Bear Snores On

• Michelle Brinkman
• Posted 3/10/21
• 0 comments

A Musical Soundscape

Suggested Grades: K-2 & 3-5 

National Core Arts Standards 

#1 – Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.  

Objectives 

• Students will create a soundscape using unpitched percussion instruments for the story. Bear Snores On. 
• Students will play a 4-note melody on the soprano recorder.  

Materials  

• Book: Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson  
• Various unpitched percussion instruments 
• Bass Xylophone/Metallophone 
• Soprano recorder 

History

The Orff-Schulwerk is an approach to teaching music developed by Carl Orff and his associate, Gunild Keetman, in Germany during the 1920s. It is an active-music-making approach in which children learn musical behavior by creating, listening, analyzing, and performing through speech, singing, movement, body percussion, and instruments. Teaching musical skills and concepts using the Orff approach utilizes a four-stage learning process:  imitation, exploration, literacy, and improvisation.  

Lesson Overview

Use this soundscape lesson in primary grades by teaching only the soundscape portion or extend to the intermediate grades by including the part on the soprano recorder.  

Suggested Teaching Process 

Soundscape Only (Kindergarten-2nd Grade)

1. Read the story Bear Snores On.  
2. Students pat and say “and the bear snores on” each time it appears in the story/ 
3. Students identify “sound effect” words throughout the story (example: howl, growl, spark, pop)  
4. Students assign unpitched percussion instruments sounds to each sound-effect word. 
5. Divide the students into groups and assign each group a word/ unpitched percussion instrument. 
6. Students practice playing/saying, “and the bear snores on” with their group.  
7. Reread the story. 
8. Students add their instrument to the correct word in the story.  Everyone plays on the words, “and the bear snores on” and “but his friends snore on” at the end of the book. 

Recorder Extension (3rd-4th Grade)

1. Students learn the recorder melody.
2. Read Bear Snores On  
3. Students play recorder melody each time, “and the bear snores on” appears in the story. 
4. Identify “sound effect” words throughout the story (Example: howl, growl, spark, pop)  
5. Students assign unpitched percussion instruments sounds to each sound-effect word. 
6. Divide the students into groups and assign each group a word/ unpitched percussion instrument or the recorder and barred instrument group. 
7. Students practice playing/saying “and the bear snores on” with the recorder, barred instruments, and unpitched percussion.  
8. Reread the story. 
9. Students add their instrument to the correct word in the story.  Recorders and barred instruments play on the  words, “and the bear snores on.” All students play on the phrase “but his friends snore on” at the end of the book. 

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