Learning Left and Right

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

This concept is just plain hard. I struggled with this as a young child, and even today when giving someone directions, I have to stop and think before I decide whether it’s a left or right turn. Maybe this is due to the fact that I am left-handed; us lefties have it rough ;) It’s hard to explain left and right to a child, so in this song I describe the same method I used so long ago:

The sky is up,
The ground is down,
But if you take a look around
There are other ways to go,
Left and right are what you need to know.

Hold up your hands
And reach your fingers to the sky,
Point your thumbs in,
Do you wanna know why?
Well the hand that makes an L
Is the left one.
The other is the right,
And now you’re halfway done.

Stretch your arms to your sides
As far as they can go.
Look at your left hand
And you will know,
That this way is left,
And the other way is right,
You are learning your directions,
And that is outta sight!

Do you have a better way for teaching left or right? If so, please share! You can never have enough tools in the box when it comes to teaching skills like this one.

Happy Earth Day!

by | Uncategorized

It’s April 22, which means it’s time to recycle, plant a tree, and be thankful for Mother Earth. Of course, we should do those things every day of the year, and today – Earth Day – only reinforces our awareness. What are you going to do to celebrate? The students at my school will be planting trees this afternoon on the school grounds, and I’ll be singing “Good Green Earth” from the album Good Morning Sun, Good Night Moon.

You won’t be surprised to hear that this was another great iTunes find, originally written and recorded by James K. I absolutely love this song, and it’s been a hit here at the Hope Institute for quite some time now. I love using shakers with this song – we shake them up high, down low, and in a circle during the chorus. Another plus is that we can work on days of the week and months of the year at the same time!

Have yourself a wonderful Earth Day…the forecast here is 70 degrees and sunny, so you know I will :) See you tomorrow!

The Digit Dance

by | Listen & Learn Music, Uncategorized

Memorizing a string of numbers can be challenging, but it is absolutely necessary for each and every child to know his/her home phone number. And what is the best way to learn? Why, with a song, of course! “Digit Dance” makes this task a little more fun…I used a made-up phone number for the first half of the song, so just replace that with the child’s number when you put this tune to use.

I have a little boogie that I do,
When I share my phone number with you.
There are seven numbers that you need to know,
So I’ll say them nice and slow:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Memorize your number and don’t forget,
Not to share it with the people you just met.
You can tell it to your teacher or friend,
Now I’ll say it once again:
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _
Do the digit dance, do the digit dance,
_ _ _-_ _ _ _

A great way to adapt this song is to use sign language when listing the phone number. That way, non-hearing students can still benefit, and everyone can work on signing skills at the same time. You could also play a game using this song, where you take turns pointing to a student, and that student fills in his/her own phone number.

Under, Over, In and Out

by | Listen & Learn Music

Ahh, prepositions. They are something we all learn at one point or another, and as educators, we have the responsibility of making sure our students understand them. There are so many, but I chose just four of the most commonly used prepositions to include in this particular song.

Something important to remember about teaching prepositions: words can only go so far. You really need some sort of visual aide to demonstrate each word and its meaning. One idea is to use a stuffed animal or a student’s favorite object, and then place that object under or over a table or chair, in and out of a bin, etc. That way the student has a visual reference to associate with each preposition. I structured my song so that there is a time to demonstrate each word after singing about it. See what you think:

Under, over, in and out,
Is what we’re gonna sing about.
So please listen carefully,
And you will learn along with me.

Under is a word that means below,
Like the fish swim under water, this we know.
Now I’ll show you just exactly what I mean, you see,
So keep your eyes on me. (demonstrate under)

CHORUS

Over is a word that means above or across,
Like a bridge over the lake or the ball over we toss.
Now I’ll show you just exactly what I mean, you see,
So keep your eyes on me. (demonstrate over)

CHORUS

In is a word that means to enter,
Like you’ve come inside or walked into the center.
Now I’ll show you just exactly what I mean, you see,
So keep your eyes on me. (demonstrate in)

CHORUS

Out is a word that means away,
Like you’re out of school and went outside to play.
Now I’ll show you just exactly what I mean, you see,
So keep your eyes on me. (demonstrate out)

CHORUS

This is one activity where you can get creative and really cater to the interests and learning styles of your students. What are some other ways of teaching these prepositions (and others)? What has worked for you in the past, and what hasn’t?