and long-term memory.
Are there similarities between songs and stories? Yes. Song and stories can promote cognitive development. There also exists similarities in their phrasing, structure, and inflections.
What are the benefits of combining music and English language arts (ELA)? Benefits include enhancing students’ learning and reading fluency in both content areas.
Why would I spend music time to read a book with my students? The sample lesson included in this article provides an example of how sharing children’s literature in your classroom can enhance foundational learning in music and language. Enjoy “singing” the story of “The Little School Bus” with your students.
The Little School Bus travels to the General Music Classroom Suggested Grade Level: 1-2
Music Areas of Focus: steady beat; pitch matching,singing a major scale series, experiencing 6/8 meter
Reading and Language Areas of Focus: Vocabulary:
Classify common words into conceptual categories (e.g., animals)
Elements of Literature:
Sequence a series of events in a literary selection, heard or read. Determine whether a literary selection, heard or read, is realistic or fantasy. Participate (e.g., clapping, chanting, choral reading) in the reading of poetry by responding to the rhyme and rhythm.
Materials: Card Visuals: Ordinal Number Words, Animals, Rhymes, “Beep, Beep, Beep” school bus card
Book: The Little School Bus by Carol Roth Rhythmic Phrase/Chant:
Cooper, S. (January 2010). “Lighting Up the Brain with Songs and Stories.” General Music Today, 23 (2), 24-30.
Cunningham, P.M., Moore, A.M., Cunningham, J.M. & Moore, D.W. (1989). Reading in elementary classrooms: Strategies and observations. White Plains, NY; Longman.
Melody:
Hardiman, M. M. “Mariale Hardiman's Brain-Targeted Teaching Model” Retrieved from
http://www.braintargetedteaching.org/index.cfm
Kodiak, E. (March 2013). “Teaching Literacy is Teaching Music!” Early Childhood Music & Movement Association (ECMMA). Retrieved from
http://www.ecmma.org/blog/movement_matters/ teaching_literacy_is_teaching_music
Pfaff, L. G. (2008, July). “I love storytime.” Parents, 123-124. Procedure:
Speak rhythmic chant several times. Have students start “filling in” the “beep, beep, beep” section with words and adding the motion of “pushing the horn;” add “pat, pat, clap” during words “take a seat.”
Read story to class. Have students speak the rhythmic chant as it appears in text and add the
ala breve
Trollinger, V. L. (2010). “The Brain in Singing and Language.” General Music Today, 23, 20-23.
Dr. Shelly Cooper is Professor of Music Education at the University of Arizona where she teaches undergraduate and graduate music education courses. Cooper also teachers Kodály certification courses at Arizona State University and the University of New Mexico. Cooper is the editor of General Music Today and the Book/Media Review Editor for the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education.
53
“Riding the Bus” melody for every appearance of the text.
Pass out cards with ordinal number words (e.g., first, second, third, etc.) to various students.
Have them put the words in order on the white board
Introduce cards with the animal pictures that correspond with the book (e.g., pig, goat, etc.). Challenge students to put the animals in sequential order of their appearance in the book.
Introduce cards with the words that rhyme with each animal (e.g., “coat” for “goat”). Have students match each rhyme with the corresponding animal.
Read/Sing through the cards on the whiteboard: o first is a goat in a coat o second is a pig in a wig o third is a fox wearing socks o fourth is a chick who is so quick o fifth is a bear with lots of hair o sixth is worm who starts to squirm o seventh is a sheep who likes to sleep
Transfer the scale pattern to tone bells, stair-step bells, and/or other barred instruments
**Note: Sing the first card series on “do,” second card series on “re,” etc. (see figure below). Finish the scale by singing “they are” on high “do” before singing the “Riding the Bus” melody for the last time. References:
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64