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While teaching this learning module you will cover multiple concepts including: Beat, Dynamics, Timbre of Unpitched Instruments, Melodic Direction (high-middle-low)
You'll also cover the themes of: Alphabet Songs, Animal Songs, Insects, Seasons, Spring, Eras in Music, Romantic, Bunnies
In this lesson, you will:
Extensions:
Musicplay is a menu. The teacher is not expected to teach every song or activity. Choose the songs and activities from the list that will best fit your schedule and the needs of your students.
Sing Time for Music with the lyrics video.
Count the beats at the end of each verse.
Think up new ways that you could keep a beat, and sing your new verses.
Numeracy: Counting is numeracy! Cut out 8 hearts and have children tap on the hearts as they count. Take 2 away. Have them count the hearts now - 1-2-3-4-5-6.
In a study at Northwestern University, researchers have linked the ability to keep a beat to reading and language skills.
Read more here: https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2013/09/the-importance-of-keeping-the-beat/
Sing hellos in different ways (high or low; lower or quiet) play on egg shakers.
Give out C and G. Play 1-2-3-4, then stop and put the mallets on legs. Play 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8 then say, “Stop!” and put mallets in lap. If using Orff instruments, remove all the B’s and F’s and students play any two notes on the numbers.
Watch and Listen to the Song, "Rain Rain."
Play it again and sing along.
The children have practiced keeping a beat in many activities throughout “Musicplay PreK” If they have not had the opportunity to keep a beat on an instrument, this is an easy song to accompany. If you have Orff instruments, you could have the children play a simple bordun on C and G: ta ta | ta ta
If you don’t have Orff instruments you could use resonator bells
instead. If you don’t have any pitched instruments, have the children keep a beat with whatever rhythm instruments you do have. (egg shakers or sticks)
Use this song to reinforce high-low and to prepare the reading of so-mi by charting how it goes higher and lower with shapes on a magnetic board. You could use raindrop shapes or umbrella shapes.
Learn the Pitter Patter Poem
Try adding sounds to the poem.
Tap a finger on a table, your hand or a small drum to make the sound of rain.
- or - gently play a shaker
Decide which sound you like the best.
Use the song "Rain Rain" and the Pitter Patter Poem in a story.
Watch and listen to the story.
When the Pitter Patter poem comes, say it and make your sound.
When the song comes, sing along.
Make other sounds as they occur in the story.
Splash! - make a loud sound on shakers or on an ocean drum
windshield wipers "swish swish" - scrape pool noodle scrapers
Literacy: Students develop deeper knowledge of words that were taught with an associated sound effect. Read more: https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/rrq.280
Movement Extension: Have the children act out or dramatize the song. When Little Rabbit Foo Foo hops through the forest, the children hop. When you say, “Down came the good fairy” show high-low with your hands and voice. You can also try this with a large stretchy band in a circle, or add scarves/ribbons.
Introduce the letter song by showing the children the poster and telling them the story. Sing the phonics song, and teach the action song. Invite the children to dramatize the story and song.
Story:
Icky Inchworm lived in an apple tree. Icky was sad because he wanted to see the world, but all he could see were the branches and leaves of the tree. He looked this way and that way, but the leaves on the tree were too thick to see through. Icky decided to climb to the very top of the tree. Surely from the top of the tree he’d be able to see the world.
Icky started to climb up the apple tree. His legs were very short so he couldn’t climb very fast. He got really hungry, so he’d have to stop and eat. But he kept climbing. Day after day, Icky inched toward the top of the tree. If he didn’t have to stop and eat, he would have gotten to the top more quickly, but he was so hungry that he had to eat a lot. He didn’t give up. All through the spring and all through the summer, Icky climbed up the tree. When fall came, Icky made it to the very top of the apple tree!
Icky Inchworm was excited because for the first time in his life he
could see the world. He could see in every direction without any leaves to block his view. Icky was happy. He could see the world.
Teach “Icky Inchworm”
Play it again and sing along.
Sing “Icky Inchworm” and copy the movements
One of you is the "tree" and the other is the "inchworm." The one who is the "inchworm" crawls his fingers up the arm of the one who is the "tree."
Learn the actions for “Chook, Chook”
- say the words and do the movements
- teachers: invite students to say the poem loud/quiet or fast/slow
Say “Chook, Chook”
Literacy: Fingerplays are important tools to help children develop fluency and rhythm in language. They also learn new vocabulary and comprehension as they show with their hands what the words mean. They also develop fine muscle skills as they manipulate their fingers.
Hand out egg shakers. Say the poem and play eggs with the poem. When you say high, shake eggs up high. When you say ‘low’ shake the eggs down low. Say and play it again inviting the children to say the poem with you.
Play eggs with it, pretending to be chicks trying to get out of the egg. Listen again and dramatize. ‘Peck’ on the short notes and ‘rest’ on the long notes. Tell them the egg shell is really hard and they won’t get out until the very end.