As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, it is time for all those turkey songs! I love the festive qualities of each holiday and it is so important to teach how music is incorporated in these traditions, though equally important is that I want to keep my kiddos on track. I try to still stay true to what concepts we are focusing on, while also having some fun! Here are some of my go-to Thanksgiving lesson ideas for the Elementary music classroom!
Super Turkey
The pure joy and fun that my students have when singing this song is magical! I sing it once a year with just about everybody! Depending on the year or group of students, my fifth and sixth graders can be a little “too cool for school”, but for the most part, they all love it! This is one of those rare songs that we sing just to sing; no game or instruments with this one. It’s all about just sharing the joy of singing a hilarious song!
I have looked for the original source for this song and I cannot seem to find it! It is truly a mystery! If any of you know, please let me know in the comments below! I just came across a powerpoint with the lyrics (If you google “super turkey song powerpoint”, the first link will lead you to it). It does say by Anne Lyon, who I assume is a music teacher; however, I cannot seem to find her online to confirm. YouTube came to my rescue when it came to learning this song, as it is hard to locate a specific notation for the song. Here are a few videos to inspire your Super Turkey tune:
A Pumpkin Ran Away
This song is about a pumpkin who rolled away to avoid becoming Pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving day! Such a witty and adorable song! You can click the above picture to check out my resource on TpT!
As I mentioned earlier, this song allows me to stay true to the concepts that my students are working on (Dotted half note), while still incorporating themes from the season. While it is great to celebrate the holidays, I have found that I get behind sometimes in teaching content when including all the fun holiday songs/activities. Not with this one! Fourth grade had some seasonal fun while practicing dotted half note with singing and having a blast playing the game!
Here is how I used it:
To introduce Dotted half note
Break down what a dot beside a note does
Play on Chords and Melody on Boomwhackers
Game
If you have ever heard of ‘One, Two, Three, O’Leary’, the game works perfectly with the song! It goes along with the idea that the pumpkin is trying to roll away! I even have seen pumpkin playground balls out there, which would be so cool with this! Maybe I can find some for next year 😉
Choctaw Raccoon Game Song
I LOVE this song! My students quite enjoy learning this song, game, and especially the background stories that provide context and meaning to the whole lesson. From what I know about this song, it was inspired by a hunting custom. The Choctaw tribe is from Mississippi where they used to have dogs help them hunt raccoon and other animals in the swamp. Second, it was about children mimicking the behavior of raccoons chasing each other in a corn field. The first story can be read on the Kodály American Folk Song Collection. The second story was told in the video below during a social dance convention by the announcer. I am not sure which one is correct, but I find tremendous value in mentioning both stories!
Process:
- Sing song for students.
- Tell the two stories behind the song.
- Originally from Mississippi
- Hunt in a swamp.
- Key Word: Swamp; What is a swamp?
- They would use dogs to help them hunt.
- Or inspired by two raccoons playing in a corn field.
- Show video and allow students to try to guess what happens in the game now that they know this background information.
- Make a circle and play the game!
- I play a version very similar to the video above:
- Pick one child to be the raccoon. They begin in the middle of the circle.
- Pick another student to be the dog. They start on the outside of the circle.
- Connect hands and class sings song while walking around in a circle.
- At the end of the song, everyone lets go of their hands and the dog has 15 seconds to try to tag the raccoon.
- Both children may weave in and out of the circle.
- Pro-Tip!
- Have the students listen to you as the teacher sing the song during the first day. During the next lesson on the second day of playing the game, have the students lead the song and take charge. They will be much more confident, eager and ready to sing after hearing you sing it so many times the first day!
Let me know if these activities bring you and your students as much joy as they do to me!
Happy Thanksgiving!
