KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP HAY, CHỦ ĐỀ HOT "Jazz chant " FULL cho Sinh viên ngoại ngữ

1

Graduation thesis

Supervisor: NTQ, Ph.D.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The thesis has been completed with the invaluable assistance and
encouragement of many people.
Firstly, I would like to express my great gratitude and special thanks to
my supervisor, NTQ, Ph.D who patiently and enthusiastically guided me
throughout the study.
Secondly, I am also thankful to many other lecturers at Foreign Language
Department at Hồng Đức University who have helped me with many useful
advices and favorable conditions.
Thirdly, I also wish to express my thanks to all teachers of English at
Quang Nham I primary school, who always gave me information about teaching
and learning English at the school and good conditions for my survey. I would
like to special thank all pupils at Quang Nham I primary school for supporting
me when I practiced teaching for the study.
I am in greatest debt to my beloved family and my friends who encourage
me and are always beside me to complete my thesis.
Last but not least, I would like to thank NTHM who lent me a lot of
materials to complete the paper.
Although the study has been done with all my attempts, I can not avoid
some mistakes. Hence, I am looking forward to receiving the comments from all
of you to make this paper better.

Student: PTN

FLD – HDU

Graduation thesis

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Supervisor: NTQ, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT
The study is intended to deal with the effectiveness of applying Jazz
chants to teach English vocabulary for the fourth grade pupils at Quang Nham I
primary school. The research findings are discussed in 4 main chapters.
In chapter 1, we describe the approach towards the role of English
vocabulary in teaching and learning process, characteristics of children learning
English and Jazz chants. The theory of vocabulary includes definition of
vocabulary and its importance, aspects of knowing a word and issues in teaching
vocabulary to young learners. Then, characteristics of children learning English
are introduced. This chapter also provides applicability of Jazz chants, its types,
how to present chants, how to create chants and its advantages and
disadvantages. Generally, the aim of this chapter is to supply readers with a
basic knowledge of vocabulary, pupils’ personalities and Jazz chants that are
very useful for teaching.
In the next chapter, methodology and procedure of data collection are
presented. Firstly, the applying process is carried out to provide all the necessary
aspects including some general information about Quang Nham I primary
school, the subjects and instruments for collecting data, the procedure consisting
of the stages of applying Jazz chants process and analysis of data.
Chapter 3 mainly concentrates on pupil’ awareness of vocabulary and
teachers’ teaching vocabulary, the effectiveness of applying Jazz chants to teach
vocabulary and discussion section about English teaching and English

vocabulary teaching reality at Quang Nham I primary school and the dramatic
increase in the results of two classes through two tests.
The paper aims at providing readers, especially teachers and pupils of
English with some useful ways for better teaching and learning English in
general and English vocabulary in particular. Thus, in the last chapter, some
suggestions on using Jazz chants to teach English vocabulary are given to help
them in the process of teaching and learning English vocabulary.
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Supervisor: NTQ, Ph.D.

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS
1. Tables
Table 2.1
Table 3.1
Table 3.2
Table 3.3
Table 3.4
Table 3.5
Table 3.6
Table 3.7

Titles

Page
Vocabulary used to teach in the first applying period
26
Pupils’ attitude towards vocabulary learning
29
Pupils’ awareness of the importance of vocabulary
30
The number of vocabulary teachers taught and pupils
30
want to be taught in each lesson
Techniques teachers usually use for presenting
31
vocabulary
Pupils’ preference for English vocabulary techniques
32
used by the teachers
The results of the pre-test in class 4A and class 4C
33
The results of the post-test in class 4A and class 4C
34

2. Charts
Chart 3.1
Chart 3.2.

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Titles
The results of class 4C in the pre-test and the post-test
The results of class 4A in the pre-test and the post-test

Page
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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviations
No.
FLD
HDU

Parts
Student: PTN

Meaning
Number
Foreign Language Department
Hong Duc University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Titles

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Acknowledgement
Abstract
List of tables and charts
List of abbreviations
Table of contents
PART A
INTRODUCTION
1
Rationale
2
Aims of the study
3
Scope of the study
4
Research questions
5
Research methods
6

