Simple Gifts

Yesterday's literature connection lesson for third through sixth grade students came together serendipitously. The week before, I found a PDF for making a hot-dog booklet of the words to Simple Gifts to commemorate the inauguration of Barack Obama. I showed it to Mrs. Tarelton, and she got excited about bringing out the xylophones to let the children play the melody. I did some research on the Shakers, the religious community from which the song emerged; she did some research on the song itself. This is how the lesson came together:

• First, students made their own hot-dog booklet. They practiced following step-by step directions using math vocabulary such as horizontal, vertical, and fractions. Even though this seems like a simple process, it is more difficult than it looks for some students. Students who had never made a hot-dog booklet before said, "This is tight!"

• Second, I explained who the Shakers were and are and put the song in context. If you want to learn more, visit the website for a documentary about the Shakers by Ken Burns.
  

• Third, we read the words of the song aloud from the booklet and discussed why this song might have been chosen for the inauguration. The students had some very good thoughts about the mention of freedom and simplicity in the song. One student thought that the words "turn" and "turning" signaled how President Obama would like to "turn" the country around through his leadership and through a rise in civic responsibility. We also asked what it means that the 160 year old words and song are still relevant to us today and shed a unique light on our society at this time.

• Fourth, Mrs. Tarleton presented a music lesson on the song. She discussed three composers: Joseph Brackett, the Shaker elder who originally wrote the song in 1848, Aaron Copland who set the melody in Appalachian Springs, and John Williams who recently used the theme in his Air and Simple Gifts (YouTube video) for the inauguration.
  

• Fifth, we listened to a five minute excerpt of Copland's Appalachian Springs. When the string basses come in, my eyes always fill up with tears (four times yesterday!) What a "simple gift" it was to listen to this familiar music with children and see signs on their faces that their souls are also moved. Some students were motivated to want to dance when the trumpets and trombones make their regal entrance. Some students took their xylophone mallets and conducted the entire piece from their chair.

• Sixth, Mrs. T. led a discussion about the musical elements in the Copland excerpt and how the composer changed the melody with different instruments, tempo, embellishments, and dynamics.

• Finally, the children learned to play a portion of the melody on the xylophones. Those who can read music, had the music to read. Those who could not read music were able to follow Mrs. Tarleton's wonderful instructions.

Many elements combined to make our 50 minute lesson on Simple Gifts "tight." We integrated history, current events, music theory, music appreciation, literature, book making, and creative thinking. Simple Gifts is such a memorable tune. I hope that when the students hear it in the future, they will remember some of what they learned about it at St. Therese.

To close this post out, the photo collage below is a collection of classroom work about the inauguration from Ms. Devenney's first graders and Ms. Bentley's fourth graders.

What simple gifts will we share with each other as we move forward in this country during these uncertain, yet hopeful, times?