#1a Academic Integration
- Art
- Computers & Music
- General Curriculum Ideas
- Geography
- History/Social Studies
- Mathematics
- Reading/Writing/Language Arts
- Poetry
[For Physical Ed, see file #31 Movement, Dance & Drama]- Resources
- Science
- Whole Brain Teaching (article)
- Project to Increase Test Scores: First Grade
/Stars and Space
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ART
12/15 I think it would be useful to team up on the elements of each discipline, using them to enrich the students' understandings of all of them. So - first you need to know the elements of art ?? color, line, form, shape, texture, and I can't remember the others. But we have texture in music. A thoughtful teacher can show how texture in each discipline has similarities.
We have form in music. The art meaning may stretch your understanding of what form is but that's okay. Honestly, most musicians don't really have a verbal definition of "form" that is meaningful and goes to its core. I finally came up with "what comes first, next and last". That is a very basic and very useable definition. Now - take the meaning in art and compare them. The form could look like circle, square, circle?.. Actually it's been awhile since I thought deeply about this and I'd need to think about shape and form before I did any more with it.
Color? At its most elemental, it's the vibration that hits your sensory organ, be it your eyes or your ears. We use instruments to create sounds - our color. Artists use eye colors in the form of pigment that comes in many forms - yarn, pencil, paint, wood?..
Texture? We have layers of sound: solo, duet, quartet, orchestra, big band?.. Some sound thin and thick, harsh and gentle?.
Okay - so I can see a performance where the kids create a rondo (or whatever) and perform it with movement and scarves and music that they created. As they move through the form, the art kids can change the background settings or visual accents. Kinda like a live music video. Each part of the piece could focus on a particular element.
This is a real hardcore "art" way of defining the art elements: http://www.oberlin.edu/amam/asia/sculpture/documents/vocabulary.pdf
This may be more helpful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elements_of_art
And a nice music review: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_of_music ---- Martha Stanley
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08/14 RHAPSODY IN BLUE: One of my favorite activities is to give my students a piece of white paper and as many bluish crayons as they desire. I play Rhapsody in Blue and we create. This piece is over sixteen minutes long, a good amount of time to create a masterpiece. A bulletin board can be created with the final products or a mural or folded in half for a card for a loved one. ---- Kristin Lukow
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06/09 ONLINE ART GALLERY WITH STREAMING AUDIO: http://www.wga.hu/index1.html
At this site you can view works of art and at the same time, listen to music from the century of your choice. Really nice photos of the paintings. Great site! (thanks to Martha Stanley for suggesting it) --- Sandy Toms
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12/07 POWERPOINTS: http://www.pppst.com/index.html
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STARRY NIGHT: Van Gogh.....Josh Groban sings this.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Vincent-Starry-Starry-Night-lyrics-Josh-Groban/72054DCD78938C0948256BA0002C4D0F -- Patricia Albritton
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12/07 I think if you use the commonality of terms of art and music like line, form, colors, textures, shapes, etc. - Doug Tower
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JAZZ: Romare Bearden is an African American artist from the early 20 century. It would be easy enough to correlate his works with Jazz.
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12/07 LISTENING: Pictures at an Exhibition (Mussorgsky)See site #25 Listening (This suite of pieces was inspired by an art exhibition of Mussorgsky’s deceased artist friend. It was dedicated to him.)
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12/07 CORRELATION: For an art/music connection I love Chris Raschka's book Mysterious Thelonious. In it he assigns a color to each step of the scale.....lots of great possibilities there. -- Judy in WI
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12/07 Broadway Boogie Woogie, by Mondrian. -- Martha in Tallahassee
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12/05 ARCHITECTURE - [The song] "Bling Blang," by Woody Guthrie, is about building a house. It's in one of the Silver Burdett 2002 books. - Meredith Harley Inserra
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ART
12/05 I did a program entitled "Snow : A chilling experience in the Arts!" It was a riot! The kids made snowflake hats in Art and wore white sheets. They wrote a song "I ate the Snow today!" We did graphs measuring the amount of snow that had fallen. We had them read snow poems that they had written. It really was magical. There may have been more, but it was awhile ago... I remember another program that I did years ago with my dear friend Harriet. We did a celebration of United Nations Day. The kids made flags of different nations in Art. We sang songs from around the world and the PE teacher taught the kids dances from different nations. -- Kathleen Bragle
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12/05 COFFEEHOUSE !!: We have done this for several year with great success. Last year we did a Jazz Coffeehouse. Students in art studied abstract, made sculptures and are work and designed and made a t-shirt with an abstract print. in music we studied jazz music and musician and did a program of jazz songs from MK8. Presented to parents in a coffeehouse format. After the concert the kids served the parents juice and cookies. We also had some original poetry in the form of haiku the students read. They wore their t-shirts and each purchased a black beret. the parents ate it up!! The place was packed..and we got lots of great press. [This was] a great integration of art, music and literacy, and also included our CDOS with the manners, servings etc. This year we are doing advertising [as a program.] [The students are creating a product in art and writing a commercial with an original jingle in music. Our concert format is T.V. [to] show these songs, interspersed with the best of the commercials. One class is writing a play to tie it all together. A great literacy connection.... which is our district thrust. -- Nora Hampton
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10/04 SONGS ABOUT ART AND ARTISTS (by Greg Percy, an art teacher & musician)
http://www.songsforteaching.com/artappreciationsongs/
Volume I
1. The Red and Yellow Blues
2. Van Gogh (No Stereo)
3. Secondary Samba
4. Michelangelo MadM
5. I Draw The LineM
6. Roy G Biv
7. Picasso Polka
8. Symmetry (I'm Beside Myself)
Volume II
1. From Matisse to You
2. Girl of My Dreams (Mona Lisa)
3. Are You Serious (Dali)
4. Mondrian
5. Down to the Art Room
6. Tints & Shades
7. Complementary Colors
8. World on a String (Calder)
Volume III
1. Bad Day in the Art Room
2. American Gothic
3. Big Sensation (Escher)
4. Where's the Tiger? (Rousseau)
5. Georgia
6. Vase Store Song
7. Pollock's Eyes
8. Goin to Tahiti (Gauguin)
9. Mr. Klee
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01/03 SKIN & BONES and GHOST OF JOHN illustrated song books:
If you have some time for this activity, it's fun and provides a song book for younger grades. (Actually, I did this 3 years ago and I'm still using the materials) I just used it again today, which made me think of sharing!
