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Treasures
Of
Music Literacy
Using Childrens Literature in the Music Classroom
Prepared
for the
OPENING ACTIVITY
Sing me a story.
Play me a tale.
Sing a happy song I will
Remember without fail.
Original poem by Thomas Borden
ACTIVITY: Have the children join you in singing Simi Yadech. Add poem as a B section. Body levels can be
added if desired.
MOVEMENT: Game
Choose a partner.
Phrase 1
Take partners hand
Phrase 2
Take partners other hand
Phrase 3-4
Swing hands together
Repeat
On Hey, hey, my good friend . . . walk CCW with partner.
Separate and find new partner while reciting poem A Story.
OPENING ACTIVITY
A JOURNEY
Lets
take a trip!
(rest) We passed a
East.
West.
Lets go!
Rest stop,
You
know
Rest stop.
best.
Hello, Hello
ACTIVITY: Sing Bonjour, mes amis each time a new animal is introduced in the story. Add the movement as desired.
FORMATION: Partners in a double circle
MOVEMENT: Game
Meas. 1-2 Shake with R hand and hold
Meas. 3-4 Shake with L hand (cross over R) and hold
Meas. 5-8 2-hand turn (8 beats)
Meas. 9
Take 4 steps to R to greet a new partner
Interlude
R-arm swing (4 beats), L-arm swing (4 beats)
Bad Kitty
Bruel, N. Bad Kitty. Roaring Brook Press: New Milford, CT, 2005.
ISBN: HB 1-59643-069-9
From Spotlight on Music, 2011.
Reproduced by permission of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill.
Exclusively for Training Materials Thom Borden, Clinician
All Rights Reserved.
ACTIVITY: Children perform Orff arrangementDing Dong Diggy Diggy Dong (from Music for Children, Vol. 1,
page 24 Murray ed.) at the beginning and ending of the story.
Form:
Introduction
Song
Interlude
Song
CODA
Arranged by T. Borden
voice
AX/SX
BX
Process:
Teach AX / BX
Teach SG / SM
Teach vibra-slap part
voice
AX/SX
BX
ACTIVITY: Children sing and play Naughty Kitty Cat after several letters in the story. Place a small sticker in the
book to assist you in where to include the singing game. Give students sentence strips with each of the letters and foods
that are used in the story place yucky foods on one side, yummy foods on the other. Another group of sentence
strips includes the bad kitty and good kitty activities.
ACTIVITY: At various places within the story, children will play different non-pitch percussion instruments
representing a typewriter as the story is told. Have the children help decide look locations to sing Hunt the Cows.
Process:
Discuss ways to communicate your thoughts in writing: email, letter, book, etc.
Discuss ways to actually write the letter: pencil, pen, computer keyboard, typewriter, etc.
As typewriters are not as common in the classroom, ask if anyone knows what a typewriter
looks like. How does it work? Bring in a typewriter for the children to explore.
Use instruments to explore the sounds of a typewritersticks, finger cymbals or triangle,
ratchet, etc.
Have children play instruments as a sound letter is written in class.
Introduce the story Click, Clack, Moo.
Use instruments to represent the letters that are written.
Create an ostinato pattern (a rhythmic pattern that repeats) for the repeating phrase click,
clack moo . . . Have the children sing the phrase as follows:
ACTIVITY: Children repeat different movements as different animals are introduced in the story. This is a great book
to use to introduce options for movement when children dont have beginning ideas on how they can make their body
move. Cut pictures from the book and rearrange to create a new sequence for telling the story.
MOVEMENT: Game
Stand in a circle around one child who has been chosen to be Punchinella.
Sing verse 1 while Punchinella performs a motion in time to the beat.
Sing verse 2 while everyone imitates Punchinellas motion.
Sing verse 1 again as Punchinella covers his or her eyes with one hand and moves
slowly around, pointing with the other hand, and finally stopping at the end of the verse
to point to the next Punchinella.
Sing again as the new Punchinella goes to the center of the circle.
MATERIALS: laminated pictures from the book
Punchinella
African American Singing Game
Knuffle Bunny
Willems, M. Knuffle Bunny. Hyperion Books for Children: New York, 2004.
ISBN: 0-78-681870-0
MATERIALS: die-cut shapes of socks with melodic patterns (rhythmic patterns can also be used)
SONG SELECTIONS:
John, the Rabbit adapted by Thom Borden
Oh, Knuffle Bunny Oh, Yes!
