Alabama Gal... what a fun song! Our fifth graders have really enjoyed learning this piece. After we learned the 4 verses, we added a fun line dance! I also used this song to talk a little with them about syncopation. Then, I challenged the students to figure out the melody to the song on their own. They worked with a partner and after being given the starting pitch, they were off! Once they discovered the melody and had a chance to practice, we created a performance including some dancers. Great job, fifth graders! :) Here is an Orff accompaniment that we might try after Thanksgiving break written by one of my favs, Deanna Stark. She has some GREAT free resources on her website: http://deannastark.weebly.com/