2/4 Tuesday! Ideas for the Music Classroom!

Join my Linky Party! Or at least check out all of the links! Thank-you to everyone who linked up last week, even our late arrivals!

I'm including a couple random ideas. My classroom tour photos are still to come this week!

1. The Best Beatbox Video You Will Ever See

So I have to teach a double class in my little room. That's about 50 grade 5/6 students in my itty bitty room. So to get settled into the space for the first time, we watched this amazing video! I fast forwarded his talk at the beginning though, a couple jokes that wouldn't be good for the kiddoes ;)

2. Student Workbook/Journals

This is something new I am trying this year. It's quite a bit of work, but I think it will be worth it. Hoping anyways!  I am trying these Music workbooks out with my grade 2 and 3 classes this year.

First, I bought a whack of notebooks from Staples (4 for 99 cents!) and cut them in half.

Then I decided what I wanted inside them. I decided to put three copies of each work page (that I know for sure I'm using) in each booklet. One copy for each term, which also helps with having consistent assessment. I used glue tape from the dollar store put the pages in.

 I decided to do "Composer of the Season" this year instead of monthly composers.

 Youtube performance video reviews (reflective thinking).

 Rhythmic dictation sheets.

 Simplified rhythmic dictation as well.

 Self-assessment sheets for singing. Students mark a plus sign, checkmark or minus sign beside each sentence. Plus means "I do this every time", checkmark means "I do this most times" and minus means "I need to work on this".

 Ta and ti-ti worksheets for grade 1. Poem from Doug Goodkin's Intery Mintery.

Ta-a worksheets for grade 2.

Click HERE for everything I have included in journals.

I like the idea of this because written assessments are in one spot and progress from term to term can clearly be seen. We'll see how it goes! What do you do to keep track of written work?

Link up and join the party!

Instrument Match Up- Free Smartboard File and Quiz!

My grade 4 students went to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra this past week! 

As we were preparing for the field trip, one of their goals was to identify instruments and organize them into the proper instrument families. I created this quick Smartboard group activity to activate their instrument knowledge prior to the concert. 

Click HERE to receive the FREE Smart Notebook file!

With the help of some of our educational assistants, I created bundles of popsicle sticks that were each labeled with an orchestral instrument. Each student practiced grouping the instruments on their own. This was harder for them without the pictures of the instruments, especially since many of my students are EAL learners. 

The following class we reviewed photos and sounds of each instrument, to help them with the instrument words. They did the popsicle stick activity again.

Working on it...

Not quite...

 Ah, there we go... 

After attending the Orchestra concert, I had students do an instrument match up quiz. One page had pictures and once they were finished that sheet, I gave them another match up sheet with the instrument words. 

On the back of the second sheet I had them write and draw a reflection of what they enjoyed at the concert.

What kinds of music events do you take your students to? It's so valuable for them to gain experience as an audience member!

- Steph

Assessment Charts!!!!!! Yipeeee!

I know. How exciting. Sorry, I don't have a cool game, or an easy DIY, or some amazing video to share. I have found these charts very helpful over the last few years though!

Assessing hundreds and hundreds of kids in Music can be a daunting task, especially when so much of what we do is hands on and we are right in there with the children getting our hands dirty and making beautiful (or sometimes not so beautiful...) music.

During my first year of teaching, I had my great teaching partner Amanda, who had assessment charts for each term. We created some together as well. ONE PIECE OF PAPER with everything on it! I loved it. I have been using them ever since.

If you're bored already, go to FUN VIDEOS FOR MUSIC hahaha, seriously. 

Manitoba's Music Curriculum is broken down into four essential learning outcomes (our four wings of the butterfly): Music Language and Performance Skills, Creative Expression in Music, Understanding Music in Context , and Valuing Musical Experience. Click HERE to check it out.

Our provincial report card for Music is broken down according to these learning areas. Each of my assessment charts is broken down into 4 main columns with the report card headings.

We write 3 reports a year, so I divide up my specific outcomes into three terms. 

Out report cards use a 4 point scale, with four being the highest mark you can get in grades 1 to 6. When using my assessment charts I either mark in a minus (1), a checkmark (2), a plus (3) or a 4. I also make sure to write in the activity that we did when I was assessing the students.

Anyways... I don't want to go on to much about assessment! Creating these really helped me keep accurate, up to date information that is easily recordable in the busy Music room!

What kind of assessment tricks do you have up your sleeve?

- Steph

The Planets! Part 1

I love "The Planets" by Gustav Holst! I have studied little bits of it with my kids in the past, but this year I decided to really expand on some ideas and create a unit that has lasted about 8 classes. Manitoban students study the solar system in grade 6 Science, so the cross-curricular connections have been great for students to get engaged!

Here is what we did!

Day 1

I introduced our unit by putting together a Smartnotebook file that included:

 Brainstorm what we know about planets already.

 

 Discover/discuss how Planets are named after Roman gods.

 How all of this relates to music. Touch each planet to find out!

