Art Form: Music

Supplies Needed

-A Chair for My Mother book
-Paper
-Glass jar
-Coins (paper clips, pebbles, or other small objects will work, too)
-Writing Materials

Vocabulary

Dynamics - loud and soft sounds; volume

Rhythm - long and short sounds and silences

Beat - the consistent pulse or “heartbeat” of music

Tempo - the speed of the beat

Introduction - a short section at the beginning that sets the mood and generates interest

Coda - a short section at the end after the main part is finished

Character - a person in a story or play, or an animal or object that has human qualities

Central message - the big idea or lesson of the story

Instructions

1. Read the book. Discuss the events in the book. Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the main idea or central message of the book?

2. Write a short sentence about what we can learn from the story.

3. Pat a steady beat. Practice saying your sentence in a rhythm while patting the beat. You may say more than one word or syllable on a beat—this creates an interesting rhythm.

4. Drop coins in a jar one by one. Describe the sound. How do the dynamics change depending on where you drop the coins from (close to the rim, higher in the air)? How does the sound change as the jar fills with coins (higher, lower, same)?

5. Read the story, putting coins in the jar each time the characters do. Decide:
-Will the dropping coins have a steady beat? Will they have a rhythm?
-Will they be dropped randomly (no steady beat)?
-How many coins will go in the jar each time?
-Will the dynamics be loud or quiet or in between?
-Will the coins be dropped individually or in groups?

6. Your jar needs to be filled by the end of the story! At the end of the story, say your rhythmic sentence. Decide how many times you’ll say your sentence and what the tempo and dynamics will be.

Extensions

Say the book title rhythmically over four beats. Read the title rhythmically as an
introduction to the book; read the sentence you wrote at the end as a coda.

Consider others ways to create an introduction and coda.