CHILDREN'S LITERATURE - BOOKS TO SING

Ten Lucky Leprechauns
Written by Kathryn Heling
Illustrated by Deborah Hembrook
ISBN:  978-0-545-43648-9

This charming and magical add-on story can be sung to the folk melody of Pat Works on the Railway.  You may need to read prior to using in class as some of the language may need to be adapted to fit the rhythmic structure of the song.  Just keep repeating the melody of the song for each of the numbered leprechauns introduced in the story.

If you want to sing the chorus, simply use the words:
Fiddle-de-fizz, up and down,
Fiddle-de-fizz all through the town.
Fiddle-de-fizz off and on
Ten lucky leprechauns.

You can also sing the story to the folk melody of Cedar Swamp - just keep repeating the melody from the verse for each of the numbered leprechauns as you sing.  If you would like to sing the chorus between each number (or page in the story) - simply sing the following:

Fiddle-de-fizz up and down, fiddle-de-fizz home.
Fiddle-de-fizz up and down, fiddle-de-fizz home.


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Create a B or C section (depending on whether you sing the chorus or not) by adding rhythmic clovers.  Use precut clover patterns with rhythmic patterns on them to reinforce the concepts of the grade level in which you are sharing the story.  For primary grades, you may wish to simply use ta and ti-ti patterns.  You can certainly use a quarter rest as well as students in the primary grades (GR 1 and 2) should have mastered this concept by March.

For intermediate grades (GR 3-5), consider using sixteenth note patterns - 1 beat on each clover.  Tape or connect two clovers together to show half note / half rest patterns.





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EXTENSION:  Give children 4 stickers and allow them to write their 4-beat patterns on the stickers.  Remind them that they can only write one beat on each sticker.  Then have them place the stickers on precut shapes or clover coins.  This allows them to manipulate their patterns - creating different 4-beat patterns each time they work with them.

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Enjoy the book and keep singing.

MELODY

STEADY BEAT

MELODY - LOW LA HEARTS

Love, Ruby Valentine
Written by Laurie Friedman
Illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath
ISBN: 978-1-57505-899-3

I want to reinforce low la with this story with GR 3 students.  You will need 4 large foam hearts or die-cut hearts for the class activity.  The children have also been using a 3-line staff as we have been working with m-r-d patterns.

Begin with simply m-r-d patterns after each 4-line stanza.  Add the low la sound by placing one of the hearts below the 3-line staff.  We have been singing m-r-d with success, so we simply added the word "low" for the heart place below the 3-line staff.  As we continue singing m-r-d-l, patterns, we will eventually change "low" to the syllable "la."

We then use water bottle lids that have heart stickers on the tops.  With the 3-line staff pages, every child has an opportunity to listen to m-r-d-l. patterns and notate them with the lids and staff paper.  Sing the patterns while children build what they hear - I usually start with simple m-r-d patterns first since that's what the children have been successful with.  After the class lesson of showing children how low la sits below the staff and notating a few with large class size hearts, invite children to begin creating their own based on the example sung.  Then repeat the process with m-r-d patterns then m-r-d-l. patterns by playing them on an instrument (or on the recorder).


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