Discuss what we hear in the Mars and Venus movements (instruments, phrasing, mood, etc.).

Click HERE for the FREE Smartboard file! I promised that I've shared it this time!

Day 2

Next the students did a Gustav Holst Webhunt! I had a list of questions for them to answer. Students used the internet to find their answers.

I took all of their answers to create a Holst autobiography. Click HERE for the video. Students studied from the video to prepare for a short quiz about Holst.

 

 

Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3 of The Planets unit!

 

- Steph



So-mi Fish Assessment FREEBIE!

This was really fun for my little grade 1 students. We finished up our Under the Sea month by demonstrating so-mi. Each student got a so-mi fishbowl and some Goldfish crackers. Students were prepared as they had been practicing notating so and mi with THIS Smartboard activity and by using popsicle sticks together with bingo chips. 

I sang a 4 beat so-mi pattern and the students notated it using their Goldfish and fishbowl. Once I checked their work, they could eat their fish. This was a lot of fun, and a perfect end to our Under the Sea Unit.

Click HERE for the free so-mi fishbowl template. All you need now is some Goldfish! Voila!

- Steph

Techy Tuesday- Play and Roll Recorder Game

So I just realized that I have named my Technology posts something different.... for every post! Tech Tuesdays, Techno Tuesday, Technology Thursday.... and so on. Inconsistency is one of my pet peeves! Go figure... thus Techy Tuesday.

Anywhooo, yesterday we had a professional development day at school. No kids and tons of Smartboard stuff. I also got to connect with fellow Music teachers in the morning. I felt inspired so I created something that I can do with my kids today!

This Play and Roll Recorder Game was created as a sight reading activity for my grade 4 students. There are 6 hidden melodies. A student must come up to the Smartboard and "roll" the virtual die. Whatever number they roll, corresponds with a hidden melody. When the student taps the numbered shape, the melody is revealed and the student must play the melody. 

Click HERE for the free Smartboard file! I promise that it is unlocked this time! :)

Don't forget that you can use Smart Notebook files with an E-beam or other interactive technologies!

Super fun!

- Steph

Techno Tuesday- Smartboard Dictation!

I love using my Smartboard to quickly assess my students' rhythm/melody dictation skills. Keeping with our "Under the Sea" theme in grade 1, I created a simple Smartboard activity where students notate so-mi on my 4 line staff (right before we get to 5 lines) after hearing me sing a short so-mi melody.

Click HERE for the free Smartboard file!

 

 

My grade 4 students were working on identifying "syn-co-pa" (this year I actually started saying "ti-ta-ti" instead) in November. We learned "Canoe Song" to help us achieve our goal. I created a Smartboard activity helping students demonstrate the rhythm of the words in "Canoe Song".

Click HERE for this one!

And last of all today... a super fun one that is just great for practicing ta and ti-ti in a fun way!

Kooshball Rhythms! Click HERE for the Smartboard file. Check out The Music Interactive for more free resources.

 

- Steph

PS- I'm so sorry my files weren't available! Everything is fixed now so click on the Smartboard files and you can open them!

Mad Minute Maker

Oh my goodness! It has been so long since I posted! The AOSA conference in St. Louis was fabulous and I finally caught up on all of my work last week from being away!

 

I like giving my students Mad Minute note naming sheets for a quick look at how they are doing with treble clef notation. I came across this website today to make your own Mad Minutes quickly and easily online. Click here to try it out: Second Runner Up.

 

Check out my first Mad Minute using the site!

Let me know what you think!

 

 

- Steph

Music Targets!

Most of the classroom teachers at my school have a target poster in their room and use it to reflect on learning goals with their students. I wanted to do something similar to be consistent with classroom teachers and because I think it's a great visual to help student understand what they are working towards or what they have achieved. It also helps answer the "why?" for some students, especially older students who sometimes wonder why the heck we are dancing around the Music room clapping our hands. Haha. 

Anyways, I have always found coming up with a target poster idea a challenge because I see so many darn kids! I am working on different goals with different students all the time. I needed a way for all current goals to be presented and for them to be able to be quickly changed on the poster.

So, with the help of my uber-crafty grade 1 teacher Ms. St. Laurent, I created a target poster that I can easily use with my students in Music.

I used page protectors from Dollarama, so that I can use dry erase markers to write our grade level goals. This way, I can add new goals quickly and get rid of ones that we have achieved just as fast. Do not use the fancy name brand page protectors though! The marker won't wipe away as well (thanks for the tip Ms. St. Laurent)!

I cut each page protector in half (vertically), placed a coloured paper inside, and taped the edges closed with clear tape. I then folded one end into a point so that our goals could "point" at the target.

For my target, I simply cut different coloured circles out of bristol board, glued them into a target and had it laminated.

And voila! A target poster that is very functional in the Music room! If only I had room on here for some goals that span across the grades. Any ideas?

Let me know what you all use in your classroom for goal setting! I would love to hear your ideas.

-Steph