Lesson Plan: Ain’t no mountain high enough

Song Bank link

Ain’t no mountain high enough
Words and Music by Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson

Subject links

• SEAL (Social & Emotional Aspects of Learning)

• Getting On, Falling Out

• Weekly Achievement Focus: Being a really good friend

Duration

45 mins – 1 hour

Learning objectives

• To explore the good qualities of a friend, and to be able to recognise how they can be a good friend to others.

Resources

• Ain’t no mountain high enough - performance, echo and backing tracks

• Optional: Ain’t no mountain high enough - harmony track

• Card/paper

• Copies of song lyrics

• Interactive Whiteboard (IWB), flipchart or dry wipe board

Introduction

• Share the Learning objectives with the children at the start of the session.

• Arrange the children in a circle and play a short breathing exercise game. Ask the children to stand tall, knees loose and feet apart. Encourage the children to focus on their classmates opposite or on an object in the distance.

• Explain to the children that they are going to practise breathing.

• Remind the children that they should breathe in through their mouths when singing and demonstrate how.

• To encourage the children to breathe without raising their shoulders, try the following activity. Ask them to stand in a circle, all facing clockwise and to place their hands gently on the shoulders of the person in front. You count slowly: IN-2-3-4, OUT-2-3-4 and then repeat with your hands by your sides.

• After repeating this twice, ask the children if they managed to breathe without letting their shoulders rise.

Singing tips

• Ask the children to imagine a feather in front of them and that they are blowing the feather gently to the person at the other side of the room. If they blow too hard the feather will blow off course; too soft and it will fall to the ground. They must take a really deep silent breath and then exhale. Encourage the children to raise their hand as they run out of breath.

• To stop shoulders rising, suggest that they imagine carrying a heavy bag of shopping in each hand.

Main activity

• Display the word ‘friend’ on an Interactive Whiteboard, flipchart or dry wipe board.

• In pairs ask the children to think about the things that they look for and expect of a friend and then share these as a class. Record these on the IWB or flipchart, asking children to clarify their opinions if appropriate. Which qualities are most common and why? Are there any qualities which are a surprise? Are there any others which we need to add?

• Play the performance track of Ain’t no mountain high enough, asking the children to listen carefully to the words.

• Now display the words on the interactive whiteboard (or hand out copies) and use the echo track with the children. Encourage correct breathing.

• Ask the children what they think this song is about? Who do you think it was it written for? What is the main message?

• Sing the song again. Use your discretion - the children may need the echo track again or you may be able to move onto the backing track. Add the qualities you hear mentioned in the song to the class list you have compiled.

Independent activity

• Using the card or paper, ask the children to produce a small illustrated postcard for display, highlighting the different qualities they would look for or expect in a friend. Through discussion, encourage the children to think of times when they would look for these qualities.

• While the children are working, continue to play the accompaniment quietly in the background. Have copies of the words around the classroom for the children to refer to.

Differentiation

Support

• Questions or vocabulary prompts.

• Children could work in pairs or small groups to produce a poster-size version of the postcard together.

Extension

• Children can use the other side of the postcard to complete the flip side of friendship: the qualities they do not like to see in a friend.

Plenary

• Children share their postcards with a partner. Ask them to discuss what they think is the most important quality in a friend. Feed back to the whole group.

• Do all friends have all these good qualities? Discuss briefly in small groups and feed back.

• Sing the song again as a class and finish with some breathing exercises.

Next steps

• The lesson could be repeated again, this time focusing on the harmony track. The children can explore other aspects of friendship, for example falling out and why this happens.

• Link to Drama - can the children devise a short piece based on the themes discussed?

Assessment for Learning (AfL)

• Peer talk

• Self evaluation

• Success criteria

• Questioning

Questions linked to SEAL

• Why do most people have friends?

• What would the world be like if there were no friends?

Differentiated success criteria

All children will:

• Be able to identify the good qualities they look for in a friend.

• Work independently or in small groups to produce an illustrated postcard showing friendship qualities.

Some children will:

• Debate positive and negative qualities in a friend.

A few children will:

• Sing confidently in tune with an awareness of breathing.

• Talk about friendship in a wider context.