I combed through a variety of resources, looking at lyrics for positive references to women of the Goldrush, problematic racist language, analyzing melodies for recorder connections, analyzing rhythms for 4th-grade rhythm conscious-learning applicability, etc. I expanded on my previous iteration of the song booklet to include Native American songs of the region, Spanish influences, Chinese melodies and poetry, and songs from other countries including Canada, Ireland, and England.
Next Steps:
transposing 2-3 of the songs (using the Sebelius software) into keys that work for the recorder
decide the final order of the songs and if there is anything else I want to add (El Coyote dance melody? 24 Robbers? "Pork and Beans" rhythm canon? Gold Rush vocabulary? )
make a class set with heavier "book" covers that students will be able to use on the bus ride to their Coloma overnight
practice accompaniments for the new songs I've added
it would be useful to talk with 4th-grade teaching team in the future to see how the booklet and my ideas for activities can best support their SS work in this area of the curriculum - I want to make sure that my thinking and materials are up to date with their current approach to the time period and our schoolwide work on DEIB, etc.
What a fun and exciting integration with the 4th grade curriculum! Maybe the 'book' covers could even be a Makery collaboration - and math/makery if they measure and make the book even with a pocket, recorder holder solution, etc. Love it:)!