O' Say what is true

I began teaching the "I Lived in Heaven" song for January this past week. I decided to start it out by really helping the kids understand the meaning of the song and to think about the great and simple truths taught in the song. I got this idea from the Primusic group and adapted it for my primary. (Remember, this idea could really be adapted to most any primary song)

Preparations:

1 set of question cards

3 sets of answer cards

1 flip chart with a pictures and the lines of the song (you can get this at http://www.jollyjenn.com ) print it out and then mount them on card stock.

3 willing teachers.

Okay, so you take the "I Lived in Heaven Song" and write the word for word lyrics on a set of 3X5 cards. For instance, the first line is..."I lived in Heaven a long time, ago it is true." On the next card you would put the next line "Lived there and loved there with people I know so did you."...etc until the entire song is written out (all three verses).

On the next set of cards you're going to put an answer similar to the real lyrics but slightly changed such as "Lived there and PLAYED there with people I know so did you"...you go through the entire song doing this...other lines could be ...instead of "There was another who sought for the honor divine"..it could be "There was someone better suited for the job."

On the third set of cards you're going to put complete nonsense answers such as "At Home in Disneyland where Mickey is waiting for me"...and on until the song is completed.

On the final set, write out questions that go to the songs answers. For instance, the first question would be "Where did you live before you came to Earth?", Second would be "What did you do there?"...etc

Mix up the three sets of answer cards so one teacher doesn't get all the "right" answers and becomes predictable.

FOR JR. PRIMARY:

Only use two card sets...the right card set and a funny set. Ask two teachers to come up. Ask the questions of each and have them read there answers. Ask the Children which they think is giving the right answer. Each time you ask and question, and the children guess the right answer, hold up the coordinating picture and word chart you made and have them sing each line. It sounds like it would take a while, but we actually went through the entire song this way in 15 min...sometimes even singing lines twice. After a verse has been completed, I have them sing the entire verse before moving on. My Jr. Primary ate this up and really learned the song.

SR. PRIMARY:

Have three teachers come up and give them their cards. If it helps, have the kids nominate their teacher. I knew that the some of the older boys might want to vote for the funniest answer just to joke around, so before I started, I told them that the JR. Primary got all the answers right the first time and I wanted to see if they could do the same thing. IT WORKED like a charm. Everyone had a great time, and even though all the kids had learned this song in the past, it was still a good review and got them thinking about why this song is so very important. I told them it answers questions that scholars have been asking the world for centuries...and my little primary children know the answers to what some believe to be mysteries.

*Originator: Primusic group
**Adapted by the Crazy Chorister