Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Focus on the "I"s--Learning "If I Listen With My Heart" With Your Senior Primary


The first verse of "If I Listen With My Heart" has six "I" statements.  This song is practically begging us to liken it to ourselves! I adapted an idea from Sharla, over at TeachingPrimaryMusic.com, to tap into the word-based learning style for this older-child activity.


Unscramble the "I" word strips

Preparation


Take note of the six "I" statements found in verse 1:  I had, I would, I search, I can, I listen, I hear.  Write each phrase on a word strip, large enough to be read by everyone in your Primary room.  Mount each word strip on colored paper, one color for "I had" and "I would," and a second color for the remaining strips, as shown in the picture at right.  

Before Primary begins, tape up the word strips around the room, in visible locations.


Presentation


Tell the children that you will sing them a song that is about all of us.  "If you see a word strip from this song, raise your hand, and I'll motion for you to bring it up front and help put it in order."  Immediately begin singing, and continue singing until the word strips are all in song order on the board, repeating the song if necessary.  If the children need help placing the word strips in order, you can heavily emphasize the appropriate phrases as you sing.

Ask the children to help you check, to make sure they're all in order.  Sing again, pointing to each word strip as it comes up in the song.  Have a child come up to make corrections, if needed.  

Let the children know that you have another challenge for them with this song.  "I chose different colors for these specific word strips for a reason.  Listen carefully as I sing the song again, and see if you can figure out why they're grouped separately."  My kids got it without any clues, on the first sing-through.  The first two statements talk about what WOULD have been, and the rest talk about how things ARE.  

Now is a perfect time to briefly share how you know the scriptures help us learn the words of the Savior.  The children have been engaged mentally, so they're actively listening to what you say.


Happy singing!

2 comments:

  1. Hi! How big of font did you use for this....if you remember? Thanks! I'm new to your blog and a big fan of both you and Sharla.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi and welcome! I think it was around 180 pt. font. I just oriented the file to landscape and then increased the font size little bits at a time until I couldn't any more. :) Have fun with it!

      Delete