Materials: Crayons, pencils, fine-tip felt markers, White drawing paper, Orange and black construction paper 12 x 18", Rubber cement or glue sticks
I did this activity with 5th graders - telling them they were making these illustrated books for the 1st & 2nd graders. I gave each person a white piece of paper and a line of words of Skin and Bones OR Ghost of John. They were to draw an illustration for that line of words. We talked about how the picture had to 'fill' the page so that it could be seen from a distance. Drawings were done first in pencil and then finished w/crayons or markers. (Whatever is used should be consistent thru all the pictures) When they finished, I wrote in the words w/marker. (Didn't trust their handwriting!)
While they were drawing, I made a title page and decorated it. (You could have a student do this) The rest of it was my work.....I glued the white paper on an orange or black background, letting the color show around the white paper like a picture frame. I wrote the name of each 'artist' on the side of the picture in the colored margin. Then all the pages got laminated, and I used paper punches to make holes on the side where I hooked the pages together with metal rings.
The fifth graders did a wonderful job of drawing....the younger students even commented on how good the skeletons looked as well as the 'old woman'! I've left the books in the music room for them to 'read' on music days! Of course, in the background, while the 5th graders are drawing, you can have all kinds of Halloween music playing.....Bach's Toccata & Fugue in Dm., In the Hall of the Mtn. King, etc. The best part is...now I've got 2 illustrated Big Books to use for Halloween!
Contributed by Suzanne DeVene
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01/03 VAN GOGH: http://www.impressionism.org/
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Many complete letters of Theo and Van Gogh http://www.vangoghgallery.com/letters/main.htm
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10/02 PASSING OUT CRAYONS: Last year I ordered one of those giant boxes of crayons like the art teachers buy...8 colors...50 of each color. I put one of each color in 30 individual zip-loc bags. When I need to pass out crayons, they are already divided up...no complaining!
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10/02 NAVAJO ART LESSON: https://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators/lessons/grade-3-4/Life_of_Navajo_Weaver
VIDEO: WEAVING https://vimeo.com/32875729
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08/02 I tried this last year for the first time, and it worked really well! I went to the art teacher and borrowed several prints...he has some that come laminated with a big border around them. I chose some variety- a landsacpe, a stormy ocean, an abstract, etc. I prepared and laminated a chart for the front of the room titled "Adjectives That Describe Music" and put all kinds of words on it relating to tempo, dymanics, texture....I think I had about 20 words up there.
I also prepared a worksheet. At the top I put the month, the title of the painting and the artist, and the titles of four short listening excerpts. I divided the rest of the page into four sections and numbered them.
When the kids came in, I had one print up...the stormy ocean scene. I asked the kids to look carefully at the picture for about a minute. Then I played one of the music excerpts. The kids were to look at the picture and listen to the music and decide if this music would "go with" this picture. In box one on their papers, they wrote Yes or No, and then picked out two adjectives from the chart that would describe the music. So: week 1, they listened to about a minute of "Stars and Stripes Forever", which did not fit the mood of the dark, stormy ocean. They wrote, (or should have written) "No." Most of them chose adjectives like fast and happy. Week 2, they heard about a minute of "Hawaiian Rainbows," which also did not fit. Week 3, they heard "Ride of the Valkyries" which fit very well, and week 4 they heard Bach's "Minuet in G," again a "No."
We had so much fun with this! Once they knew what to do, it took less than 5 minutes at the beginning of class once a week. The kids were anxious each month to see what new picture I put up. They were getting the idea that music has mood or feeling, and best of all they were learning appropriate words to describe music, not words like dumb, boring, etc. So often we ask kids to tell us what they hear and neglect to give them the vocabulary for it.
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04/02 1st GRADE: "MUSIC TEACHES US"-." for music in our school's month. all of the songs are from their curriculum and some music k8 stuff as well. they have been working on performance manners and are doing very well. the art teacher and i decided to use our time in march to collaborate on the book "a winter concert". i have been reading the book to the kids and we are doing a music/art lesson together. the book basically shows what life is like during and after a concert - but the music is color. just random color.
I am reading the book, discussing the "music" as color. having them color themselves (a portrait) what they would look like as a splattered with music person.
The art teacher is using her curriculum as a guide and plugging in this book on her unit with brass brads. the students are drawing a portrait of their face. the top rotates off with a brass brad and underneath they are to paint music coming out of their heads.
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04/02 ACTIVITY BOOK: Great artists and Musicians - written by Mark Ammons, D.M.A. / publishers Mark Twain Media, Inc.
