Episode 54 - Spring Storybooks Have Sprung - 5 New recommendations for April

Are you an elementary music teacher who's feeling overwhelmed and drained? Juggling lesson plans, self care, and the unique challenges of being a music teacher can be really tough. If the hustle's leaving you tired, know that you're not alone. Check to see if you're at risk for burnout by taking our burnout quiz and discover tools for a healthier, happier teaching experience.

Your wellbeing matters and it's time to prioritize it. Take the quiz today at storiesthatsing. net forward slash burnout quiz. Here's to a refreshed you in the new year. This podcast is a proud member of the Teach Better Podcast Network. Better today, better tomorrow, and the podcast to get you there.

Explore more podcasts at www. teachbetterpodcastnetwork. com. Now let's get on to the episode. It's the happy music teacher! Elementary

music teacher who's frustrated and overwhelmed. I'm Jeanette Shorey, a happy music teacher who loves teaching every day. But it wasn't long ago I was in your shoes. Join me Wednesdays to help you find happy in your music classroom. Well, I can't believe it's the end of March and probably either you've had spring break or you're getting ready to have spring break.

I happen to be right in the middle of my spring break and thoroughly enjoying the relaxing time, I must tell you. And what I love about spring break is that It seems like it's all downhill afterwards, right? Now, for me, if you're going, okay, Jeanette, not really. Um, that might be because the way you're running your classroom is making it feel hard.

And if that's the case, please be sure to reach out to me. I have lots of strategies and a brand new course called Chaos to Calm that will help you run your classroom with success so it feels easier. One of the reasons that my classroom feels easy is because I use a lot of storybook lessons to structure.

my lesson planning. So my lesson planning is super easy because I've usually got a theme, I've got a storybook that sort of sets the structure up, and then I use those storybooks to teach music skills, to teach instrument skills, all that good stuff. So today I have five storybook lessons for you and I'm really excited to share them with you.

They're good ones for spring, which we are still in the midst of, obviously, because it's not even April yet at the time of this recording. And they are also just good to, for, for anything. So let's go ahead and get started. I have five storybooks and the first one is called The Fleas Sneeze. by Lynn Downey.

This one has a tiny melody. It's great for first through third grade. You could even use it for kindergarten if you wanted to, especially this time of the year. And it is also good for recognizing different timbres. There's going to be some orf instrument improvisation. And you'll, your students will get to read and play the rhythmic phrases, and they'll also get a chance to use some vocal exploration.

So tons and tons of good stuff in this storybook. So this is the fleas sneeze. I'm going to go ahead and read a little bit of this for you. On a dark, dark night on an old, old farm in a rickety, rickety, rickety, rickety tumbledown barn. Everyone slept peacefully. Can you say rickety crickety? And then I'm going to listen for them to say rickety crickety in their rickety crickety voices.

A rat, a cat, a black eyed bat, a cowl, an owl, a feathered fowl, a dog, a hog and an old barn frog. Everyone slept peacefully, but not the flea. No one heard him cough. There is a tiny melody in this story and it goes like this. They all slept peacefully, but not the flea. So that will be sung. at the end of the page that says, everyone slept peacefully, but not the flea.

They all slept peacefully, but not the flea. Not even the mouse he used for a house or the rat or the cat or the black eyed bat or the cow or the owl or the feathered fowl or the dog or the hog or the old barnyard frog. They all slept peacefully, but not the flea. No one heard him sniffle, sniffle. So you are hearing some repeating patterns.

Another repeating pattern is achoo! May roo, boo hoo, moo moo, hoo hoo, cock a doodle doo, woo woo, eee! So lots of good patterns. vocal exploration. At the end, his sneeze wakes everybody up. And then everybody makes loud sounds like hoo hoo and hoo woo woo, cock a doodle doo, eeeew. So all kinds of good opportunities for vocal exploration.

And then everybody begins to doze again. And at the end it's the hog and the last page says no one heard his garbled wheeze I think I got the sneeze. So lots of great opportunities for vocal exploration and What we do in this one is we've got sniffle, sniffle, sniff, sniff. We've got, we have, so there are a bunch of different rhythm patterns.

And one of the things that we do is once we have read through the story and we sing it, Then we go through and we summarize the story and then we take a picture walk and we stop and discuss those different sounds. So sniffle, sniffle, sniff, sniff, and ah ha, ah ha, and ah choo! And we talk. This lesson plan has a great presentation that has the stick notation and also regular notation.

