Reader's Waltz

[billroper]

Once again, at Katie's behest, we set out to write a song for her teacher, Mrs. Hanstad. After a round of interrogation of Katie and questions that Gretchen put directly to Mrs. Hanstad, we managed to put the song together and record it just in time to give it to her on the last day of school.

Happily, she liked it. :)

Words: Bill, Gretchen, and Katie Roper
Music: Bill Roper
Copyright 2016

Reader’s Waltz
(A Song for Mrs. Hanstad)

It starts with the letters – lines, angles, and loops.
We see and we say and we put them in groups.
And as we sort out all the patterns we’ve found,
We’re reading the words as we’re hearing the sound.


(Chorus)
There are words that we speak, there are words that we hear.
There are words that are strange as they come to our ear.
And we’re writing them down, ‘cause that’s just what we need
To learn all of the words that we’re going to read.


Words are the blocks from which stories are made.
The words create pictures – the pictures won’t fade.
It’s easy with words that we all understand,
The way that the very best teachers have planned.

(Chorus)

Oddball or regular, vowels short or long.
The words we are learning will help make us strong.


And with all our words, reading’s never a chore.
We put one book down and we’ll want to find more.
The stories we read are the prize that we’ve won
When all of us kids are off reading for fun.

(Chorus twice)