Here are some ideas for using our song "Nellie Bly" in your Pre-K classroom:
Find or create large pictures of the following:
- an airplane
- a bus
- a mini-van
- a sampan
- a rickshaw
PREPARATION:
1. Tell the story of Nellie Bly very briefly. You can do this simply by saying "Nellie Bly was a woman who took a trip around the world."
2. Explain that the class be listening to a song about the places she went and the different moving things she used to get to those places.
LISTENING: Give each child large copies of all five of these pictures. Ask them to hold up the correct picture as they hear each mode of transportation mentioned.
COMPREHENSION
This is an additional advanced activity for a different day or for a class that wants to listen to the song again.
1. Announce that now you're going to try to find out which moving things Nellie Bly did ride in and which ones she didn't ride in.
2. Play the song. Nod or shake your head if you think your class needs these prompts.
3. Hold up the picture of the airplane. Ask students "Did Nellie Bly fly in an airplane around the world?" If the students disagree on whether she did or not (or if they all say "Yes, she did"), say, "Let's listen to the song again." Play the part of the song that mentions the airplane again and shake your head as we sing "She didn't fly an airplane. No airplane!" Ask the students again if she flew in an airplane. Repeat for each moving thing.
FUN
Color a picture of one of the moving things. Or ask your students to draw a picture of themselves riding in their favorite moving thing.