Design of the study
PART B
DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1 LITERATURE REVIEW
The role of vocabulary in teaching and learning
1.1
English process
1.1.1
Definition of vocabulary
1.1.2
The importance of vocabulary in language learning
1.1.3
Aspects of knowing a word
1.1.4
Issues in teaching vocabulary to young learners
1.2
Characteristics of children learning English
1.3
Jazz chants
1.3.1
Applicability of Jazz chants
1.3.2
Classifications of Jazz chants
1.3.2.1
Vocabulary chants
1.3.2.2
Grammar chants
1.3.3
Presenting chants
1.3.4

Creating Jazz chants
Advantages and disadvantages of using Jazz chants
1.3.5
in teaching and learning vocabulary
METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURE OF DATA
CHAPTER 2
COLLECTION
Some general information about Quang Nham I
2.1
primary school
2.2
Subjects
2.3
Instruments for collecting data
2.3.1
Questionnaire
2.3.2
Test
2.3.3
Interview
2.3.4
Observation
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ii
iii
iv
v
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2
2
2
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5
5
5
6
7
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Procedure to apply Jazz chants in teaching English

vocabulary
2.5
Analysis of data
CHAPTER 3 FINDINGS AND DICUSSIONS
English teaching reality at Quang Nham I primary
3.1
school
English vocabulary teaching reality at Quang Nham I
3.2
primary school
Pupil’ awareness of vocabulary and teachers’ teaching
3.3
vocabulary
The effectiveness of applying Jazz chants to teach
3.4
vocabulary
3.4.1
The evaluation on the result of the pre-test
3.4.2

The evaluation on the result of the post-test
3.4.3
Factors affecting the applying process
SOME SUGGESTIONS ON USING JAZZ
CHAPTER 4 CHANTS IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

4.1
4.2
PART C
1
2
3

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VOCABULARY
Suggestions for the teachers of English in using Jazz
chants to teach English vocabulary
Some useful ways to create vocabulary Jazz chants
for pupils learning English vocabulary
CONCLUSION
Summary of the findings
Limitations of the study
Suggestions for the future study
REFERENCES
APPENDIXES
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4

Appendix 5
Appendix 6
Appendix 7

25
27
28
28
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29
33
33
34
38
39

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41
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I
I
VII
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XI
XIII
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PART A. INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Nowadays, English is considered an international language which is a
means of communication in many fields of science, technology, culture,
education and economy. It plays a very important role in helping different
nations to understand each other and get great cooperation.
In recent years, teaching and learning English have been paid much
attention in Viet Nam. Teaching English as a foreign language is now one of the
most important tasks in all primary schools. In addition, teaching vocabulary
also plays a significant role in teaching a language. However, the teachers who
teach English vocabulary for primary school pupils still cope with many
difficulties in teaching process.
In fact, many learners in general and pupils in particular have learned
English through the use of traditional methods, without interacting with each
other. They have no opportunities to learn English in natural way. Thus, they still
get in many troubles in learning English vocabulary. Rosenthal (1998) stated
that “a Jazz chant is really a way of connecting with the natural rhythms of
spoken American English and linking them to the natural rhythms of American
Jazz”. Hence, it can be said that using Jazz chants is a strategy which facilitates

the teaching-learning process of English in a communicative way. Jazz chants
are a tool to reinforce the four language skills: reading, speaking, listening and
writing by using the rhythm of Jazz.
Because of all above reasons, we decided to choose the study on “Using
Jazz chants to motivate primary school pupils to learn English vocabulary”.
The study provides the teachers with many ways to make chants, which in our

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hope, are helpful for the teachers to enrich the pupils’ vocabulary and use them
in a natural way.
2. Aims of the study
As the title of the thesis suggests, the study aims at fulfilling the following
objectives:
- To investigate the situation of teaching and learning English vocabulary
at Quang Nham I primary school.
- To investigate the reality of using Jazz chants in teaching English
vocabulary to pupils at Quang Nham primary school.
- To provide suggestions on using Jazz chants to teach English
vocabulary.
3. Scope of the study

