If this is review, consider substituting instruments for the body percussion.

This is an excellent reading song and chase game that is a lot of fun to play. Have the students read the rhythms using rhythm names, and sing the note names in solfa or using letter names. When they have learned to sing the song, add a clap at the end of each phrase.

Choose one student to be the "farmer" and one student to be the "sow". All the other students form "walls". If you have 20 students, form four rows of students with five in each row. The rows of students must line up facing the front. If you have 24 students, you could form four rows with six in each row.

The students stand in this formation and sing phrase one. At the end of the phrase, they let go of hands, clap and turn to the left, and join hands with the person from the row behind them.

At the end of the second phrase, they let go of hands, clap and turn to the right, and join hands with the person they started with. At the end of the last phrase, they let go of hands, clap and turn to the left, and join hands with the person from the row behind them. The "farmer" chases the "sow" through the aisles. The "farmer" and "sow" are not allowed to break through the "walls". The game can continue until the song is finished, until the "farmer" catches the "sow", or until they are too tired to continue. If you want to increase the excitement (as if you need any more!), increase the tempo.

Create an Orff accompaniment for this song.

Teach the song by rote. This will be learned most effectively if students can read it from their own books.

“The Capitals of Canada” can be performed in a school assembly or as part of an “All About Canada” program. Have your students make signs naming each province, territory, and capital city. There are 26 in total, which will be close to the number of students that you have in one class. Some signs may be large enough for two or more students to hold. When you sing the name of the province, have the student with that sign hold it up in the air. When you sing the name of the capital, have the student with that sign hold it up. Because the song goes quite quickly, it will take a little practice to perfect the raising of the sign at the correct spot in the song, but it ends up being a very entertaining performance.

Teach the song by rote. This will be learned most effectively if students can read it from their own books.

“The Capitals of America” can be performed in a school assembly or as part of an “All About America” program. You could have the students create a PowerPoint presentation with illustrations of each state and capital, then show the PowerPoints as the students sing.

This is a reading song. Read the rhythms for “Ickle Ockle.” Write the rhythm on the board.

When they know the rhythm, sing the note names using letter names or solfa. When the melody is learned, have them sing the song with words.

A silent beat is a rest. Circle the rests in "Ickle Ockle." La is the solfa note just above so. If so is in a space, la is found on the line just above. If so is on a line, la is in the space just above.

Students form a circle with hands joined and raised - they are the "net." Choose one student to be the fisher and one student to be the fish. The fisher goes into the middle of the circle and the fish goes outside of the circle. Sing the song. At the end of the song, the students lower their hands. The fisher leaves the net (the circle) and tries to tag the fish before the fish can get into the net (the circle). Read about rests below. Then, read the notes and rhythms for the song.

Denise Tip: To make this game work, I choose the student to my immediate right to be the fisher, and the student to the right of them to be the fish. After they have had their turns, they rejoin the circle on my left side.