Five Songs for Teaching

A-Tisket A-Tasket

A-tisket a-tasket
A green and yellow basket
I wrote a letter to my love
And on the way I dropped it
I dropped it, I dropped it
And on the way I dropped it
A little boy (girl) picked it up
And put it in his (her) pocket

---

 

Lyrics by Ella Fitzgerald & Al Feldman

A-tisket a-tasket
A green and yellow basket
I sent a letter to my love
And on the way I dropped it

I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes, On the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And put it in her pocket

She was truckin' on down the avenue,
Without a single thing to do
She was peck-peck-peckin all around
When she spied it on the ground
She took it she took it
my little yellow basket
And if she doesn't bring it back
I think that I shall die

(Was it brown?) no,no,no,no,
(Was it red?) no,no,no,no,
(Was it blue?) no,no,no,no,
Just a little yellow basket

• Traditional nursery rhyme and circle game
- players sit in a circle
- one child with "letter" walks around behind the others while all sing the song
- on the words "I dropped it" the letter is dropped behind one of the sitting players
- this player then chases the "carrier" around the circle to try and return to the sit in the empty spot first
- player left standing then picks up the letter and game begins again

• Music
- jazz/swing/history - Study of Ella Fitzgerald

- Video Clip of Ella Fitzgerald singing song in movie
     "Ride 'Em Cowboy"

- Learn more about Ella Fitzgerald in a Jazz Profile

- for younger students - practise the common melodic phrase s-s-m-l-s-m
(as with most traditional songs there are a variety of versions of the melody, but they all use this melodic line with some variations)

•Drama/Creative Writing
- start with the original rhyme
- have students ponder the rest of the events surrounding the story

1. Who was the letter carrier?
2. Why was he/she carrying a basket?
3. Was there a basket or was it just for the fun of the rhyme?
4. Who picked up the letter? Why?
5. What happened next?
   

- have students create a setting, plot, define characters etc. and write a "play script" by writing more verses
- act out as operetta or pantomime with chorus (class) singing new verses

Sample Drama- slapstick in the style of
"Who's on First?"

What Happens next? Victim tries to report the "theft" to Police Officer ..........

Exasperation!

Victim
Sings 2 original verses to Officer

Officer
(writing in notebook)
A-tisket a-tasket
You lost a yellow basket?
And wrote a letter to your love
To tell her that you lost it?

Victim
(Patiently)
A-tisket a-tasket
I have my little basket!
It's my letter to my Love
In someone else's pocket!

.................read or download the rest of the play

• Review Game

This game could be used for French review or for any other subject once the students have learned the song and the body parts.

- draw and cut out a large bird (wings need to be out as in flight.)

- cut narrow slits or holes where feathers can be poked into the body, head, wings, neck and tail.

- attach to blackboard or another vertical surface

- cut out 10-20 feathers

- choose a topic that you wish to review and write questions for the backs of the feathers (write on sticky notes and stick on the back of wings so that it is easy to change the questions)

- poke the feathers into the holes to "dress" the bird

How to Play
- divide into 2 teams
- one player from each team comes to front to take turns challenging each other
-as class sings the song, challenging player points to a body part on the bird and the other player must sing the correct word for that part
- if correct, a feather may be selected from that part of the bird and if the player answers correctly a point is scored for the team (teacher may wish to read the question from the feather)
- if the body part is not correct, player loses turn, if answer to question is not correct, challenging player may steal the point by answering correctly
- players then switch roles to end the round
- game continues with 2 more players in rounds until all the feathers have been successfully "plucked"

• Language (Primary, ESL)

A fun activity for practising vowel sounds

- make flash cards showing the symbols for each long vowel sound

- once the students are able to sing the entire song, use the flash cards to mix up the order of the verses

- after singing the first verse, quickly show one of the vowel cards to indicate the sound for the next verse and continue until all cards have been used

- an interesting exercise is to try to use the short vowel sounds (other than the a) or combinations such as 'er', ar, 'ou' etc.

- to add another level of difficulty make flashcards with words so that the students must first determine the correct sound before singing the verse (e.g. feet, seat, play, raise, by, food, toad)

Be Kind to Your Web-footed Friends

Be kind to your web-footed friends
For a duck may be somebody's mother,
Be kind to your friends in the swamp
Where the weather is always damp.

You may think that this is the end,
Well it is, but to prove we're all liars,
We're going to sing it again,
Only this time we'll sing a little higher.

(Repeat the song but sing it a semi-tone or a full tone higher each time.

Last verse is:

You may think that this is the end....
Well you're right!

• Science (classification, adaptations, habitat)

An interesting addition to an animal unit as a wrap-up or mini research activity......

-students make new verses by changing the adaptation and habitat parts of the song to indicate another mammal, bird, reptile ....

Example:
Be kind to your three-toed friends
For a sloth may be somebody's mother,
Be kind to your friends in the trees
Where the weather is always humid.

For more of a challenge, change the last line to give one more fact about the creature and perhaps make it rhyme with line three.

Be kind to your blubbery friends
For a whale may be somebody's mother,
Be kind to your friends in the sea
Where the pods are swimming free.

- verses could be used as a game or quiz by leaving out the name of the creature to be determined by the "clues"

- Make a class book called BE KIND TO YOUR ANIMAL FRIENDS
- have each student complete one page with their verse and an illustration
- on the last page finish with
    "You may think that this is the end......
Well you're right!"

Bingo

Farmer Brown, he had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
B-I-N-G-O!
B-I-N-G-O!
B-I-N-G-O!
And Bingo was his name-o!

Farmer Brown, he had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(Clap)-I-N-G-O!
(Clap)-I-N-G-O!
(Clap)-I-N-G-O!
And Bingo was his name-o!

Farmer Brown, he had a dog,
And Bingo was his name-o.
(Clap, clap)-N-G-O!
(Clap, clap)-N-G-O!
(Clap, clap)-N-G-O!
And Bingo was his name-o!

Continue in this manner replacing each letter with a clap until the entire word is clapped.

• Spelling/Rhythm Practice

- combine spelling and rhythm activity

- select words that students need to practise and fit them into the song

- the rhythm of the "BINGO" part may need to change fit the word correctly into the song

Example:

Farmer Brown, he had a dog,
And Friend was his Name-o.
F-R-IEN-D!
F-R-IEN-D!
F-R-IEN-D!
And Friend was his Name-o.

practise clapping the pattern:

Follow the same pattern of replacing the letters with a clap on each repetition.