What can I say about literature that hasn't already been said? Honestly, I have never met a music teacher who didn't use childrens literature in his/her lessons from time to time. As for me, I truly enjoy incoroporating literature into my elementary music classes. I find that students are more engaged in the lesson and more likely to comprehend the story. Let's be honest, literature lessons are just plain fun (and my administrators LOVE that I'm utilizing core curriculum in my "specials" classes). It's just a win all around!
General Tips for Using Literature in the Music Room:
- Artie Almeida has some wonderful lessons that incorporate literature and mallet instruments in her book Mallet Madness. It's one of my favorite resources for using literature in my classroom. She also has a second book Mallet Madness Strikes Again; both are worthy investments for any elementary music teacher.
- Take the extra prep time to photograph the pages of your book and put them into a PowerPoint presentation format. This way, students can see the pictures as you read the story aloud. Another bonus: I often hear my little ones whispering along.
- Create a book display in your classroom. This will lend your library to being used more frequently. You might also consider adding some pillows around your bookshelf to make it enticing.
- Add quiet reading to your center rotations. My students love it when I add the "Reading Center" into our rotation. The rules are simple: choose a story and read quietly to yourself or a partner.
- Use a YouTube video reading of those nifty tales! If you're anything like me, you like to listen to a story to familiarize yourself with repetitive words, musical elements, verbs, and anything extra you can draw attention to in your lesson. Or sometimes your voice is completely shot and you just can't read the story yourself. I've been there, believe me. A video is the best solution for these situations. Another reason I love those YouTube videos: I keep many of my teaching books at home to read with my little one and I'm incredibly forgetful. Yep, sometimes I just forget that darned book at home!
- Don't be afraid of singalong storybooks. There are so many to choose from, and most of your kiddos will be able to sing along as you go. This makes a great five-minute-finisher at the end of a class.
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| Here are some of my favorite sing-a-long storybooks |
A Few of My Favorite Books
(and how I use them)
BEAR'S LOOSE TOOTH
by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
This delightful tale has beautiful illustrations and is very appealing to younger elementary students. I've used this book for several years with great success; the lesson is simple and straightforward and my first-graders always have a blast.
Teaching Procedures:
I typically read through a story once before introducing any specific learning concepts. After the initial reading, I add a tremolo on neighbor tones and we talk about what I'm doing and add the vocabulary term to the technique. We practice whole-note and half-note tremolos, then create a short rhythmic pattern for the words "bear's loose tooth". (Example: Bear's = whole note Loose= whole note Tooth= half note)
Here is a video reading if you'd like to check out this cute story!
THE GINGERBREAD GIRL GOES ANIMAL CRACKERS
by Lisa Campbell Ernst
This series is just darling. With vibrant illustrations and creative storylines, your students are sure to get a kick out of any of the stories. The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers happens to be my favorite because it easily lends itself to musical instruction.
Teaching Procedures:
I begin this third-grade lesson by teaching the simple melody/chorus to the children. It uses the same melody as Row, Row, Row Your Boat so the kiddos should already know it well. I teach the song by rote and then add a steady Do/Sol accompaniment on an Orff instrument or BoomWhackers. I usually use C & G because the key of C is perfect for elementary aged students.
After I teach the chorus, we read through the story once adding the song/accompaniment as it comes up in the story. Afterward I ask students which words occur most often-- you might have to help your kiddos with this-- and we choose instruments to represent those recurring words. I usually start them off by suggesting a temple block for the word crackers, and then the kids come up with all kinds of ideas from there. We "perform" the story together at least once more and then discuss the form: AB.
The kids really enjoy participating in this lesson because every child ends up with an instrument. It's always an exciting class to teach!
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| A very simple melody: Row, Row, Row Your Boat |
Lastly, if you'd like an energetic reading of the story, Here is a great YouTube video. This gal does a wonderful job making the story exciting for little listeners.
LLAMA LLAMA RED PAJAMA
by Anna Dewdney
This last idea is silly; believe me, I know. I came up with this nutty little melody one evening while reading to my two-year-old, Claire. We use the term reading pretty loosely in my house because you're as likely to hear us singing the story as you are to hear us reading it.
Teaching Procedures:
I first sing the story to the children, showing the pictures on a PowerPoint as I go. They usually start to hum along by the time I've sung a few pages, and this is how you can tell they're really listening. For younger elementary, you might consider teaching them the "llama llama red pajama" then have them sing with you whenever you reach that part. For older students in grades 2-4, you could add melodic instruments on a bordun or you try having them play the melody on an Orff instrument as they sing "llama llama red pajama" along with you.Another version: This video option is also a sing-a-long. Although it's different from what I have suggested, it is a cute version of the story and I really enjoyed it. I hope you do, too.
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As always, we welcome your input and your ideas. Let me know what you think, and if you have any favorite stories that have been successful for you. I'm always looking to add new books to my collection.
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