We had a request on the forum for a Genki English “Days of the Week” song. Well, here is is!
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It’s certainly the most energetic version of a Days of the Week you’re likely to hear – perfect for 5th and 6th graders!
If you have to teach a set curriculum or textbook e.g. the Eigo Note in Japan, or if your kids get more advanced and if it’s a topic you have to cover, then we might as well make it genki and fun for them!
Split in 2
The trick is to split the days into 2 lots of four. Learning all seven is tough (if you don’t believe me try learning this page) but if you split them into 2 lots of 4 with a mini game or something inbetween then it’s just like any of the other vocab topics we teach. For the 8th word you can add in something extra like “today” or “birthday” or even “tomorrow”.
There are picture cards online and if you’ve been on the fence as to whether to buy the Teacher’s Set or Download Pack (and hence get access to all the extra bonus songs!) then I think this one could be the one you’ve been waiting for!
I’m not particular attached to this song yet so any comments, good or bad, or requests for changes then please write them up in the comments below!
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Love it!
Finally!! Omg, I waited way too long for this song, haha. I think this song is great and awesome and genki and nice. Great job Richard. ^^ The only constructive criticism I can give is that when you say ‘today’ it felt like it was another day of the week or a repeat of Tuesday. I just see confused students and teachers. I have no problems with explaining the word of course. Thanks a million and keep up the great work!
Richard, this is a song which so many teachers have been waiting for! I love it and I can already see kids sing and dance along music in the lesson. But why didn’๏ฝใyou say “th, th, th, th, Thursday”? It would be a great chance for us to teach “th” if you put it. Or am I playing phonics card games too much recently?
Great song. Thank you!
I’ve been waiting for a ‘days’ song for ages too, so thanks for putting this out. It certainly is a lot funkier than previous ‘days’ songs I’ve used.
I shall look forward to trying it out next school year. It’s hard to offer much critical feedback until I see how it goes in class.
OK, so, on second listen, I particularly like the ‘My Generation’ style stammering of the initial sounds. That should help fix the words.
I can also see where Spencer is coming from with the final ‘today’. Might be confusing…at first…but can be dealt with I’m sure.
The background vocals might get distracting too, but they certainly help with ‘da vibe’, bro’, so leave them in.
Thanks for the great comments! The “Tuesday” and “Today” should be no problem, after all this song should be nowhere near the beginning of your course!
@Yumiko: It’s impossible to record the “th” sound on its own, so I went with the dramatic brass hit to call more attention to the word all together. Again though days of the week should always be taught way after the kids can already speak all the more important Genki English and know the “th” sound!
Anyway looking forward to hearing how it goes with your students!
Richard I used the song this afternoon and I have posted a response on the forum. I had such a mixed response from the boys to the girls, very interesting!
Interesting topic, and many many opinions..!
Before I started teaching elementary school age, I taught basically little kids, some still in their diapers.
Now I’m doing both, and my experience:
Yes, if children start learning English grade 4 or higher, it gets hard for them to remember. So I agree with Richard not to worry about weekdays and teach more useful English before.
BUT, teaching little ones I feel that they remember the days of the weeks like they remember numbers. Spread over 2-3 lessons, 5 minutes and they have it, AND repeating it maybe once a month(or even less) they don’t forget it.
Even if they don’t really use it in sentences, it gives them some kind of confidence. So I’ve started to teach days of the week before they enter school. Compared to the classes where I didn’t do it, it saved a lot of time and effort.(For older kids it’s just boring to be repeating 7 words I think)
So, about the song: As I would use it with small kids for me a more “typical Genki Style Song” would be better. Something that really sticks in your head, even if you don’t sing it loud.
Still, I haven’t tried it yet, so this is just my own opinion.