Monster Musical Chairs

Monster Musical Chairs

Posted By: Lakeisha C. Staple

Title: Monster Musical Chairs

Author: Stuart J. Murphy Illustrator: Scott Nash

Recommended Grade Level: Ages 4 and up (Pre-K to Grade 1)

Common Core Standards Addressed:

PK.OA Operations & Algebraic Thinking. PK Understand addition as adding to, and understand subtraction as taking from.

PK.OA.1 Demonstrate an understanding of addition and subtraction by using objects, fingers, and responding to practical situations

Summary: This book is about a group of monsters who want to play musical chairs. The game starts with six monsters and who all want a seat, however, there are only five chairs. They all line up and the music starts, when the music stops one monster is out and one chair is removed. This pattern is repeated until there two monsters left and only one chair. The winner of the game is the last monster who gets a seat.

Rating: ***** This book is a wonderful teaching aid because it engages the students visually with vibrant colors and aurally through steady rhymes. The pages are filled with lively illustrations, and the text written with a musical flair. This book incorporates, Math, Literature, Music and Art. This book is also great for teaching a lesson about win and loss the last two sentences are: “If you lost this time, that’s OK.” “You can win this game another day.”

Classroom Ideas: Teaching a lesson with Monster Musical Chairs, will introduce students to simple subtraction skills. Start with an Art lesson, have the students draw their monsters on different color construction paper. The students will practice the skill of subtracting one by counting backwards while following along with the story.  As each monster is out of the game one monster is subtracted and one chair is also taken away from the game. Playing music will engage the students through motion and may aid students with their memory of the subtraction concept. Each student will have the opportunity to become the characters in the story and use their bodies to represent numbers.  Having a visual representation of one monster for each number in the story 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. By using the fun game of musical chairs, this book and game can enhance understanding of a new topic and encourage students to have a positive attitude about math. The pages of the book guides the students by crossing off one monster as each round of the game is completed. By the end of the story, the teacher would have created a subtraction equation as each monster is crossed out. Six monsters, five chairs, the music stops, one monster is out! Take one chair away, this represent the subtraction sign students will be shown that the game can be represented mathematically (6 monsters – 1 monster = 5 monsters) this is the same as 6-5=1 as the students will see on worksheets.