3K6Y

Halloween Lesson Plan for Preschool English Learners (2020)

It’s time again for Halloween! Halloween can be a lot of fun in the young English learners classroom (ESL, EFL). I enjoy teaching Halloween as it offers a chance to break out of the normal (fruit, jobs, colors) to something more fantastical (monsters, witches, pirates).

Listen to this blog as a podcast:

Halloween Lesson Plan (20-30 minute preschool English class)

This is an idea of what you can do in your classes for a fun and simple Halloween lesson.
1. Warm Up– Simple action warm up: clap your hands, wash your hands, brush your teeth, jump, etc.
2. Greetings– Hello! My name is Matt. What’s your name? (students answer)
3.  Numbers– Practice counting numbers 1-10 or higher depending on level. This month we have been singing the Dinosaur Chomp to Ten song to practice numbers. It is not Halloween, but not everything in the lesson has to be, I think.

After the song, I use some Halloween numbers flashcards to count to 10 with Halloween objects. For example, 1 vampire, 2 ghosts, 3 pumpkins
4. Book Time-This week we are reading My Favorite Pumpkin. The book teaches body parts, numbers, and some actions. You can download the book for Free Here. There is a song that goes with the book that we will sing next week.
5. Halloween Song Time – I have about four new Halloween songs this year. This week we are singing the Halloween Shake Song. Before singing the song, I teach the vocabulary and lyrics.

6. Halloween Vocabulary Practice-I use the MES English Halloween flashcards. You can download those by going to this page. For the first week I teach the vocabulary word, or you can practice “It’s a bat.”
7. Game Time-Depending on your situation (online classes, in person classes with no contact) you can play a simple touch game, or quiz game with the Halloween vocabulary flashcards. To read some more classroom game ideas click here.
8. Goodbye Song- I always finish the class with the Goodbye Song. These days I often sing the song without backing music, and usually do the short version like you see here:

I hope you find some of these ideas useful for your classes. You can go all out and wear a Halloween costume or hat, or just keep it simple with the vocabulary and songs. Be creative, and have fun. If you are enjoying the class, the students will too! I’ll leave some more Halloween resources below. Happy Teaching!

Halloween Teaching Resources from Dream English:
Dream English Halloween Page (Free song downloads and more)
Dream English Halloween Songs YouTube Playlist
Dream English Halloween Songs on Spotify

A to Z Letters Song Album now on Spotify and iTunes

The A to Z Letter Songs Album is now on Spotify and iTunes! 26 Songs, one for each letter of the alphabet. Each song introduces one letter and three words that begin with that letter. For example, “A, apple, ant, alligator.” Great for the ESL and EFL classroom!

todays-letter--cdcover-FB

Song Videos on YouTube

Above you will find the YouTube Playlist with the 19 Today’s Letter Song videos that are now on YouTube. We are currently through letter S. The remaining videos will be uploaded in coming months.

How to Teach

Teachers can use the videos to teach the vocabulary in the song, or simply an alphabet chart and some pictures on the board for the vocabulary.  First, teach the vocabulary slowly, and then try to have the students sing along with the song. Be sure to do the actions in the songs, clap, shake, and dance!

Activities

After singing the song, have the students sit down and write the letter on a piece of paper. Next, ask the students to draw something that starts with the letter. For example, if you are starting with letter A, ask the students to write letter A and then draw an apple. For younger students, you may need to help and draw an apple first on the board so that they can follow along.

These are just some ideas, be creative and come up with your own!

Happy teaching!

New Action Song: “My Feet Are For Walking”

My Feet Are For Walking Action Song

This is a fun and simple song for your children’s English class (ESL, EFL). Your students will love the fun and silly actions. Have a look at the video before reading the below teaching tips.

Lyrics:

My feet are for walking (x2)
Walking fast, walking slow
My mouth is for talking (x2)
talking fast, talking slow
My legs are for jumping (x2)
jumping fast, jumping slow
My arms are for swimming (x2)
swimming fast, swimming slow

Teaching Tips:

Start out by teaching the lyrics to the song. Teach them slowly, and have the students repeat after you. If you are not sure about pronunciation, have the students repeat after me as I say the lyrics at the beginning of the video.

I recommend teaching the actions and lyrics at the same time. This helps the students remember. Practice the walking fast, and slow part. This will be really fun for the students, and get them ready to sing. Finally, give the song a try! If you teach your students weekly, try to sing this song at the beginning of class every week for a month! By the end of the month, I’m sure the students will be singing very well. Encourage the students to sing in a loud voice.

Game idea:

Start a phrase of the lyrics and the students have to finish. For example:
Teacher: My feet are for….
Students: walking!
Next, ask a student to come to the front of the class to start the phrase.

Get the song:
“My Feet are for Walking” is available on YouTube, iTunes, and Spotify

YouTube Video link: Click here!
Download this song:
Spotify: Click here!
iTunes: Click here!

Happy teaching!!

New Video: Sing, Draw, and Write # 3: Vehicles Learn English Kids

The Sing, Draw, and Write series is a fun way to get your students and children interacting with the video. Get a crayon and paper ready and let’s draw and write along! More how to to teach below the video:

Song Lyrics:

Where is the car? Where is the car? Here!
We see the car. We see the car. car!
Where is the truck? Where is the truck? Here!
We see the truck. We see the truck. truck!
Where is the motorcycle? Where is the motorcycle? Here!
We see the motorcycle. We see the motorcycle. motorcycle!
Where is the train? Where is the train? Here!
We see the train. We see the train. train!

Key words: where, here, we

How to Teach:

  1.  Pre-teach the vocabulary and lyrics to the song so that students can try to sing along, or at least be familiar with the vocabulary.
  2. Watch the video one time through with students. Encourage them to point to the vehicle when Matt sings, “Where is the car?” and for other vehicles
  3. Watch Matt draw the car, and have the students try to draw their own car. They can be creative, color the car, and have fun. Anyone can probably draw better than Matt. : )
  4.  After singing the song faster the second time, watch Matt write car on the paper. Have your students write the word car on their paper.

Check out the first two videos in the Series on YouTube:

Sing, Draw, and Write # 1 : Where is the Lion?
Sing, Draw, and Write # 2 : Where is the Tiger?

Listen to a podcast on how to use the video in your class:


I hope this helps you get the most out of this video. Can you think of other ways to be creative with this video? Maybe ask your students to draw all of the vehicles and then make a play where they act out the video. Give it a try! Happy Teaching! – Matt

What Time Is It? Song for Teaching Children Time In English

What time is it? It’s time to play guitar!

I made this video a few years back, but still find it fun and useful for children’s English class. Sing the song and do the actions!

Actions help children remember vocabulary. For more on this concept look up TPR (Total Physical Response). And movement is fun!

Watch the full video here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0Yq_rztquuU