If I Had a Hammer

If I Had a Hammer Lesson

IF I HAD A HAMMER (by Pete Seeger and Lee Hayes)

If I had a hammer,
I’d hammer in the morning
I’d hammer in the evening
All over this land

I’d hammer out danger,
I’d hammer out warning,
I’d hammer out love
Between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a bell,
I’d ring it in the morning,
I’d ring it in the evening
All over this land

I’d ring out danger,
I’d ring out warning,
I’d ring out love
Between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land

If I had a song,
I’d sing it in the morning,
I’d sing it in the evening,
All over this land.

I’d sing out danger,
I’d sing out warning,
I’d sing out love
Between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

Well, I’ve got a hammer,
And I’ve got a bell,
And I’ve got a song to sing
All over this land

It’s the hammer of justice;
It’s the bell of freedom;
It’s the song about love
Between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.

It’s the hammer of justice;
It’s the bell of freedom;
It’s the song about love
Between my brothers and my sisters
All over this land.





1. What is a synonym (in the song) that means “danger”? ______________
2. In this song, who are “my brothers and my sisters”? ______________
3. In this song, what does “land” mean in “all over this land”?
______________________________________________________________
4. What is the “hammer of justice”?_______________________________
5. What is the “bell of freedom?__________________________________

6. “If I had” = if + past tense means IT IS NOT TRUE
for example, If I had a new house = I don’t have a new house
If I had a million dollars = I don’t have a million dollars

Tell me something that you wish you had . . .
a. If I had ___________________________

7. Following this clause, you should use WOULD or COULD + BASE form of the verb.
For example, If I had a million dollars, I would/could buy a new car.
Tell me something you wish you had, and what would or could you do?
a. _________________________________________________________________________

8. Use an “if” clause with a past tense verb and continue the sentence with a WOULD or COULD clause.
For example, If I went to China in the summer, I would be able to see the Olympics.
If I ate cake for breakfast every day, I would get very fat.

You write your own sentence.
a. ________________________________________________________________________

9. When you use “be” with “if”, use “were” (for every person – I, you, he, she, we, they, Sally my mother).
For example: If I were taller, I could reach the top shelf.
If my brother were here, I would ask him to help me.

You write your own sentence.
a. ___________________________________________________________________________

If I Only Had a Brain

If I Only Had a Brain Lesson

IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN (The Scarecrow’s Song)
from the movie “THE WIZARD OF OZ”
lyrics by E.H. Harburg music by Harold Arlen

(Scarecrow)
I could wile away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers [I could be conferring . . .
Consultin' with the rain [I could be consulting . . .
And my head I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain

I'd unravel any riddle
For any individ'le [individual]
In trouble or in pain

(Dorothy)
With the thoughts you'd be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain

(Scarecrow)
Oh, I would tell you why
The ocean's near the shore
I could think of things I [‘d] never thunk before [had thought]
And then I'd sit and think some more

I would not be just a nuffin' [bad pronunciation of “nothing ”]
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry [a made-up word to rhyme with “merry “]
If I only had a brain









CONDITIONAL verbs start with an IF clause
IF I HAD A BRAIN . . . I WOULD/COULD . . .

1. How many verbs can you find that use conditional progressive
WOULD BE + ING telling what the scarecrow would be doing right now if he had a brain?
Write the subjects and the WOULD/COULD BE + ING verbs right now!
a. _______________ ________________________________________
b. _______________ ________________________________________
c. _______________ ________________________________________
d. _______________ ________________________________________
e. _______________ ________________________________________

Now, you write a sentence using an IF clause + PAST TENSE,
followed by a WOULD BE + ING verb telling me what you would be doing right now if YOU HAD something.

If I had ________________, I would/could be _____ing_____________________

2. How many verbs can you find that are conditional
WOULD/COULD + BASE VERB
Write the subjects and the WOULD/COULD + BASE VERB
a. _______________ ________________________________________
b. _______________ ________________________________________
c. _______________ ________________________________________
d. _______________ ________________________________________
e. _______________ ________________________________________
f. _______________ ________________________________________
g. _______________ ________________________________________
h. _______________ ________________________________________

Now, you write a sentence using an IF clause + past tense followed by WOULD + BASE VERB.

If I had ___________________, I would __________________________

3. Find one present tense verb __________________________

4. Find all the rhymes.
a. hours rhymes with ____________________
b. rain rhymes with ____________ and _____________ and _____________
c. scratchin’ rhymes with ____________________
d. riddle sort of rhymes with ____________________
e. thinkin’ rhymes with ____________________
f. why rhymes with ____________________
g. shore rhymes with ____________________ and ____________________
h. stuffin rhymes with ____________________
i. merry rhymes with ____________________

4. What phrase in the song means I could spend my time ?
___________________________________________________
5. What verb means to talk with someone ? _____________________________________
6. What verb means to talk with and get information from someone? _____________________________________
7. What word means a question that you must think about and the answer is like a joke? _____________________________

Here’s an example of a riddle:
What is black and white and red all over?
The answer is the NEWSPAPER. It is black and white and READ all over.
HA HA HA
Here’s another riddle:
What animal can travel at a moment’s notice?
The answer: an ELEPHANT because he always carries his TRUNK with him.
Do you know any riddles?

8. Who was Abraham Lincoln? _______________________________________

Callifornia Here I Come

California Here I Come Lesson

California Here I Come
Words & Music by Al Jolson, Bud De Sylva, and Joseph Meyer
Recorded by Al Jolson, 1946

When the wintry wind starts blowing
And the snow is starting in the fall,
Then my eyes went westward knowing
That's the place that I love best of all.
California, I’ve been blue
Since I’ve been away from you.
I can't wait 'till I get going.
Even now I'm starting in to call. . .


D D+ G
California, here I come.

A A7+5 D
Right back where I started from.

D Fdim Edim A7
Where bowers of flowers bloom in the spring.

D Fdim
Each morning at dawning,

Edim A7
Birdies sing an' everything.

D D+ G
A sun-kissed miss said, "Don't be late."

A A7+5 D
That's why I can hardly wait.

G Gm B7 E7
Open up that Golden Gate,

G A7 A7+5 D
California here I come.


1. What times of year make the singer think of California. (Make a check √.)
___summer ___fall ___winter ____spring

2. When the singer leaves California, what lines in the song tells us he misses California? _____________________________________________________________________

3. What does “blue” mean in the line “I’ve been blue.”


4. What season of the year is the singer’s favorite in California? (Make a check √.)
___summer ___fall ___winter ____spring

5. What is a sun-kissed miss? ___________________________________________________________________

6. What are the rhymes in the song?

a. blowing rhymes with ____________ and ________________

b. fall rhymes with ____________ and ________________

c. blue rhymes with ___________

d. come rhymes with ___________

e. bowers rhymes with ___________

f. spring rhymes with ___________ and _______________

g. late rhymes with ___________ and ________________

h. sun-kissed rhymes with ________________

i. morning sort of rhymes with ______________


7. Tell me something you can hardly wait to do. Write your own sentence.
example: I am so hungry I can hardly wait to eat lunch.
It’s been a long time, so she can hardly wait to see her boyfriend.

________________________________________________________________

Stand By Me