Imagine That - SWIS Lesson Plan 2

1. Hello, How do you do?

For this lesson, I will be using instruments to play hello to each other. We will be playing to steady beat and as well as other creative options suggested by the kids. This is a way to encourage creativeness and to think 'out of the box'. Again, this promotes self esteem and confidence in one's ability to suggest ideas. No wrong or right way of playing as long as the kids can label the movements and tell me what it is. Share with you something cute. Last week, when we were playing rhythm sticks to "This Old Man", one kid rolled the sticks on the floor and he called it the 'roti canai' movement! The kids loved it, and later when I asked them for 'roti canai' movement, they all remembered and we all have a good laugh over it. To me, this is part of what a Kindermusik class is all about. Fun and laughter, freedom to give ideas and know that it will be accepted and acknowledged by your peers and teacher.

2. What do we do when we all go out?
This week, we will be doing some basic composing. I will be asking the kids to tell me what they can 'see' when we all go out, rather than 'do' - so what do we see when we all go out? To enhance learning and to make it relevant to the theme of park, I will be introducing creatures that we can see at the park - grasshopper, ants, ladybird, bird.....and moving to them. Hopping like a grasshopper, crawling like an ant... The development of body awareness in children this age is very important.

3. Grasshopper Park Story
For this lesson, I plan to incorporate the slide whistle as sound effects in the story. See Saw ( up and down pitch), swing ( sliding sound) and slide ( gradually going up as in climbing up the ladder and then sliding down). This is the expose the kids to the different ways of playing and making sounds with the slide whistle. Interactive story telling incorporates a variety of experience..singing, speaking and playing with vocal sounds.

4. Grasshopper Park Medley.
This is an instrumental movement piece. The kids will be encouraged to listen and recognize the three different segments - swing, slide and see saw and move to the approriate section. This is to develop analytical listening skills.

5. Ha, Ha This a Way
We will be using drums to beat to the different rhythms of walking, running and jumping. Last week, we moved to the cue of the drum. This week, every kid will have a chance to play on one drum each and to show me how they can drum to running, walking and jumping.

6. Parent Sharing Time
We will continue to explore the slide whistle ( by using the Do as I'm Doing song) and I will be introducing graphical notation which is a simple visual method for the kids to learn how to blow the whistle. Will be teaching the long and short sounds this week.

7. Everbody wave and sing goodbye