Objectives:

The learner will…

• Match visual clues with corresponding rhythm cards
• Compose body and instrumental percussion for found rhythm clues
• Perform each found rhythm for each specific section in the story
• Reinforce rhythm reading

Materials: 

• Harry’s Horrible Hair, a book by Theresa Cocci 
• Website: www.theresacocci.org
• Storybook Flashcards
• Unpitched Percussion Instruments 
• Orff Instruments

Synopsis:

• Meet Harry, a downhearted little dog who is saddened by the stares and laughter of others who only see his horrible hair. When his friend Miss Maggie knits him a handsome sweater to hide his messy hair, Harry quickly gains confidence. But when disaster strikes and his patchy hair is once again revealed, Harry wonders if others will ever see him for what he’s like on the inside—not just the outside.

Activities:

• Prior to the class entering the classroom, the teachers hides the visual flashcards for “Harry’s Horrible Hair” around the classroom.
• At the beginning of the class, the teachers holds up each prepared rhythm card for “Harry’s Horrible Hair”.
• Before the story is read aloud, encourage the students to pay close attention to the pictures in the book.
• Teacher begins to read, “Harry’s Horrible Hair.”
• After reading aloud, the teacher explains to the class that there are seven pictures from the story hidden around the room.
• Divide students into groups. Give each group a rhythm card that will match the picture card from the story.  Scavenger hunt time!
• (Note:  If it’s too hectic to send all groups looking for their picture clues, send two groups at a time.
• When each group returns to their spot, bring their rhythm card and picture card to the teacher.
• Ask the group to take turns and say their rhythms aloud and ask if that rhythm matches their picture card.
• When each student in the group can say their rhythms, ask them to take turns and tap their rhythms.
• Each group then returns to work together and choose unpitched percussion instruments that can accompany their rhythm card. Set a time limit or I use a signal like a drum or clapping rhythm to end the group work.     
• Then groups take turns saying and performing their rhythms for the class.
• Remind students of their performance etiquette while others are performing. 
• Discuss with students what they liked about each performance.  
• As Teacher reads, “Harry’s Horrible Hair”, once again, each group will perform their rhythmic phrase that correlates with their illustration in the story as the teacher pauses before turning the page.
• Note: It may not be possible to add all the rhythmic phrases in one reading.  Depending on the class, I will pick two groups at a time to add their phrases while reading the book. 

Extension:

• For older students, I have hidden the rhythm cards around the room. Then students will look for a visual card that matches the rhythm.
• When I want to reinforce rhythm reading, I will line up the rhythm flashcards on the board ledge.  Then I will play a rhythm without saying the words and ask,
  “Who can find the rhythm?”
• Set up a C pentatonic scale on several Orff instruments or enough for each group. 
• Each group receives a rhythm flashcard and let the groups explore and create a melody for their phrase which can be used for book reading. Some students can write down the rhythm, while others in the group create a melody.  These are ideas that I have used, but please feel free to adapt  and tailor to your classroom.

Purchase a copy of Theresa’s book here

Download her scavenger hunt flashcards here

Download a pdf of Theresa’s lesson plan here

For more music lessons inspired by Harry and his horrible hair, click here

The post Harry’s Horrible Hair – Scavenger Hunt first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Suggested age range: K-2

Objectives:

 The learner will….

• Identify a character’s feelings and thoughts by exploring the children’s book, “Harry’s Horrible Hair.”
• Using several different selections of repertoire, student’s will create their own movement which allows them to express their feelings and emotions
• Exploring the SEL Competencies, students will discuss how we can empathize with others
• Using a “Musical Question,” students will explore and create musical responses that demonstrate ways we can be respectful and helpful to others

Materials:

• Harry’s Horrible Hair, a book by Theresa Cocci
• Recordings of various “repertoire”
• Emoji visuals
• Whiteboard or chalkboard
• Harry’s Helpers Flashcards

Synopsis:

• Meet Harry, a downhearted little dog who is saddened by the stares and laughter of others who only see his horrible hair. When his friend Miss Maggie knits him a handsome sweater to hide his messy hair, Harry quickly gains confidence. But when disaster strikes and his patchy hair is once again revealed, Harry wonders if others will ever see him for what he’s like on the inside—not just the outside.