The issues related to using Jazz chants in teaching vocabulary to language
learners at any level are quite large. It seems impossible to mention all of its
aspects within the limited time of a graduation thesis. Thus, this study focuses
mainly on using Jazz chants in teaching English vocabulary to fourth grade
pupils at Quang Nham I primary school in Quang Xuong district, Thanh Hoa
province. The participants of the study are 66 pupils and 2 teachers of English at
Quang Nham I primary school.
4. Research questions
The study deals with 3 questions:
1. What is the actual situation of teaching and learning English vocabulary
at Quang Nham I primary school?
2. How are Jazz chants being used in teaching English vocabulary at
Quang Nham I primary school?
3. What are the suggestions for the improvement of vocabulary teaching
to primary school pupils by using Jazz chants?

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Graduation thesis

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Supervisor: NTQ, Ph.D.

5. Research methods
5.1. Questionnaire
Before delivering the survey questionnaire, we denoted the different

points among songs, rhymes and chants for all the teachers of English and pupils
at Quang Nham I primary school. The survey questionnaire in my study was
conducted to the fourth grade pupils in class 4A. This method brings the
overview of both English vocabulary teaching and learning by teachers of
English and students at primary schools. We can see how the teachers teach, by
what way students learn English vocabulary and what their attitudes towards the
importance of vocabulary acquisition are. Through that we can draw weak
points and strong points to apply Jazz chants in pupils’ learning English
vocabulary process in the best way.
5.2. Interview
The interview was administered to 2 teachers of English at Quang Nham I
primary school. By interviewing, we can get information directly from them
through a list of questions related to the issues that our study focuses on.
5.3. Test
To collect real information data, the pre-test and the post-test of
vocabulary are conducted. They help to check pupils’ knowledge of vocabulary
before and after applying Jazz chants to teach English vocabulary.
5.4. Statistics
In each applying time, we have to estimate how many survey papers
would be delivered and how many ones we can get back. Then, we collect all
those survey papers, count and classify them according to the criteria of the
study.
5.5. Data analysis
After collecting data, we need to carry out the process of data analysis
because all the data collected reflect the facts of vocabulary teaching and
learning. It helps avoid the subjective view and opinion.
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5.6. Observation
The observation of the fourth grade pupils’ learning process was carried
out in English lessons in general and English vocabulary lessons in particular in
the two classes (4B and 4D).
6. Design of the study
The thesis is divided into 3 main parts:
The 1st part is part A - Introduction. It provides the general information
about the study including rationale, aim of the study, scope of the study, research
questions, research methods and design of the study.
The 2nd part is part B - Development. It consists of 4 main chapters:
Chapter 1. Literature review
This chapter addresses a review of the literature related to vocabulary,
children characteristics and Jazz chants in learning and teaching English
vocabulary.
Chapter 2. Methodology and procedure of data collection
In this chapter, the methods of the research, subjects of the study, data
collection instrument and data analysis procedure are presented.
Chapter 3. Findings and discussion
This chapter shows the reality of teaching and learning English
vocabulary of teachers and pupils at Quang Nham I primary school.
Chapter 4. Some suggestions on using Jazz chants in teaching and
learning vocabulary.
This chapter emphasizes the suggestions on using Jazz chants to motivate

primary school pupils to learn English vocabulary.
The 3rd part is part C - Conclusion which gives an overview of what the
study has been presented and the base for further research in this aspect.

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PART B. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1. The role of vocabulary in teaching and learning English process
1.1.1. Definition of vocabulary
First and foremost, it is necessary to clarify the term “vocabulary”. Many
linguists have given different definitions of vocabulary.
According to Linse (2005:121), “vocabulary is the collection of words
that an individual knows”. Kamil and Hiebert (2005:3) stated that vocabulary of
a person is defined either as “the set of words for which we know the meanings
when we speak or read orally” or “those words for which the meaning is known
when we write or read silently”.
Besides, the definition of Roget (1980:1036) about the vocabulary may
help us understand deeply: “vocabulary is
a. A list of words often defined or translated.
b. All the words of Language.

