Goals and Activities in the Software

The Goal : Teach Girls a Clapping Routine

When the student first begins Say Say Oh Playmate, s/he is greeted by Sam, a friendly neighborhood girl who is part of a clapping troupe. She invites the student to help her teach a clap routine to two other friends who want to learn a new clap routine.

In order to teach the girls a routine, the student must choose a song and then put the lyrics of the song together. The words of a song line, along with some distracter words, are written on individual flower leaves. The student must identify the correct words and put them in order so that the neighborhood girls can learn the song.

After the lyrics are assembled, the student "writes " the clapping pattern on the sidewalk with handprints of different colors. Once the correct clapping pattern is put together, the neighborhood girls will be able to sing and perform the whole clap routine.

Creating Songs and Clap Routines

With the help of Sam and the online dictionary (the Lyrics Computer), students can create their own versions of Say Say Oh Playmate’s clap routines. The program provides templates and online guidance to help students put together new lyrics to the tunes of the songs they know. Then, the student creates a clap routine for the song by assembling a pattern of handprints that shows how to perform the routine. (Students with more advanced reading skills may prefer to create songs in Say Say Oh Playmate to assembling lyrics and claps of they already know.)

Recording Songs

After completing a new song and creating a clapping pattern for it, the student may record their voice singing the song. The neighborhood girls can then sing and perform the student’s own song. See the Boom Box section in the SSOP Screens and Icons section for details.

Sharing Songs

A completed song can be uploaded to the Say Say Oh Playmate server so that they can be made available to other students around the country.