Oh, Knuffle Bunny Oh, Yes!
Has a might bad habit Oh, Yes!
Of jumpin in the dryer Oh, Yes!
With shirts he jumbled Oh, Yes!
And socks he tumbled Oh, Yes!
And if I live Oh, Yes!
To see next Fall Oh, Yes!
I wont leave Oh, Yes!
Knuffle Bunny behind Oh, Yes!
ACTIVITY: Movement
Sing the song have children listen for the repeating Oh, yes!
Invite them to sing the response.
Invite them to clap their hands on Oh, yes!
Invite them to put a rabbit puppet on their finger and sing Oh, yes!
Invite them to HOP to the circle with their puppet on Oh, yes!
GAME: Melodic Match-ups
Materials: sock patterns with melodic (or rhythmic) patterns, washing machine, plastic baskets
Have children take a sock from the washing machine.
The child must sing the sock that was chosen.
If the child sings correctly, he or she keeps the sock.
The child with the most socks wins.
Extension: Add a black sock in the washer. The child that pulls the black sock must sing ALL of the other
socks that have been chosen. If successful, then the child will automatically win the game.
Extension 2: Have the children try pulling socks in pairs. If they pull 2 different socks, they must sing
both patterns to keep the socks. However, if they pull a matching pair, and can sing the pattern correctly,
they receive an additional turn pulling a pair from the washer.
Extension 3: Use the inside cover of the book to sing m-r-d patterns. After demonstrating the patterns of
the machine fronts, have children sing the patterns that are pointed out. Invite a child to point out a
different pattern. Each time, a new pattern is sure to be revealed.
POEM:
Mill Wheel
Source: Jo Kirk, Colorado State University, Kodly Level 1 Training, 2006.
Formation: Double Circle, one child in the middle with arms stretch out to be the
center of the mill wheel
Game: Children sing the song with the miller in the center turning the same
direction. At any time during the song, the miller shouts FLOUR! All
children, including the miler find new partners and get back to the double circle.
The child without a partner becomes the new miller in the center as the game
begins again.
Peas Porridge Hot Nursery Rhyme Lets Sing Together: Bacon
ACTIVITY: Body Percussion
FORMATION: Double circle facing partners
Children create a play-ground patty-cake game while speaking the rhyme.
Pancakes, Pancakes
Carle, E. Pancakes, Pancakes. Scholastic, Inc.: New York, 1990.
ISBN: 0-590-44453-0
Choose kitchen tools to prepare the toppings use non-pitch instruments to perform ostinati patterns
Play the chosen rhythms on the non-pitch percussion instruments
Play the chosen ostinati patterns while playing music
Turn volume up and down to assure that the group maintains steady beat throughout and can perform
rhythms independently
Continue playing rhythm patterns with the music, but in a circle put instruments down and move to a
new instrument on cue pass the instruments from L hand to R hand to new person (person on the R)
Count 4 start count 4 silent start again
Count 4 walking into circle (playing)
Count 4 playing walk back out of circle
Conductor walks around outside of circle bringing in patterns by touching shoulders (touch again to
stop move around circle) keep playing until conductor touches you again
*This idea was adapted from a session I attended in Melbourne, 2008 by Rodrigo Fernandez
CLOSING MASSAGE: Touch
Formation: Scattered partners in shared space
Take a partner 1 lies on the floor other kneels beside
Use music that has a piano and violin in the recording
Kneeling partner plays the violin and piano on the back of the other partner
Change places with partner through recording
Music Selection Used for Closure Arvo Prt Mirror, Mirror
At the door
W:
M:
At the door
The kitchen screen door.
Have children respond with Knock, knock. Whose there? after each . . .
comes a-knockin at the door in the story.
W: Knock, knock.
M: Whos there?
Music For Children, Vol. 1, page 69 Murray ed. (Language created for rhythms
found in Vol. 1 by T. Borden, 2008)
GAME: Passin the Possum
Materials: Possum toy (purchased from Cracker Barrel)
Have one child play sol-mi pattern on xylophone while passing the possum on the steady beat.
When the children hear . . . knockin at the door they respond, Knock, knock. The child holding
the possum toy sings the sol-mi response, Whos there?
The game continues around the circle, changing the xylophone player as you like.
