Just a Walk Text by Jordan Wheeler and Illustrations by Chris

Auchter
Level: Grade 1-3
Focus:
 Accompaniment
 Form

Curricular Outcomes:
 Grade 1 – R1, R3; M4, M5; H1; F1
 Grade 2 – R6, R7; F4, F5; L10
 Grade 3 – R13; M8; H7; L16, L17

Materials Needed:
 Glockenspiels
 Soprano/Alto Xylophones
 Bass Xylophones

Process:
1. Read the book in its entirety.
2. Ask the students what kinds of ‘action words’ (verbs) they heard in the
book and make a list on the board.
3. Begin teaching the A section poem by rote.
4. Add in each instrument part with body percussion in the following order:
pat on legs for bass xylophone, clap for soprano/alto xylophone, snap for
glockenspiel.
* When teaching soprano/alto xylophone, clap in different places in the
air that are close to each other to mimic future instrument playing.
**Snaps happen on the rhyming words.
5. Draw students’ attention to beat in bass xylophone vs. rhythm in
soprano/alto xylophone.
6. Put body percussion and poem together. Repeat until each student has
performed all three parts.
7. Teach B section poem by rote.
8. Perform A followed by B section and repeat A section to finish (ABA). Ask
students if the second poem is different or the same and lead them to
understand that because they are different, they are labeled with
different letters.
9. Transfer body percussion to instruments in C pentatonic. Tell soprano/alto
xylophones that they can play any notes as long as they are right next to
each other and they end on low C.
10. Perform piece in its entirety.
Music:

Just a Walk
Book Written by Jordan Wheeler
B
Arr. Megan Fong
A

Hawk, fish, bad - ger, bear. Ea - gle, cats and dogs.

Voice

Walk- ing, watch - ing, look - ing, SPLASH! Swim, sink, in a flash!

Glockenspiel

Soprano/Alto Xylophone

Walk- ing, watch - ing, look - ing, SPLASH! Swim, sink, in a flash!

Bass Xylophone

V.

Jump - ing, run - ning real - ly fast! Chuck is fin - ally home at last!

Gl.

SX/AX

Jump - ing, run - ning real - ly fast! Chuck is fin - ally home at last!

BX