Sarah Cadwallender

Don Gato Lesson

Concept: ABA form / Skills: singing and movement / Materials: cat, autoharp

Experience: sitting and singing together with accompanying movement and rhythm

Objectives: Students will sing Don Gato with movement while autoharp is played and find out which parts of the song sound the same, similar, and different.

Process:

  1. Ask question: what animal is in this song?
  2. Sing through song
  3. Ask them to whisper to their neighbor what animal is in the song, then ask for the answer aloud
  4. Ask question: Why is Don Gato on the roof?
  5. Sing through song
  6. Ask question: Why did Don Gato go to the roof to read his letter?
  7. Sing through song
  8. Ask question: what parts of the song sound the same?
  9. Sing the song through using visual of fingers
  10. Ask/assess: Which lines sound the same, which are only similar, and which are completely different?

2.1.Ask specifically if the first two lines are the same, similar, or different [A: the same]

2.2.The next two lines? [A: similar]

2.2.1.Use hand to show up-down-up-down motion that makes it similar

2.3.The last line - is it the same as another part of the song, similar, or completely different? [A: different]

  1. Sing first two lines with added motions
  2. Give motions of cat ears/whiskers

1.1.Sing and do motions for one line

1.2.Invite students to sing and imitate motions

  1. Give motions of second line

2.1.Sing through second line with motions

2.2.Invite students to sing and imitate motions

  1. All together

3.1.Sing first two lines of song and do motions with students

  1. Sing through the next two lines with motions
  2. Third line

1.1.Ask students: what would be good motions for this part?

1.2.Pick a motion, then invite students to sing line with new motions

  1. Fourth line

2.1.Have students pick motion for this line

2.2.Practice singing the line with the motion

  1. Sing both lines with new motions
  1. Sing the last line
  2. Ask students to create final motion
  3. Practice singing the line with the motion
  4. Sing through whole song with motions until students are comfortable
  5. Sing and play accompaniment while students sing and do motions

Assessment:

  • Asking questions about same, similar and different lines to see if they understand the form
  • Listening for correct tune
  • Looking for correct movements

* Consistently had correct pitch
~ Inconsistently sang on correct pitch
- Did not use singing voice or participate / :-) Answered questions on form correctly
:-/ Answered questions about the form incorrectly
:-0 Did not understand questions/form