And we get to talk about the quarter notes and the eighth notes and the half notes. And then we pass out instruments and you can use a selection of unpitched percussion instruments. So Wood, scrapers, shakers, skins, metals, glockenspiels, whatever you want to use. And you use the scrapers to improvise a snoring sound.

You're going to use the glockenspiels to improvise peaceful music when the animals are sleeping peacefully. And then you're going to use the other instruments for the sniffle, sniffle, sniff, sniff, the ah choo, and the ah heh, ah heh, Plus you've got they all slept peacefully without the sneeze within this lesson plan There's also a sound for every animal so you can have different instruments for each animal and There are flashcards for those different animals So when what I find to be really helpful is when you're going through the story You can have the flashcard up and you can say okay Who has the hog?

And it's oink, oink, oink, oink. And then the frog is ribbit, ribbit, ribbit. And the rooster is cock a doodle doodle doo. And the mouse is squeak, squeak. So you get the idea. So each one has their own rhythm. So this can be an extension activity, and then there is also a really nice rhythm composition activity that goes with this storybook.

So I like to talk about how the fleas usually do not come out until springtime, until the weather warms up, and then we talk a little bit about that. So that's why I consider that one a spring book. So the next one that I like to do Is it's about some frogs and we get to talk about how frogs are loving the warm weather and they're out of hibernation.

And this one is called It's Mine and it is a fable by Leo Leone. And I love the Leo Leone books partly because my son Taylor just loved those books and he used to just have such a good time with them. So I love to choose them because. It reminds me of him, but also they're they're just great books and the illustrations are awesome and this one is all about some frogs who are having trouble sharing and There is a tiny melody and it goes like this.

It's mine. It's mine It's mine, mine, it's mine, it's mine, it's mine, mine, mine. So we get to talk a little bit about emotions in this storybook. So let me tell you a little bit about it. First of all, it's pre k through first grade. We're going to talk about timbre. We're not going to talk about the word timbre probably in pre k or kindergarten and first grade.

first grade, we can start talking about the word, but we're going to talk about how different instruments make different sounds. There's also an opportunity for students to improvise on the Orff instruments and the first graders get to read and play the rhythmic phrases. Now your kindergartners may be ready at this point in the school year to start doing a little bit of reading of the stick notation.

So this lesson plan has some rhythms that are rhythms about being angry, being thankful, being sad, being joyful, and being scared. So there is bicker, bicker, squabble, squabble. Then there's grateful, thankful, oh so glad. So one of the things we get to talk about is how the instruments sound. And I like to talk about happy instruments and sad instruments and angry instruments and that sort of thing.

And there are some patterns that I've created for this lesson plan. One of them is an angry one and it goes bicker, bicker, squabble, fight. Then we have a sad one and it goes It's sad to hear you fight. Then we have a scared one, thunder is so loud and scary. Then we have one that talks about being grateful, grateful, thankful, oh so glad.

And then we have peaceful, joyful, and you can explore how you can make your voice sound angry or sad or scared, first of all, and then you can also talk about the different instruments and how the instruments can feel that way. So let me read you just a little bit of this story. In the middle of Rainbow Pond, there was a small island.

Smooth pebbles lined its beaches, and it was covered with ferns and leafy weeds. On the island lived three quarrelsome frogs named Milton, Rupert, and Lydia. They quarreled and quibbled from dawn to dusk. At this point is when the first rhythm goes in. Bicker, bicker, squabble, fight! So, you can be handing out instruments, obviously, after you've read this the first time.

And, we'll talk more about that in a moment. Let me just 'Stay out of the pond! yelled Milton. 'The water is mine! Now I'm using my froggy voice. 'Get off the island! shouted Rupert. 'Stay The earth is mine. The air is mine, screamed Lydia as she leaped to catch a butterfly and so it went. Now every time somebody says it's mine, we do that repeating tiny melody.

It's mine. It's mine. It's mine, mine, mine. So that is when you're first reading it, you teach that tiny melody, and then you read it. Now, as the book goes on, there are times when the frogs are scared, and then the island rises up. No, the island gets smaller and smaller. And the frogs get scared. The island disappears until there's only one rock left.

And that rock ends up being a toad. And the next day, they're like very thankful that the toad saved them. And that's when you do the part that's grateful, thankful, oh so glad. And then the next morning they're all excited and joyful. And you do that one that says peaceful, joyful. And they are super excited and this totally changes their lives.

So these are some of the great things that you can do with this storybook. There's also some good extensions where you can do some movement, where you can do some improvisation on orph instruments. We talk about major and minor, or for first graders, kindergartners, we don't want to do this for pre K, but kindergarten or first grade, we can talk about happy music and sad music.

