Birthday Echo
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Approach:  Team
ACCESS
Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Singing  
Resources:
Audio track on laptop computer, 4 song charts
FRAME 256Kb
Questions/instructions:  

This activity uses the computer. Click on the Birthday Echo button.
In this activity, you’re going to sing an echo song. I’ll give you the words of the song and we’ll read them through together so you get to know them.

Hand students song charts. Read through words together.

Birthday Echo
The children on the video will sing each line, then each of you will copy the line. [Student 4] will echo back the first line, [Student 3] will echo back the second line, [Student 2] will echo back the third line and [Student 1] will echo back the fourth line. You can all sing the echo for the chorus.


Show students the lines they individually need to echo.
We’ll listen to the song first so that you get to know how it is sung. If you want, you can join in the singing.

BIRTHDAY ECHO
All my friends are coming. All my friends are coming.
We’re gonna have a hooley. We’re gonna have a hooley.
One of them is Bob. One of them is Bob.
The other one is Julie. The other one is Julie.
It’s my birthday – Hip, hip, hooray!
CHORUS:  
Bob Julie
Bob Julie
Bob, Bob, Bob. Julie, Julie, Julie.
I don’t need anything else.
Stick your party hat on. Stick your party hat on.
Slip off your jandals. Slip off your jandals.
Cut the chocolate cake. Cut the chocolate cake.
Blow out all the candles. Blow out all the candles..
It’s my birthday – Hip, hip, hooray!
CHORUS:  
Got me a surfboard.
Got me a surfboard.
And a tiny little castle.
And a tiny little castle.
An electric guitar. An electric guitar.
At the bottom of the parcel. At the bottom of the parcel..
It’s my birthday – Hip, hip, hooray!
CHORUS:  
Click on Song 1 button. [Audio track only.]
Now it is your turn to echo your lines. The children on the video will lead the singing, and you will echo their lines.
Stand up straight to help you do your best performance.

Click on Song 2 button. Students echo the lines sung by children on the video.
[Audio track and video; on-screen instruction to echo lines sung by group in the video.]
 
% responses
2008 ('04)
y4
y8
[Choruses were not marked.]
Singing in tune: 		always 7 (11) 7 (6)
mostly 24 (23) 17 (16)
about half the time 22 (21) 16 (11)
singing, but mostly out of tune 25 (20) 27 (33)
speaking, not singing 15 (19) 28 (21)
not attempted or incomplete 7 (6) 5 (13)
Rhythm/Timing/Tempo: correct throughout 14 (25) 22 (28)
  correct most of the time 32 (34) 37 (32)
correct about half of the time 25 (19) 20 (18)
mostly incorrect 22 (18) 16 (10)
not attempted or incomplete 7 (4) 5 (12)

Total score:
 8–9 12 (20) 15 (13)
6–7 31 (26) 24 (26)
4–5 29 (34) 35 (36)
2–3 21 (15) 20 (12)
0–1 7 (5)
6 (13)
Subgroup Analysis [Click on charts to enlarge] :
Year 4
Year 8
Commentary:
Although this is a team task, student performances were marked individually, allowing for subgroup analyses. As with earlier singing tasks, rhythmic aspects were distinctly stronger than pitch aspects (singing in tune). Year 4 and year 8 students performed similarly, and there was little change from 2004 to 2008.