Submitted by Jennifer Biles, Dumas, Texas

Idea posted November 1, 2002

Question: I need some help! I have 50 1st graders in my music room at one time! I need ideas for discipline, short songs for transitions, listening, or activities.

Answer: I have several transition songs that I learned while doing my student teaching. My students sit on "spots" on the floor in a rectangular space, i.e. rows and columns. After we do moving/circular/whatever activity, I sing:

Find your places in the box and sit down (snap snap).
Find your places in the box and sit down (snap snap).
Find your places in the box, find your places in the box.
Find your places in the box and sit down (snap snap).
(The tune is "If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands")

To get to the circle, we sing:

Let's make a circle round and fat.
Let's make a circle just like that.
Let's make a circle, nice and round.
Let's make a circle and all sit down.
(or for the last line) Let's make a circle, but don't sit down.
(They like trying to guess whether or not we will sit down. :)
Melody:
s

m m  s  m  s  m  s

s

m m  s  m  s  m  r

s

m m  s  m  s  m  s

s

m m  s  m m  s  m  d

Rhythm:
ta

titi  ta  ta  ta  ta  ta  Z

ta

titi  ta  ta  ta  ta  ta  Z

ta

titi  ta  ta  ta  ta  ta  Z

ta

titi  ta  titi  ta  ta  ta  Z

Then, also to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It," we sing: If you're talking and you know it zip your lips, shhh shhh.

Also for talking, to the tune of "Brother John:"

I hear talking, I hear talking.
Yes I do, Yes I do.
No one should be talking, No one should be talking.
Even You, Even you.