Page 315 - Teaching English as a Foreign Language for Dummies 2009

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Part V: What Kind of Class Will I Have?
Another great song for young learners is the Happy Song. It goes like this:
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands (clap twice and repeat).
If you’re happy and you know it, and you really want to show it.
If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. (clap clap).
The next three verses are the same except that you replace ‘clap your hands’ with these commands in turn: stamp your feet, shout ’We are!’. Do all three.
This song has simple lyrics and the commands mirror the actions exactly, so you don’t need to pre-teach them. The only word you need to teach beforehand is ‘happy’, which is very easy to do with smiley faces. The procedure is the same, a slow version first then normal speed. Repeat it several times the first day and then regularly after that.
After the song you can then focus on the verbs ‘clap’, ‘stamp’ and ‘shout’. Whenever someone does well you can ask the class to clap.
I suggest you save shouting exercises for outdoors as you may be unpopular with your colleagues otherwise. You can use ‘stamp your feet’ when you talk about cold weather too.
Singing the Happy song
If you have a recorded version of the song it’s great for you and the children to have some musical accompaniment. If not, go ahead and sing your heart out at normal speed. Be cheery and exaggerate the actions, encouraging the children to join in.
Don’t worry about the other phrases in the song unless the children particularly want to know the meaning.
Keeping Teenagers Interested
When you have a class of teenagers, you can have some great discussions providing that you find the topics that really interest them. Whether it’s the latest signings by Manchester United, or finding the perfect date, teenagers make the effort to communicate when they feel strongly enough about the subject matter.
Some other points that teenagers look for in a good lesson are:
✓ Evidence that the teacher is prepared for the lesson and interested in their students’ development: At this age kids are smart enough to know if you habitually throw lessons together at the last minute and they behave accordingly.