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! :)