Activities:

• Before the teacher reads the story, ask students to listen and look for words that describe how “Harry” is feeling and how they may change.
• After reading, ask, “When did Harry feel happy?” “When did he feel sad?” “When did he feel mad or worried?”
• Discuss with students their responses. Write their ideas on whiteboard or chalkboard.
• Play several excerpts of repertoire suggested below. I used “Spotify” for the selections of recordings.
• We played a freeze game. I played a section of the repertoire, while students moved around in their “personal space” or “poly spot,” then stopped the music. I took the emoji flashcards that I had made. (I used free clip art and selected various emojis and put them on cardstock).
• After the students freeze, the teacher holds up two emoji cards and asks, “How did that music make you feel?’’ “Hold up one finger for the first card or two fingers for the second card.”
• Continue playing the “freeze game” with selections of the repertoire below. Explore and discuss their body movements. Did they feel heavy, light, silly?

Piano Repertoire

“The Happy Farmer from Album for the Young, Op. 68 No. 10” by Robert Schuman (happy)  

“A Sad Story 30 Pieces for Children, Op. 27 #6” by Dimitry Kabalevsky (sad)

“Andantino” or also known as “Ivan Sings” by Aram Khachaturian (worried or sad)

Shenanigan’s Albums

“Muffin Man’s Jig/Circassian Circle” by the Shenanigans (silly)

                        “Frog Puddles/Ninepins Quadrille” (happy, silly)

“Nigun Atik” by the Shenanigan’s Bush Dances of New Holland (sad)

                        “Minoesjka” by the Shenanigan’s Children’s Dances of Terra del Zur, Vol.1 (sad to happy)

Classical Recordings

“Flight of the Bumblebee” by Rimsky-Korsakov (has that agitated feeling)

The next class:

• Teacher reviewed with students their responses from the last class about Harry’s different feelings in “Harry’s Horrible Hair.”  
• Using the SEL Emotional Core Competencies- Social Awareness/ Respecting Others as a guide, we explored:
• How we can be helpful to others?
• What are some things that others did in the story to help Harry and show respect and      love for him?
• These were some examples of responses:

                  A sweater was made for him.

                  Miss Maggie liked to comb his thin hair.

                 The old man gave him a hug

                 The elders petted him as he sat on their laps

• Teacher uses a musical question below and helps students create a rhythmic chant, using their responses.

          How can we help Harry who’s feeling so sad?

               Knit him a sweater.

               Comb his thin hair.

               Give him a hug and show that we care.

• Patsch rhythmic chant on legs, teaching one line at a time. Reinforce by repeating each line and adding a new one.
• Students added “visual clues” to help with memory of each line. We added body movements to show the clues.
• Examples were pretending to knit, combing, “hugging themselves and turning side to side.
• Teacher sets up a C pentatonic scale on the xylophone, removing the “F” and “B” bars. Teach the song by rote

• We took our ideas of helping others, wrote them on whiteboard again. We clapped out the rhythms and used stick notation underneath the words. I put them on a separate page below to print out, cut apart and laminate.
• Students worked in groups with their flashcards that were chosen by a leader from each group.
• We changed the words of the song to, “How can we help others who’re feeling so sad?”    
• The students worked on finding unpitched percussion or body percussion that could match their rhythms. These are just several examples:   
• Doing our chores (guiros, rubbing hands together)
• Helping our elders (rhythm sticks, tapping feet)
• Give a hug (bell tree, glockenspiels or tapping arms)  
• Create a rondo. Sing the musical question, “How can we help others who’re feeling so sad?”
• First group plays their phrase. Then class sings the “musical question” again.
• Second group plays, class sings “musical question.”
• Third group plays, class sings, “musical question.”
• Remind students of their performance etiquette. “Please be respectful while others are performing.”
• When finished, encourage each group to share what they liked about the other groups performance.
• Extension/Reflection:

As a class, we will continue to explore how we could use this song to help and respect others in our schools, family, and our community family. We brainstormed ideas about making cards for others, helping parents and grandparents with chores, sending thank you cards to our community workers, Firemen and Police.

Click here to download a pdf of this lesson

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book, please contact Theresa.

The post Lesson: Harry’s Horrible Hair first appeared on Teaching With Orff.

Henry the Hungry Hound

My intent in presenting my recently released children’s book, “Henry the Hungry Hound” was the idea of pairing the message of kindness and creating interactive musical experiences for the students.  As an Artist in Residence for two weeks meeting with each Kindergarten, First, and Second Grade class, lessons were formed that would reinforce the objectives below.

