Lesson Name & Overview: My Grandfather’s Clock: A song for learning concepts, language, rhythm and rhyme, and for having fun!

Time: 30 minutes

Objectives:

Language Learning Objectives / Concept Objectives / Learning Strategies
Vocabulary: morn, pennyweight, slumber, grandfather / Family treasure, legacy, heritage, culture, keepsake, sentimental value (priceless), traditions, pride / Singing to set the rhythm
Memorizing the words
Rhyming words
Making inferences
Grammar (form):Past tense, Inflected forms: plurals, possessives, 3rd pers. sing., Comparatives
Functions: Describing, comparing, retelling

Materials:

  • Words/lyrics for My Grandfather’s Clock (first verse and chorus only!)

Teaching and learning tasks:

  1. You can tell the students the (your simplified version) story of this song (see attached information sheet). You can play the music (there are numerous versions on Youtube, including young children on the piano, on the violin; and an acapella group singing harmony … very sweet!). Tell the children that the class is going to learn this song, too.

2. Engage students in a discussion about family treasures and focus on the grammar elements that need to be emphasized here by asking the questions that follow. Record their responses on the board.

  • Whose clock was this? (My grandfather’s clock)
  • When was this clock bought?
  • How tall was the clock? (Taller than the old man!)
  • When did the clock stop? (It stopped when the old man died.)
  • How many years did the clock stand there on the floor?

3. Play some patterning games to work on the grammar points:

e.g. Whose pencil is this? (It’s Ahmed’s). Whose hat is this?

Play some games to work on the comparative form: Who is taller? Shorter? Louder? Hungrier? …. In the class than …. (whoever).

Point out the rhyming words: floor/more; pride/died; morn/born

Point out new words they may not know but can easily understand: slumbering, morn, pennyweight (how much does a penny weigh? … not very much)

Making inferences:

Why do you think the clock never worked again after the old man died?

Extension, recycling, practice:

1. Work on the words and practice the song until the children have it memorized.

2. Clap the first line of the song to attract the children’s attention in class next day. See if they recognize the pattern and rhythm.

3. Use this activity as an introduction to the thematic unit of Family Treasures: Everyone will bring a Family Treasure for story telling, and making a dual language book.

Homework:

Teacher Resources:

My Grandfather’s Clock (wiki):

URL to Youtube version of My Grandfather’s Clock: