I found my version of this song in the book Sail Away: 155 American Folk Songs to sing read and play. However, you can read and listen to a slightly different version HERE.
This song would be great to teach musical form, explore creative movement, and provide opportunities for students to sing alone. In addition, I think it can be used with a variety of different age groups and skill levels. You’ll notice in this week’s template, that I’ve included standards for 1st through 4th grade. However, I think this song could be used with older grades as well.
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| Click image to download |
The lesson template above (which you can download for free) is meant to be used as a guide for writing your own lesson plan using Just From the Kitchen. You can use the excess space at the bottom of the guide to sketch out activity ideas or jot down notes on what you’d like to include in your own lesson plan.
Play the traditional game that accompanies the song (shown in the video below). As the students “fly” across the circle, encourage them to move in new ways. The students can focus on creative movement and singing the chorus using the correct melody pattern. Meanwhile, you will sing the solo. You can replace “Oh Miss Mary” with each students name as you go. For example, “Oh Mister Brandon, Shoe-lie-loo” and so on.
Download and display the following visual on your interactive whiteboard to help your students understand the melody pattern of the chorus. Or, if you don’t have an interactive whiteboard, you can simply print the visual and hold it up as you explain the pattern.
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| Click image to download |
If you’d rather not go through the process of laminating or cutting, simply print out the final sheet in your download (shown below) and ask students to fill it out. I formatted it to be two worksheets per page to save on paper and ink.
Idea #2
This second idea can be used in a following class period, after the students have had experience singing and moving to the song, as well as identifying the melodic patterns in the chorus. Briefly review the song by singing through it once. Ask your students to identify the “same and different parts”. They will point out the fact that you sang the solo, in which the words change, and they sang the chorus, in which the words stayed the same. Once they’ve made those connections, explain that the song is in the form of call and response, for exactly the reasons they just stated.
Have a family member you dislike and want to annoy over the holidays? Trying singing this song every time they come back from the kitchen. Invite like-minded family members to join in by clapping and inserting the word “biscuits” with whatever food they have in their hand.
I’m kidding, but if you decide to try this out anyway (against my better judgment), just don’t tell them it was my idea.
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4 Responses
I have never heard this song- so many ideas spinning in my head right now! 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions. My personal favorite, of course, is #3 😉 However I do think this song would be perfect to wrap up my call-and-response focus with my lower elementary students this week! #fermatafridays
Lol, I'm glad you liked the third idea. It's my personal favorite too 😉
Thank you! I love the worksheet and manipulatives. My choir is learning this song right now and this helps me make the perfect connection to solfa.
Thank you! I'm so glad it'll be helpful for your choir 🙂