The main focus of this lesson is to get the students to:
listen to high and low sounds (sol-mi)
start them reading rhythms (ta and ti-ti)
First the students learn by rote the Pumpkin Pumpkin Song:
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After the students know the song we form a circle, and choose one child to go into the middle. We then play the Pumpkin Pumpkin game:
Have the students in the circle face away from the student in the middle and side-step around the circle while singing the song. On the words "just like that," they should clap the rhythm. On "that," have the students jump around to face the student in the middle, making the scariest faces that they can. The student in the middle (or teacher) chooses the scariest face to be the next person in the middle. You can speed up the game by having more than one child in the middle at the same time.
Some kindergarten classes find it difficult to side-step in a circle around the student in the middle. instead of walking around the circle, have them form the circle, turn away from the child in the middle, and outline the contour of the melody in the air to show the high and low sounds as they sing the song. At the end of the song, they should jump around and make the scary face, as described in the game above.
After we've played the game many times, we show the students the Pumpkin Pumpkin pointing page and have them point to the higher and the lower sounds. While tracking the "notes" the students sing along. This activity will reinforce that music is read from left to right, and they will see how the "notes" go higher and lower. At this point we use the 2 line floor staff and use pumpkin cut outs for the students to place the pumpkins where they should go, low or high. We sing through the song as I point to each of the "notes" Then I choose a student "conductor" to take my place and point at the pumpkins.
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Afterwards to assess if the students know which are the higher and lower sounds, I have them close their eyes and use arm motions to show the higher and lower sounds.
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Extension Ideas!!
1.)Use this song to teach the concept of rhythm: Have the students clap the words of the song as they sing instead of raising and lowering their arms. This will help to reinforce that rhythm in music is "the way the words sound" When you transfer this to the Pumpkin Pumpkin pointing page, they will see what the rhythm looks like.
2.)Create new verses for the song. Ask the students for other spooky things that they could turn into instead of a jack-o-lantern. For example:
-Turn into a black cat just like that!
-Turn into a scary monster just like that!
3.)Add an instrumental accompaniment. Pat a steady beat as you and the students sing the song. Transfer the pattern to a barred instrument to play a simple bordun on C and G. Have the students accompany the singing.
