A Tistket A Tasket from the USOE Songbook

Over the course of the year I have heard from many of you about the difficulty in finding lessons and using the resources you have in your classroom.  I have to say that I have faced the same dilemmas in past years.  This year I have come to LOVE the USOE Songbook and I think it is your most useable resource.  There are tons of songs and each song is outlined with a basic lesson plan.  The outline is based on the four standards: singing, playing, listening and creating.  There is a paragraph for each standard that describes how to use this song in  your class.  Here's what I've been doing lately...


The first thing I do is look through the book to find a song or group of songs that I like and feel like I can teach well to my class.  The majority of songs in the USOE Songbook can be used in similar ways.  Without looking at the outlines I know I can use most of these songs to teach steady beat, proper singing, playing simple instruments and solfege.

Next I read through the outline written for this song.  I use a highlighter to highlight the parts of the outline I think I can use and easily accomplish in one or two class periods.  This also helps me understand what grade levels would enjoy this song and activity. 

This song also has a game to go along with it that is a lot like Duck, Duck, Goose.  Sometimes that game can get rowdy in class.  Make sure if you use it to set up some parameters for the kids to follow while playing. 

I recently visited Jamie Stone at Buffalo Point Elementary and she was using this song in her class.  She wanted to play the game but didn't like how it was set up.  She decided to change it up a little bit. 

Jamie had her students sit in a circle on the floor.  She taught them the song and then introduced the game.  She had a envelope, and in that envelope she had typed up different ways you could sing the song like:  high voice, low voice, humming, like a robot, like a roller coaster, etc.  What a great idea for vocal exploration!  She had one student walk to the steady beat around the outside of the circle while everyone sang the song.  At the end of the song, the student on the outside stopped behind another student and passed the envelope to them.  The person who received the envelope got to choose a slip that said they way they would sing and then they became the beat keeper on the outside.  The kids loved it and had a lot of fun with this activity. 

Here a short clip of Jamie with her (hardest) 3rd grade class. 



I love this song and activity and I have recently come to love the USOE Songbook and recommend you take some time to look through it and find some song and activities that you enjoy.   Jamie has worked really hard and has become a pro at using this songbook with her class!  Thanks for sharing Jamie!