Grade 4 Extra May Lesson
StartBeatThemes(s):
Central America, Our Musical World
Extra Details:
Concepts
Rhythm
Tone Set
Grades
Song Type
Chords
Learning Module Category
Introduction
In this lesson, you will:
- Warmup with “My Bonnie”
- Play poison rhythm with ti-ticka
- Review “Happy is the Miller”
- Review the game with “Happy is the Miller”
- Play the game and sing “Happy is the Miller”
- Option 1: Play “Happy is the Miller” on Boomwhackers
- Option 2: Teach the Orff arrangement for “Happy is the Miller”
- Review “Biddy Biddy”
- Play the game and sing “Biddy Biddy”
- Review “Three Little Birds”
- Review the choreography for “Three Little Birds”
- Do the choreography for “Three Little Birds”
- Optional: Play “Three Little Birds” on Ukuleles or Guitars
Extensions:
Objectives
- I can sing and move to music.
- I can read and perform rhythms and melodies.
- I can sing and play music from a variety of places and times.
Teaching Procedures
Warmup with “My Bonnie”
Copy LinkPlay poison rhythm with ti-ticka
Copy LinkReview “Happy is the Miller”
Copy LinkExplain the miller is someone who would grind wheat into flour. Farmers would take their wheat to the mill, and in return for grinding the wheat, the miller would keep part of what he ground. The miller was often more wealthy than
the farmers and the farmers thought the miller was greedy. In the game, the miller is alone in the middle because the miller has no friends. The greedy miller tries to steal a partner from one of the farmers.
This is a reading song. Have the students read the rhythms using rhythm names. Sing the letter names or sing the song in solfa. When the students have learned the song, play the game.
Review the game with “Happy is the Miller”
Copy LinkMake a double circle with equal numbers in each circle. One student, or the teacher, is needed to be the miller. The students in the inner circle must have a partner in the outer circle. Partners join hands and walk to the beat as the song is sung. On the word "grab," students in the outer circle must move to the next person in the inner circle and “grab” them. The miller in the center tries to steal a person from the inner circle, so that one student in the outer circle is left without a partner. If that student goes out, you need to take a student from the outer circle to be the miller so the number of students in inner and outer circles remains equal. It makes the miller’s task more challenging if the miller has their eyes shut during the singing of the song and only opens their eyes on the word “grab.”
Play the game and sing “Happy is the Miller”
Copy LinkOption 1: Play “Happy is the Miller” on Boomwhackers
Copy LinkOption 2: Teach the Orff arrangement for “Happy is the Miller”
Copy LinkPlaying and Creating: Improvise or create 8-16 beat melodies using DE GAB. Play the melodies between repetitions of the song.
Review “Biddy Biddy”
Copy LinkPlay the game and sing “Biddy Biddy”
Copy LinkGame Directions: Players sit in a circle with cupped hands outstretched. As the song is sung, one player goes from child to child pretending to drop the ring into each one’s fists. At the end of the song, the children (those who didn’t pretend to get the ring) try to guess who has the ring. The one who is correct, gets to drop the ring next time.
Teacher note: We don't have a kids demo for "Biddy Biddy". If your students would like to see themselves on MusicplayOnline please review the submission requirements here: https://help.musicplay.ca/can-i-submit-a-kids-demo
Optional: Review “Three Little Birds”
Copy LinkTurn on the closed captioning (cc) for the lyrics.
Disclaimer: The official music video has a small scene that depicts smoking (at 1:21-1:40). Please consider your classroom needs before showing this video. There are other lyric videos on YouTube that you may choose to use.