And you can have half the class set up with orph instruments that are set up in a minor and the other half. In C major and that is something you can do with that storybook as well and all of that is in my lesson plan. The next storybook I want to share with you is called Do Like a Duck Does by Judy Hindley and the illustrations are by Ivan Bates.

This one is kindergarten through second grade and There is a really nice tiny melody that goes with this story and it sounds like this. Do like a duck does do like me. Do like a duck does do like me. So that is the tiny melody that goes with this. And let me read you a little bit of this story and then we'll talk about what happens in the story.

The lesson plan. Five little ducklings following their mother. Whatever any duck does, so does every other. Do like a duck does do like me. So they waddle and they hop and they scuttle and they stop. Flop, flop, flop, flop, flop all together. Quack, says Mama Duck. That's the way to be. Do like a duck does, do like me.

Do like a duck does, do like me. There go the ducklings all in a line, but who's creep creeping close following behind? Wait, says Mama, you don't belong with us. Stop, says Mama, do you think you're a duck? Do like a duck does, do like me. Now, if you were to see this, this is a fox and he says, but of course, says the stranger with a waddle in his trot.

That's just what I am, a big brown duck. And we go all through the mama's like, A duck says quack, quack, quack, can you do that? And then the duck goes hop, hop, hop, and leads the ducklings off and they do some ducky marching. And then the ducks eat bugs and beetles. Yum, yum, yum. Notice we have a repeating rhythm and the fox keeps creeping closer and closer.

But then the mom is like, Look here. You don't like bugs. You don't like muck. You can't say quack. Are you sure you're a duck? And the stranger's like, yes, yes, I'm a duck. I'm a duck. I'm a duck like you. And mama says, well then prove it. And they go zipping through the thistles and into the river. Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop, all together.

And the stranger goes down. Glop, glop, glop. And the ducklings come up. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Everyone except for the stranger who decided, egg. He is going home. So that is a really cute story. I totally love it. And there are some great rhythmic patterns in here. You've got, um, rhythm play. It's a good rhythm play in this one.

So on the part where there's the flopping, I go flop, flop, flop, flop, flop. Where on the part where there's the quacking, we go quack. You'll see in the presentation. Every page where the ducks are moving or the fox is moving, there are some great rhythms that you can use. So you can use them as movement words and there's music included with the lesson and you can read the word and model a movement to go with it.

So when the duck waddles, everybody can waddle. And when the duck When the duck scuttles or hops, when the duck flops, all those good things. So there's some really good movement words in there. So that's one of the things that I like to do. And then I also love to play the instrument. So. When we play the instruments now, this is going to be in case I didn't tell you this lesson plan is for kindergarten through second grade and second graders get to do the instrument play.

I don't usually do this with the kindergartners, but the second graders, sometimes the first graders. And they get to do those movement words and then they get to do the rhythm play. Then there's also a movement extension for second graders in this. So it is a great, really fun lesson plan and lots of good opportunities for instruments, for movement, some, some opportunity for improvisation, that sort of thing.

So those three lesson plans are available in my new storybook. resource, which is called stories that sing to T O O exclamation point. And you'll find that in my shop on my website, stories that sing. net forward slash shop. And of course I will link in the show notes to that resource book. There are 11.

Very comprehensive storybook lessons in this resource book, complete with presentation, complete with mp3 versions of all the tiny melodies, complete with flashcards. I mean, it is a very comprehensive book and I am super, super proud of it. The next two that I'm going to share with you are are going to be the new ones for April in my storybook club.

My storybook club is called Spotlight Storybook Club and I share a lesson plan, a presentation, and a video walkthrough every month. In my storybook club, so the first one is called The Honeybee and the Robber, a moving picture book by Eric Carle, and I'm going to read you a couple pages. In a hive inside an old hollow tree, there lived a honeybee.

With her lived many, many other bees. One warm morning she flew out of the hive saying, let's go gather nectar to make honey. Follow me. Buzz, buzz, buzz, said the bumble bee. Flew away as fast as can be. Flowers opened their petals to welcome the honey bee. She sipped nectar from the flowers. Buzz, buzz, buzz, said the bumble bee, flew away as fast as can be.

The honeybee flew from flower to flower, gathering nectar. The hungry bird swooped down to catch her, but the honeybee was much too quick for it. So, what you'll see here, is in this lesson plan. I like the repeating pattern. This repeating pattern is not part of the storybook, but I have created a repeating pattern based on the main idea of the story.

The main idea is that the bumblebee is flying fast enough to escape all of these different things that are trying to eat it. And so that repeating rhythm is buzz, buzz, buzz, said the bumble bee, flew away as fast as can be. So what we do with this one is I read it all the way through and we do that repeating pattern.

