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MUSICAL MANIPULATIVES - BOOK 1 and 2!
ALL THOSE GREAT MANIPULATIVE IDEAS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN 2 NEW HANDBOOKS. INDEXES INCLUDE TITLE, STEADY BEAT, MELODY, SEASONAL and CHILDREN'S LITERATURE REFERENCES.

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Sunday, March 30, 2014

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - BOOKS TO SING

Peek-a-Boo Bunny
Written and Illustrated by Holly Surplice
ISBN:  978-0-06-224265-5

Bunny is out with his friends and it's hide and seek time -- their favorite game!  This charming tale is a playful reminder of the game we all loved as children.  With beautifully delicate pictures, this story can be sung to familiar melodies such as "Skip to My Lou" and the old favorite "Ten Little ..."  I left the last word off since there are so many variations that each of us may know.

Enjoy the story and keep singing.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER PEEK-A-BOO BUNNY FROM AMAZON.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Saturday, March 15, 2014

MELODY

While currently traveling this weekend, I will post a new idea on Monday.  Thanks for visiting and please return Monday for another great activity.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Saturday, March 1, 2014

MELODY - MRD MOLES

Spring is Here - A Bear and Mole Story
Written and Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
ISBN:  978-0-8234-2431-3

This charming story opens with Mole's morning wake up to the wonderful smells of spring.  With spring around the corner, I thought it would be a charming way to reinforce mi-re-do with my third grade students as they are working on B-A-G on soprano recorder.

The first experience with the story is to simply include movement as the story includes words like "squish, tap, and swish."  As I read the story the first time, the children were in scattered formation and simply allowed to create movements for each of the words as they are spoken in the story.  By the way, each word is said 3 times in the text.

I created a poem for the students to move while hearing the story the second time that included movement.  I include this activity each time bear replies, "Snore."

"Spring is here, I must tell bear.
          Students create a large circle and walk 4 steps CCW.
He's still sleeping in his lair.
He'll miss spring if he stays there.
          Students stop for a 8-beat body percussion - pat twice-clap twice-neighbor clap twice-clap twice
I must tell bear."
          Students rejoin hands and walk 4 steps CW.

The melody is pretty simple - but I wrote it so that it would reinforce mi-re-do and be easy for them to play on recorder.  Play the first line on B, the second on A, the third on G.  The final line is played B-A-A-G (rhythm is ta ti-ti ta Z).

The third time I read the story, I play the first three lines of the melody on soprano recorder, inviting students to play the last line.  Then divide the students into 3 groups - asking each group to play one line of the melody.  Then all play the last line.  Eventually, they can all play the entire melody, or invite 3 students to play solos (one plays each line) - while the remaining students play the last line as an ensemble.

I hope this is useful to you.  My kids loved the activity and have even been working on writing a B Section - which I may use as a bulletin board to highlight their individual melodies.  I have included the MRD Mole blackline here if you would like to download and print for your student compositions.


CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE M-R-D MOLE PATTERN.


CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE MRD MOLE SMART BOARD FILE.


CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR COPY OF SPRING IS HERE FROM AMAZON.