This document outlines a procedure for using song lyrics to improve elementary students' decoding skills. It begins with background on struggling readers and the importance of decoding. A case study is presented of a student named Constantine whose decoding improved using the following steps: 1) reading song lyrics, 2) identifying high-frequency words from the lyrics, and 3) practicing word families of words that rhyme. Results showed improvements in Constantine's words per minute and reading accuracy. The document concludes by discussing supporting research and applications for using song lyrics individually, in small groups, and with whole classes, including incorporating movement.
ICT role in 21st century education and it's challenges.
Using Song Lyrics to Improve Decoding Skills- SOMIRAC Conference 4/4/2014
1. Using Song Lyrics
to Improve Decoding Skills
SOMIRAC Conference
April 4, 2014
McLean School of Maryland
Sara J. Hines, PhD
Beverly Stryker, MS
Melanie Menditch, MA
2. Outline of Presentation
● Struggling elementary readers
● Importance of decoding and fluency
● New approach needed
● Using song lyrics
○ Challenges and Inspiration
○ Development of System
○ Why it works
● Case Study
○ Student
○ Step-by-step procedure
○ Results
● Support for Procedure
● Group Applications
○ lyrics
○ lyrics with movement
○ application in other disciplines
● Resources
3. Struggling Elementary Readers
● A sizable number of
elementary students are
reading significantly below
grade level
● They have not mastered
beginning reading skills
(National Reading Panel, 2000)
4. 2013 NAEP Data
● 66% of 4th graders are below proficient in reading
● Fourth grade students performing
at the proficient level should be able
to integrate and interpret texts...
5. ● “There is accumulating evidence that an inadequate
ability to decode printed text accurately and fluently
may be one reason for students’ failure to meet grade
level standards in reading.”
(Kamil, Borman, Dole, Kral, Salinger & Torgesen, 2008)
6. ● “Reading fluency is an important part of
reading proficiency and reading a text
fluently is critical for comprehending it.”
(Hudson, Torgesen, Lane & Turner, 2010)
7. Challenge as Inspiration
Zara
● 16-year-old
● Extensive instruction in phonics
● Minimal decoding skills
● Singer in school band
○ Are non- responders to best
practices
○ Feel sense of defeat about
learning to read
○ Need a sense of momentum to
provide motivation
New approach needed
● Based on interest
● Based on strengths
● Avoid past negative reading
experience
Using Song Lyrics to Teach Decoding
8. Development of System
1. Select song based on child’s preference and knowledge of lyrics
2. Read lyrics of known song matching
3. Reread lyrics until fluent
4. Read “sight” words in context of the song and then in isolation
5. Select “rimable” words from the song to develop word family lists to
practice
10. Importance of Music
● Tuyen, an eleven-year-old who is president of her
school’s music club discussed the importance of music:
I wouldn’t want to be without it. … It’s not like food; you
wouldn’t starve without music. But it makes my life worth
more.
(Campbell, 2010)
11. According to Jensen, the rhythms, contrasts, and patterns
of music assist the brain in encoding information, enabling
students to easily learn the lyrics to songs.
