Finally! I've been trying to teach my fourth grade class the song "It's a Small World After-all" and for two lessons they just didn't get it. In the first lesson I pointed out the rhyming words and read the song with them. It didn't help. In the second lesson I tried to force them to sing it with me - they rebelled and sang it in Hebrew instead. I tried to explain to them how embarrased they would be come the English evening when the other fourth grade classes would know the song - and they wouldn't. It didn't work; they seemed delighted at the idea that perhaps they wouldn't have to perform after-all. Well, I gave them homework to read the song twice. And I sent them a Youtube clip of it to their emails.
Today in class I figured I would spend the entire lesson on the song if I had to, but that by the time I left the class they must know it. I handed everyone a copy of the song. I started humming the melody. A few kids joined in. I started singing. One girl started making hand gestures as she sang, and then her friend joined her. What the heck, I thought. I joined them - making hand motions that matched the words. Soon all the kids were making the hand motions, and slowly singing. Everyone knew the chorus real fast... We finished singing once and started again, and again, and again... Lesson over. I clapped my hands from relief and they all joined! A few announcements and I released them to recess.
Thank G-d
--Shifra
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1 comments:
Shifra, students will want to participate if you make it enjoyable. You saw this when the student introduced hand motions and you went with it. Also, kids love to be the one chosen to accompany the song with a small musical instrument such as a tambourine, wrist chime, tarbuka, or recorder. Get the students involved and they'll jump right in!
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