Read Me a Story, Sing Me a Song

I love using literature in the music classroom! It is a great way to make connections with students, as well as bring the story alive using songs and instruments. Here are a few of my favorites I've been using lately in the classroom.

Knick Knack Paddy Whack

I love this book! I forgot I had received it earlier in the school year. It brings the song to life with beautiful pictures and a fun, jazzy style. The book comes with a CD that has the story as well as just the background music if you'd like to sing it yourself. It also introduces instruments of the orchestra. Love!

Grandma's Feather Bed

Another gem! This song story is so fun! It comes with a CD featuring John Denver singing his classic song. Plus, the pictures are hilarious!

Thump, Bump: Tiny, the Dancing Hippo

This is one of my treasures. I was looking through books at the Salvation Army and stumbled upon this. As I was reading along, I realized the words "thump" and "bump" keep repeating in the story. This got me thinking - hmm, what a great introduction for my primary students! They could choose instruments to use and play on their specific word, either thump or bump. Winner! It's such a simple book, but a great introduction or review at the beginning of the year. 

Carnival of the Animals

I will be ending the school year with Carnival of the Animals for my 1st graders. This book has wonderful pictures of the animals and the instruments in it. There are several great books out there for Carnival of the Animals, but this one features the CD and story all in one spot for a quick grab.

Finally, our primary building had a "Dr. Seuss" theme this year. To tie that in with our building goal of increasing reading skills, my kindergarteners are having their program be "Dr. Seuss is on the Loose!" The kids LOVE these songs. I used several from Seussical, as well as a few I picked up here and there. I'll have a post next week with more details and pictures. However, we read each story and sang it's song afterwards as we were starting to learn them. This program has really strengthened my love for Dr. Seuss!

Are you interested in more children's literature in the music classroom? Be sure to search "literature" on the sidebar of my blog. It will give you quick access to all my blog posts with children's stories (there are a TON!). Also, I definitely recommend checking out my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I have several products for using literature with instruments, vocal explorations, jazz, etc.