c. Specialized expressions which are indigenous to a particular field,
subject, trade or subculture.”
Besides, Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied
Linguistics gives a definition of vocabulary as “a set of lexemes, including
single word, compound words and idioms”.
Based on the statements above, vocabulary refers to the words and
phrases that people know and use. It includes an understanding of how words
work in relation to each other and within specific contexts.
In short, vocabulary can be seen in many different ways. In our opinion, it
can be simply understood as a set of words that a person knows and can be
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Graduation thesis

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applied its meanings to use appropriately in different contexts and cultures.
Vocabulary may be a single word (e.g., book, pencil, ruler, etc) but it also may
be more than a single word, for instance, “farther-in-law or brother-in-law”,
which is made up of two or more words but express a single idea. It also may be
multi-word idioms such as “actions speak louder than words, a picture is worth a
thousand words, etc”. In fact, it is challenging to give an exact definition of
vocabulary. All of concepts mentioned above are only general notions in relation
to vocabulary. In this thesis, we examine vocabulary in aspect of all the words
that a learner knows and can utilize expertly.

1.1.2. The importance of vocabulary in language learning
Vocabulary is commonly accepted as the most important language
material. Laufer (1997:54) pointed out that “vocabulary learning is at heart of
language learning and language in use”. In fact, it is what makes the essence of
a language because “vocabulary knowledge plays an important role in learning
a foreign language. Vocabulary is one element that links the four language skills
of speaking, listening, reading and writing together” (Nguyen and Khuat 2003).
Based on the statement above, we can see that vocabulary is the key in foreign
language learning. When the learners would like to master English, they must
get sufficient vocabulary. This is a major factor to help them connect four
language skills in their learning process.
In

addition,

vocabulary

is

the

decisive

element

in

language

communication as Pyles and Algeo (1970:11) emphasized, “when we first think

about language, we think first about words. It is words that we arrange together
to make sentences, conversations and discourses of all kinds”. Besides, Rubin
and Thompson (1994:79) also considered the significant role of vocabulary in
communication as stated that “one can not speak, understand, read or write a
foreign language without knowing a lot of words”. Of course, in reading,
speaking, listening and writing, all learners have to it use vocabulary, without a
sufficient vocabulary, learners can not communicate well.
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Totally, Graves (2009) gave some points about the importance of
vocabulary, those are as follows:
a. Vocabulary knowledge is one of the best indicators of verbal ability.
b. Vocabulary knowledge contributes to young children’s phonological
awareness, which in turn contributes to their word recognition.
c. Vocabulary knowledge in kindergarten and first grade is a significant
predictor or reading comprehension in the middle and secondary grades.
d. Vocabulary difficulty strongly influences the readability of text.
e. Teaching vocabulary can improve reading comprehension for both
native speakers and English language learners.
f. Learning English vocabulary is one of most crucial tasks for English
Language Learners.

g. Lack of vocabulary can be a crucial factor underlying the school
failure of disadvantaged students.
From the statements previously, it can be concluded that vocabulary is a
necessary component of language instruction. Mastering the vocabulary of a
foreign language is the most important thing before learning grammar because
“without grammar, very little can be conveyed, without vocabulary, nothing can
be conveyed” (Wilkins, 1972:111-112). Vocabulary is needed in oral
communication. Learners must learn vocabulary as the language center. They
will not be able to use the language without sufficient vocabulary. In order to
communicate in a foreign language, each learner should equip and understand
how to use an adequate numbers of words accurately because vocabulary is the
basis for learners to use in different contexts. Learners should learn vocabulary
more extensively since the more vocabulary that the learners master, the more of
skills that the learners can master in English. Thus, this is a significant element
to decide the level of learners’ success in using language.

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1.1.3. Aspects of knowing a word
Most learners assume that knowing a word is simply understanding and
remembering its forms and translated meanings with definitions in dictionaries.

