Your Name is a Song

Updated 9.24.2020

Names are SO important! I fell in love with this new book, Your Name is a Song, by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. This is a VERY new book and was just released July 2020!  Here is a video of the author pronouncing the names included in the book: 

Dreamer of Names

You can choose to speak the created rhyme or sing, or sing and perform with Orff instruments.  If choosing virtual, students will be able to play the melody but not the score as written with most virtual instruments as they would need a 2-octave set but you can modify as needed.  The Chrome add on Xylophone is excellent! Many thanks to my friend, Jody, for introducing it to me! You can search on google for xylo playsprout and you can also use the internet-based version.

Names and Movement

Many thanks to Casey Goryeb for this BEAUTIFUL idea: 

• Research meanings of students names.
• Develop movement to represent meaning while saying the name. Names could be for all family members, pets, relatives, etc. If no meaning to be found, students choose a meaning to represent their name.
• Eventually pass the name movement silently from one student to another in the room. 

Extensions:

• Create a chart of one, two, three sound names with everyone in class. Put names together into a 4-beat phrase, use body percussion to play, transfer to instruments.  
• Name games like Ickety Tickety and Jump In, Jump Out. There are MANY here on this previous post! 
• Use Chrome Music Lab Song Maker and have students create a song to go with their name. Customize instruments, percussion, number of beats in measure, notes (settings to create pentatonic scales), etc. 

• Chrome Music Lab Kandinsky - use this one to have students draw their names and turn it into music!  Such fun! 

Here are some free printables to go with the book:

Happy Days in First Grade

Stories by Storie

Worksheet by Jody Petter

 

Happy back to school!