Kindergarten Back To School – Lesson 1
Teaching Procedures
Sing the echoes for “Time for Music”
Talk about beat.
This is an opening song that can be used for each music class throughout the year or throughout the first 17 lessons. In PreK, you can teach songs by rote or teach them by immersion. In rote teaching, you sing a phrase (or play a phrase in the recording) and the children echo. Then you combine phrases until children can echo the entire song. When you teach by immersion, you sing the song (or play the recording) and have the children do a movement while listening to the song. If teaching this song by immersion tell the students to copy your movements while they listen to the song. After doing the movements for several lessons, they will have “caught” the melody and can sing along.
When children know the song and are singing along, invite the children to create their own verses and movements.
At the end of each verse there is an eight beat interlude. During the eight beats continue the movement from the verse and count the beats. Tell the children that when they count to eight, they are counting the beats in the song and explain that beat in music is the steady pulse that you can feel, clap or dance to. I use hearts as a visual to show the beat, and print out 8 hearts to tap on to show the beat during the interlude.
Say the “Hello Beat Chant”
The beat chants are a great way to welcome your students to music class or music time. Some music teachers teach more than a thousand students each week and it can be very difficult to remember the names. Starting your class with a name chant establishes a routine, introduces the term “beat” and will help the teacher remember all of the names.
Say the preschool chant, patting a steady beat as you speak. Say hello to four students, then say the chant again. Say hello to them using high and low voices, quiet and loud voices, fast and slow. Also use speaking, whispering, shouting or calling and singing voices. When singing hello use a variety of solfa patterns: so-mi so-so-mi, so-la-so-mi-do or mi-re-do-do-do. In the chants where children say their own names, encourage them to use different voices.
Warm up with “Jig Jig Jiggles”
Listen to the recording and have the students copy your movements as they listen. (This is teaching the song by immersion.)
Sing “Welcome, Welcome”
Listen to the song.
Play the video again and sing along!
Extensions:
1. Say "Welcome" to each student in your class and have the rest of class echo the same way you said it.
2. Use a high voice for one student, and a low voice for the next. The students who echo will experience high/low. Try loud/quiet, fast/slow, and singing using a variety of tone sets.
3. Keep a beat while you say the welcome. The first time, clap or pat the beat. In future weeks, play the beat on an instrument.
4. Discuss with the students the instrument that you used. For example if you use rhythm sticks, as the students questions such as:
• What are these called?
• What are they made of?
• How can I make sound on them? Try out different ways - tapping, clicking, drumming, scraping
• Classify the instrument as a wood, metal, shake/scrape or drum
In this way the students will learn about many of the classroom instruments!
Optional: Read the story “All Are Welcome”
Pause the video and sing the welcome song each time you hear the words, "All are welcome here."
This is a lovely, diverse storybook. If you are able to, order your own copy of it.
All Are Welcomeby Alexandra Penfold (Author), Suzanne Kaufman (Illustrator)
Discuss How Tos and What Ifs
Talk to the students about how they should enter/leave, sit, and what happens in the event of fire drill or lockdown.
Teach “Wash Your Hands”
Watch the video.
Watch the video again and sing along!
Can you create movements to go with the music?
Teach “Soft Kitty”
Introduce the song by asking the children to “pet a kitty” while you sing. They will “pet” their hands as you sing. Then, invite the children to sing with you.
Discuss the song. Ask the children to tell you if you used a quiet voice or a loud voice. Have them tell you when someone might sing a quiet song. Ask them if anyone has ever sung them a lullaby. Discuss why a lullaby might be sung. Ask them if they’ve ever heard the song before. (They may have heard it on “Big Bang Theory.” On the show, Sheldon asks Penny to sing it for him when he isn’t feeling well.)
Teach “Old Gray Cat”
Ask the children to tell you what a cat might do if it thinks that there is a mouse in the house. Tell them they are going to act out what the cat and the mouse might be doing as they listen to a song. Play them the song, and lead them in dramatizing the cat and mouse. Invite them to sing with you.
After dramatizing, ask the children which part of the song was the fastest. (verse 5) Ask them to tell you why this part might be faster than the other parts of the song.
Optional: Read "Pete the Cat, Rocking in My School Shoes"
The message of the story is that new places aren’t scary - they are just new. It’s best to have the recording of the book when you present it to the children, because the repeating rhyme is not notated. After the children have heard the rhyme once, invite them to join in and sing along.
Options: Complete the “All About Me” Worksheet
Print and fill out the "All About Me" Worksheet.
-or-
Save paper and ink and use your own paper and drawings to make your own "All About Me" sheet.
Learn the actions for “Skinnamarink”
Sing our goodbye song, "Skinnamarink"
"Skinnamarink" is the song we sing at the end of music class.
Watch the video and sing along!