Singing Together

All my students, kindergarten through fourth grade (I'll see fifth after January) have been learning and practicing songs for our sing-along assembly.  The youngest begin learning "America" and "America, the Beautiful", as well as "This Land is Your Land", "The Earth is Our Mother", and "Over the River".  Older grades add "The Star-Spangled Banner", "Hymn for Nations" (to Beethoven's melody for "Ode to Joy"), "Roll On, Columbia" and "Washington, My Home", and later verses of "America" and "America, the Beautiful".  In an Open Window tradition, the students and teachers (and some staff) gather in the gym the day before Thanksgiving to sing them all together.