Activity:
In the first half of each line, the beginning sound of a word is removed, creating a new word. The second half of each line uses this new word in a short phrase. In the next part of the song, the challenge is to put the words back together and call out the answers before you hear it in the recording.
Variation:
After you have heard this song a few times, join in and sing the second half of each line and the whole fourth line of each verse. You can hear the children on the recording sing this pattern.
Take the /c/ from can't and meet a feisty ant
Take the /s/ from sox, step past a sleepy ox
Take the /h/ from heel and hug a slimy eel
Oh, what a difference, just one little sound
Take the /p/ from pup and the pup is all grown up
Take the /b/ from bark, hear a dog in Noah's ark
Take the /w/ from wall, and you can see it all
Oh, what a difference just one little sound, add
/c/ and ant CAN'T
/s/ and ox SOX
/h/ and eel HEEL
/p/ and up PUP
/b/ and ark BARK
/w/ and all WALL
/m/ and ore MORE More? ... okay
Take the /r/ from rice, and the food is cold as ice
Take the /h/ from heat, warm it up and we can eat
Take the /t/ from tape and feed a hungry ape
Oh, what a difference, just one little sound
Take the /p/ from peach and serve a slice to each
Take the/s/ from soil, drill down and hunt for oil
Take the /m/ from mend and this song is near the end
Oh, what a difference just one little sound, add
/r/ and ice RICE
/h/ and eat HEAT
/t/ and ape TAPE
/p/ and each PEACH
/s/ and oil SOIL
/m/ and end MEND
Oh, what a difference just one little sound
Follow Up:
Let's find other words where we can remove the beginning sound and make a new word. Here are somehelpful clues:
Something you drink out of that starts with 'C'
(CUP UP)
A common name for a dog that starts with 'R'
(ROVER - OVER)
Something you could use to sweep the kitchen
(BROOM - ROOM)
What you are standing on
(GROUND - ROUND )
Something you do with your brain
(THINK - INK)
A kind of pickle that starts with 'D'
(DILL -ILL)
A word for things like sox, shoes, and earrings that come in
groups of two (PAIR - AIR)
Something children like to play with that starts with 'B'
(BLOCKS - LOCKS)
Something hard that starts with 'S' and is found on the ground or
the bottom of a stream (STONE - TONE)
The top of a hill
(CREST -REST)
Something you measure with a scale
(WEIGHT - EIGHT)
Small animals that live in fields or homes and like to eat cheese.
(MICE -ICE)
Make a list of 12 words, then sing this song with the instrumental version
(Also available on "One Little Sound") using your ideas. You can simplify the lyric in the following way:
Take the /c/ from cup and now the word is "up"
Take the /r/ from rover and now the word is "over"
Take the /b/ from broom and now the word is "broom"
Oh, what a difference just one little sound
This song is available on Hap Palmer's One Little Sound: Fun with Phonics and Numbers.
These songs and activities are for the personal use of parents and teachers only. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Hap-Pal Music, Box 323 Topanga, CA 90290 e-mail: hap@netwood.net.
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