However, in the words of Thornbury (2002:15), it is stated that
“…at the most of basic level, knowing a word involves knowing its form
and it meaning. Knowing the meaning of the word is not just knowing its
dictionary meaning, it also means knowing the words commonly associated with
it, as well as its connotations, including its register and its cultural accretions”.
Nation (1990) also gave a similar concept that “knowing a word means
knowing its written and spoken forms, its meanings, its grammatical patterns, its
collocations, associations, the frequency as well as its register”.
Then, Cameron (2001:72-95) reviewed several researchers’ definitions of
knowing a word and summarized a list of knowing a word features involved in
the learning of a new word, including:
a. Receptive knowledge: Recognizing & Understanding its meaning when
heard/read
b. Memory: Recall it when needed
c. Conceptual knowledge: Use it with correct meaning
d. Using it correctly in spoken form (in isolation and in discourse)
e. Grammatical Knowledge: Accurate use
f. Collocation knowledge
g. Orthographic knowledge: spelling
h. Pragmatic knowledge: style and register
i. Connotational knowledge: positive and negative associations
j. Metalinguistic knowledge: grammatical properties
k. Cultural Content: what is the significance of use in the culture
We can see that knowing a word involves being able to recognize it when
it is heard (what does it sound like?) or when it is seen (what does it look like?).
This includes being able to distinguish it from words with similar form and
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being able to judge if the word sounds right or looks right. Receptive knowledge
of a word also includes having an expectation of what grammatical pattern the
word will occur in. Knowing the noun “information” embraces the expectation
that it will not usually occur in the plural form, for instance.
Natalie (2014) drew a figure which shows the respects of knowing a word
in brief as follow:

It can be said that knowing a word consists of knowing its meanings and
applying exactly its usages and uses in each particular context. It means that
learners have to be able to recall a word’s meaning when they meet it. It also
includes being able to see which shade of meaning is most suitable for the
context that it occurs in and make various associations with other related words.
Much of this receptive knowledge can be achieved only from experience and
would be increased day by day from the learners’ effort in their learning

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processes. Hence, in teaching English vocabulary for children, we also strongly
have to mind these respects because it is a very important element of teaching
English. Kwiatkowska (2007:1) stated that “children knowing more and more
words, can better communicate with other children”. It means that children with
high vocabulary can not only complete well the requirement of learning program
but also have good communication skills in each context. It is the most
important thing in teaching foreign language. The next section discusses the
problems in teaching vocabulary at primary schools.
1.1.4. Issues in teaching vocabulary to young learners
First of all, we will bring about the concept “young learners” when
considering the issues related to children learning English.
Philips (1993: 3) noted that “young learner means children from the first
year of formal schooling (five or six years old) to eleven or twelve years of age”.
It means that young learners consist of 5 until 12 year-old pupils/students. Then,
Nunan (2011) pointed out that “young learn covers a large chronological age
span: from around 3 years of age to 15. It means that elementary school
students are consisting age 7 until 12 years old”.
Thus, it is concluded that elementary pupils are young learners who are
the beginners in learning English. In this research, we choose the fourth grade
pupils as the participants.
Next, we would like to point out the issues which teachers have to face in
teaching English as a second language for children.
First of all, the significant point in teaching English vocabulary is the
selection of words to teach children at each level. Hence, deciding which words
to teach for young learners is a big issue for all teachers of English. According
to Ur (1996: 60), learners need to be taught the form of the word, then grammar,
collocations, meaning and word formation. It means that the teachers should

teach and mention all aspects of word for the students through their learning
process. However, with limited time to teach new words in each lesson, the
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teachers need to consider which words should be taught for young learners. In
our view, it is important to inform pupils about the meanings of the word as well
as their form and grammar. Depending on what level pupils are the teachers
should teach concrete words first by relating items together and then come to
more abstract ones. For example, the words such as “white, blue and red” are all
associated with color. Thus, teaching English vocabulary should start from what
words are chosen to teach.
The second problem is which sets of word should present for young
learners. One salient characteristic of children is “quick to learn words… This
may be because “words have tangible, immediate meanings…” (Phillips,
1993:74) and “the word is a recognizable linguistic unit for children in their
first language and so they will notice words in the new language” (Cameron,
2001:7). For these reasons, the vocabulary that children expected to learn is
basic vocabulary such as greetings, classroom objects, numbers, etc. These
topics can help them remember words easily and quickly because they are used
in a context familiar with children. Hence, pupils also can absolutely apply these
words to communicate with others by the words that they meet around their

