Trust for things like chanting builds over the course of the year in relationship to the daily increase in kids’ trust when they see that you are not trying to force them to learn, or trick them on tests, and when they see that you genuinely care about them. As the trust builds, you will see little windows in class where a chant might happen.
So try to become aware of those little moments when you and your students can take a nice break from the story, allowing everyone to connect with their bodies during the school day by cutting loose with a chant for about 30 or 40 seconds or longer!
The alert teacher will pounce on the right phrase at the right time. Here we must mention Joe Neilson’s name – he is the king of chanting, and, as he often tells his classes in case they forget, a great singer. BUT he is also a very reserved person. So there’s hope for us all.
For those young enough to remember this one from the golden age of television, the Adams Family theme song is perfect for a chant. It is a real winner.
For example, the structure il tombe par terre/he falls to the ground can be chanted with appropriate Adams Family thumb snaps after il tombe:
Il tombe (snap snap)… il tombe (snap snap)… il tombe il tombe il tombe (snap snap)…
The ability to recognize the rhythmic connection between a song and a line of language is a gift, but one that can be developed.