If you’re looking for a multi-lesson flexible unit that includes a fun round with an Orff arrangement, this is it!
This low-prep resource can be used for
Continue reading “Spotlight Musician José Feliciano”I remember my older brother playing (on guitar and recordings) José Feliciano songs. I instantly fell in love with Feliciano’s sound and cool vibe and have followed him for years.
Laura
This resource of the Thanksgiving classic, Over the River and Through the Wood, includes parts for Boomwhackers, bells, and ukulele. Each part has audio and video files to support student learning AND in two different tempos-lento and adagio. Students learn about beats per minute (bpm) as they play their parts.
Play and learn in class or use it as a wonderful performance piece for winter concerts!
Music objectives include:
Find EASY ukulele holiday songs! These include themes of winter, December holidays, and Christmas songs for the ukulele.
Tuner provided by GuitarAPP.
Here are some options if you can’t play all the chords!
Music is a powerful way for students to explore peace, kindness, and SEL, social-emotional skills. In this post, you’ll find songs and music activities designed for elementary classrooms that support a peace theme through singing, instruments, and movement. You’ll also find ideas and background about the International Day of Peace to connect your classroom activities to this global celebration.
On this page-
These following songs help students explore peace on many levels, from personal peace and self-awareness, to positive relationships with others, and extending to harmony in the wider world. Each song is designed to engage students while teaching important social-emotional and global themes.
Find the Peace strikes the perfect balance—easy to learn yet musically rich, with ballad-style verses, a lively chorus, and a sparkling coda. The Orff arrangement slides teach the parts for you, with built-in scaffolding for this no/low prep lesson plan resource. Perfect for SEL peace activities, winter or Christmas concert music, or classroom learning, this beautiful song works across multi-grade levels.
Check out this movement activity using the word PEACE!
In 1981, the UN (United Nations) General Assembly established the International Day of Peace. Annually, it is observed around the world on September 21. Each year a new theme is chosen.
Themes through the years include climate action, human rights, education for all, human dignity, peace and democracy, and many more.
Participating in International Day of Peace can be as simple as a lesson in your classroom the week of the event. It could be a school-wide program with songs, dancing, speeches, poetry, etc. It could be community-wide with a peace walk in the neighborhood.
The lesson could be a presentation from you about the history of Peace Day and the theme for the year. You could sing a song about peace or watch videos of musicians who have used their artistry as a platform to promote peace or raise awareness.
Sing “I’ve Got Peace Like a River” as a class and then get into groups and create a new verse. The song relates peace, joy, and love to a river, ocean, and fountain. How is peace related to joy and love? Continue with the water theme or make the theme nature. What in nature makes you feel peaceful, joyful, and loving? Share with the class. Older students could learn the chords and play on the ukulele or recorder.
My school programs involved each grade level performing one song, poem, speech piece and older classrooms would be in charge of the speeches and narration. One year every grade level performed a peace poem because the emphasis was on living together harmoniously.
Another year, every grade level performed a song from another part of the world because the emphasis was on global awareness and diversity. My older students introduced each grade level and had speeches, narrations, and poems to read. Some of the poems were student-created and some were ones that I found. We had a moment of silence and we spoke a pledge.
Recognizing #PeaceDay2019 with global dance @IPS_CFI @ips @iborganization pic.twitter.com/to9sbembMg
— Center for Inquiry (@IPS_CFI) September 20, 2019
Making the day of peace community-wide involved a peace walk. Our PE teacher had worked with the police department for other events so contacted them so that they would provide safe crossings when we crossed busy streets. I was always able to find a nearby park that was our destination and we would have our programs at those locations. We would invite families and the community and they would walk with us.
I asked grade levels to consider homeroom contributions to the day with special peace themes. Some participated and some didn’t but some of their ideas were: Grade K-1 made tie-dye shirts to wear that day, make and carry origami peace cranes, make peace signs to carry on the walk, make peace necklaces to wear, create chalk drawings on the sidewalk route, and many more. Our school has a dress code and students were allowed to wear peace-themed shirts that day.
If you don’t have a park nearby, just creating a peace walk around the school area will work. Because of COVID, having a program outside would be ideal. But if that won’t work, perhaps a peace walk and then back to the classrooms to watch a presentation put together with each class having been recorded doing something special. Family and the community could be invited to this Zoom or Teams meeting.
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Born in (appox) 2010, Amina plays many different instruments. Here she is on the ukulele.
Blooket game on identifying the chords C, F, G7, C7, and Am from diagrams and images of fingers. My kids LOVE this game. Here’s an entire blog post about the game!
(No login needed for students, just click “join a game” and it will take you to the game pin screen. Teachers need to create a free account.)
NEW! Blog page with ukulele storage ideas for HANGING, CART, and SHELVING. Also, common hardware and resource needs to get the job done!
Tuner provided by GuitarAPP.
WITH—–How to Play G video
Songs: Low Rider (G), Dreams, (F, G) Ho Hey (C, F, Am, G) Long Drives by BoyWithUke (C, F, G, Am) Columbia, Mi Encanto (C, F, G), Earth Day (C, F, Am, G), Walking On Sunshine (C, F, G), Let It Be (C, F, G, Am), Bring U Down (G, F, Am, Dm), Another Brick In the Wall (C, Dm, F, G) Counting Stars (C, F, G, Am, Dm), Someone You Loved (C, G, Am, F, Dm), If I Didn’t Love You (F, G, Am, C), You Belong With Me (G, D, Am, C) MORE COMING SOON-THIS PAGE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.