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04/02 PROGRAM IDEA:
Intro song-John Denver's The Music is You// Renaissance
Pavanne ( do the dance),chant(any fun one) Follow Me-canon sung and used as a percussion canon, Sumer is Icumen In, Greensleeves
BAROQUE: Bach Fugue in g minor (flashlight routine), Any round-exp: Hey! Ho! Anybody Home (e minor pentatonic), dulcimers with any modal song,
Any spiritual that can use a walking bass accomp. ,a recorder piece, a ballad
CLASSICAL: Mozart- Rondo (movement with ribbon sticks) dance-minuet Ode to Joy-Beethoven, Mozart's canon Friends
ROMANTIC: Any movie theme that is a takeoff of a classical piece, dance: waltz
NATIONALISM: Hall of Mt. King (hand jive) Going Home-Dvorak
IMPRESSIONISM: Footprints in Snow-Debussy (movement)
CONTEMPORARY: O Fortuna -Orff Reverberation-Schonberg Using electronic accomp. to a song Old Abram Brown-Britten The Cage by Ives
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03/02 CURRICULUM: Ask the Art Teacher what he/she might cover in Art History to see if there are any correlating songs. Another thought would be correlate a particular painting (e.g. Picasso's cubism "The Musicians" w/ music from that period.....and maybe it will lend to a scarf dance or even a "shape dance" (my term) square or round dance .... 21st century art with "We are the children of the 21st century" and a Boomwhacker song . Artists of the future with examples of your kids arts and musical compositions or creative dance.....
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BOOK: I have a book "Great Artists and Musicians" by Mark Ammons that has short explanations of the different periods of Art and Music and might give you an idea of narration to use to tie the two together.
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LESSON: ABSTRACT ART (ideas) Prepare for this lesson with a lesson on abstract art. Also have students do some listening and discussing of what shapes, lines, colors they might use to portray impressions of that music. (Get them thinking) Arrange chairs (facing away from circle) in a circle.
Put a piece of paper on each chair (one per student). Each student has a pencil and will draw 'abstract' figures, lines, curves and geometric shapes.
Each student then stands facing one chair and Teacher plays a segment of music (length depends on age, music, etc.,) While music is playing, students lean down and begin to draw. Tell them to take their time, no scribbling, take care with their work. When music changes (Teacher uses contrasting musical material for each segment), students move one chair to the right and begin working on the paper on that chair.
After 3-5 changes, the student is assigned to the paper on the last chair. Students take that paper and begin a coloring process, filling in spaces, shapes, etc., The results can be very exciting.
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STARRY STARRY NIGHT (Van Gogh):
The art teacher just finished a unit on Van Gogh. I got the lyrics to this song and printed them on card stock - about 4 lines per page, probably 48 font, added some clip art, made a little flip chart. Played a recording by Vonda Shepard - big hit and great closure. Calmed everyone down and most classes wanted to listen to it again.
I plan to do this same thing soon with The Water Is Wide (James Taylor recording) and John Denver's Sunshine On My Shoulders.
I was very impressed with how well they responded to this - my kids tend to think that if it's not rap or R & B, then it's country music or "white folks' music." Don't get me started on the "music has no color" speech... :) Anyway, I'm thinking of finding more soothing songs - especially folk songs that I think the kids need to know but that I don't really have time to cover - and make more flip charts.
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Abstract art is sometimes hard to explain to younger students, so we can let them experience it firsthand. The idea is to let them "do it" first and explain it afterwards. The materials are simple‹ a sheet of drawing paper and a crayon for each student, enough space in the classroom to spread out the papers individually, a cassette of upbeat music, and a cassette player.
Spread out the paper in a pattern that the students can easily follow and be sure to explain the route to the students. Give each student a crayon, as many different colors as possible. When the music starts, the students start walking around the papers, following the prescribed route. When the music stops, each student stops at a sheet of paper and begins to draw a swirling, doodling line in any design on the paper. When the music starts again, the students resume walking. Each time the music stops, the students begin drawing on the paper in front of them, continuing where the last student left off. After 5 or 6 repetitions, each student takes the paper in front of him back to his seat and colors in some or all of the spaces on the paper.
When the students are finished, they should be given the opportunity to name their creations. This should lead to a discussion of why each artist gave his paper the name he chose. Show examples of abstract art from the computer or art books obtained at the library. Ask the students what each picture reminds them of before giving the artist¹s title. Then discuss why the artist might have chosen that title for his work.
Tell the students that they have just become abstract artists so they must sign their works so they may be displayed. Let students use a word processor to label their creations. The art work can be displayed in the hallways, as part of a school art exhibition, and/or even digitally photographed and put on the school¹s Web site
LESSON IN ABSTRACT ART: http://paintings.name/abstract-art-lessons.php
Art-drawing to a song, illustrating a song and using the pictures as a slide show with the songBACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************COMPUTERS AND MUSIC
Contributed by Karen Stafford:
10/02 ACTIVITIES: Here are a few things that I have done in computers class that relate to music.
1. Definitely use PowerPoint but not just for animating the lyrics to songs. Use it for media presentations about the history of different instruments, "This is Your Life" composer presentations, etc.
2. Create "flashcards" in powerpoint by inserting a picture of an instrument or whatever and on the next screen have the name of the instrument pop up one letter at a time. In your prompt for the activity say something like "You have been assigned as a teaching assistant in the music room. Create a slideshow to help 3rd graders learn to spell the names of orchestra instruments."
