Submitted by Kristin Lukow, Nebraska
Idea posted August 6, 2010
I expect all my students to have our national anthem memorized, even kindergartners. I do so many activities that they have no way NOT to know it. My favorite way to teach "The Star-Spangled Banner" with kinders and 1st graders is two-fold.
1. Echo/Mimic and act it out:
I say a partial phrase with actions and they mimic me. We do this several times and then we do it together. Each time we do this, I have them face a different way in the room. After a couple of times, I "forget" parts of it and they help me out. After we speak it like this several times, we do the same thing singing. The next day, I tell them I forgot part of it and I mess it up, and they help me get it right. I'll say, "Oh yeah! Now I remember!" Then we try to do it again, and I'll do it better but then forget a different part. It's fun and they get it! (Our favorite part is looking "over the ramparts" and showing the "bombs bursting in air"!)
2. Draw/Color while listening:
I have a two-sided blank flag paper. One side is an outline of the original Star-Spangled Banner with 15 stars and 15 stripes. The other side is our flag as we see it today. We spread out on the floor with red and blue crayons and color, while I play various versions of the song. They sing while they color... over and over again.
I have several books that we read and sing also but they understand them better once we have acted it out.