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Teaching vocabulary to children is very important. Children are fragile in learning. When teachers teach them something, they will easily think that what teachers say and do
are always right. They will imitate it without any hesitation. The problem arises if the teachers do some errors and mistakes, especially in teaching vocabulary, and they teach
words to their students with inaccurate explanation, wrong meaning, wrong pronunciation, or maybe wrong intonation. It can be fossilized into their mind, hardly crafted into their
head, and for their entire life they will do their teacher’s errormistake repeatedly. According to Thornburry 2002:15, “knowing the meaning of a word is not just knowing its dictionary
meaning. It is also knowing the word commonly associated with it its collocation as well as its connotations, including its register and its cultural accretions.” Based on that, we can
conclude that if we want to teach vocabulary to our students, we need to be more careful and need more attentive with the words before we teach it to our students. Using good
pronunciation, good meaning, and good intonation can help them in fossilizing the things in many positive ways.
2.2.4 General Concept of Narrative Text
Narrative text is a popular genre text in English language. Fable and folktale are the kinds of narrative text. Gerott and Wignell 1995:204 state “narrative deal with problematic events
which lead to a crisis or turning point of some kind, which in turn finds a resolution.” It means that narrative text is a text which started with some complicated events and finished
with the solution of the problems. Normally, narrative text has thematic structure and a
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specific theme for the story, and generally the purpose of the narrative text is to amuse or entertain the readerlistener.
Gerott and Wignell 1995:204 also give some characteristics about narrative text.
1. Generic structure of narrative a. Orientation
: It sets the scene and introduces the participants b. Evaluation
: a stepping back to evaluate the plight c.
Complication : a crisis arises
d. Resolution : the crisis is resolved, for better or for worse
e. Re-orientation
: optional 2. Significant lexicogrammatical features of narrative
a. Focus on specific and usually individualized participants b. Use of material processes behavioral and verbal processes
c. Use of relational processes and mental processes
d. Use of. Temporal conjunctions, and temporal circumstances e. Use of past tense
2.2.5 General Concept of Media
In teaching, the roles of media are very vital. If we want to conduct teaching and learning process, at least we need one medium to support our teaching.
According to Locatis and Atkinson 1984:3 “media are the means usually audiovisual or electronic for transmitting or delivering messages.” Based on that statement, if we want
to deliver our messages especially in teaching something, we can use media as the tools in delivering it.
Using media for our teaching process is not enough. We need to know the appropriate media in teaching something, especially in teaching English. Gerlach and Elly 1980:260
assert that the effectiveness of any medium depends on the creativity of teacher using it. Gerlach also indicated that if we want to use media in teaching, we need to take the four
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criteria in our consideration. The four criteria are: level of sophistication, cost, availability, and technical quality.
Based on their statement, the use of media appropriateness is the factor that will influence students improvement. We can use any media that can improve students skill, but
we can’t say that the media are appropriate enough if it is combined with our teaching method and technique. It makes the media appropriateness is very important before we teach
using it for our students. Gerlach and Elly 1980:254 also say, “to select the appropriate media, the teacher must
consider the characteristics of the students who directly related in the learning process, such as verbal abilities, visual, and audio perceptional skill, experience, intelligence, motivation,
personality, and social skills.” It means that we need to understand our students’ characteristic. The media appropriateness depends on our students’ general ability. If the
students’ characteristic is not included in our consideration, we can get lost and our students will get bored and lost their attention to our material.
In the end, as stated by Locatis and Atkinson 1984:10 “media can be used in many different settings for many different purposes.” Based on that statement, the use of media in
teaching vocabulary can be more challenging because the use of a song as the medium is very appropriate for teaching older children, especially for improving students’ motivation
in teaching vocabulary.
