Teaching Songs and Chants
Developed by Teachers

Compiled by William N. Bender, Ph.D.

Return to New Teaching Ideas

I. Math Ideas

E. Skip Counting Macarena

Two, Four, Six, Eight, Ten and Twelve
     Fourteen, Sixteen, Eighteen, Then comes Twenty,
         Twenty Two Twenty Four, then Twenty Six,
             Counting by Twos!

Repeat skip counting by 5
Repeat skip counting by 10

F. A Human Class Clock

Materials: 12 cards numbered individually 1-12 (can use individual pieces of construction or
white papers)

      1 meter/yard stick (minute hand)
      1 (short stick) colored ruler (hour hand)
      problem cards (index)

12 students form clock in large circle-sit holding number over heads

1 student given problem card-goes into circle and forms time written on his card with his arms
1 (or more) students say out loud the time he has formed .

G. Movement of Hands on Clock Face
(Beat of ‘We will, we will rock you")

It is time to learn.
Watch our time clocks turn.
We will learn our time.
Watch these time hands wind.

The short hand moves 1 number.
The long hand goes all around
When 60 minutes pass.
The short hand moves at last.

The long hand moves a bit more.
It takes 60 minutes to go.

H. Regrouping In Subtraction
(Tune: If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands!)

    If the BIG is on the BOTTOM, BORROW 10 (Sing this line 2 times)
         If the BIG is on the BOTTOM when you do a subtraction problem
     If the BIG is on the BOTTOM, BORROW 10

    Once you take from the 10's, add to the 1's (Sing this line 2 times)
         Once you add ten to the 1's, then your tens are lowered one
     Do subtraction in each column, and you’re done

I. Teaching Gallons, Quarts, Pints, and Cups

Tune of: Them Bones

The gallon is connected to 4 quarts
     Each quart connected to 2 pints
         Each pint connected to 2 cups
And that is capacity.

A gallon is the same as 4 quarts
     A gallon is the same as 8 pints
         A gallon is the same as 16 cups
And that is capacity!

J. A chant for teaching Gallons/Capacity

Group 1 (Chant)

    How many cups are in a pint?
        In a pint, in a pint?
    How many cups are in a pint, tell me if you know!

Group 2

    There are 2 cups in a pint,
         in a pint, in a pint.
    There are 2 cups in a pint.
    You thought we didn’t know!

For additional verses use the terms pints in a quart, and then quarts in a gallon.

K. Dancing The Numberline

Using a number line placed on the floor is a good way to incorporate movement into your lesson for students who seem to always need to move. With a simple number line showing the origin and positive numbers from 1 - 20 across the front of the room, you can do both simple mathfacts in addition and subtraction. For higher grades, the numberline may include negative nubmers also. Students may "dance" (i.e. simple sideways swaying movement) in either a positive or negative direction depending on the problem.

L. Clock Face Movement Activities.

Prepare a large clock face (perhaps 6') on the floor using masking tape to make the circle, and placing digits 1 - 12 in the appropriate spots. A meter stick may be used as the minute hand, and a ruler as the hour hand. Students, working in teams of two or three, should be required to display various times on the large clock by moving the hands as necessary; they may be told "Make the clock say 1:20." In order to assure involvement of all students, each student in the class should hold a small clock face, so they may individually complete the same task.

M. A Telling Time Song

For teaching telling time, use the tune of "The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round."

    The short hand say’s it’s number first,
         Number first, number first.
     The short hand say’s it’s number first
         When we’re telling time.

    The long hand is tall and counts by 5;
         Counts by 5, counts by 5.
     The long hand is tall and counts by 5;
         When we’re telling time.

N. Telling Time By A Number Line of Fives.

Create a large number line across the top of the dry erase board, with every multiple of five printed in red and other numbers printed in black or blue. If a student cannot count by fives, he or she can merely read the numbers printed in red.

O. Chanting Mathfacts.

Chanting of mathfacts is a great memory activity, using the rhythm "We will, we will rock you"and changing the addition facts (repeat that chant "One, two, three, rest" or "slap desk, slap desk, clap, rest" rhythm twice per fact and saying "one plus one is two; one plus two is three." etc. Use the same idea for teaching multiplication tables.

P. Teaching Rules for Operations with Positive/Negative Integers
(This is sung to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat).

    Same sign, add and keep,
         Different sign subtract!
     Take the sign of the highest number
         Then you’ll be exact!

    Multiply or Divide
         It’s an easy thought!
     Same signs are positive
         Different signs are not!

Q. Teaching About Circles

This is both a movement based and a rhythm based tactic to teach terms associated with a circle (circumference, radius, and diameter). First, teach the chant below using the rhythm "We will, we will rock you!" In the timing "We will, we will rock you!" two times for each line.

        This is circumference, all around the side.
         Next comes radius, middle to the side.
         Next is diameter, all the way through!
         All of that’s a circle, I’ll show it to you.

Have the class do the chant above while remaining still and standing in a line. When they
begin the chant the second time, have them move to demonstrate the specific terms

R. A Musical Notes "Fraction Tree"

A novel idea for teaching fractions initially is the presentation of "tree" of musical notes. The teacher can make a "fraction tree" which will ultimately be shaped something like a"Christmas Tree." A single whole note should be presented at the top of the tree, with two half notes below that. The teacher can explain that the half notes are not as long as the whole note, and the students can see the difference. If the teacher can sing, he or she may wish to "sing" a whole note, and show the difference between that and two half notes vocally. Thus, the students will both see and hear the differences between these notes. The teacher can then lead a dialogue on those distinctions. The tree also represents that fact that two _ notes make a whole note, just like 2 halves make a whole, and the teacher should point that out. Next, below the _ notes the teacher should present quarter notes, eighth notes, and even sixteenth notes.

S. Rounding Chant (done as a military cadence; While doing the chant, move fists in front of body in a "rolling motion"—one hand over/under the other; then, clap hands on the last word of each line below)

Rounding numbers is such fun (repeat)
       We will round until we’re done (repeat)

If a number is 1 – 4 (repeat)
       Round them down right through the floor (repeat) (bend down while rolling fists)

If a number if 5 – 9 (repeat)
       Round Them up right to the sky (repeat) bend up while rolling fists)

Rounding, Rounding, Rounding, WE LOVE MATH!

II. Science/Health

A. Blood In The Heart/Body (Tune of Hokey Pokey)

Verse 1: It’s the right atrium in, then the right ventricle out

        Then it goes on to the lungs, gathers oxygen all about

              Next 2 lines merely hum "Da, da, da, da, da, da, da"

                    And that What it’s all about!

Verse 2: It’s the left atrium in, then the left ventricle out

        Then it goes throughout the body, as we sing, and move, and shout

              Next 2 lines merely hum "Da, da, da, da, da, da, da"

                    And that What it’s all about!

III. English/Language Arts

A. Hokey Pokey Parts of a Letter (tune is Hokey Pokey)

      You put your date on top (sang while touching the head)

            You put your Greeting next (touch mouth)

                  You write your body then (touching body/chest)

                        As you write and write and write (pretending to write in the air)

        You do your little closing (while closing one’s knee’s together),

             as you finish your composing,

                     And that’s what it’s all about,

                         After singing shout "Signature!" (pretending to write in the air)