3. Have students create their own version of Rock and Roll Jeopardy in Powerpoint. There is a free template available. Students just enter their answers and questions and then run the show. My classes LOVE this! I used it on my computer and projected it onto the wall with an LCD projector. I was THE coolest teacher at school that day! http://www.teachnet.com/lesson/misc/winnergame022500.html
4. At the same link as above there are templates for Who Wants to be a Winner (aka Millionaire), Weakest Link and Hollywood Squares. I really liked Hollywood Squares. They use the same idea as jeopardy. Insert your own questions and answers and then run the show. There are tons of opportunities for teaching computer skills while reinforcing musical concepts with these games.
5. Use a digital camera to take pictures of students in various dance positions. Save the pictures onto the computer and have the students create a slide show that demonstrates a dance that they have created. Students could also draw little stick dance people in Paint or another drawing program, save them and use them in a powerpoint presentation on dance. I think the Macarena or something they will know right away would be a good one for the teacher to create as a "demo" and no, you can't see mine!
6. Same ideas as in #5 but use the camera to demonstrate proper singing posture and mouth position. I'm thinking the "don't do it this way" pics would be hilarious!!!!!
7. Students can use Microsoft Word (or WordPad or some other word processing program) to create a webhunt that relates to music. See an example of one of mine. It's old so I'm not sure if the links are all working, but it will give you an idea of what I mean. This allows students to practice copying, pasting addresses, finding important details in text, blah blah blah...http://members.aol.com/mrskingrocks/missourimusicians.html
8. Students can use a spreadsheet program to plan a concert budget. Give them addresses to JW Peppers, Music K-8, Oriental Trading, music stores, party supply stores, etc....and whatever other places you can think of. Give them a theme (or not) and a total $$$ to spend. Make a list of needed supplies (music, decor, etc...) They list the info, prices, budget in Excel and can create graphs (easily) and print out their entire plan. Instead of a concert you could use scenarios like outfitting a band, starting a recorder club, creating a dance team, etc....
9. Using Cool Edit or another sound manipulating program students can create sound songs. I think that maybe Karen Stafford has some examples of this at musiceducationmadness.com
10. If the computer is even a tiny bit musical she would enjoy teaching with finale notepad. You may want to create scoring guides for projects to help her. Free program at www.finalenotepad.com
11. For younger students: play a musical example (actually put it on repeat and let it play)while they create a visual representation of the music in a program like Kid PIx, Paint, or similar drawing program.
12. Programs like Kidspiration or Inspiration easily allow students to
create graphic organizers. Give your computer teacher a list of topics that students could create. My favorite is about parts of a musical. They put in the basic parts into a graphic organizer and then add links to details about a musical they have seen. Yeah, yeah....go download the demo and you will understand what I mean by this. http://www.inspiration.com/home.cfm This could be used with a variety of topics and all age levels.
13. As simple as it sounds many kids don't know how to listen to sound files on the Internet. A trip to the classical music archives may provide a variety of tech and music teaching opportunities. http://www.inspiration.com/home.cfm
14. There are TONS of educational music websites. Create a webpage that provides links to them for your students to use during their "enrichment" time. I have some on my page at http://schoolweb.missouri.edu/richwoods.k12.mo.us/music_class.html There were several music teacher sites listed on this list not too long ago. they have some great links too. Be sure to check out Music K-8 links for things to add to your page.
15. Students can use Print Shop or even Microsoft Publisher to create programs for concerts that they plan (or hey! why not your real concert! pick the best to use!).
16. Using Print Shop or Publisher students can create brochures about different instruments. They should include info, history, pics, etc....
17. Using Print Shop students can design their own CD cover. I have a really goofy one that I created, inserted into a case and hot glued shut that I use for a hall pass. Are my kids right? Am I weird? *smiling*
18. Using Print Shop, students can create a bulletin board on any topic that you can think of. Be sure to have the lab computers download a free font that has musical symbols on it. http://members.aol.com/jasontracy/fonts.htm has a few links to ones that I like.
19. Have the class listen to a song in your class and hand draw a listeningmap. In computers class have them use print shop to create a more polished and professional version.
20. Use a spreadsheet program like Microsoft Excel to create a musical bingo game.BACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************GENERAL CURRICULUM TOPICS
06/10 SONGS: www.songsforteaching.com is a great site to get songs related to many subjects. (check to see if this site is already listed) 06/07 You might want to check out this site and recommend it to your teachers.. Lots of possibilities for you and your kids.
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02/05 WEBSITES: http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/IEC/iec.html
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Culdesac/Repository/NCFR.html
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/culdesac/Stars/funkbrothers.html
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Literacy/whatresearch4.asp
http://www.edu-cyberpg.com/Culdesac/ReadingModule/Munro.html
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09/03 Be sure to check out the MENC book "Integrating Music and Reading Instruction" by Laura J. Andrews and Patricia E. Sink. It's available on the MENC web site.
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07/05 LESSONS: I love to do integrated lessons. I have done Native American music with a Medicine Wheel and dance to go with our 4th grade study of the Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark exploration. We also made hand drums with pvc pipe and cow hides and then the art teacher had them paint NA designs on the drums. They turned out beautifully and she displayed them at the school district art show.
Recently, I worked with the art teacher on a puppet unit. She had the students make shadow puppets to go with the book " The Little Woman" (I think that is the full name), which is a Japanese story. I had the kids make a soundscape with instruments to go with the narration and then put up a sheet across the classroom and had the puppets act out the narration as we played the appropriate instruments. They had a blast!