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2.2.5.1 Song as Audio Medium in Teaching The use of audio media in teaching is very popular and many people especially teachers
use these kinds of media from time to time. According to Locatis and Atkinson 1984: 198 “audio media are probably the oldest and most familiar of those used in education and
training, particularly if we include the live human voice.” It means that audio media are the best media in teaching, especially teaching language, because people in this world know and
recognize these kinds of media, and every person used to it. The reason why these kinds of media are very famous among people because these
media are easy to use. According to Locatis and Atkinson 1984: 204 “because audio media are accessible, portable, and easy to operate, much information is available through this
inexpensive medium that is not otherwise available.” It proves that audio media have a lot of advantages as the media in teaching. These kinds of media are also effective if it is used to
teach vocabulary to children because if we want to teach something to children, we need to understand about the things which is related to children. The things that the writer mentions
are: audio, visual, and psychomotor. So, the audio media can be more useful if it is used for children development in learning language.
Locatis and Atkinson 1984:199 also stated, “the range of available audio media includes newscasts of historical events, interviews with public figures, plays, poetry
readings, music, special sound effects, talking books for the blind, and wide variety of self- improvement and enrichment topics such as study skills, foreign languages, personal health,
selling skills, teaching skills, and communication skills.” Based on Locatis and Atkinson
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statement, there are a lot of varieties of audio media which attainable for teaching, but audio media are chosen for teaching English to older children. The writer chooses song as the
audio medium in teaching, especially using narrative song. Hiebert and Kamil state 2005:10 “the way of learning words also include technology
and multimedia where students can interact with language orally, pictorially, and in writing.” In teaching words for children, teachers need to use the variety in their teaching.
Words in language, specifically in English are very large. If the teachers only use the usual or basic method for teaching, especially in teaching children, they will not understand what
the teachers say, or what the teachers explain, because children will lose their motivation in learning if the methods which is used by the teachers are boring and have no improvement.
As stated by Finocchiaro 1974:108 “there are all kinds of language games and songs ranging from very simple to difficult one, which help give practice in language while
keeping the class lively and interesting.” According to Finocchiaro statement, song and game can keep the class more lively and interesting. It can motivate the students to learn
English more and more. It also indicates that practice in language is not about using strict and boring methods. We can use game or song to keep the practice activity and keep the
interesting “thing” in the same time. That is why the writer uses song as the medium to teach language. That is why the writer usessong as the medium to teach language. “Fire Coming
Out of A Monkey’s Head” song is the song with a narrative theme. As discussed before that
narrative text is one of the popular genre texts in English, this song can also improve their liking to narrative text. It also gives an explanation that song can give some practices in
learning language, so students become more motivate and more focus to our materials.
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Department of Education stated 2011:43 that song education needs to be enjoyable, challenging, and also achieveable. It needs to be supportive and provide a lot of spaces for
children to be creative, and includes group activity to help build social skills. Therefore, some methods are created for teaching song as the medium for improving vocabulary
understanding to children. The methods not only improve vocabulary alone, but also improves other skills as well.
2.2.5.2 The Advantages in Using Song When we use a media in teaching, we need to know the advantages of using the media if it is
implemented to our teaching and learning process. According to Department for Education 2011:42-43 :
1. Music Song can make a powerful contribution to the education and development of children, having benefit which range for those that
are largely academic to the growth of social skills and contribution of overall development.
2. Research has shown a direct link between music and improved reading ability in children. It shown that pupils that were given
certain types of music instruction had improved reading comprehension compared to those who did not.
3. A number of studies have demonstrated the positive impact music can have on personal and social development, including increased self-
reliance, confidence, self-esteem, sense of achievement, and ability to relate to others.
4. Music can also improve discipline, teamwork, cooperation, self- confidence, responsibility, and social skills.
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Based on the statement, there are a lot of advantages in using song as the medium in teaching. These advantages can be achieved if the teachers optimize this medium to its full
potential. That is why English teachers should understand how to use the medium for the students and how to find the appropriate medium in teaching something. We can’t achieve
those kinds of advantages if our teaching methods and strategies are not combined with the medium that we want to use.
Song is excellent medium for teaching vocabulary and improving students’ motivation. It is because song has various strange words in the lyric and it is very good because usually
people who listen to the song without knowing the lyric will try to find the lyric automatically. They will try to understand the meaning of the song and it improves their
motivation. It also a good medium because based on the statement, song gives a positive impact in personal and social development, including increased self-reliance, confidence,
self-esteem, sense of achievement, and ability to relate to others.
2.2.6 General Concept of Action Research
