Piggy Back Songs

Piggy Back Songs

Author(s):
Vicki Kortz

Grade Level:
4th grade

Timeframe: 5 days – 1 hour each

Lesson Description or Explanation
Students will be creating a “piggy back” song. Students will take a known tune (i.e. Mary had a little lamb, or any other song of their choice) and will write lyrics to that tune pertaining to a science concept. After the songs are written the students will record themselves performing the songs, then will edit the performances, put into a presentation, and will put on DVD’s for the class.

Indiana Curricular Standards

Science:
 4.4.2 - Investigate, observe, and describe that insects and various other organisms depend on dead plant and animal material for food.
 4.4.3 - Observe and describe that organisms interact with one another in various ways, such as providing food, pollination and seed dispersal.
 4.4.4 - Observe and describe that some source of energy is needed for all organisms to stay alive and grow.
 4.4.5 - Observe and explain that most plants produce far more seeds than those that actually grow into new plants.
 4.4.6 - Explain how in all environments, organisms are growing, dying and decaying, and new organisms are being produced by the old ones.

Music:
 4.1.1 - Sing while maintaining good breath control, pitch, diction, tone quality, and posture.
 4.1.2 - Sing expressively with attention to dynamics and phrasing.
 4.8.4- Sing songs to support learning in another discipline outside the arts


ISTE Standards
Creativity and Innovation: Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.

Digital Citizenship: Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.

Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.
Assessments

Formative/Summative
There will be formal and informal assessments.
Informal: Students will be watched for cooperation and collaboration within each group. To be able to problem solve, and collaborate.
Formal: Completion of songs and presentation will be graded based on completion, and full class cooperation.

Prior Knowledge
Curricular Knowledge or Skills: Students will have to have studied the science concepts that the songs will be based off of. Students will have to have an understanding of the components of a song (i.e. verse, chorus).

Technology Knowledge: Students will have to know how to handle a camcorder, and how to upload images onto a computer. Students will also have to have knowledge of the software for editing a video.

Technology

Hardware: Digital camcorder, computer

Software: Windows media player, software that comes with the digital camcorder

Procedure
• First we would talk about the different concepts that we have learned in science. Make a list of noticings.
• Then explain that we are going to be writing songs about these concepts, using the tunes of songs that we already know.
• I would then give the students an example. I would show them words to a song, and tell them that the song goes to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. This would show the students what we will try to accomplish.
• I would then divide the students our accordingly. No more than 5 students to a group.
• Then I would have each group decide what concept they would like to write about.
• The students would then pick a song for the tune.
• Give the students about 45 min to work on the songs
• While the students are working, walk around to each group to see if they need assistance, and to monitor their progress.
• At the end of the writing session, each group will share their song.
• I will then advise the group that we will record ourselves performing the songs, and we will create a DVD for everybody to have.
• Next day have the students finish their songs, and each group will decide how they will perform their songs. Will they use props? Costumes? Art?
• Third day the students will record themselves, and upload their performance onto the computer.
• If there is time the third day to begin editing, we will do so. If not then editing will be begin on the fourth day, and will last for the whole hour.
• During editing, each student in the group will work together, and each will give input.
• On the fifth day, the class will finish editing, and will put their work onto a DVD.
• We will then watch the DVD’s and talk about what we liked, and what we would have liked to have seen.

Differentiated Instruction

ESL For the students that are ESL, they can still work among the groups and collaborate. One suggestion is for the ESL student to include lyrics in their own language. If there is a song that they would like to use, that is familiar to them then they can use that to create the song.

Challenge/Extend
This assignment offers a lot of challenges. When it comes to the editing process, students can make a very simple video, or they can be more creative. There are endless possibilities when it comes to editing. When it comes to the song choice, the students can choose a simple song like “Mary had a little lamb”, or they can choose a more complicated song to write lyrics to.

Special Needs
Since a lot of the assignment is about working together, and collaborating their ideas, then that automatically supports someone with special needs. If the strength of the student with special needs is using a computer, then they can be the one using the computer, while editing with the ideas from the other students.