Dolores T. Aaron 2nd grade, Music & ELA Ms. Goldberg / Ms. Baskin
How to Retell a Non-Fiction Text Through Drumming
Step 1: Make a 3-part body percussion ensemble as a class about how you feel when you see insects.
“Yell, ‘DIE! DIE! DIE!’ while stomping, like you’re stomping on roaches.”
“Say, ’shoo! shoo!’ while brushing your arms, like you’re brushing away flies.”
“Go, ‘Yuck!’ while clapping your hands, like you just killed a mosquito and it’s on your hands.”
Step 2: Read a text about the life cycle of insects and learn important vocabulary words, like metamorphosis and exoskeleton. Identify the main idea of this non-fiction text (the life cycle of insects) and the most important key details.
Step 3: Say those main ideas and key details in 5 words or less.
Step 4: Work in a small group to “rap” the words to find their rhythm and decide on a timbre, or sound, to drum it with that expresses something important about your key detail. Notate your rhythm with long and short icons.
Step 5: Each group perform and explain their reasoning.
“We are clapping on the outside instead of inside, because the exoskeleton is on the outside.”
“We decided to do our hands like this because when we just flapped our arms like wings, it didn’t make any sound, and this still looks like wings.”
“We end with butterfly wings coming out of the cocoon like at the end of metamorphosis!”
FINALLY: Perform it all together to retell the text!