During national poetry month (April) we sometimes study the 12 bar blues and write our own blues poem to go with it and then sing them. This also is good to use during black history month and we play C Jam blues on recorders while I play a blues riff on the piano.
At one of my schools, we wrote a grant for a whole school study of Africa. We brought in an artist who helped the kids make African masks. We read African trickster tales and tried writing our own. My part of the grant was having some marimbas made and playing African styled music, along with an African dance. (I would have loved to have had the kids help make the marimba bars, but the wood that we used was pretty toxic. I ended up on antibiotics for sinus infections three times during the tuning of the marimbas.) The kids also did the artwork on cardboard shields to hold in the grand opening of the final performance. It was a pretty amazing production and a lot of fun tying it all together.
Several times I have added a "Create your own instrument" unit to correlate with the science fair. I love integrating music with art and other subjects and would love any other ideas from others on how to do more. Sally Eilering-Sorenson in ID
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09/03 SONGS & ACTIVITIES: She'll be Comin Round - counting by even numbers. Then, we did it with odd numbers. They even sang with us and had a chuckle over the difficulty of thinking by twos using odd numbers. 2. Speckled Eggs - MK-8 counting up to 10 and back from 10.
id You Ever See a Circle? Handing students a long piece of yarn and using the tune "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" you sing: Did you ever see a circle, a circle, a circle? Did you ever see a circle, please show me one now! Oh Susan, Oh Andy, Oh Jamie, Oh Sarah! Did you ever see a circle, please show me one now! Etc. It was very funny watching the students try to create a hexagon with the yarn!!!!
Spy A Shape - using a downloadable shape sheet, we follow the song's directions of "I Spy a Shape" from the Smart Songs, Vol 1 recording, pointing to a circle, diamond, etc.
Musical Addition - review note values. Using hundreds board begin at a number with your finger and add and subtract note/rest values.
6. Musical Spoons - An activity in independence and patterning. (Andrea - thanks for the idea!). I created 10 different rhythmic patterns (1 for each table and only one measure in length). Each table had a helper (a student) who helped them learn their rhythm. I added back-to-school words to help them get the rhythm right. (I will use this next week with the students, too in an abbreviated format) They then tapped their rhythm with a spoon on their glass, or used their utensils on the table, or whatever when called upon to do so. I started with one table, added another, then another, then another, played softer, louder, then gradually diminished and took out one group, then another, etc until just the beginning group was playing theirs. It was SO much fun. There were lots and lots of smiles and it sounded so cool to hear all of the different sounds they came up with, layered restaurant Orff style.
7. Musical Magic Square - built on the idea of the magic square, but with musical values. A mathematical/musical puzzler I created.
8. Metric Equivalents - explanation of how I try to get kids to understand metric better by estimating sizes of instruments in my classroom in metric units.
9. 12 Days of Christmas - mathematical practice - how many gifts were there at the end?
10. Multi-Cultural Mathematical Algorithms - We sang Dahee Maatyaar from India (Roots and Branches) and then discussed the Nikhilam Sutra from India. We also discussed lattice multiplication from Europe. They were very amazed at this and I had to do several examples! I just love to include multi-cultural math when we study music of other countries. Kids are amazed that math can be approached in ways different than they learned.
11. My Body Makes All Kinds of Motion sung to the tune "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean". Discusses movements. The kids acted this out and it was fun to see them: Jump, twirl, bend, whirl, etc.
12. The Skeleton Dance - from Cheryl Lavender's Moans and Groans. A song (tune of "Dry Bones") that teaches the names of the bones of the body: the cranium's connected to the clavicle. The clavicle's connected to the sternum... etc.
13. The Galaxy Rap - from Schoolhouse Raps by Sally Albrecht. Great book - (thanks, Kathleen!). The song discussed the planets and characteristics of them.
14. Constellation Compositions - (thanks Pamela!) Activity for older kids. You discuss a constellation (name, story), then draw that constellation. Fit the staff to it. Make minor adjustments so that you have half tones, not quarter tones..., add rhythm and play on recorder. We chose Perseus and it was BEAUTIFUL! We added Orff instruments and had a constellation composition of stellar beauty.
15. Physics of Sound - using the available water glasses, add water to make an octave scale. Play a song with the spoon hitting the glass in the correct order.
16. Water Dance - a beautiful book with oil paintings based on the water cycle by Thomas Locker. In this book the students follow water's constant dance. Complimenting a poetic text and inspiring paintings are hundreds of fascinating scientific facts about water. After exploring different kinds of water events, students then compose a piece of music based on that specific water occurrence, painting a musical picture of that event.
17. We had to finish with American Tears, an example of a song that incorporates math (rhythm), science (sound), literature (text), history (American history), and mostly emotion to move the singer and listener. Hardly a dry eye in the house.-Contributed by Patty Conway
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07/03 AFRICA: . The art teacher made African masks, the classroom teacher taught African folktales in reading, and geography; and I taught African music. We learned African handjives/dances, sang African songs and made African instruments. At an program for the parents, we sang, danced, put on a play based on an African folktale, displayed the African masks, and other projects the students had done. (Each student was responsible for doing a project)
There were maps, homemade instruments, African food, a big African hut, research of specific countries, dioramas, etc. The kids did a great job, and learned more because they basically chose what to learn in their individual projects.
