This Old Man

This is my favorite book to go with the well-known folk song.

Goals:
- instrument recognition
- coordination
- quarter note rhythms
- working together, sharing

Lesson Plan:

(1) Remind students they have just learned that two beats look like this:  |  |  and are called "ta" "ta"

(2) Sing first verse of song:

   This old man, he played one,

   He played "knick knack" on my drum,

   With a "knick knack" paddywhack,

   Give the dog a bone.

   This old man came rolling home.

(3) Add motions: 

     "one" (finger held in air)

     "knick knack" (clap clap)

     "give the dog a bone" (pretend to pass a bone over your head to the dog behind you)

     "rolling home" (fist over fist)

(4) Keep practicing until you see students clap at the right spots.

(5) Students sit on floor in the following configuration:

(6) Put one of the above unpitched percussion instruments on the floor in front of the first person. Instruct the students that as we sing the song, they will do the following:

   - Play instrument (or clap if they don't have the instrument) on "knick knack" or "ta ta"

   - Pass the instrument over their heads to the student behind them on "give the dog a bone"

   - I turn the pages as we sing - this book has 6 verses, and I usually only have 6 turns (because there are 6 kids in each row). During the last verse, I sing "bring your instruments up here" instead of "give the dog a bone," and the last student walks the instrument to the floor in the front.

(7) Each row moves over one, while the last row moves to the opposite side of the room. Game resumes so students get a chance to play each instrument. Make sure to ask the students each time there is a new instrument, "What instrument will you be playing this time? What's the name of it?"