Music (The Orff Schwerk Process) and Library

The Orff Schulwerk process of teaching is a way to learn music through play, movement, singing, instruments and speech. This process of teaching is the foundation on which the Lower School Music program at Abington friends School is built. We encourage children to improvise and creative through imitation and play beginning in the 3's & 4's classrooms all the way through to 4th grade.

We have already began exploring, playing and creating over the first few weeks of school!

Friends learned a new song about a ladybug. While singing the song, one friend goes in the center of the circle and closes his or her eyes while the other friends pass the ladybug around the circle. When the song stops, the friend with the ladybug makes a little squeak, and the friend in the circle has to decide which friend is hiding the ladybug. 

Listening carefully to hear where the ladybug squeak is coming from.

After the game, friends practiced drumming to a beat using a mallet and the smartboard. 

The beat can be fast or slow but it is always there!

1, 2, buckle my shoe!

Rest position

We click on the numbers...

... and hit the floor on the words of our rhyme

After Music Class, we headed back to our room for Morning Meeting and a Moment of Silence. 

Next we had Choice Time. Friends were able to choose between Magic Sand,

books,

magnatiles,

and creating the main characters from Charlotte's Web. 

Before Rest Time each day, the Owls have been reading a Chapter from the book Charlotte's Web. Everyday at lunch, friends recap what happened the day before in the story (names of characters, where the chapter took place, etc). Then friends make predictions on what they think will happen next in the story. This lead to friends wanting to recreate the different characters of the book based on what they thought they looked like. 

After Choice Time, we headed to the Library where Doris read us the story Sophies Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller. Ask your Owl if they remember how many squash grew on Sophies' squash plant. Once the story was over, friends checked out books to bring back to our classroom. 

After Library, we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather!