Kindergarten Carnival!

Posted Dec 21, 2010 by Gael Reed

This is a series of lessons on Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns, and is the culmination of a science unit on animals. During the animal unit, students learned about the different ways animals move. As an extension to the concept of how animals move, they were introduced to the book that accompanies the music of Carnival of the Animals. Each day we read and listened to one selection from the book and CD. We discussed various musical elements such as dynamics, tempo, and orchestration. Following a deep listening activity, the children drew a picture to go along with the animal's music. The book contained some of the high frequency words that Kindergartners are required to learn. At the end of the unit the students voted on their favorite selection from the Carnival of the Animals. We graphed the results. Then the children drew a picture of their favorite animal. They dictated a sentence or two about the choice they made, including something about the dynamics and tempo of the music. For a homework assignment, the students took their books home along with a copy of the music CD. Parents were asked to listen with their children and do a homework activity based on their listening experience.

 
 
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