Dewey song for 921's

["Marian S. Colclasure" <mcol@RPS.NWSC.K12.AR.US>]

I do want my elementary students to memorize one Dewey number:

                        9 2 1

So often, they are given the assignment of a written biographical
report.  They think up someone they've heard of before, like Washington,
Lincoln, Paul Revere, Columbus.  But, if they can go to the 921's and
simply browse, and read the prefaces, they'd come across some real "gems"!
I did this with my 6th graders, picking out names and saying, "Does
anyone here know what they are famous for?"  People like:

        Levi Strauss            Invented blue jeans
        Raoul Wallwnberg        Saved 1OO,OOO jews from Nazi Holocaust
        Robert Baden-Powell     Founded the Boy Scouts
        Ray Kroc                Founder of McDonalds Hamburger chain
        Ida B. Wells-Barnett    Anti-Lynching Crusades and equal civil
                                   rights for Black Americans.

        Robert Ballard          Discovered the location of the sunken Titanic

     Since most elementary students are not familiar with very many
famous people, their search through the card catalog would not be
fruitful.  However, browsing the 921's could easily result in not only an
interesting paper to hand in for a grade, but also a wonderful learning
experience for the student.
     For this reason, I wrote a song about 921's.  We sing it often.  It
goes like this: (can you figure out my PINE music?)

   _T____________[dm]______________________[CM]_________________________
   _R__________|_________________________|_____________________________|
   _E__4_______|_________________________|_____________________________|
   _B__4_______|_____________________g/__|_____________________________|
   _L__________|______________e/__F._____|_e/__________________________|
    E      ____  _____  d/ d/                _c/_  _c/_ ____ _C._ d/
           _a/_   _a/_                                  _a/_
         Nine   hun-dred twen-ty ones are special books  to  me; Nine-


   _T__[dm]_________________________[CM]_________[dm]______________________
   _R___________________________|____________|______e/____________________|
   _E___________________________|____C__C^C__|__d/______d/__c/____________|
   _B_______________________g/__|____________|__________________A__a/__a/_|
   _L_____________e/__F__f/_____|__E_________|____________________________|
    E   ____ d/ d/
        _a/_
     hun-dred twenty one's are bi- o-gra-phies. Books about the people who


   _T__[gm]___________________________[dm]__[CM]____[dm]________
   _R_______________________________|_____________|_____________|
   _E_______________________________|_____________|_____________|
   _B___g/__a/__g/__________________|_____________|_____________|
   _L_______________f/______________|_____________|_____________|
    E                   D  d/ _c/_     D^D  _____      D^D^D^D
                                             C^C
      lived in his-tor-rey; Bi-i        o - gra -        phy.

     The kids really get excited about researching a person they never
heard of before.  Think of the excitement when they move on to the jr & sr
high and look at the 921s in those libraries.
     They really do need to memorize THAT exciting number!   IMHO!  :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    \:/ ____ \:/           "Just when I'm able to               {~._.~}
     @~/ oO \~@                make ends meet,                   ( Y )
    /_( \__/ )_\            Someone moves the ends!"           () ~|~ ()
       \__U_/                                                   (_)-(_)
               Marian S. Colclasure     mcol@rps.nwsc.k12.ar.us
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~