Using a Song to Teach Any Subject

Steve Elmore | Wichita Collegiate School | Wichita, Kansas

Uses music to teach with pattern and sequencing while encouraging memorization and movement. The lesson uses familiar elements from the children’s environment, which broadens their social knowledge about where they live. It can be adapted for any location.

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This is a song, that when we have our special Grandparents’ Day we like, if I pulled this one out, it’s uh, teaches the kids how to conduct, as well, as it’s a fun song and they really get into it, and they bop to it, and they’ll sing along once they’ve learned it. It does teach sequencing and there’s some returning some pattern to it as well. You can adapt this to your local thing, and you don’t have to use the song we learned, it’s just the idea. These are just hand-drawn pictures for Kansas, and pictures that go along with the lyrics of the song. Jayhawk that’s what were called from Kansas, and then these are Kansas symbols, the cottonwood tree, the Meadowlark, the Western Meadowlark, the wheat because Kansas is known for its wheat, and then the sunflower, is the state flower. You could use whatever song locally, and you can make your own pictures of your own symbols. Right, so after I’ve gone through the song a few times, showing the students the pictures, then I’ll lay them out. Sometimes as I’m singing, sometimes I’ll lay them out and then sing, and then we start like this. Play my banjo, and I’m going to add hand motions to this, and have the kids do that with me as they learn them. I live in Kansas, my home is Kansas, it’s the place in the west where the people are the best. I live in Kansas; my home is Kansas. I’m a Jayhawker through and through. Cottonwood trees swaying in the breeze, listen to the Meadowlark song, waiving wheat, smelling oh so sweet. Sunflowers tall and strong. I live in Kansas, my home is Kansas, it’s the place in the west where the people are the best. I live in Kansas, my home is Kansas, I’m a Jayhawker through and through. So, then I’ll say either play your banjo. or ride your horse. So, and they’ll do that and the fun thing on this, is when they get there, they have to run all the way back to the beginning, and then finish it. And, so the kids like that. Once again, I’ll have a student on this side and another student on that side facing them for the conducting.

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