I Got a Letter
South Carolina Singing Game
LANGUAGE ARTS: Poetry Using motions, children repeat each line saying the last line together.
Way up in the apple tree,
Two little apples smiled at me.
I shook that tree as hard as I could.
Down came the apples,
Mmmmm! They were good.
Traditional
ACTIVITY: Game Pass out apple shapes. Children place apples on the tree each time they hear
the word apple as the story Ten Apples Up On Top! is read aloud.
Additional Game Once apple shapes are on the tree, invite a child
to remove an apple from the tree each time the poem is recited.
LANGUAGE ARTS: Poetry
Apple tree, apple tree,
Will your apple fall on me?
I wont cry and I wont shout
If you apple knocks me out.
Traditional
m m s
s l
PROCESS:
Children sit in a large circle.
SECTION A
Pass the apple around the circle on the steady beat while singing Apple Tree.
The child with the apple at the end of the song takes an apple from the tree/chart and
returns to the circle.
SECTION B
Children create a large basket shape with their arms.
Speak the poem while keeping the steady beat with the arms.
Leave out the words of apples that have been removed from the tree.
ACTIVITY: Sing the story to the tune of One Little Elephant. Repeat the story allowing 10 children to perform as
described. Repeat a third time adding rhythm sentences after each fish leaves. Use rhythm sticks to play the rhythms. All
previous rhythms repeat the second time.
Lets
see a star-fish
go!
9
I want to visit
8
Hello, hello,
red
crab.
7
Jump, splash and leap.
leap.
6
Wobbly wave, Wobbly wave.
Wobbly wave.
5
Gen -
tle
as
whale.
4
Im off, Im off, Off to ex plore!
3
Off we
go!
Off we
go!
2
Play-ing in
1
Lets peep!
Lets peep!
Lets peep.
LANGUAGE ARTS: Poetry add new body percussion each time the poem is spoken.
Chop, chop, chippity, chop.
Cut off the bottoms and cut off the tops.
What is left goes in the pot.
Chop, chop, chippity, chop.
Traditional
Patsch bottoms
Clap tops
Snap pot
Stomp last chop of poem
Yellow Umbrella
Liu, J. Yellow Umbrella. Kane/Miller Book Publishers: La Jolla, CA, 2002.
ISBN: 1-929132-36-0
INSTRUMENTS: rain stick, non-pitched instruments (shakers, scrapers, metals, drums), finger cymbals,
gong.
Treasures of Literacy
Additional activities will be chosen from the following selections:
Lucy Locket
Lucy Locket Traditional Nursery Rhyme Sail Away: Locke
ACTIVITY: Body Percussion
A SECTION
Teach Lucy Locket using body percussion 2 levels.
percussion.
Pat on eighth-notes, clap on quarter notes.
Teach complimentary rhythm pattern.
Lu - cy
lost
B Section
Teach poem using body
Kitty Fisher found it, found it in the alley.
Kitty Fisher gave it to her cousin Sally.
Have children repeat the poem in
canon.
REPEAT SECTION A
Have children perform both the Lucy Locket rhythm pattern and complimentary pattern.
Divide the children into 2 groups.
Have each group perform patterns separately; perform together.
C C P P C
P P P P P C
P P P P P C
C P P C
C P C P C C
C P C P C C
C P C C
Step 5
Alter body percussion:
C C P C C
Step 6
Repeat canons described above using body percussion.
Cookies Week
Cindy Ward ISBN: 0-590-43604-X
MATERIALS: cat puppet
After each day of the week, children sing the song Naughty Kitty Cat. Additional activities can include a chasing game.
Children stand or sit in a large circle. One child pretends to be the cat and stands in the center of the circle. Another child
can be outside of the circle doing household chores i.e. sweeping the floor while keeping the steady beat. One each rest
the cat responds with a Meow! At the end of the song, the children open the windows to allow the outside child to
run into the house and try to catch the cat.
MOVEMENT SELECTIONS
Cripple Creek Music: Flatt and Scruggs
Formation: double circle, boys on the inside, girls on the outside
Music:
You can use any lively bluegrass music in 4/4 time. I use Cripple Creek.
Using this recording, there is an intro, then the dance can be done four times, then a coda
to bow to your partner.
Each movement takes one 8-beat phrase
Movement: Have children echo the words and body movements in the song.