classes. It is clear to say that the topics which are very close to young learners’
heart are the most suitable words to teach English vocabulary.
The last one is organizing classroom activities to help children learn
vocabulary. We can see that with limited time from 5 to 10 minutes to teach
vocabulary in each lesson, it is difficult to set up an activity in pairs or groups to
encourage them learn and remember new words. Therefore, choosing
appropriate techniques is an important task of teachers of English in teaching
English. Teachers can absolutely concentrate to capture all aspects of vocabulary
through classroom activities which depend on teachers’ own way of going
instruction because their duty is teaching all aspects of vocabulary by making
clearly word meanings in each particular context. Besides, in order to
contextualize the vocabulary, the teachers need to use different ways to teach.
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According to Gairns & Redman (1986), Philips (1993) and Kwiakowska (2007),
the more common method to teach vocabulary are by means of translation, real
things, actions (gesture), pictures (posters, illustration), use of synonymy and
definition, songs, games, etc. Nevertheless, not all of these techniques are
adequate for young learners. This study focuses on Jazz chants which we think
will be very useful for teaching vocabulary during our research. Next, we will
present some characteristics of children.

1.2. Characteristics of children learning English
For the successful teaching of English in primary schools, it is essential
for the teacher to understand the young learners’ characteristics, instincts, and
interests in their cognitive, linguistic, and emotional aspects, because this will
play a crucial role in how the teacher builds a lesson, how he or she can make
sure that the young learners are fully involved in the learning process, how he or
she achieves the objectives of a lesson and how they respond.
Piaget (1970) emphasized that “children are active learners and
thinkers”. They construct knowledge from actively interacting with the physical
environment in development stages. Children learn through their own individual
actions and exploration.
Subsequently, Harmer (2001) noted that “young learners are keen to talk
about themselves and respond well to learning that uses themselves and their
own lives as main topics in the classroom and the like”. This means that
children have a tendency to relate what they are learning to what they are doing
by themselves. They love learning something having relation to their daily life.
Hence, they should be given opportunity to make their own choices because
“young learners learn best when learning is kept whole, meaningful, interesting
and functional”. (Mustafa, 2002 & Brown, 2001)
Furthermore, creating interesting, fun and enjoyable lesson for young
learners is an important responsibility for each teacher of English. It is because
“children have a quite short attention span and are easy to get bored” (Slattery
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and Willis, 2001) as Scott and Ytreberg (1990) stated that “children have a very
short attention and concentration span, it means that teachers should be able to
maintain children’s focus and attention.”
Totally, Slatterly and Willis (2001) pointed out some characteristics of
young learners as follow:
- They are learning to read and write in the first language.
- They are developing as thinkers.
- They understand the difference between the real and the imaginary.
- They can plan and organize how best to carry out an activity.
- They can work with others and learn from others.
- They can be reliable and take responsibility for class activities and
routines.
Based on the previous opinions, we can see that characteristics of children
are complicated. All teachers of English need to understand their personality to
bring out the suitable methods in each age group. In our view, young learners
have the following characteristics:
- They are usually active.
- They have limited attention span.
- They are creative.
- They use imagination a lot.
- They have a great hope to communicate.
- They learn more through class activities in the lesson such as playing,
listening, watching, imitating and doing things.
To sum up, knowing and understanding children’s characteristics are
necessary for each teacher of English because these things will influence many
aspects in teaching English for young learners such as teaching style, methods,
learning materials, lesson plan and the way of getting along with them. The

success of a lesson strongly relies on teachers’ understanding about pupils’
personality. In order to have effective lessons, teachers should choose techniques
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which are suitable with pupils’ characteristics before going teaching. In this
paper, we believed that using Jazz chants is one appropriate way to teach
English vocabulary for young learners. With music and rhythm in chants, it can
be completely attractive to children, it help them become more active and would
like to communicate when they practice chants with other children. Besides, it is
not too long to do a chant, so Jazz chants can be made good the difficulties in
their personalities such as short attention. Moreover, children are free to create
their own chants through classroom activities in pairs or groups. That encourage
pupils learn English vocabulary better. The next section will help you have a full
viewpoint about Jazz chants.
1.3. Jazz chants
1.3.1. Applicability of Jazz chants
Graham (2006) claimed that Jazz Chant is a rhythmic expression of
natural language which links the rhythms of spoken American English to the
rhythms of traditional American jazz. The rhythms, stress and intonation pattern
of the chant should be an exact replica of what the student would hear
from an educated native speaker in natural conversation.

