Owl Conversations

Submitted by Connie Herbon, Iowa

Idea posted December 16, 2002

Using my many stuffed animals, beanies, and puppets for class greetings and pitch exploration is standard procedure in my primary-level classes, but I found a new (at least to me!) extension today. It worked great with my K's, who know and use "echo" regularly, but it also worked well with my pre-K's.

• Teach or review sign for "owl." ("O" shape both hands. Place in front of eyes and twist inward slightly several times.)
• Make owl "hoooos" together at a pitch level that is comfortable for your students, while making sign.
• Tell students your owl wants to have a conversation with their owls. (I tucked my beanie owl into the neck of my jumper so I could have free hands for signing. My students know that our furry friends listen and make judgments about what is sung.)
• Teacher sing short patterns for students to echo in "owl talk." We worked mostly around C'A, and I noticed an improvement in the already high percentage of students using light, high sounds in K. Making the sign while singing is a gimmick to take little minds off what is coming out of the mouth.
• Extension: On another day, have solo conversations around the class and/or let students initiate the patterns with each other.