(Jensen 2005)
The lyrics to a song are, in fact, more easily recalled than
the tune because of their greater salience
(Morrongiello & Roes, 1990)
Facility of Learning Lyrics
12. Discovery of Sound/Symbol
Relationships
● Child has some sense of
lyrics stored in auditory
memory
● Context and phonics clues
allow child to decode
● Tip of tongue phenomena
13. Tip-of-the-Tongue
Alan is a ten-year-old… with what he
calls “humming music” inside
himself-melodies that are always
just below the surface of his
consciousness, to be called up
quickly: “I sing in my mind-not out
loud. …”
(Campbell, 2000)
15. Case Study
Constantine
● 10-year-old
● Diagnosed with a reading disorder
● Decoding problems
● Dysfluent
● Weak comprehension, weak
language skills
● Had experienced extensive direct,
systematic phonics instruction with
minimal success
● Interested in music
16. Our Experience
I. Reading Lyrics Procedure
A. Assess Appropriateness
1. Select song based on student
interest
2. Type lyrics in 20 font
3. (Student listened to song while
following along)
4. Read portion to student (point to
words)
5. Ask student to reread (pointing)
6. Assess effectiveness
17. Barracuda lyrics
So this ain’t the end – I saw you again today
I had to turn my heart away
Smiled like the sun
Kisses for real
And tales – it never fails
18. Reading Lyrics Procedure
B. Independent practice/oral reading
1. Read stanza(s) to student
2. Assign portion to practice independently
3. Instruct student to bring a section to you when s/he can read it accurately
4. When the student is ready, have her/him read orally to you (pointing)
○ if the student has difficulty, you reread the lyrics and re-assign independent
reading
○ If the student is successful, keep rereading, adding one stanza at a time
5. Continue independent/oral reading until the student is fluent
19. II. Reading Words in Isolation
1. Select 10 high frequency words from
mastered song
2. Highlight in text (cumulative). Read text with
words highlighted
3. Point to words in text and ask student to
identify (can use context initially)
4. Have child prepare flash card of each word
● Say word
● Name letters while printing
● Say word
5. Practice, retire once 5X correct, replace
20. Barracuda
So this ain’t the end – I saw you again today
I had to turn my heart away
Smiled like the sun
Kisses for real
And tales – it never fails”
You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You’d have me down, down, down, down on my knees
Now wouldn’t you, barracuda?
21. III. Reading Rime Pattern Words
1. Choose mastered word with common rime**
(e.g., cat, rat, sat, mat)
2. Determine other rimes in pattern
3. Type words in pattern on both sides of paper
(rimes bolded on front)
4. Have child practice--- both sides eventually
**Rime ( mean, clean), not Rhyme (mean, seen)
26. Support for the Procedure
● High Frequency (Sight Words)
● Rime Family
27. ● Abstract
● Hard to visualize
● No context
● Similar in Configuration
High Frequency Words
28. Why Rime Patterns?
● More accessible
● More reliable
● Avoids short vowels in isolation
● Avoids blending
● Invites generalization
● Similar to technique used by older, successful readers
● No negative associations!!!!!!
29. Accessibility
● Children master onset-rime level phonological skills
before phoneme level
(Lonigan et. al., 2003; Stahl & Murray, 1994)
● Relatively easy for children to break onset-from rime;
relatively difficult to break either onset or rime into
phonemic components
(Adams, 1990)
30. Consistency
● Written English not very consistent at
grapheme-phoneme level; rime units
much more consistent
(Treiman et al., 1995)
31. Avoids Short Vowel Confusion
● One of most difficult areas of phonics
instruction
(Goswami, 1993)
● Vowel sounds much more stable within
rime patterns
(Adams, 1990)
32. Demands Less Facility with Blending
● Children respond better to remedial
strategies that use larger phonological
units that reduce memory load of
blending sounds together to form words
(O’Shaughnessy & Swanson, 2000)
33. ● Similar to technique used by proficient
readers
Disconflabulation
How did you decode?
34. Let’s Try It!
Let it Be - The Beatles
● Listen
● Read
● High frequency Words
● Rime family Words
35. Let It Be- The Beatles
Lit Ot Bi
Whin E fond mysilf on tomis uf truabli, Muthir
Mery cumis tu mi,
spiekong wiuds uf wosdum. Lit ot bi.
End on my huar uf derkniss, shi os stendong
roght on frunt uf mi,
spiekong wurds uf wosdom. Lit ot bi.
Lit ot bi, lit ot bi, lit ot bi, lit ot bi.
Whospir wurds if wosdum. Lit ot bi.
36. Let It Be Sight Words
Whin E fond mysilf on tomis uf truabli, Muthir
Mery cumis tu mi,
spiekong wurds uf wosdum. Lit ot bi.
End on my huar uf derkniss, shi os stendong
roght on frunt uf mi,
spiekong wurds uf wosdom. Lit ot bi.
