I’ve always been a cat person. I got my first cat when I was 7 years old and I’ve had one ever since. When I found this book at the Scholastic book fair this fall, I knew I would love it just by looking at the cover!
No Fuzzball! tells the story of Fuzzball, a cat who rules over her queendom and subjects with the utmost grace. This story is seriously hilarious if you’re a cat lover like me. When her subjects (owners) leave for a trip, she does everything she can to encourage their return home safely.
Of course, I had to pair this book with an elementary music classic, Naughty Kitty Cat! I love using this song to teach quarter rest. My first graders just finished up ta and titi (quarter and barred eighths) before Christmas so they are ready to add in rest!
Naughty Kitty Cat Song & Game
This is the version of the song that I use. It’s slightly different from the traditional version. A few years ago, I was teaching Naughty Kitty Cat to a group of first graders and they struggled with the melody. So, in the moment, I changed it to the version you see below. I’ve used this one ever since and it’s worked out great. Feel free to use whatever version you like with your class!
After the students learn the song, we play the game that goes along with Naughty Kitty Cat. I’ve seen lots of variations for this game, but here is the one that my students love! You could also alter it to have the cat chase a mouse instead of the owner chasing the cat!
Have the students stand in a circle holding hands (or pool noodles to be socially distanced). Choose one “cat” and one “owner.” The cat stands inside the circle while the owner stands outside. Everyone sings the song as a group. When they get to the end of the song, the students raise up their hands to open the doors (spaces between them). The cat runs out the door and the owner tries to catch them.
Rhythmic Dictation
Later in the lesson, or on a separate day, we do rhythmic dictation along with the song. I print out beat strips for each student and give them cat erasers. You can use any sort of manipulative for this activity.
We work through each line of the song figuring out how many sounds are on each beat. They eventually realize that some of the beats don’t have a sound and that’s when I introduce quarter rest.
I also have them complete a worksheet where they match the rhythms with the words of the songs. This makes for a great hallway display when they’re finished!
Orff Arrangement
For the next class/lesson, I teach them an orff arrangement that goes along with Naughty Kitty Cat. There are lots of options for the arrangement, but you can customize it to your class! There are parts for hand drums, rhythm sticks, egg shakers, tone blocks, bass xylophone, alto xylophone, and soprano xylophone.
Since I teach this song in first grade, we usually just add one or two instruments to the song.
I love teaching this song! It’s always a hit with the kids and a perfect way to teach quarter rest! Wanna hear some awesome news?! Everything you’ve seen in this blog post (and more!) is available in my TPT shop! This resource includes everything you need to teach Naughty Kitty Cat to your students! Click here or on the picture below to purchase!
Here’s what’s included in the resource:
- Beat Icons
- Rhythm Icons
- Standard Notation
- Rhythmic Dictation
- Game Instructions
- Body Percussion Ostinato
- Pitched & Non-Pitched Orff Arrangement
- BONUS: Rhythm Cut & Paste Worksheet
- BONUS: Picture Book recommendation
