Text types: Texts for fun & leisure

Songs

Are you sleeping? (Frère Jacques)

Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping?
Brother John! Brother John!
All the bells are ringing,
All the bells are ringing,
Ding ding dong!
Ding ding dong! [repeat]

Click here if you would like to hear this song sung normally.
Click here to hear how this song sounds as a 'round'.

Teaching suggestions

To prepare for a round song, explain that you are going to divide the class into two groups, and that each group will sing the song twice (at least), but they will start at staggered intervals. So Group A starts singing first and Group B starts singing when Group A begins line 3. 

Point out to the students that this is a translation of a well-known French song called 'Frère Jacques'.

It is sometimes useful to draw students' attention to grammatical features in songs. In this song you can focus on the present continuous: are sleeping, are ringing.

For more information, see Grammar: Groups & phrases: Verb group: Time & tense: Present continuous