Lesson 2: Exploring “Walkin’ After Midnight”
| Aim: How can we learn about form and patterns with “Walkin’ After Midnight?” Summary: Students deepen their understanding of form and pattern while exploring “Walkin’ After Midnight.” Materials: Musical Explorers CD or online audio Time Required: 40 minutes (four 10-minute activities) Standards: GA: MK-2GM.1, MK-2GM.3, MK-2GM.6, MK-2GM.7, MK-2GM.9, MK-2GM.10 SC: MGK-2.1, MGK-2.2, MGK-2.3, MGK-2.5, MGK-2.6 Vocabulary: chorus, verse, form, pattern |
Sing “Walkin’ After Midnight”
- Listen to “Walkin’ After Midnight” (
Track 21).
- Learn the chorus to “Walkin’ After Midnight.”
- Read the lyrics out loud to your class.
- Do you hear anything repeating in the song?
Walkin’ After Midnight |
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| Chorus: I go out walkin’ after midnight Out in the moonlight, just like we used to do I’m always walkin’ after midnight Searchin’ for you Verse: I stop to see a weepin’ willow |
(Chorus)
I stop to see a weepin’ willow (Chorus) |
Explore “Walkin’ After Midnight”
- Most country music tells a story. What is the story about in “Walkin’ After Midnight?”
- Explain that in “Walkin’ After Midnight,” there are two different parts to the song, the chorus and the verse.
- The chorus repeats throughout the song, and sums up the main idea of the story. The verse is the part that tells what happens in the story.
- Can you hear any patterns in “Walkin’ After Midnight?”
- Identify the A B A B A form in the song. Note that the chorus is longer the first time it is sung.
- Ask students if they recognize any other patterns.
Move to “Walkin’ After Midnight”
- During the chorus, have your students walk slowly to the steady beat, either in a circle around the classroom, or in place.
- For the verses, have your students stop in place and perform creative movement that corresponds to the lyrics.
- For example, wave your hands overhead for “weeping willow” and make a sad face for “crying on his pillow.”
Literacy ExtensionUsing SG29, draw a picture and write two sentences about what you might see if you were walking around your neighborhood after midnight. Read Where the Wild Things Are (Maurice Sendak) and discuss Max’s dream of what happens after his parents put him to bed.. |
Musical Word Wall
Add the word chorus, verse, form, and pattern to the Musical Word Wall
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