Nursery Rhymes and Songs for Teaching English as a Second Language to Children

Fifty-one rhymes and songs are presented here for use in an ESL classroom. Because the rhymes were originally written for English-speaking children, their most appropriate usage in the ESL environment is also with children (under 13 years in age). The rhymes are grouped in categories according to the material each one presents. The categories are: Vocabulary: Parts of the Body People and Occupations Animals Clothes Colors Daily Activities Flowers Food Grammatical Structures: Simple Present Present Continuous Simple Past Past Continuous Present Perfect Conversational Exchanges: Commands and Requests Conversational Exchanges Demonstration General Statements Narratives Personal Statements Also included are several suggestions for class activities based on the rhymes and songs. These are drawn from my teaching experience in England, Summer 1978, at the American School in Switzerland, Surrey, England. This project is a guide for the ESL teacher who would like to work with rhymes in the classroom. This collection is intended to add to the material a teacher needs not only to introduce new material to children but to reinforce, drill, and practice specific structures. The Table of Contents lists the rhymes according to the categories into which they fall. Therefore, a teacher can use the Table of Contents to determine if any of the rhymes will be suitable for his/her lesson plan