The music for chants is often taken from some traditional English songs
so the children can concentrate on the words and rhythm more because they
already know the melody from the original songs, for instance melodies from
“Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” or “Are You Sleeping”. (Graham, 2006)
However, Jazz chant is not like rapping, nursery rhymes, or songs, which
distort the spoken language for poetic effect. The rhythm, stress, and intonation
pattern of the chant should be a model of what students would hear from a
native speaker in natural conversations. A jazz chant can be constructed by
anyone and is taught by emphasizing natural stress and intonation.
Chants are suitable for all learners no matter what age they are and what
level of English, learning strategies, intelligence, interests or learning problems

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they have. Nevertheless, in our view, chant activities are best for children
because it is the perfect for their characteristics as we mentioned above.
Antar (2002:61) pointed out that Jazz chants can be used in a primary
classroom for a variety of reasons:
- To teach the natural rhythm, stress and intonation of conversational
English.
- To recall a grammatical point, i.e., present simple, past simple,

pronouns, questions, etc...
- To teach language functions, i.e., asking for information, giving
explanations, etc...
- To develop students’ listening and speaking skills.
- To create an interesting, relaxing atmosphere that helps students in
acquiring the new language.
In conclusion, Jazz chants bring many benefits in learning English for
young learners. Chants are so simple and repetitive. They provide the language
children really use which is quite necessary. Jazz chants are suitable for all ages,
so teachers just only choose the right accompanying activities. Moreover, they
help pupils remember difficult words or phrases. And last but not least, children
are themselves while singing, clapping or shouting. In the next section, we will
present the types of Jazz chants.
1.3.2. Classifications of Jazz chants
Jazz Chants consist of many types depending on what the teacher wants to
practice. In this paper, we divided Jazz chants into 2 main groups: vocabulary
chants and grammar chants.
1.3.2.1. Vocabulary chants
Vocabulary chants are an excellent way to help young learners learn new
words and stress patterns. It is important to incorporate words that the children
already know (numbers or names of animals, food, classroom items) along with
new vocabulary or language points (plurals, possessives, action verbs, etc.).
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Vocabulary Jazz chants are always connected to some specific theme such as
holidays, family, nature, seasons, animals, food, transport, health, occupations,
hobbies, days of the week, etc. For instance, this is a vocabulary chant to teach
new words of weather for foreign learner:
Sun, rain, snow (Clap)
1

2

3

4

Sun, rain, snow (Clap)
1

2

3

4

Sun, (Clap) rain, (Clap)
1

2

3

4

Sun, rain, snow (Clap)
1

2

3

4

(Graham, 2001:37)
1.3.2.2. Grammar chants
A grammar chant is a rhythmic exercise which presents some aspects of
grammar and offers students an enjoyable way to reinforce basic principles of
the spoken language (Graham, 1993). Grammar chants present a collections of
Jazz chants designed to focus on the basic structures appropriate to beginners.
The role of grammar Jazz chants is to teach or practice some English grammar
or structure such as: different verbs, prepositions, tenses, questions, answers,
imperatives, structures like “there is/are”, “to be going to” or “pronouns”. Here
is an example of grammar chant which practices the future with “be + going to”:
Are you going to go with Joe?
Are you going to go with Joe?
No.
Joe’s going to go with Sue.
Oh, who’s going to ride with Bill?
Will.
Are you going to go with Bess?

