This is an old nursery rhyme. It’s got great verbs. Write the infinitives and a gap-fill on the board, like this:

It’s ________
It’s ________
the old man is ________
he ________in bed
and ________ his head
and ________ _________ in the morning

Students fill in the blanks.

Next use this as a pattern for students to write their own versions. Choose a subject like “She” or “He” or “We” and start from there. Example

She’s crying
She’s whining
the little girl’s upset
Her best friend said
She wet the bed
and it wasn’t true one bit.

Below is an mp3 of the song and a karaoke version to which students can sing their own words.

 

 It's Raining [0:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (46)

 

 It's Raining, Karaoke [0:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (17)

Here’s an old song from a hundred years ago. Like most Recycle Songs it’s really short, so you can just play it a couple of times and ask students to listen close and write down the words.

Oh Where, oh where has my little dog gone?
Oh where, oh where can he be?
With his tail cut short
and his ears cut long,
or where or where can he be?

Afterwards they can make there own question song, following this pattern.

Oh Where, oh where is ______ ______ ______ ______

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

______ ______ ______ ______ ______

______ ______ ______ ______ ______

______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______ ______

I find that the blanks help students recreate songs. The number of words and syllables don’t need to be exact. Students may manipulate the phrasing as they see fit.

You’ll find an example of a Recycle Song below. It’s called “Oh Where Oh Where is Jean Claude Van Damme.”

Oh where, oh where is Jean-Claude Van Damme
Oh where is he when you need him.
When the enemy’s near, Jean-Claude isn’t here
He’s probably just at the gym.

Students may do their own Where Song. Or instead of a “Where” song, they might do a “When” song, or a “Why” song, or a “Who” song… “Oh who, oh who is that sitting on the roof…?”

Below is a version of “O Where O Where” sung by 11-year-old Chelsea Venuti, then Kevin’s Van Damme song, and then several karaoke versions to use for Recycle Songs.

 

 O Where O Where Has My Little Dog Gone [0:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (397)

 

 O Where O Where is Jean-Claude Van Damme [0:22m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (157)

 

 O Where Has My Little Dog Gone, Karaoke 1 [0:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (35)

 

 O Where Has My Little Dog Gone, Karaoke 2 [0:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (77)

This is an old old song, based apparently on Mary Queen of Scots, or Bloody Mary. (She has the carving knife.) I recorded a sweeter version–no carving knife.

[In the photo to the right you can see the farmer’s wife and her knife. It’s from a book called the Absurd ABC by Walter Crane. The book is in the public domain in the USA. I got it from project Project Gutenberg which has lots of copyright free materials.]

With the song, either create a gap-fill, or do a dictation. Play the song several times asking students to write down all the words. Then do a recycle version. See below.

Bloody Mary version
Three blind mice (2x)
See how they run (2x)
They ran after the farmer’s wife
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife
Did you ever see such a thing in your life
as three blind mice?

Nice Mouse Version
Three blind mice (2x)
See how they run (2x)
They ran after the farmer’s wife
Who cried to the farmer: “Oh, save my life!”
The farmer replied, “They are really quite nice,
the three blind mice.” (2x)

Vocals by Chelsea, Kristin, and Max Venuti

Here is a new Recycle Song of “Three Blind Mice” called “Three Dumb Fish.” It’s fairly advanced, so give students some pre-listening help.

Three Dumb Fish
Three dumb fish
Here they come
Swimming through the scum
In a puddle of rain in a satellite dish
Then one dumb fish made a stupid wish
“Before I die I must see Paris”
and out he jumped
Boy, that fish was drunk

Your Own Version
Your students may make and sing their own songs too–”Three Wise Squid, or “I Want Food,” “Ten School Books,” or “Jean Claude Van Damme.” Use the karaoke version (no singing) below.

 

 Three Blind Mice, vocals [0:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (367)

 

 Three Dumb Fish [0:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (41)

 

 Three Blind Mice, Karaoke [0:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (63)