This is a rhythmic song from the Caribbean and a fun clapping game for the students to play. Teach the song by rote.

This is a clapping game for groups of four. Begin by teaching the clapping pattern for pair one to the entire class as an action song. Then teach everyone the pattern for pair two. It is essentially the same. On beat two, one pair will clap hands above while the other pair claps hands below. On beat six, they will do the opposite.

Next, have pairs of students try the clapping pattern as you sing the song. When the pairs of students have mastered this step, have the pairs form a group of four, with partners facing each other and try the game all together.

Invite the guiro and tubano players to improvise for four bars between repetitions of the song. If you don’t have Orff instruments accompany the song with unpitched percussion instruments. Allow the students some time to improvise and create their own accompaniments. Give the students the opportunity to create their own clapping patterns to go with the song. Allow groups to try clapping patterns, or create a game with cups or sticks.

This is a reading song. Read the rhythms for “Ickle Ockle.” 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.

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 raise 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.

Teach the arrangement to your students, or have your students improvise and create their own. As students go “out” in the game, they could go to the instruments to play instead of rejoining the circle or sitting out.

Create your own body percussion sequence and perform with the audio track.

Use movements from both Lesson 6 and 7.

You could start by doing the sequences for Lesson 6 or 7, then adding your own ideas.

Try performing with the audio tracks found on the instrument song page (Linked above).