- audio player
- jazz music recordings
- high
- jazz
- loud
- low
- music
- musical instrument
- predict
- soft
- sound
- tap
MA Standards:
Literature: RL.PK.MA.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about a story or a poem read aloud.
Literature: RL.PK.MA.3 With prompting and support, act out characters and events from a story or poem read aloud.
Language: L.PK.MA.4 Ask and answer questions about the meanings of new words and phrases introduced through books, activities, and play.
Head Start Outcomes:
Literacy Knowledge/Book Appreciation and Knowledge Asks and answers questions and makes comments about print materials.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 6 Listen to a wide variety of age appropriate literature read aloud.
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 10 Engage actively in read-aloud activities by asking questions, offering ideas, predicting or retelling important parts of a story or informational book.
Read Together: Jazz Baby #1
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Concepts of Print, Listening and Speaking, Vocabulary
Educator Prep: Read Jazz Baby by Lisa Wheeler, then select a piece of jazz music that matches the beat and energy of the words in the book to listen to before reading aloud.
Before You Read
Have children close their eyes and listen to a short jazz recording before you read the story.
- After listening, explain that the type of music they listened to is called jazz music.
- Ask children to describe the music. Ask, What kind of sounds did you hear? Were they high? Low? Loud? Soft?
Talk about the different sounds you hear in jazz music and how the sounds can be made using different musical instruments.
- Direct children’s attention to the Instrument Wall (or other pictures of musical instruments you have on display) as you discuss.
Then hold up the book and read the title. Ask children to predict what they think the story is about.
As You Read
Read the book once without stopping, emphasizing the beat. Mimic the descriptive sound words with your voice, changing the pitch and volume on words like up, down, high, low, swings, bouncin’, and rompin’-stompin’.
Read the book a second time. This time, invite children to join in. Tell them you will pause after an action so they can join in and repeat the action. For example,
- Brother’s hands tap. (children tap)
- Sister’s hands snap. (children snap once)
- Itty-bitty Baby’s hands CLAP-CLAP-CLAP! (children clap loudly three times)
After You Read
Discuss the sounds that you read about in the book. Ask children which sounds they liked best. Ask,
- What was your favorite sound? Why?
- How did you feel while you were listening to Jazz Baby?
- Have volunteers choose a favorite part of the story and reread it while emphasizing the beat and rhythm of the language.
English Language Learners: Tap a 4/4 beat on your thighs as you emphasize the word beat. Have children repeat the movements and say the word beat as they tap.