I chose songs from various basal music books, Wee Sing Around the World, and records I had of songs and dances from around the world. In the Educational Record, Inc. catalog, there are tons of resources for multicultural music. You can also get a lot of materials at your nearest teacher store. -- Contributed by Suzanne DeVene
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04/03 INFORMANCE: The purpose of this year's production is to educate the parents and to give them a taste of the academics of classroom music. We have five elementary schools and one middle school. We were told that we could structure it any way we wanted so....... we decided to have each school showcase one grade level to give the audience a developmental overview of music education. I was blessed with first grade. It was harder than I thought to build a thoughtful and entertaining program that would fit in the ten minute allotment.
We also decided the CA Music Standards achieved in the teaching of each song needed to be listed in the program... the parents need to be more aware of exactly what it is we do. This is my list of selections and how they will be listed in the program. I thought you might be interested in seeing a part of what we intend to present. For me, this is the culmination of four years of lobbying and seed planting and generally being in their faces about real music education not just having a show choir.
Big Dreams (time - 2:00) by Teresa Jennings from MK-8 Vol.7, No.1
CA Music Standards: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2
Integrated subjects: Social Studies - self awareness
I Like Weather (time - 0:30) by Aileen Fisher from The Music Connection - Grade 1
CA Music Standards: 2.3, 2.4, 4.2, 5.2
Integrated subjects: Science - weather, Language Arts - poetry
Rain, Rain, Go Away (time - 1:30) Traditional, arranged by John Riggio from The Music Connection - Grade 1 and MK-8 Vol.13, No.4
CA Music Standards: 1.1, 2.1, 2.3, 3.2, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2
Integrated subjects: Science - weather, Social Studies - the world around us
Listen To The Water (time - 2:26) by Bob Schneider from The Music Connection - Grade 1
CA Music Standards: 2.1, 2.4, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2
Integrated subjects: Science - animals and their homes, Social Studies - the world around us
Space Worms (time - 2:43) by April Kassirer and Susan Marcus from The Music Connection - Grade 1
Ca Music Standards: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.4, 4.1, 5.2
Integrated subjects: Theater Arts - dramatize text, Visual Arts - create a character
Total time of performance - 9:09 (give or take a second)
The kids will be creating glow in the dark Space Worms from tube socks in art class and using them in the song.
They will have rain sticks for Rain, Rain (MK-8 version) and a variety of instruments for the poem, I Like Weather.
They will also have their first grade big book on the stage with them and will show how they use it in class.
They will be dancing up a storm on Big Dreams -- Contributed by Ron Jones
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05/02 ARTICLE: The March 2002 Music Educators Journal has an article called "Linking Music Learning to Reading Instruction" by Dee Hansen and Elaine Bernstorf.
SOUND UNIT and a FRACTION unit that I developed while working on my masters in Elem. Ed. I wanted to make units that I could use in my classroom as well, and these worked very nicely. The sound unit has many hands-on activities in centers and the kids do the activities/experiments and keep their findings in a "sound-journal." The unit ends with the creation of original musical instruments (project).
The math unit has lots of hands-on games and manipulatives I have made that the kids use in small groups or as a whole class to help understand the relationship between note values/fractions, including a powerpoint show on "Harvey the Whole Note" and his family.
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05/02 SKILLS: Reading left to right (note reading)
reading "tricks" (following notes/text with finger)
reading textual info. (lyrics)
understanding sequencing (phrases of song/rearrange and put together-type activities)
cooperation and participation (musical games/partner activities)
understanding of number values/counting/adding (reading notes/note values)
reading fluency (rhythmic reading of notes or text/keeping steady beat while singing)
listening for comprehension (drawing inferences from song lyrics)
stimulation of brain cells (through movement activities)
appreciation of beauty (responding to music)
generation of ideas/brainstorming (listing ideas for sound composition)
formulation/organization of ideas (composition activities)
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05/21 COMBINED: My favorite integration activity combines art, literature, music, and science. The song "Northern Lights" from Music k-8 is so beautiful. The backdrop that we made is black paper with a few glow in the dark stars on the edges to emphasize that auroras are seen on mostly clear nights. The colors of the aurora are scientifically based on the gases in the air. We used oil pastels because they show up beautifully. I'm sure chalk would look nice too.
We read the portion of the Magic Tree House Book, Polar Bears Past Bedtime, and then sing the song. During the chorus, we move the correct colored scarves in the shape of the aurora to demonstrate the phrase. This also helps the children analyze the form.
One year, I had each child bring in a flashlight. I covered them with colored overhead squares. This is very time consuming but so much fun. The children sang and used their flashlights to make an aurora on the wall. Encarta encyclopedia is my favorite source for accurate and understandable info on this. I am very fortunate that MPTO has given us a computer to use in the music room.
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01/02 www.usamusic.org (click on "View Current Lessons" at bottom of page)
Grade 2 SUBTRACTION Using Arts Infusion - 6 Lessons
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01/02 Sue Snyder seems to be the expert in this area right now. I'm sure there are others, but her stuff is really easy to understand and to implement into the music classroom. Here's her web site: www.aeideas.com
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8/01 Curriculum Checklist for Classroom Teachers
Please help me to reinforce what you are teaching in your classroom when I can with a study of the musical qualities that relate. Circle yes or no and please guesstimate the time of year you will be teaching this topic (in terms of the month you will be teaching it, or more specific if possible). If you have specific comments to make about a topic or if you would like to plan a project on the topics, let me know in the Comments section. Thanks for your input. Would you please return this to me by the 2nd week in November? Thanks!
