Making Mornings Worth it!
Some mornings it’s hard to get out of bed and be excited for the day to come. Have you ever listened to music on your way to work, school or the gym to bring up your spirits? Personally, nothing can make my morning awesome other than the song “Juice”, by Lizzo. While that song is not the most kid-friendly or appropriate for the classroom, I observed a wonderful song that is!
Walking into my field placement the first Monday I was nervous and excited. One of the co-teachers had the students join him on the carpet and he started singing a good morning song. My nerves disappeared once the song started and I watched the kids go from tired, grumpy, and unmotivated too excited, clapping along and singing with a smile. The teacher first sings the song in English, then in Spanish, and closes the song off in English.
“Buenos días, buenos días. Buenos días a ti! x2
El día está comenzando, hay mucho por hacer!
Buenos días, buenos días. Buenos días a ti!”
If the children were opening up to this song, I should be as well and I did just that! I sing with them every Monday now and help the students stay on track with the beat. (Little kids have such a hard time with that sometimes, but isn’t it cute?) Not only is the song sung and heard every Monday by the kids, but it is everyday that the teachers open up the classroom with this good morning song.
The Benefits
As the rates of ELL students rise in the education field, having bi-lingual routines in a classroom setting is very important. According to this source, 3,790,949 children have the home language of Spanish, which is 76.6% of the ELLs in public schools. It is important to engage all students in the classroom.
One of the most important factors of speaking bi-lingual, whether it is in songs, instructions, or conversations, is that teachers are breaking down language barriers according to this source. Bi-lingual students feel more comfortable in the classroom. One example is having English speaking students and bi-lingual students helping each other out and exploring each other’s languages. It creates trust and bonding between student and student or student and teacher. It also helps brace diversity in the classroom. Bi-lingual education helps bridge the gap between cultures by bringing them together for the same purpose.
In this case, the good morning song serves as a purpose to introduce everyone and saying hello to neighbors. Because the teachers have taken the next step in also singing it in Spanish, it makes all of the children feel comfortable, no one is left out and the students are sharing their cultures within a safe environment.
Don’t Stop the Beat!
Click the links below to hear about other bi-lingual songs that you can use throughout the day in your classroom!
