Experience E 
 
        EDUCATIONAL
        BACKGROUND
 
        Listening Skills
 
        If we listed all the skills
        that help learning, careful
        listening would be right at
        the top. Listening helps
        children follow directions;
        it helps them hear the
        sounds they will see on
        the page when they read;
        it helps them gather information. Like any skills, listening can be
        improved with practice. Some classroom materials and activities
        sharpen listening skills.
 
        Songs help children hear and use phonetic sounds, especially
        songs with nonsense syllables. They also convey information. Have
        your children listen to a song with a story, then ask them questions
        about what happened. You may need to play the record again to
        give children clues. You can put words from the song on an
        experience paper. 
 
        Hap Palmer's records use music to teach basic skills, including the
        complicated skill of following directions. Children enjoy being able
        to successfully follow his instructions. They immediately recognize
        their own ability to listen and do. 
 
        MATERIALS NEEDED
 
          1.Flannel board and flannel-backed labels (exercise, elephant
             (Edgar), experiment, egg, empty, enter, and exit) and
             elephant puppet 
          2.Experiment: egg, 2 bowls, salt, 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of
             salt, and a spoon 
          3.Tunnel (small table covered with sheet) and two signs-enter
             and exit 
          4.Record. LEARNING BASIC SKILLS THROUGH
             MUSIC, Volume I "The Elephant" by Hap Palmer 
 
        Note: As you finish each activity in this lesson, put the
        flannel-backed label on the flannel board as you say the word. 
 
        ATTENTION GETTER
 
        Sing or chant while doing various exercises (jump, twist, turn,
        etc.):
 
        "Exercise, exercise Everybody needs to exercise."
 
        Poem:THE ELEPHANT (hold picture of elephant)
 
        I'm an elephant, as you can see. 
        I'm big, as big, as big can be 
        My tail is short, my trunk is long.
        My feet are big and my back is strong.
 
        -Lois B. McCue 
 
        ACTIVITIES
 
             Flannel board, elephant, and experiment. "I'm an
             elephant and my name is Edgar, and I like to do
             experiments. I'll show you one with an egg."
 
             Experiment: 
               1.Put 1 cup of water in each bowl 
               2.Put 1/4 cup of salt in 1 bowl of water 
               3.Use spoon and place egg is fresh water 
               4.Remove egg and place in salt water 
             Results: Egg sinks in fresh water; it floats in salt water. 
 
             Let elephant ask questions, such as:
             "What happened when the egg was in the fresh water? "
             "What happened when the egg was in the salt water?"
             "Where can you find fresh water?"
             "Where can you find salt water?"
             "Do they look the same?"
             "Do they taste the same?"
             "Do you want to taste the water (encourage each child to
             taste the water)
             "Do they taste the same?" 
 
             Tunnel.
             Elephant talking: "I'm tired of experiments. I want to make a
             tunnel." (fix the tunnel) "My tunnel is empty. I'm going to
             enter the tunnel; now it isn't empty. I'm tired and I want to
             leave. I'm going to exit from the tunnel."
 
             Elephant asks questions, such as
             "What does enter mean?"
             "What does exit mean?"
             "What does empty mean?"
             "Do you want to enter the tunnel and exit the tunnel?"
             (let each child have a turn)
 
             Discuss labels on the tunnel. Let the elephant ask questions.
 
             Record.
             "Let's pretend we are elephants." Demonstrate. Play the
             record-"The Elephant" by Hap Palmer. Act out. 
 
        OPTIONAL FOLLOW-UP 
        ACTIVITIES
 
          1.Elephant Puppet.
             Materials placed on a special table for children to make
             their own elephant puppet. This would also have to be
             demonstrated by the teacher. The children could be
             encouraged to name their own puppet (Eddie, Ellen,
             Egbert, etc.) 
          2.Tunnel.
             Put the tunnel in the book corner, or some convenient area,
             where the children can enter and exit in play. 
          3.Egg Salad.
             Boil eggs with the children. Children can shell cooled eggs.
             (This is a good fine motor exercise) 
          4.Clay.
             Demonstrate how to mold an elephant. Have it lie down to
             support its weight. Allow elephant to dry for children to
             take home. 
 
                                                      
 
        SPECIAL ACTIVITY: 
 
        Egg Salad and Crackers For a group of one to three children.
 
        Materials: Egg salad (use your favorite recipe), crackers,
        placemat, plate, knife, pitcher, detergent, dishpan, sponge, bucket.
 
        The teacher demonstrates the activity. Have only enough egg salad
        for three crackers. The label encourages sight reading. The dishes
        to be washed are the egg salad dish, knife, and plate. The table
        should be cleaned each time. The towel should be folded.