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TEACHING IDEAS
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Sing a Story
Stories set to music are catchy and an easy way to teach. Take for instance, Johnny Horton’s, “The Battle of New Orleans”. I wouldn’t even know about that battle were it not for the song.
“The Battle of New Orleans”
In 1814 we took a little trip
Along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississipp
We took a little bacon and we took a little beans
And we caught the bloody British in a town of New Orleans.
(Chorus)
We fired our guns and the British kept a comin’
There wasn’t quite as many as there was awhile ago.
We fired once more and they began to runnin’
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
We looked down the river and we seen the British com’
And there must have been a hundred of ‘em beatin’ on the drum
They stepped so high and they made the bugles ring
We stood beside our cotton fields and didn’t say a thing.
(Chorus)
Ole Hickory said we could take ‘em by surprise
If we didn’t fire our muskets ‘till we looked ‘em in the eye
We held our fire ‘till we seen their faces, well,
Then we opened up our squirrel guns and really gave them
(Chorus)
Yea, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn’t catch ‘em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
We fired our cannon ‘till the barrel melted down
So we grabbed an alligator and we fought another round.
We filled his head with cannonballs and powdered his behind
And when we touched the powder off the gator lost his mind.
(Chorus)
Yea, they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles
And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go.
They ran so fast that the hounds couldn’t catch ‘em
On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.
The accuracy of the song is in question, but the beat and the message are imprinted...the British were defeated.
The Statler Brother’s song, “Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord” is another example of Sing-a-Story.
“Noah Found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord”
(Chorus)
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
That is the reason the scriptures record
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Now the Lord looked down from his window in the sky
And said, “I created man but I don’t remember why.
Nothin’ but fightin’ since creation day.
I’ll send a little water and I’ll wash ‘em all away.”
So the Lord came down to look around a spell.
And there he found Noah behaving mighty well.
And that’s the reason the scriptures record:
That Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
(Chorus)
The Lord said, “Noah there’s gonna be a flood.
There’s gonna be some water and there’s gonna be some mud.
Take off your hat, Noah, and take off your coat.
Get Ham, Shem, and Japeth and build yourself a boat.”
Noah said, “Lord, I don’t believe I could.”
The Lord said, “Noah, get some sturdy gopher wood.
You never know what you can do ‘til you try.
Build it 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.”
(Chorus)
Then Noah said, “There she is! There she is, Lord!”
The Lord said, “Noah, it’s time to get aboard.
Now take the creatures, a he and a she,
And of course, Mrs. Noah and the whole family.”
Noah said, “Lord, it’s gettin’ mighty dark.”
The Lord said, “Noah, get these creatures in the ark.”
Noah said, “Lord, it’s beginnin’ to pour.”
The Lord said, “Noah, hurry up and shut the door.”
OHHHH.
(Chorus)
Now the ark rose up on the foot of the deep.
And after forty days Mr. Noah took a peek.
He said, “We’re not movin’ Lord, where are we at?”
The Lord said, “You’re sittin’ on Mt. Arrarat.”
Noah said, “Lord, it’s gettin’ mighty dry.”
The Lord said, “Noah, see the rainbow in the sky?
Take all the creatures and people to Earth.
And don’t be more trouble than you’re worth.”
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
And he landed high and dry.
And he landed high and dry.
And he landed HIIIIIIIIGGGGGH and DRRRRYYYYY.
This is a song that truly creates ear worms...it gets stuck in your head and you remember it for a very long time. After using this sing-a-story to teach some high school aged students about Noah, I asked them five months later the question, “What did Noah find?” They still sang in unison, “Grace in the eyes of the Lord.”
You can create your own Sing-a-Story, by customizing familiar tunes and phrases it is easy to create your own. I have a friend who created a whole passel of them to teach history to her middle-school students.
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