Click, Clack, Moo Musical Activity

Submitted by RaeAnna Goss, Nashville, Tennessee

Idea posted April 8, 2005

Read through the book and have the students sing the recurring phrase "Click clack moo, click clack moo, clickety clack moo!" on s-m-s, s-m-s, sss-m-s

Have students watch for notes that have been typed on the typewriter. If available, show them a real typewriter.

After the story, assign students to the barred instruments to accompany the singing of the recurring phrase. I had my students play a C and G with the rhythm of of the words click clack moo (3x).

The remaining students get a set of rhythm sticks, triangle, or ratchet. You could even assign a student to be the narrator and read the book. I also assign a student to be the director for the typewriter section.

Typewriter section: Anytime students see a note in the story that was typed on a typewriter, they provide the sound effects of the typewriter! The director will pretend to be typing on the keys and the rhythm sticks play the clicking sounds. When the reader comes to a punctuation mark in the note, the director stops typing and the triangle makes the "ding!" After the triangle, the director pretends to push back the typewriter roll while the ratchet plays.

Your students will love this story! I've done it with second through fourth grades.

Also, follow up the lesson with a listening example on form. Play Leroy Anderson's "The Typewriter" and have them all be directors on the typing, ding, and roll back sounds. The form is: introduction A B A C interlude A coda.