Are you in the process of creating a letter “V” lesson plan for your Pre-K students? If so, don’t forget to add violins into the mix. In my experience, they make an excellent addition to a themed unit. Here’s how to factor one into your itinerary:
Music
Start the violin lesson plan by letting the children listen to an excerpt from Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf” and an audio file of a violin playing. Ask the children to guess which instruments they are listening too. Once they are done guessing, hold up a color photo of a violin and explain what it is. Be sure to point out all of the violin’s various parts and discuss how one is made (i.e. wood and strings). When you are done with that, quickly talk about how a violin is typically held and played. There are two books that you may want to consider reading aloud as part of that discussion. The first is Pamela K. Harris’ “Violins.” The second book is Holly Saari’s “Music Makers: Violins.” Both contain full color photos and information about the instrument.
History and Geography
Proceed by providing the children with a brief history of the instrument. Then take a moment to point out the various regions connected with the violin’s development onto a map (i.e. Italy). Afterward, mention a few famous violinists and violin makers that emerged from those areas over the years (i.e. Gaspara da Salo). You may also want to consider reading Lesa Cline-Ransome’s book “Before There Was Mozart: The Story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-George” aloud.
Next, inform the children that they will be making their own violins as part of an art class. The Fiddleheads website contains a template and instructions for making one with cardboard, glue and a bamboo skewer that you could use. When the children are finished making their violins, let them head on over to your classroom’s dramatic play area.
While there, they can pretend to be violinists and orchestra conductors. Just make sure that you play some violin music in the background while they are doing so. It will help to add a bit of realism to the activity. You may also want to teach them the words to the songs “A Little Violin” and “A Violet Violin” or read another book. A few of the books that I would recommend are Lloyd Moss’ “Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin”, Mayra Calvani’s “The Magic Violin” and Madeleine Thien’s “The Chinese Violin.”
Proceed with the lesson plan by helping the children write the word “violin” and the letter “V.” You may also want to talk about what sounds the letter makes and other words that start with “V.” The Education website has printable worksheets that you could use in that regard. Ones that you may want to consider using are “Beginning Sounds Coloring: Sounds Like Violin”, “Violin Vulture”, “Violin Coloring Page” and “ABC Flashcards: V.
Source: Personal Experience
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