Yes.
Who’s going to stay with Fay?
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Ray.
Who’s going to ride with us?
Gus.
(Graham, 1993:50)
1.3.3. Presenting chants
Presenting chants is one of the most important techniques that all teachers
of English have to grasp when teaching English vocabulary by Jazz chants.
Many researchers gave their own way to present chants such as Elizabeth, Antar,
ect. However, in our opinion, the steps that Antar stated are very suitable for
children. It is also the ways that we like the best. Here are the steps for
presenting a chant by Antar (2002:62):
- Review the main structure in the chant.
- Chant it to familiarize students with it.
- Say one line at a time and ask students to repeat after you.
- Say the line again, clapping or snapping your fingers where the language
is stressed as indicated by the asterisks.
- Have students repeat the chant several times with clapping or snapping

of fingers.
- Write the chant on the blackboard or a chart.
- Many chants are designed for two groups. For these, divide the class into
two groups. Group A chants the lines on the left. Group B chants lines on the
right. In a question-answer chant, for example, Group A would ask the questions
and group B answer them.
1.3.4. Creating Jazz chants
In an English language teacher training video, Graham (2006) stated how
to make a Jazz chant. Depending on the unit of knowledge which will be taught,
we can create our own Jazz chants from the following steps:
Firstly, choose a topic of interest to the pupils.
Secondly, try to use “real” language that’s useful and appropriate for the
age of pupils. It means that we will teach children the ways to talk a sentence in
real language. For example, “What’s your name?” is real language; however,
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“What is your name?” is not one, because no one really talks like this in actual
situations.
Thirdly, identify which kinds of Jazz chants we will use to teach.
For a vocabulary chant, the teachers should include things the children
are familiar with such as animals, food and classroom items when working with

them. In order to make a vocabulary chant, first of all, write down words (at
least 3 words) that relate to the topic. Then, separate the words into sounds
according to the number of syllables. Finally, choose three of the words with
different numbers of syllables and put them together with a bit of repetition.
The following example is a vocabulary chant with sport items: baseball,
basketball and golf.
To make a chant from the three sport items, first say the words and count
the syllables, then put them in order of number of syllables.
Baseball

(2 syllables)

Basketball

(3 syllables)

Golf

(1 syllable)

The first word should have 2 syllables, the second word 3 syllables, and
the third word, 1 syllable, as demonstrated above. After that, presenting this
chant as rhythmic follow:
Baseball, Basketball, Golf (clap)
1

2

3

4

Baseball, Basketball, Golf (clap)
1

2

3

4

Baseball, Basketball, Baseball, Basketball
1

2

3

4

Baseball, Basketball, Golf (clap)
1

2

3

4

It can be concluded that it is not too difficult to create a Jazz chant.

However, before using Jazz chants in class, the teachers need to establish the
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context and pre-teach any new vocabulary. Then, choose the suitable topics and
words relevant the age groups and levels of students to teach Jazz chant in the
best effective method.
1.3.5. Advantages and disadvantages of using Jazz chants in teaching
and learning vocabulary
Graham (1978) pointed out several advantages of using Jazz chants as
follow:
Firstly, they could be used as a warm-up activity for pupils to get ready
and prepared for the class.
Secondly, Huber (1994) found out that the speed of the chants is at natural
to slightly fast rate that pushes learners beyond their current fossilized
pronunciation.
Thirdly, it gives language teachers more chances to pick out students’
problems when it is given as a dictation activity (Huber, 1994). Seeing the
advantages above, its popularity has soared around the world to foster English as
second language students’ speaking competence (Pennington & Richard, 1986).
For example, Arima and Sato (2008) mentioned that Jazz chants have been used
as one important approach to familiarize students with English sounds and

rhythms in Asia after 2001. Also, the examination of the effects of pausing,
stress and intonation on the comprehensibility of non-native English speech has
prompted language teachers and material developers to devise different
techniques for incorporating practice into the classrooms (Tanner & Landon,
2009).
Besides, we think that using Jazz chants with children also bring many
benefits as follows:
- They are motivating, memorable and fun.
- They add variety to language practice.
- They provide for lots of natural and enjoyable repetition.
- They allow for physical movement.
Student: PTN

FLD – HDU