Lit ot bi, lit ot bi, lit ot bi, lit ot bi.
Whospir wurds uf wosdum. Lit ot bi.
37. Let It Be: Rime Family
Words
Whon E fond mysilf on tomis uf triuali, Muthir
Mery cumis tu mi,
spiekong wurds uf wosdum. Lit ot bi.
End on my huar uf derkniss, shi os stendong
roght on frunt uf mi,
spiekong wurds uf wosdom. Lit ot bi.
Lit ot bi, lit ot bi, lit ot bi, lit ot bi.
Whospir wurds if wosdum. Lit ot bi.
38. whon (when) tomi (time) lit (let) end (and) spiek (speak)
liek
biek
piek (mountain)
Word Ladder
39. Other Extension Activities
● Word ladders (time, dime, lime, lame, tame
tale)
● Spelling dictation of sight words and word
family words
● Games for review
● Compile songs into reader
42. Group Activity/ Youngest Students
● Choose song from website or using song lyrics
● Print lyrics on large chart paper/or project so all can students can read
● Read with group
● Let children listen and sing along as group
● Pass out/share lyrics for each child
● Let children practice reading lyrics in
small groups or individually
43. Group Activity cont…
● Children can read to teacher or partner when they are ready
● Teacher selects words from song that are rimeable
● Point to individual words to decode
● Have children brainstorm rimes and record on
board/in a live document
● Print/Share rimes for individual practice
● Each child has a collection of songs and
corresponding rimes for practice
44. Using song lyrics and movement in group
lessons
● Response to a challenge with music teacher
● Done it in the past
● Movement while reading lyrics
● Teachers can reinforce rime families and high frequency words
in the classroom or one on one setting.
45. Song Lyrics in the Classroom
● Options
○ Students learn the songs using the methods previously explained
(rime families, high frequency words, etc.) in a one-on-one or small
group setting.
○ Students learn lyrics independently or in small groups/centers
using print out(s) or apps, websites, etc on his/her tablet or
computer.
○ Students have song lyrics projected/displayed on a large screen
for the entire class to read/sing together.
46. Brain Breaks/Movement
Brain breaks are mental breaks designed to help students stay
focused and attend. The brain breaks get students moving to carry
blood and oxygen to the brain. The breaks energize or relax. The
breaks provide processing time for students to solidify their learning
(Jensen) (adapted from Alison Newman)
47. Song Lyrics Independent, Small Group,
and/or Whole Group
example:
● What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction- karaoke
● What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction on YouTube via Just Dance 4- dance with lyrics
● Student practice (1st grade student)
● Group performance (2nd grade students)
48. 1. Provide students with a (pre-approved) list of songs to choose from.
2. Older students can search YouTube independently for the song title with lyrics. Younger
students should have links available for them to click on. Example search options:
■ Happy by Pharrell Williams with lyrics and/or
■ Happy by Pharrell Williams karaoke
Song Lyrics Independent, Small Group, and/or
Whole Group cont.
49. Song Lyrics Independent, Small Group,
and/or Whole Group cont.
3. Students practice reading/singing until they know the
lyrics
4. Teacher reinforces rime patterns, decoding, and sight
words during instructional time
5. Students can perform songs in groups or
independently in front of the class
Here is a link where all the steps are in one place.
50. Using Song Lyrics in Other Subjects
Alternatives to Pop Music
subject area link karaoke video
Math Rules for Divisibility
Science Bones in the Body
by Animaniacs
Geography Fifty Nifty United States
Grammar Prepositional Phrases
by School House Rock
53. Reference List
● Hines, S. J. (2009) Teaching Exceptional Children
Name that word: Using song lyrics to improve adolescent’s decoding skills
● Music article MENC: The National Association for Music Education
● NAEP 2013 A First Look:
2013 Mathematics and Reading
NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS AT GRADES 4 AND 8
● Using Songs to Strengthen Reading Fluency
● Using Song Lyrics Ms. Menditch’s Resources (for student use)
