CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - BOOKS TO SING

Thanksgiving at our House
Written and Illustrated by P.K. Hallinan
ISBN: 978-0-824-95534-2

Read the story to the children -- each verse is told in rhyme.  The next time the story is shared, sing the words of each verse using the melody of the familiar piece "Pop! Goes the Weasel."

Enjoy the story and keep singing. :)

MELODY - SOLFEGE PUMPKINS

I use die-cut shapes of pumpkins that I found at my local teacher supply store and placed "s" or "m" in the center of each pattern. I use the peel-n-stick letters since they show up much better. Magnets can be added to the back of each pumpkin for easy magnetic use.

Place the pumpkins above or below a vine in the garden (a single line drawn on the board using a green marker). After a pumpkin "melody" is sung correctly, die-cut leaves can be awarded to the "vine" as children sing the m-r-d melodies correctly.

For a fun extension, mix the pumpkins up each time the story is read. If you have additional pumpkin shapes, add "l" to use with a more advanced group.  Consider solfege hand signs or even staff notation. Rhythm options would include Level I rhythmic concepts.

Finally have the children write (literacy) and play their Autumn Pumpkin Melody. Provide evaluation sheets for each child to encourage self-assessment.

STEADY BEAT

Type the names of different owls and affix to patterns. Each owl would have the name of only one owl written or posted upon it. You can find the larger die-cut patterns at a local card outlet or teacher's supply store.


After singing a owl song (My Owlet) or reciting a owl poem (A Wise Old Owl), create a B Section by having children speak and/or play the rhythm patterns of what the owls say when placed in a rhythmic sentence of 8. Each pattern will have only one type of owl written on it -- therefore, each pattern/owl equals one complete beat. For example, "long-whiskered" would be represented by an eighth note and 2 sixteenth notes; "barn owl" would be represented by a two eighth notes.  Use an owl finger puppet to tap each owl, keeping a steady beat as the B Section is created.  Allow different children to use the finger puppet.  Transfer the language to non-pitched percussion instruments and invite children to perform what the words say.

For an extension, try creating rhythmic sentences in different meters. Can you sing or chant your A section selection in that meter as well?   :)

You can also connect this rhythmic activity to other children's titles that have an owl theme.

MELODY - SOLFEGE OWLS

I use die-cut shapes of owls that I found at my local teacher supply store and placed "m" "r" or "d" in the center of each pattern. I use the peel-n-stick letters since they show up much better. Magnets can be added to the back of each owl for easy magnetic use.
Place the owls above, below or on a limb of a tree (a single line drawn on the board using a green or black marker). After a owl "melody" is sung correctly, die-cut leaves can be awarded to the "tree" as children sing the m-r-d melodies correctly.

For a fun extension, mix the owls up each time a story is read. If you have additional owl shapes, you can add additional solfege, solfege hand signs, or even staff notation. Rhythm options would include Level II rhythmic concepts.

Finally, once soprano recorder notes B-A-G have been introduced, have the children play their Autumn Owl Melody.

STEADY BEAT - RHYTHM OWLS

I use die-cut shapes of owls that I found at my local teacher supply store and placed sixteenth note rhythms in the center of each pattern.  Each owl pattern has only one full beat -- i.e. tika-tika, or ti-tika, or tika-ti.  Magnets can be added to the back of each owl for easy magnetic use.

Place the owls along a single line drawn on the board using a green or black marker to represent the limb of a tree. After singing an owl folk song (i.e. My Owlets), have the children correctly play the rhythm pattern that has been created on the "limb" of the tree.  If the rhythmic pattern is played correctly, die-cut leaves can be awarded to the "tree."

For a fun extension, mix the owl rhythms up each time the song is sung or a particular passage in a story (i.e. Owl Babies) is read. If you have additional owl shapes, you can add rhythm patterns. Additional options would include Level II rhythmic concepts.