KS1 Music: Sun, sea and song. 3: My ship rolls over the ocean

BBC Teach > School Radio > Music > KS1: Sun, sea and song!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Medleys - Warm up - Audio

Focus

Call and response
Getting louder - crescendo

You will need...

...to be familiar with the words and music of the song. To have hands, voices bodies and percussion instruments ready for the activities.

Before you start...

Talk about what happened so far. Nigel and Suki have set sail to find treasure. Discuss what the weather and the sea have been like so far. What connection can the children make between the weather and travelling at sea? What happens when there is a storm?

The tutorial video

Tutorial: My ship rolls over the ocean

Nigel and Suki continue their adventure at sea and are caught in a storm! Suki is scared of the lightning.

Learn Verse 1, 2 and the Chorus of the song.
Note how the lines in the chorus are repeated.
Talk about how this is a slow song and it starts off quietly, as it is a lovely calm day.
Children sing in Groups A and B - repeating each other’s lines.

Song: 'My ship rolls over the ocean'

Learn with the vocal version of the song.

Then polish your performance with the backing track.

Download / print the song lyric sheet.

Download / print the song music sheet.

Sing with the vocal version of 'My ship rolls over the ocean'

Sing with the backing track of 'My ship rolls over the ocean'

Activity: Copying a phrase

The children sing ‘Blow wind blow’ - copying Nigel - sometimes singing the phrase high, sometimes low.

Follow-up:

Play or sing some high notes on a simple percussion instrument, such as a xylophone. Now play some low notes. Help the children to identify which are high and which low. What animals do the high and low notes remind them of - eg a mouse for the high notes, an elephant for the low notes?
Working in groups and using tuned percussion instruments the children can make up their own high or low pieces. They can base these on an animal and give them a title.

Story: The Fisherman and the Magic Fish - Part 3

Audio with scrolling text

Frederick and Isobel soon become dissatisfied once again so Frederick returns to the fish.

This time Frederick demands they are made the Sun and the Moon...but returns home to discover they now have nothing...except each other.

THE FISHERMAN AND THE MAGIC FISH - PART 3

Frederick and Isobel were Emperor and Empress of the whole land. They sat on their thrones at the top of the tall tower.

‘Isn’t it wonderful to feel more important than anyone else!’ said Isobel.

‘Being important isn’t enough,’ moaned Frederick. ‘I want to be surrounded by people who admire us and want to listen to us!’

‘Like the High Priest, you mean?’ asked Isobel.

The High Priest was the leader of the church in that land and every day hundreds of people came to listen to him talk about God.

Frederick’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s who I want to be!’ he cried. ‘Surely the magic fish will agree to just one more wish...’

‘Oh magic fish swimming in the sea! Hear my call and come to me!’

‘Not you again!’ shouted the magic fish angrily. ‘Now what do you want?’

‘To be High Priest!’ cried Frederick.

‘Will you never be happy?’ it sighed. ‘Go home, and see what you find there.’

When Frederick returned the tower had turned into a great church with a large square full of hundreds of people. Isobel was standing on a balcony. They looked down at the smiling faces below.

‘All these people have come to see us!’ she sighed.

‘But the square’s not very big, is it?’ complained Frederick. ‘I want to be seen and adored by everyone in the whole world!’

That night, Frederick couldn’t sleep. How could he get everyone in the world to pay attention to him?

‘What a lovely day it’s going to be,’ yawned Isobel. ‘Everyone will be out, enjoying the sun!’

‘That’s it!’ cried Frederick. ‘I’ll make the magic fish turn us into the sun and moon! Everyone will look at us and love us forever!’

A terrible storm was raging as Frederick reached the sea. His knees were knocking together with fear as he called out to the magic fish.

‘Now what?!’ it shouted, leaping out of the sea with a giant splash.

‘My wife and I want to be the sun and moon,’ yelled Frederick.

‘Oh this is getting ridiculous!’ cried the fish. ‘Go home and see what you find there!’

Frederick wasn’t sure if his wish had been granted or not. He rushed back to find out...but when he arrived there was no church, or palace, or castle - or even a cosy cottage. Isobel was dressed in her old rags, standing by the door of their tiny hut.

They sat down in silence on the grass.

‘We wanted everything - but instead, we have lost everything!’ said Frederick in a quiet voice.

‘Not quite everything,’ replied Isobel.

‘What do you mean?’ asked Frederick.

‘Well, we still have a roof over our heads,’ she said. ‘If we paint the walls and put up some curtains, the hut will look quite nice’.

‘Hmm, and I didn’t really like being important, to tell the truth,’ said Frederick.

‘But you wanted to be loved and adored by everyone,’ said Isobel.

‘Yes, but I forgot about the most important person I love of all,’ replied Frederick, ‘and that’s you!’

‘Ahh, and I love you too!’ replied Isobel with a smile.

Deep down under the blue sea, the magic fish smiled and gave a little wink.

Listening music: 'Une Barque sur l'Ocean' (composed by Maurice Ravel, 1905)

'A Boat on the Ocean'

Focus: instruments / tempo

What instrument is playing? A piano. What sort of instrument is it? Describe how it is played. The piano is able to play lots of fast notes all at the same time. The pianist is playing with both hands with fingers moving very quickly!
Are the notes fast or slow?
What sort of a seascape does the music make you think of? Perhaps waves sparkling in the sunshine...a yacht bobbing along?