Frequently Asked Questions
1. I just started using the Freddie books today, but I'm confused about something. The kids loved the story, they were so engaged and remembered quickly where Freddie lives, where the river is, etc. But I noticed that there were several notes that weren't named (the G, B & D lines.) How do you introduce those?
It made the first story too long and complex to include all of the notes and introduce/connect the kids to Freddie all in the first story. The fourth book, Freddie the Frog and the Secret of Crater Island, introduces the other six treble clef notes (G, B, D, space D, middle C, and space B below the staff). But, I recommend reviewing the first book with flash cards enough that those first six notes are pretty secure, then introduce the fourth book. In fact, here is the order that I introduce the books and concepts with review in between each.
- Thump in the Night
- Mysterious Wahooooo (establishes rhythm notation and patterns while reviewing the first six treble clef notes)
- Play "Name that Tune" with Freddie and "discover" Freddie's alphabet (music alphabet). Did you know that on Treble Clef Island, they only have SEVEN letters in their alphabet? Can we sing the alphabet song Freddie's way? ;)
- Bass Clef Monster (Freddie's scary dream)
- Secret of Crater Island
Online games and downloadable coloring pages at FreddieTheFrog.com.
2. How do you actually see Freddie being used in the classroom? Does the teacher hold him and do voices for him, or is he silent?
Most definitely, silent. The kids hear his voice on the audio CD. The teacher took a trip to Treble Clef Island, where she/he could hear all the animals. When he came back to meet the kids with the teacher, they discovered that only the teacher could hear Freddie! So...you must need to take a trip to Treble Clef Island to be able to "hear" Freddie! There are three good reasons to use Freddie this way:
- Freddie's voice remains consistent with the voice on the CD, so he seems more real. The "real" factor makes it magical for the kids.
- Easier for the teacher.
- If a substitute is teaching and using Freddie, then there is still consistency with the "voice" of Freddie, because it is only imagined.
3. Are there any videos of him in action?
Yes. Here's a link to a few video clips: http://www.musicteacherscentral.com/instantlessonvideos.php
4. How many times would you revisit each book with a class?
I can see that they will love the stories and reinforcing the concepts by doing this is vital, but in a classroom situation would you keep using the first book over and over until it is embedded until moving on to the next one or mix it all up a little. The stories captivate the most wiggliest of kids so well, that you only need to share each book once in the beginning of the year and do quick reviews with the flash card sets for the rest of the year. Half way through the year, I share them each once again, to refresh memories and introduce Freddie to the kids that moved in later in the year and missed out on the stories. Here's the order that I do each story:
Lesson 1 - Meet Freddie the Frog and learn his "hello, song." Other folk song/game learning fun.
Lesson 2 - Hear Freddie's first story, The Thump in the Night.
Lesson 3 - Review with Thump in the Night flashcards and do other activities.
Lesson 4 - Introduce the interactive story, Freddie the Frog and the Mysterious Wahooooo. (Half of the students play small shakers; other half, rhythm sticks/chop sticks/unsharpened pencils)
Lesson 5 - Students compose rhythm patterns using the magnetic rhythm board or interactive rhythm game at www.FreddieTheFrog.com. ; Also, create own four-beat rhythm patterns using craft sticks (we call them Popsicle sticks). Quick review with Thump in the Night flash cards.
Lesson 6 - Play Freddie the Frog's Name that Tune Game. Hum the ABC song via listening to Freddie and repeating for him. Kids guess the name of the song and they discover Freddie's ABC's (the musical alphabet). I guess they only have 7 letters in the alphabet on Treble Clef Island! Freddie wants to know if the kids will only sing his ABC's when they come to music. Quick review with Thump in the Night flash cards. Other activities.
Lesson 7 - Ask the students to raise their hand if they have ever had a scary dream. Share that Freddie had a scary dream. Boy, was he glad that it was NOT real. Would they like to hear it? Freddie the Frog and the Bass Clef Monster book/CD. At the end of the story, see if the kids can remember each part of the dream by pointing at the whole notes in the back without the illustrations. Then show the illustrated answers. Ask if anyone can see Freddie's ABC's in the illustrated staff at the end of the book? Sing Freddie's ABC's with the audio tracks.
Lesson 8 - Do you remember his dream? Use the flash cards to review. Lead the kids to discovering how they tell if the cards are from the dream or Treble Clef Island. Get excited when they discover that the Bass Clef Monster is on the card so you know it is from his scary dream. Then show a Thump in the Night card and point out the Treble Clef Island symbol that is also part of the landscape/topography of the island illustration. This is a key point. Make sure to take time to help the kids discover this correlation.
Lesson 9 - Review the parts of the stories using the Bass Clef Monster cards and the Thump in the Night cards. Great time to play the on-line games or play a matching game by using a double set of the cards on the floor. Lay them out in rows like the on-line game. Each student takes a turn trying to make a match. The game naturally forces the students to focus on the clef sign and the placement of the whole note to make a match. Exactly the goal!
Lesson 10 - Share the Secret of Crater Island story. Review with flashcards. Review beginning with the same order as the story: damselflies, beetle bugs, geckos, dolphin bay, Crater Island, and blowhole. Point out that all the insects/bugs in the Freddie stories are line notes. Great time to stop and explain the difference between line note and space note. Ask kids to answer cards this time, by "line note," or "space note" rather than by character or place from the story. Once you can tell that the class easily understands the difference between line and space, then go back to answering by character and event.
Lesson 11 - Combine the Thump in the Night and the Secret of Crater Island flash card sets and spend some time helping the kids discover the differences between the cards and how they can remember all the pieces. Now, show the grand staff and ask them to watch closely to see if they can discover a special pattern. Lay out the grand staff on either the interactive white board, floor, or poster, etc. Beginning with the Bass Clef Monster story, ask the kids to tell you the first thing in Freddie's dream. Ask what letter it begins with. Place the bass clef line note G in it's place and write the letter G for Gate. Keep going through the story, place notes at a diagonal from bottom left to top right. At the end of the Bass Clef Story, fill in the notes by eliciting responses from the students for all the pieces of the Thump in the Night story, followed by the Secret of Crater Island story. You should now have one long diagonal. Ask them what the special pattern is....Freddie's ABC's!
Lesson 12 - Interactive game day. Now that they have heard all the stories and played the games with you, dedicate time to playing the on-line games as a class as a form of review. Prior to class, choose a coloring page from the Downloads tab at www.FreddieTheFrog.com and make enough copies for every student. On the back side of the coloring page, write a parent note sharing what the students have been learning in music, the benefits of music education and how they can work with them at home. Near the end of the class time, show the kids how to access the coloring pages on-line. Share that you chose one of them, but they can have as many as they want anytime if they have Internet access. Then hand out the coloring page with the parent note for them to take home. Point out that the Internet website address is printed on the coloring page.
Lesson 13 - Introduction to the 12-Bar Blues Chord Progression. Quick review of flash card sets.
Lesson 14 - Introduction to composing a 12-Bar Blues Song. (Use the open track from The Secret of Crater Island book.)I left Lesson 13 and 14 incomplete because there is no way to cover all of the above in an introductory session, but I listed them so that you could see the sequence of lessons that works well with the Freddie the Frog books. Lessons 1-12 apply to kindergarten through third grade with a variance in how much is covered in each lesson, but every grade is either introduced to the books or reviewing them at the same time of the year. I build upon each one at a faster rate, the higher the grade level.
Details of each lesson will be in a new Teacher's Guide coming out this summer. Freddie the Frog Beyond the Books: Teaching Tips, Tools and Assessment.
