get learners to practise reading aloud in class or in groups or in pairs. Make sure you get an opportunity to hear each learner reading at regular times throughout the term so that you can monitor which learners need more practice. Maybe you could pair these learners with peers who are better readers.
In Grade 5 you extend the reading skills to understanding what they have read and looking up words they don’t understand in the dictionary. This will help to extend learners’ vocabulary and make use of dictionary a habit that is not reserved for language classes.
By Grade 6 you can develop reading skills still further by asking questions about the passages that need some degree of interpretation and application of what they have been doing in Life Skills.
Teaching Performing Arts
Creativity is what sets the arts apart from most others subjects. Creativity is part of what makes us human – it makes us feel alive and allows us to make a unique contribution to our society. Creativity is also the best ‘hook’ we art teachers have to get learners excited about the arts. Accordingly, you should have no preconceived ideas about what constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ music. ‘Good’ music is that which makes your learners excited about music and provides as many creative possibilities as possible in all aspects of music: listening, moving, dancing, singing, making up songs, making an instrument and playing it or creating sound pictures. What is important in a music teacher is not how good you are at reading music or at playing an instrument, but how good you are at providing an environment where the learners can feel creative, develop skills and knowledge and grow in confidence. This book hopes to do just that: to provide experiences and activities in which learners and teachers can grow in creativity. Enjoy it and please send us your comments. Tell us your success stories so we can also grow and build up our resources.
The process of teaching a song
• Ask learners to close their eyes and listen carefully to the song. • Then ask them to tell you what the music makes them feel, or what it makes them think of (young learners often have a visual response).
• Listen to the song on the CD and find the BEAT of the song. See what kind of foot beat can be applied to the song. The walking beat (Right, Left, Right, Left…) is the first to apply and the bell you can often hear on the music is one good guideline. You can experiment keeping the beat using different kinds of body percussion like tapping or stamping the feet, clapping hands, and bending knees to move up and down in rhythm with the music.
• Learn the words; teach them to the learners by saying them rhythmically, with a speaking voice, tapping the beat with your foot.
• Write the song (starting with the chorus) on the board and tap (or make an x) under the syllables where the beat falls. This makes the song easier to learn.
• Listen to the song on a CD until learners are familiar with it, and able to sing the melody while keeping the beat.
• You could play the CD softly while the learners are doing other activities such as art. Section 3: Teaching and learning Life Skills 33
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