MA Standards:
Speaking and Listening/SL.PK.MA.1a: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (e.g. taking turns in talking, listening to peers, waiting to speak until another person is finished talking, asking questions and waiting for an answer, gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
Head Start Outcomes:
Social Emotional Development/Self-Regulation: Follows simple rules, routines, and directions.
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Language 1: Observe and use appropriate ways of interacting in a group (taking turns in talking; listening to peers; waiting until someone is finished; asking questions and waiting for an answer; gaining the floor in appropriate ways).
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 12: Listen to, recite, sing, and dramatize a variety of age-appropriate literature.
Greeting Song: “The More We Get Together” #6
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Name Recognition, Phonological Awareness (Rhythm, Rhyme, and Repetition)
Have children sit in a circle and sing the first verse of “The More We Get Together” with you.
- Then say, Today I will say one name. That person will then choose a friend to say his or her name. Listen, I’ll show you how.
- Sing the first line, naming a child. For example, There’s Sandy and . . . .
- Signal Sandy to tap a friend who will tell his or her name.
- Continue the process as the last child named chooses the next until all children have had a turn.
- Sing the last two lines as a group.
The More We Get Together
(sung to the tune of “Have You Ever Seen a Lassie?”)
The more we get together,
Together, together.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
For your friends are my friends,
And my friends are your friends.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
There’s <child’s name> and <child’s name>,
and <child’s name> and <child’s name>.
There’s <child’s name> and <child’s name>,
and <child’s name> and <child’s name>.
The more we get together,
The happier we’ll be.
Social Emotional Tip: Having someone acknowledge that he or she is friends with a child helps to build that child’s self-confidence and sense of belonging.