Then I put on the flight of the bumblebee and we do an activity to that and we sing, I'm bringing home a baby bumblebee. And then we get out our egg shakers and we talk about how to play our egg shakers and the best way to play it as a steady beat and the best way to play it as a rhythm. As a more of a like buzzing sound and that is more of a shaking so we talk all about the steady beat and then we go back through the story once we've talked through how to play our instrument a couple different ways and talked about the different sounds that the egg shakers make And we go back through the story and we read it again and add those instruments in.

I'm super proud, especially of the movement activity for this storybook. It is really cool. So that is The Honeybee and the Robber. And again, that's by Eric Carle. And the last one I'm going to share with you today is called Forget Me Not Beautiful Buttercup. And this one's by Michael Broad, and I discovered this one at the book fair earlier this year, and it's perfect for spring because it's got buttercups, and it's got forget me nots, and it's got, um, some other beautiful flowers on the cover.

And it's about an elephant named Forget Me Not. And a warthog named beautiful buttercup. So in this storybook, the elephant is a kind soul and he befriends the warthog. She is smaller than everybody else. And everybody makes fun of her and calls her ugly. And so he. finds that she's beautiful inside and outside and just really likes her.

So I'm going to read a couple of pages of this, and then I'm going to tell you a little bit about what we do with this one. Searching for lush green pastures, the herd joined the other animals moving towards the distant mountains. Everyone was tired and hungry. Only one elephant was keen to make new friends.

Can I go play mama? not seeing some warthogs having fun. Yes, my darling, smiled his mother, but be, but play nicely with the little ones. I will, he promised and hurried over to join them. But not all of the warthogs were having fun. The littlest one looked very sad indeed. Her brothers were calling her name.

Big snout, snorted one, scruffy bristles, sniffed another. teeny tiny ugly wugly they all jeered oh my goodness they're so mean so we go through the story and we find that he defends her and at the end she has this big snout and she's able to sniff out where the buttercups are which are obviously her favorite flower because she has one on her tail and her name is butter buttercup and And she finds the green pastures for the animals and then they end up being like, Oh, she really is as beautiful as forget me not said.

So what I've done with this one, I'm using this one for kindergarten. First, second, third, you could even use this one for fourth, because there is an awesome orchestration that goes with this. So we've got. Buttercup, buttercup, forget me not and buttercup. And what I like to do is after every page, we say that repeating rhythm.

So let's say we go, um, only one young elephant was keen to make new friends. Now I'm also incorporating. Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold. And I'm going to sing that a couple of different times when it feels appropriate during the story. And then on every page we do buttercup, buttercup, forget me not and buttercup.

And So we go through that and we do that all the way through and they get familiar with that. Then there is a movement party and during the movement party, we keep the steady heartbeat with our feet and we walk around singing Make New Friends. And on the parts of In between, we do buttercup, buttercup, forget me not, and buttercup.

And I've got a nice body percussion, like a clapping play game that we do with partners. So that is pretty cool. And then there is a, an orchestration that works really well for second, third, fourth graders. And one of the parts is mean. Mean. We're so mean. So there's three parts, it's really cool, totally fun to do, and I definitely highly recommend this storybook as part of your April lessons because it gives you the opportunity to talk about spring and flowers and friends and, Bullying and all that good stuff.

So let's go back and do a quick recap. We started with the fleas knees by Lynn Downey and the repeating pattern and all of the different rhythms and melodies that we could do there. Then we went into it's mine. And again, we had a nice tiny melody and we also had some movement in that one. Then we went into do like a duck does.

By Judy Hindley. And we had some great rhythms in that one. We had some good movement in that one. Then we talked about the honey bear and the robber by Eric Carl, the repeating pattern. The way we can use the egg shakers in to make two different sounds or timbres. Then we did forget me not beautiful buttercup by Michael Broad.

And we talked all about how we could sing that tiny melody. the orchestration, the movement party, the whole deal. And again, there will be links to join my storybook club and links to purchase Stories That Sing 2 if you would like to do that. If you have questions about any of these storybooks, please feel free to reach out to me, Jeanette, at storiesthatsing.

net. I am totally happy. to answer any questions and help you out along the way with adding those storybooks to your music classroom. If you got some great tips and tidbits that are going to help you become a happy music teacher, I would be so thankful if you'd leave me a review. Thanks so much for your time.

Well, that's all I have for you today, but before I go, let me remind you. Keep learning, keep growing, and keep being fabulous you.