Auld Lang Syne Theme

Meghan Moloney, 4th Grade

Standards (Music and other Academic Area):

- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.2
Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text;
summarize the text.

- MU:Pr4.2.4a
Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, and form) in music selected for performance.

Objectives (Include the three elements of an objective learned in

class):
 Students will demonstrate accurate rhythm, pitch, form, and theme by performing a poem
that they created to the melody of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Materials:
 Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
o Lyrics for each student
o Sheet with form for T
 Auld Lang Syne
o Lyrics for each student
o Sheet with form for T
 Observation/ checklist for students
 Youtube video of Auld Lang Syne
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U3w_zpiWSE

Background for teachers (if needed, describe any context for the
lesson that another teacher should know):

Definitions:
1. Form (Poetry) – can be understood as the physical structure of the poem: the length
of the lines, their rhythms, their system of rhymes and repetition.

2. Form (Music) – The term musical form (or musical architecture) refers to the
overall structure or plan of a piece of music, and it describes the layout of a
composition as divided into sections.

3. Theme (Poetry) – This idea is crafted and developed throughout the poem and can
be identified by assessing the poem’s rhythm, setting, tone, mood, diction and,
 occasionally, title. The theme is rarely stated explicitly, and it is not a moral but an
important idea that is prevalent throughout the poem.

4. Rhythm (Music) – The “beat” of music; the regular pattern of long and short notes.

5. Pitch (Music) – position of a single sound in the complete range of sound; this
quality varies with the number of vibrations per second (hertz, Hz) of the sounding
body and is perceived as highness or lowness.

6. Auld lang syne – Literally means “old long ago,” from Scots

*Definitions from Merriam Webster Dictionary

Steps in the lesson (this could involve several days worth of

instruction):

Introduction/Building Background Knowledge:

1. T reviews the definitions above. We have already been working on form, theme, rhythm,
and pitch before this class.
2. T passes out the words to Auld Lang Syne and goes around the class having the students
read line by line.
a. Tell them to do their best because they might not know some of the words
3. T tells the students to mark the form of the poem on their copies of the poem.
a. Just on the first page
b. T gives them time to work
4. T asks how many lines are in each stanza?
a. Ss answer 4
5. T asks if some of the lines rhyme. “Can you give me some examples of rhyming lines on
the first page?”
a. Ss answer
6. T assigns groups and has each group compare their answers about the form of the poem.
7. T goes over her answer key with the class.
8. T asks Ss what this poem reminds them of/ if they have ever heard it before.
a. T doesn’t call on Ss but just lets them think about if it sounds familiar.

Body: (Step-by-step scaffolding that includes teacher

modeling, guided work, and independent work)
1. T lets the song play on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U3w_zpiWSE
2. T asks the students to pat the rhythm that they hear during the song.
3. T begins a pat, but changes the pat throughout the song to be faster and slower to show
the variety or rhythms that are possible with this song
4. T asks students how the song makes them feel; what mood does the song portray?
a. What do you think of when this song plays?
 b. Ask Ss for some adjectives to describe how the song makes them feel. Ex:
Peaceful, happy, relaxed
c. Ss will most likely bring up New Years
5. T ties in the theme of New Years with the theme of this poem/song
a. T talks about friends and family, New Years resolutions, remembrance, and how
the song theme is related to what we celebrate when we ring in the New Year.
6. T reminds the students that context clues from the words are important, but even though
they don’t necessarily understand the words of the poem, they know what the theme of
the poem is through the music’s rhythm, pitch, and mood.
7. T introduces the next part of the lesson, where the groups that were already assigned are
told to make their own poem to the song of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
8. T passes out a copy of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and tells the groups to mark the form
of the poem next to each line (A,A,B,B,A,A)
a. Gives the students a couple of minutes (This should be very easy compared to
auld lang syne)
9. T tells the instructions to the class:
a. The group must have the same form as Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, the group
must keep a rhythm, and the poem must have a theme.
i. Remind the students that the theme must go along with the melody of
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star since theme has to do with the rhythm, pitch,
and mood of a song. Ask them to figure out the mood of Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star, and then make up their poem from there.
ii. Ex: The mood of Twinkle Twinkle Little star is light and simple. You
wouldn’t write a serious or sad poem with the tune of Twinkle Twinkle
Litle Star.
b. T tells them that each group member must participate
c. T tells Ss that, “each member of the group will write down the theme of their new
poem on the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star sheet that I give them.”
d. The group will perform the poem in front of the class.
10. T shows them example of T’s poem and theme. (with stomping rhythm)
a. Show them how my poem’s form matches
b. Show them how the theme IS NOT the subject of the poem, it’s more about how
the mood of the poem

Closure:
1. The groups will each perform their poems/ songs and present what their overall theme of
the poem is to the class.
a. T will assess the students while they are performing.
2. The students will hand in their Twinkle Twinkle Little Star sheets with the theme of their
group poem.

Assessment (linked directly to objectives):

1. My assessment will be an observation/ checklist while they perform. I will be assessing
them on how well their poem fits with the rhythm and form of Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star, and the groups understanding of theme.
2. I will also be looking at each of their paper’s to see the individual student’s
understanding of theme in poetry.
Adaptations/Extensions (include at least one strategy for
differentiation):
1. This lesson could easily be split into two or three days. If the class is fast, they can get all
of this accomplished in one class period, but there is plenty of room for extra days during
this lesson plan. If the students are having a harder time with the idea of theme, then we
can continue to go over what exactly a theme is in a poem. It’s a hard subject to grasp,
even for high school and beyond.

Rationale: Why is it important that students learn my lesson?

What will they gain from my content?
1. Students will become more familiar with what theme is in poetry through basic elements
of music such as rhythm, pitch, and form. Poetry and music go together already. Music is
poetry, and poetry is music. They are very interchangeable, so it makes sense to integrate
them together when learning about either. Through the group project, the students will be
able to collaborate and brainstorm ideas for their poems.

Next Steps/ Connections to Other Subjects: What lesson will

come next? How will you build on this learning?
1. This could tie nicely into a history lesson about the time when Auld Lang Syne was
written, and what was going on in Scotland during that time.
2. This could tie into a science lesson having to do with the song Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star.
3. We could also continue poetry with meter, punctuation, tone, etc.

Reflection
It was hard to do a whole lesson plan in only ten minutes. I think next time, I have to practice
how to present it in ten minutes instead of practicing the lesson plan. My lesson plan was also
pretty long and had previous knowledge in it that my class would have gone over that same
week. I’m really excited to use this lesson plan in my classroom someday, but it was challenging
to present it in class! Maybe for my Social Studies Lesson plan, I will narrow it to one activity,
and try a lower grade level. I was just admitted into the College of Education, so this class has
been the first time where I had to actually write out a Lesson Plan, so I probably should have
picked a lower grade to start out. Also, I need to work on writing objectives.
http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/auld-lang-syne

Auld Lang Syne

Robert Burns, 1759 – 1796

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,

And auld lang syne!

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!

And surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the braes,

And pou’d the gowans fine;

But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,

Sin’ auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,

Frae morning sun till dine;

But seas between us braid hae roar’d

Sin’ auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!

And gie’s a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,

For auld lang syne.

Chorus:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne.

We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”

By: Jane Taylor (1806)

http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs/childrens/twinklemp3.htm

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are.

Up above the world so high,

Like a diamond in the sky.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,

How I wonder what you are!