Drummer Hoff

Emberley, B.  (1967).  Drummer hoff.  New York:  Aladdin Paperbacks.

I believe there is a book to teach any concept you wish.  Drummer Hoff, adapted by Barbara Emberley, is a cumulative folk song where soldiers go through the process of building a cannon.  The book, illustrated by Ed Emberley, won the Caldecott Medal in 1968 for its outstanding illustrations.  The book is great for teaching multiple concepts from cumulative stories to folk songs to rhyming words.

         A teacher can use a poem or song that contains rhyming words to introduce the concept of rhyming words with this book.  Students can identify which words rhyme and give examples of other words that rhyme with those words.  During the story, students can identify the words that rhyme by giving a “thumbs up” sign.

         A teacher can make a list of common folk songs and read them to his/her classroom.  The teacher can define what a folk song is, list characteristics of folk songs, and ask students for examples of folk songs.  After he reads the book, he can ask the students to recognize what the folk song is in the story.  When the students identify the folk song, the teacher should instruct the students to write their own folk song.  The students can share their folk songs with their peers.

         A teacher can read well-known books that are cumulative to introduce the concept of cumulative stories.  Some well-known cumulative books are:  There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and Are You My Mother?.  After he reads a few cumulative stories, he can read the book, Drummer Hoff.  The teacher should ask the students, "Based on the cumulative stories we read, is Drummer Hoff a cumulative story?"  Some BIG questions the teacher can ask the students are, “How do you know Drummer Hoff a cumulative story?  What evidence do you have to support your answer?"

         I would recommend this book to other teachers because they can teach any of these three concepts to their students, and they can modify and adapt them to make them easier or harder.  The rhyming concept is great to teach to kindergarten and first grade students, the cumulative story concept is appropriate for second and third graders, and the folk song concept is good for fourth, fifth, and sixth graders.