CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - BOOKS TO SING

Ten Grouchy Groundhogs
Written by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook
Illustrated by Jay Johnson
ISBN: 978-0-545-13414-9

Read the story (each verse told in rhyme) to the children inviting them to repeat the 4th phrase with a patting and clapping response (see Blog Activity 1-22-11).  The second time the story is retold, it can be sung to the melody of "One Little Elephant."

When each groundhog has left the den, and you have read or sung "out, out, out!", have the childen repeat "out, out, out!" on a s-m-d pattern.  Use solfege buttons to cue the children.

Extension:  Once the children are able to sing s-m-d on cue, change the solfege response to create different melody pattern responses each time.
The story can also be sung to the melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle" and adapted to "The Bear Went Over the Mountain."

Enjoy the story and keep singing. :)

MELODY - SOLFEGE T-SHIRTS - PREPARING 'DO'

I purchased T-shirt patterns from my local teacher store -- though you will need only 10 t-shirt patterns.  On each of the t-shirt patterns I wrote a 3-note s-m-d pattern.  Be careful to space them apart so that you don't create a chord triad.  Laminate and place magnets on the back of each t-shirt pattern.

At this time of year, I like using the story "Ten Grouchy Groundhogs,"  because it is a great retelling of "Ten in the Bed."  Each groundhog is represented in an 8-line stanza (or 2 4-line stanzas).  The first 4-line stanza ends with "then...then...then" while the second 4-line stanza ends with "out, out, out!"  After reading all four lines of the first stanza, invite the children to repeat the 4th line "then...then...then" while playing a pat-pat-pat on their legs to what the words say.  After reading all four lines of the second stanza, invite the children  to repeat the 4th line "out, out, out!" while playing a clap-clap-clap pattern to what the words say.

To prepare an opporunity to read s-m-d patterns, I created an additional poem.  The following poem is spoken after each groundhog leaves the den:



"So up, up, up the ladder
It didn't take too long
To see the light of the noon-day sun
and the T-shirt melody song."

Then using the familiar tune to the words, ". . . shave and a haircut, two bits" -- have the children sing "Let's hang the t-shirt . . . on the line."  After singing this little melody, have children sing the s-m-d pattern they see of the t-shirt added to the clothes line.  (Of course you can remind the children that the t-shirts are hanging on the line because they were washed after the little groundhog climbed up the ladder out of the den through the roots, vines, and dirt.)  As you add more t-shirts to the line, you will create longer s-m-d patterns to sing.

Mix up the t-shirt patterns and retell the story with a new "t-shirt" melody.

Extension 1:  Create a KWL Chart -- BEFORE:  What do you know about groundhogs?  PREPARE:  What would you like to know about groundhogs?  AFTER:  What did you learn about groundhogs?

Extension 2:  Language Arts - Have children identify all of the verbs they find in the story.  (These actions words are found in the first 4-line phrases of the story.)  Invite the children to play a hand drum after they hear each adverb.

Extension 3:  Language Arts - Have children identify all of the adjectives they find in the story.  (These are mostly words found describing the groundhogs.)  Invite the children to play a triangle after they hear each adjective.

Have fun with this wonderful groundhog story as Feb 2 - GROUNDHOG DAY - will be here sooner than we realize. Let's hope that there's no shadow! :)

STEADY BEAT - RHYTHM FOOTPRINTS - PREPARING HALF NOTE

I wanted to continue with The Snowy Day since I know that many of you like to use a book more than once -- or have more than one activity with a book.  So this week, I am adding a steady beat activity.

In the story, when Peter goes out into the snow, the snow ostinato is "crunch, crunch, crunch."  Add a 4th "crunch" to have a full 4-beat measure ostinato.  You can use 4 footprint outlines and write one quarter note on each (see last week's entry for ideas about creating footprints).  As you read the story, invite one child to tap on the posted footprints while the rest of the class plays the rhythm pattern of the ostinato (ta-ta-ta-ta) on a non-pitched instrument.  Use bar instruments in pentatonic for a more melodic winter response.

Extension 1:  Write a different rhythm pattern on each footprint.  Remember that each footprint is only one beat.  Mix the footprints up to create different rhythmic sentences.

