I was asked to do a directed listening script for I Am Like a Star. I thought I already did one, but I can’t find it! So here is another one that hopefully will be similar to the one I did before.
There are several steps that you will want to take. First, have a grabber. An attention getter. Something meaningful to the children. For instance, you could show a picture of a star and ask what it is, where you find them, or something like that. Ask if they can see stars shining in the sky at night. Suggest that they look at the sky sometime and see how the stars shine.
Then comes the directed listening part:
As I sing this song, see if you can discover what word describes how stars shine. (sing whole song, take responses, praise) Good! Yes, stars shine brightly!
Now as I sing the song, see if you can listen for who will see it shine! (sing whole song, take responses, praise. And if they don’t know, say, let me sing it again and see if you can figure it out, then sing it again, emphasizing the “whole world” words.) (take responses, praise) Yes! The whole world can see the stars shine!
Now, this time, as I sing it, listen for two things you can do that make you shine! And as I sing it, can you sing “shining brightly with me? (sing, emphasizing those words and also “do and say”, take responses, praise.)
Great! Yes, we can do and say happy things that help other people be happy! That is a great way to shine and make the world a little brighter! (one sentence testimony and lesson!)
Now listen for who loves you. And as I sing it, can you sing the whole first line with me? Can you sing, I am like a star shining brightly with me? (sing, take responses, praise) Yes, Heavenly Father does love you. And you, and you… he loves ALL of us because we are his children!
This time, please sing the first line with me, and then, as I sing the rest of the song, can you find two rhyming words? You will have to listen carefully! (sing, motioning for them to sing the first line, then emphasizing “say” and “day”. Take responses, praise.) Great! Yes, say and day rhyme. Let’s sing those lines together. (sing I can do and say happy things each day, then have them sing that with you.) Great! We can say and do happy things each day, can’t we?
Wow! You are really learning this song fast! There is one word that we will need to remember, and that word is “smiling”. As I sing the song, please sing the first line with me, then can you raise your hand when you hear the word “smiling?” (sing, praise)
Great! I see lots of hands up! Now when I sing it, let’s all sing “smiling” with a big smile on our faces when it’s time! And then, let’s all sing the last line together too – For I know Heavenly Father loves me. (sing whole song, praise) Wow! Such pretty smiling faces!
Do you think you can sing the whole song with me? Let’s try! And be sure you smile as you sing it so you really shine! (sing with children, still a capella) Wow, that was pretty!
Let’s try it one more time, but let’s stand up, and let’s have the piano join us this time, ok? Let’s be sure to stand up straight and tall so that it sounds even better!
(This time, add the piano as you sing it) That was really pretty! I know Heavenly Father is really happy when we do and say happy things and help other people be happy.
And that’s it! Notice that you are getting probably 8-ish repetitions in before they attempt to sing the whole thing. That is important! They need to hear it several times, but when you direct their listening, that reduces the number of repetitions that they need to learn it.
You can ask questions about the melody, the rhythm, the words, or, if you have actions, about the actions too. Always teach the whole thing at once. Do the actions from the start, along with the words, melody, everything. Don’t try to teach one thing then another. Teaching them all at once makes it a multisensory experience, which also speeds learning and retention.
Always sing the whole song, or a whole section of the song, every time, or close to it. Don’t ask a question, sing one line, then ask another and sing the next line. The goal is to have them hear the whole thing several times. And always ask BEFORE you sing – they need to know what they are listening for!
You can use pictures sparingly if you like – no flip charts, but getting words in the right order is a good thing.
You will likely be amazed at how quickly this can be done and how quickly the children learn the song – and it’s memorized too!
I generally introduce a song this way, and I try to get in 8-10 repetitions before they attempt to sing the whole thing with me. Then the next week I might do a melody map or scarves or something, or for this one, I might have stars for them to hold up – stars that have a smile on them! 
Also, do the whole thing a capella – without piano. Keep eye contact with the children, try to not to have to look at your notes, even if you get things in what you perceive to be the wrong order, and keep moving along. Adding the piano in adds extraneous noise, and it takes time, and that time, even a few seconds, could break the children’s concentration. Keep it low key, praise a lot, and it should go well!
See my other posts for other songs – Have I Done Any Good is another one that I have written up.
Please comment or pm if you have questions! This is a great low-key way to teach a song reverently and effectively. It should only take about 5-6 minutes to do this. Then you can review two other songs with other methods, and you have your singing time planned! Also, one last thing – Elder Packer said that we should NEVER teach in church without doing two things – bearing testimony and applying it in their lives. Both are present in this script!