• Identify cued words in a story
• Perform those “special” words on instruments with others
• To identify kindness words and synonyms for kindness
• Create a rhythmic pattern with these words
• Play the created rhythmic patterns using UPP or body percussion
• Play pitched and unpitched percussion instruments which create sound effects to accompany the story

Synopsis for Henry the Hungry Hound

Discover how a kind old woman, whose love for baking and giving away her delicious pies, suddenly discovers that her plans may change.  Could it be her mischievous but lovable pup named Henry silently waits to devour those pies?  A final twist on the last pages reveals a silent partner, that encourages the young child to use their imagination and question Henry’s guilt.

Materials

• Henry the Hungry Hound story book
• Rhythm Chart
• Sound Bank Cards
• Recording device

Suggested Activities

• During the fist class with the Kindergarten, 1^st and 2^nd grades, while reading the book to the class, the students interacted by experimenting with voice inflections on the words, “Crash” and “Boom”, creating a fun sound effect for Henry the Hound’s destruction of the old woman’s delicious pies.
• Teaching the song, “Naughty Henry”, as an echo song, we added the “Crash, Boom” sound at the end of the first phrase.
• After the story was read, we discussed the kindness of the old woman and her problem-solving ideas
• The student’s ideas were written on the board and underlined words that related to kindness, such as caring, love, and giving for example
• We concluded with a kindness song below, clapping and tapping each letter of the word at the end of the song:

Let’s Be Kind in All We Do
(Tune: Oats, Peas, Beans)
Let’s Be Kind in All We Do
Give and Share the Whole Year Through
For every person big or small
We will help them one and all

(Some Kindness words we used)
Echo Clap: C-A-R-E,   L-O-V-E,  G-I-V-E

• The next class, working with just the second grade, we reviewed the story and discussed some of the kindness words we had used previously. On the smart board, I displayed a rhythm chart.
• Students chose a kindness word and put a letter in each column of the grid
• Students created a body percussion sound for each letter of that word.
  eg) Clap: H-E-L-P

• We discussed how we could display a five-letter word in our grid.
  eg) Tap: S-M-IL-E

• Students wrote a rhythmic icon for each letter:
• We also discussed the use of a quarter rest which created different patterns.
• Here is a sample of the students’ creations below.

• Once the grid was filled with our kindness words, we then checked their creations by clapping and tapping through each pattern several times.
• The class then chose a sound bank card, which I had purchased on TPT. Each sound bank card was displayed next to the rhythmic pattern.  (See above chart)
• We then recorded the “Let’s Be Kind” Song and chanted their rhythmic kindness creations at the end of the song.
• A recording was sent to each teacher to be used in the classroom as a kindness anthem for the class.

Henry the Hungry Hound Sound Story

Materials

Materials that we used to create the sound story were pitched and unpitched percussion instruments and the “Henry the Hungry Hound” storybook, recording device

Suggested Activities

Working with the Kindergarten and First Grade, we completed the activities below on the second visit

• Reread the story aloud to the students
• Discussed the sounds that were generated in the last class on the words, “Crash and Boom”.
• Introduced some additional cue words below:

Pies: (glissando from low to high on Soprano Xylophone)

Big ones and small ones: Soprano Xylophone and Soprano Glockenspiel

Rocking Chair:  Guiro

Boom, Crash: Drum, cymbals

“Oh Henry, he’s eaten all my pies” – sung by all the students

Loved: Bell Tree

• Each student was assigned a percussion instrument and sat with their group.
• Students practiced their “cue” word sounds while watching the teacher for a “start” and “stop” hand signal.
• Teacher read the story again with the percussion instruments added on their “cue” words.
• For a big finish, all the students played simultaneously and ended with the teacher saying the words, “The End”. All playing stopped.
• A recording was sent to each teacher along with a book.

Reflections

Working with the music teacher during the two visits at the school, he was able to offer advice about each classes personality and how well they worked together.  My preference of doing the activities as a “class” project worked better.  At the end of class, each student who showed cooperation and respect were given a “Henry” card, (approved by the Principal), and added it to their bag of incentive cards that their teacher had given them in the past.  Here is a sample of the cards students received:

When I presented my lessons with my own classes, knowing their capabilities and how they worked together, we divided into groups for the Kindness Activity in the second grade.  Performing their creations for the class, while respecting each other’s ideas, is a goal the we strived together to build as a team.

My hope that the message of kindness, which I so often see displayed in the halls of the schools, hopefully had been instilled through the activities of building upon the concept of teamwork during my visits.

The post Lesson: Henry the Hungry Hound first appeared on Teaching With Orff.