Extension 2:  Have the children trace both feet and cut them out -- this gives you matching footprints.  Have the children write a quarter note on each of their footprints and mix them in a pile with other footprints.  Ask them to re-match.  Tie string on the footprints and ask the children to "tie" their shoes together.  Place the footprints in 4-beat (4 footprints) or 8-beat (8 footprints) patterns.  Place each child's footprints beside their matching footprint so that they can be "tied" together (or "tied" together at a later time).  If they tie their shoes together, explain that they will only play the first of their footprints and not the second.  This is a great opportunity to PREPARE half note.  In a later lesson, you can place YOUR footprint, which is obviously much larger, on top of their footprints.  Each of your footprints must have a half note written on each of them.  One of your footprints should cover two of theirs.  By showing their footprint under yours, they can visually see that your footprint (the half note) receives 2 full beats.

MELODY - SOLFEGE FOOTPRINTS

For a fun winter activity, I picked up some die-cut patterns of footprints at my local teacher store.  You can find die-cut shapes of feet as well as shoe foot prints.  Since it's winter, I'm using the shoe foot prints (an outline of the bottom of shoes) -- it might be too cold to walk around barefoot.  LOL  You can also simplify the activity by using construction paper and having the children trace around their own shoes.  This would give the activity more personality and individual ownership as each child proudly recognizes their own shoe outline.  Allow the children to use different colors of construction paper to represent the shoe they are tracing.

After Peter finishing his breakfast, he puts on his snowsuit and goes outside.  His feet sink into the snow.  The story uses the words "crunch, crunch, crunch."  Place the shoe prints on the board to create simply sol-mi-do patterns.  Play a simple chord bordun on the BX as children sing the different shoe patterns.  Each time Peter walks, have the children sing his footsteps.  Change the location of the die-cut patterns to create different melody patterns.

Extension 1:  Add another "crunch" to begin preparing re.

Extention 2:  Add the folk song "Winter Weather" to the song.  I like using this song since the first 2 verses include a sol-mi-re-do pattern.  Have the children decide where they would like to sing the song as the story is told.  Have them discuss different "winter" words to create new verses to the song.

Extension 3:  Adapt the folk song "I Don't Care if the Rain Comes Down" to "I Don't Care if the Snow Comes Down."  Use this as an opening or closing song selection to tell the story.  While I have traditionally used this song selection in Spring, I have to thank Liza for posting a movement activity in her blog to this song as it prompted me to think of a new way to use the familiar song for winter.  Be sure to check our Liza Meyer's Music Blog (a link is found on the left side of my home page) for the movement suggestions.  Thanks Liza!  :)

STEADY BEAT - WINTER RHYTHM CUBES

Be sure to check out "Let it Snow" from Dec 25 2010 -- Books to Sing.

I picked up 2" wooden cubes at my local crafts store and painted them white.  These cubes are a bit more expensive but the size makes them much more engaging to roll and play with.  However, you can also purchase smaller bags of 1" cubes for about $3.  On each of the painted cubes, I used a black marker to create simple stick notation on each of the 6 sides of the cubes.  Since I plan on using this with lower grade levels, I used quarter note, eighth note and quarter rests.  I put 2 of each on each cube.  I also purchased a plastic cup and placed snowflake stickers on it to create a winter "shaker" cup for the 1" cubes that I created.  A larger bucket or basket can be used for the larger cubes.

After reading through (or singing) the story, the children find the repeated phrase, "But then . . . "  As the children read or sing the next 2 phrases, allow a child to shake and roll the snowflake cubes out and line them up.  When the children reach the part of the story where they respond, "Let it snow!" the child with the cubes would then read and/or perform the rhythm pattern they created.

Once the rhythm performance is complete, the cubes are returned to the cup or basket and the story continues.  Have fun with this exciting winter activity.

Extension:  To make this activity engaging, create a set of cubes with winter stickers.  By chosing stickers with snowflakes and icicles, the children experience rhythms with ti-ti and tiki-ti.  I also found stickers of polar bears and penguins.  There were many other sticker options that would allow different rhythmic patterns.