Teachers Name:_______________________________
Grade level:__________________________________
History/Geography will you teach this topic? Comments
Civil war yes no ???
World War 1 yes no ???
World War 2 yes no ???The 50 States yes no ??? African American History yes no ???
Christmas yes no ???
Hanukkah yes no ???
Kwanzaa yes no ???
Groundhog's Day yes no ???
Easter season yes no ???
Passover yes no ???
Valentine's Day yes no ???
Cinco De Mayo yes no ???
Ireland yes no ???
Earth Day yes no ???
100th Day of School yes no ???
OTHER ?????
Science and Health
Comets yes no ???
Cave dwellers yes no ???
Repiles yes no ???
Sounds yes no ???
The planets yes no ???
The 4 seasons yes no ???
The senses yes no ???
Voice and vocal production yes no ???
Substance abuse prevention yes no ???
Fire safety yes no ???
Dental health yes no ???
OTHER ???
Also, do you focus on any particular topic surrounding Christmas, such as the Messiah, the story of the Nutcracker Suite, or Amahl and the Night Visitors, or Hansel and Gretel, or even Christmas customs around the world?
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8/01 Macmillan Share the music Grade 5. has an excellent unit about cross-country travel in Unit 4, I think. It starts in the east with Erie Canal, then goes west gradually with songs about each region of the country. It even includes some Zyedeco music for Louisiana. It makes it all the way to Hawaii. In the western section it has the Grand Canyon Suite. It is a really great unit. Then in the back, there are those songs like "New York, New York" "Carolina in the Morning, San Francisco and California, Here I come.
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Science The body, body parts (arms, legs, etc.) Animal rhymes and songs, etc. The Zoo, Environmental Sounds, Earth day, environment, Sound, Dinosaurs, Bats, PlanetsCounting songs Addition Subtraction Division Multiplication tables Fractions, especially 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16
MISCELLANEOUS: (See file (at "HOME"): *Holidays, *Instruments of the Orchestra, *Composers, *Program Ideas/Veterans)
Days of the week, Shapes, Holidays, Special days, Fire prevention (Smoky, etc.), Christmas around the world, The orchestra, Various composers from the USA and various countries. Armed Forces
BACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************GEOGRAPHY
*CONTINENTS TOUR*
ZEBRAS live in Africa LIONS and ELEPHANTS, too.
Australia is down under, Home of the KANGAROO!
Clap your hands for Asia! It's the largest one.
Antarctica is covered in ice. The PENGUINS sure have fun!
North America is where I live. It's where I work and play.
In Europe you'll find England, Where the queen rules every day.
South America is home to Brazil. It's the largest country there.
The world has seven continents, And I've just named them with care!
(TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME)
Let's name all of the continents. There are 7 on earth.
There's Europe and Asia and Australia, North and South America.
Now don't forget about Africa And Antarctica, too.
For there's 1...2...3,4,5,6,7 continents!
POP GOES THE WEASEL)
Asia, Africa, Antarctica Australia, Europe, too North America South America Seven continents for you!
LOVE AND MARRIAGE
North America, South America (clap) Europe, Asia, and Africa,
Don't forget Antarctica, Or way down under in Australia.
Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean Indian, Arctic they're all oceans.
North Pole, South Pole, Equator I know all about maps and globes.
ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT
To learn the seven continents Think of the letter A,
And when you're down to only one An E will save the day.
There's Africa, Antarctica, Australia, Asia, too; The oceans run between them With their waters deep and blue.
There are also two Americas-- North and South, you see.
Now we're coming to the end. Europe starts with E! --- Becky Luce
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"LONDON BRIDGE"
There are seven continents, continents, continents, There are seven continents, I can name them all.
North and South America, Africa, Asia__ Europe and Australia and Antarctica.BACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES
10/02 REVOLUTIONARY WAR Here's what I do with both my 4ths &, believe it or not, my 7ths (as an example of a battle song for their American Patriotic musical heritage unit focus):I use the YD selection on the Rhythmically Moving Cd (disk 2 I think). During the verse, we follow the basic pattern:
ta ta titi ta (on floor) --ta ta titi ta (in palm) --ta ta taa (floor, flip, knee) --taa taa (grab, pass)
Then on the refrain (Yankee Doodle keep it up...), we all just keep continually passing the sticks around the circle either to the half note pulse or quarter note pulse depending on how well they can keep up and stay on the beat. Then it's back to the verse for round 2.
To make it a bit more exciting, I mark 1 stick in some way say with a piece of tape. At the end of each refrain, I stop the music. Whoever has this stick is out of the big circle and keeps the beat on the floor with his stick until some others are out and then they form their own circle for their own simultaneous game. With the Rhythmically Moving cd, I believe there are 4 rounds of play. Works quite well and I encourage the kids to sing along, at least on the refrain.
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11/01 1. LESSON: COMPOSERS IN HISTORY IDEAS
Every month I introduced a new composer. I had a small bulletin board with five pockets on the bottom numbered 1-5. The five pockets contained slips with identical questions. The top of the board had the composer's name and picture attached.
The class was divided into five groups. As the students entered the room, a representative from each group would go to the board and take a slip of paper out of the appropriate pocket.
The first week of the month I would read a story about the composer. I would then turn on the composition for which the questions for the week. The groups would discuss the questions. I had a kitchen timer that I would set for four minutes. When the bell rang, each group returned the slip to the pocket and sat down in their seats. I would then ask for answers to the questions from various people in the classroom.
