Submitted by Tracy King, Farmington, Missouri
Idea posted September 19, 2003
I tried SOW (Song of the Week) last year and was SO pleased! I can't believe I didn't try it sooner! (I have plans to use it this year as well.) The basis of my song selections were from the Get America Singing books, because my kids pretty much have no background as far as knowing these songs.
Feeling like I never taught quantitatively enough songs, I made a list of songs that I wanted each grade level to know by the end of the school year. It served as an OK guide, but I revised it many times. I've copied it below. This is the unrevised, sitting-at-my-computer, eating-cheetos-at-midnight, thinking-about-school-starting list from last summer. It may give you a starting point or provide some inspiration. Grades 5 and up are a little incomplete because I needed to get to school and go through a few books to remember what I did and wanted to do.
Kindergarten"Days Of The Week"
"Months Of The Year"
"Color Song"
"Rags"
"My Country 'Tis Of Thee"
"Yankee Doodle"
"He's Got The Whole World In His Hands"
"ABC Rock"
"This Little Light of Mine" (from Music K-8, Vol. 8, No. 3)
"Scat Like That"
"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"
"Hickory Dickory Dock"
"A Tisket A Tasket"
"London Bridge"
"Ring Around The Rosie"
"Hot Cross Buns"
"Baa Baa Black Sheep"
"Itsy Bitsy Spider"
"Mary Had A Little Lamb"
"The Freeze"
"Peas Porridge Hot"
"Pop Goes The Weasel"
"Farmer In The Dell"
"Uncle Jessie"
First Grade
"My Country 'Tis Of Thee"
"Yankee Doodle"
"A Ram Sam Sam" (from Music K-8, Vol. 4, No. 3)
"Zipadee Doo Dah"
"She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain" (from Music K-8, Vol. 7, No. 1)
"One Misty Moisty Morning"
"I Know An Old Lady"
"Frere Jacque"
"You Are My Sunshine"
"Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush"
"Muffin Man"
"3 Blind Mice"
"Sing A Song Of Sixpence"
"Skip To My Lou"
"I've Been Workin' On The Railroad" (from Music K-8, Vol. 6, No. 5; available in Get Kids Singing Old Favorites)
"Little Red Caboose"
"Train Is A-Comin'"
"Engine, Engine Number 9"
"ABCs (Sign Language)"
"Farmer In The Dell"
"Jimmy Crack Corn" (singing game)
"Uncle Jessie"
Second Grade
"Do-Re-Mi"
"Make New Friends" (from Music K-8, Vol. 7, No. 3; also available as a Singles Reproducible Kit)
"When The Saints Go Marching In"
"Little Skunk Hole"
"Hole In The Bucket"
"She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain"
"Grandpa's Whiskers"
"Oh! Susanna" (available for Boomwhackers® in Whacky Folk Fest)
"I Love The Mountains"
"This Old Man" (from Music K-8, Vol. 4, No. 3; also available in Get Kids Singing Old Favorites)
Various lullabies
"The Ants Go Marching" (from Music K-8, Vol. 6, No. 1; also available as a Singles Reproducible Kit)
"Billy Boy"
"If All The Raindrops"
"The Noble Duke Of York"
"We're Here Because We're Here"
Third Grade
"America The Beautiful" (from Music K-8, Vol. 4, No. 1; also available in Sing For The Red, White, And Blue)
"God Bless America"
"The Green, Green Grass Of Home"
"Sarasponda"
"Rap Of The Solar System" (available on MusicK8.com)
"Don Gato"
"The Cat Came Back"
"Little 'Liza Jane" (available for Boomwhackers® in Whacky Folk Fest)
"A Ram Sam Sam"
"My Hat, It Has 3 Corners" (in German also)
"Oh, You Can't Get To Heaven"
Fourth Grade
"You're A Grand Old Flag" (from Music K-8, Vol. 4, No. 5; also available in Sing For The Red, White, And Blue)
"Missouri Waltz"
"Amazing Grace" (from Music K-8, Vol. 11, No. 2)
"Orchestra Song"
"Polly Wolly Doodle" (from Music K-8, Vol. 8, No. 1)
"Land Of The Silver Birch"
"Frere Jacque"
"Once An Austrian Went Yodeling"
Fifth Grade
"Fifty Nifty United States"
"Rap Of The States" (available on MusicK8.com)
"Allegiance Rap" (from Music K-8, Vol. 12, No.. 1; also available as a Singles Reproducible Kit)
"Singing In The Rain"
"Deep In The Heart Of Texas"
"Simple Gifts" (from Music K-8, Vol. 1, No. 4)
Sixth Grade
"Home On The Range" (from Music K-8, Vol. 13, No. 5)
"Red River Valley"
"Sweet Betsy From Pike" (available for Boomwhackers® in Whacky Folk Fest)
"Down In The Valley"
Misc. cowboy songs
"Old Dan Tucker" (from Music K-8, Vol. 5, No. 4; also available in Get Kids Singing Old Favorites)
"Clementine"
Seventh Grade
"Follow The Drinking Gourd" (from Music K-8, Vol. 13, No. 3; also available as a Singles Reproducible Kit)
"Wade In The Water"
"Snake Dance" (Indian)
"Do Lord"
"Down By The Riverside"
"O Canada!" (from Music K-8, Vol. 13, No. 1)
8th Grade
"Danny Boy"
"Battle Hymn Of The Republic"
Folk songs from 50s-70s
Review all patriotic