Whichever groups had seemed to be making a serious effort, whether or not they answered questions correctly, got entered into a "rhythm raffle."
Every 6 or 7 weeks I would pick a group out of the raffle pile and that group would get to pick out candy from a bag. The motivating factor was that the more each group got entered in the raffle the better their odds were at winning the raffle after 6 weeks. For the entire month I would have a different set of questions dealing with music of the same composer.
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BOOK: There is also a song book put out by four music teacher's called "They Came Singing". If you are a teacher in California, this book goes right through California history. The book is put out by Calicanto Press in Oakland. They also have a new book of Sea Shanties that ties in with most fifth grade history (U.S. History) I had a second grade class bring me a worksheet that was all math problems but the answers if played in order on a previously numbered marimba (or other pitched mallet instrument) played a song. You could make up your own worksheets like that in conjunction with the classroom teachers at your school. It's always fun for the kids
There are lots of songs for stuff like that. ABC's-"A alligators All Around" is a good one by Carol King from "Really Rosie". There is also a song book put out by four music teacher's called "They Came Singing". If you are a teacher in California, this book goes right through California history. The book is put out by Calicanto Press in Oakland. They also have a new book of Sea Shanties that ties in with most fifth grade history (U.S. History) I had a second grade class bring me a worksheet that was all math problems but the answers if played in order on a previously numbered marimba (or other pitched mallet instrument) played a song. You could make up your own worksheets like that in conjunction with the classroom teachers at your school. It's always fun for the kids.
This year I will be adding Ancient Greece. Whatever country/culture they are studying, so are we. We do history, listening, and performing. 5th grade social studies: Study patriotic songs and their origins. Study Civil War music, Revolutionary war music. At Christmas time, we study how Christmas is celebrated in other countries including their musical traditions. 5th grade social studies: Study patriotic songs and their origins. Study Civil War music, Revolutionary war music. (See file (at "HOME") *Multicultural Ideas - has ideas for countries)
http://expage.com/socialstudieslinks
At Christmas time, we study how Christmas is celebrated in other countries including their musical traditions.(See file (at "HOME") *Holidays/Christmas and *Program Ideas/Christmas)
N.C. HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES
Appalachian Heritage (dulcimers, etc.) NC Heritage "The Old North State" NC Native Americans NC Musicians
Family music survey, Continents
Learn ways to incorporate the arts in your curriculum and get interdisciplinary ideas on holiday arts around the world with this month's feature
http://pbs.org/teachersource/thismonth/index.shtm
Poem: http://www.night.net/christmas/Twas-night01.html
U.S. HISTORY/SOCIAL STUDIES (Note: see files #4-American Song, #23-Jazz, #33-Opera/Musicals, #2-African, African-American, #55-Theme Music Ideas(Pirates, Sailors), #40-Program Ideas (Ocean, Veterans Day),BACK to Academic Integration topics
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MATHEMATICS
08/14 FREE MATH SONGS with Guitar chords and lyrics. The kids LOVE the songs because they aid in memorizing process, order of operations, vocab, the works. All our materials can be downloaded at the Teacher Downloads page for free.
http://www.guitarsintheclassroom.org/be-a-teacher-trainer/teacher-downloads/
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10/12 SONGS WITH MOVEMENT:
1. For primary kids, there are vast numbers of activities you can do involving form that helps them with patterns. Make up any simple movement activity with a binary, ternary, or rondo form. One of my favorites is using Brain Gym movements to "Syncopated Clock". A=cross crawl. B=Lazy Eight A C=Elephant Trunk
2. Do you know the little ditty "Draw Me a Bucket of Water"? It's a cute playground song that involves four kids in a group. (I'm sorry, I don't have the original source, but it's in one of those books with African-American play games in it). With the lyrics, the kids can calculate how many need to be in the group. You can then expand it to asking the kids to calculate how they can play the game with various other numbers in the group (3 in the bunch, 5 in the bunch, etc.)
3. When playing concentric circle games, such as Chicken on a Fencepost, it usually works best if the second circle has a few more kids. As the kids to estimate how many more kids the second circle needs to play the game safely. How big does the alley need to be in order for two kids to run around?
4. Same goes with alley dances or Virginia Reel-type dances. How far apart should the lines be? Any opportunity you can have to have the KIDS solve the set-up issue instead of you gives you manna in heaven with administrator ;-). PLUS, it incorporates higher-order thinking.
5. I saw a couple of really neat sessions at AOSA that involve geometry and movement. Both used artwork as a springboard to creativity. You can show kids shapes (any dimensions) and ask them to use their bodies to create that shape, and use it as a springboard to original movement ideas.
6. My sixth graders are working on turning the book "Sir Cumference and the First Round Table" into a mini-musical, developing the movement and music for it. This is a thought for your older kids. And, it's a cute book!
7. Use body percussion in various meters, combine for polyrhythms (kids with partners), and ask the kids when they will land on the downbeat together with their partner. You can also do this with stick games. There's a book called "Dance Down the Rain, Sing up the Corn" that has a Lummi stick game with a melody in three, BUT it includes stick routines in four. So, the students can decide when their singing and the strong downbeat of the routine (when the sticks strike the floor) will occur. Instant multiplication! ---- Karen Stafford
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06/10 PERPENDICULAR, PARALLEL, INTERSECTING LINES: I found this at http://gingersnapstreatsforteachers.blogspot.com/2010/01/lines-angles-and-more-lines-oh-my.html The next song, to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" teaches the three pairs of lines:
Perpendicular, perpendicular. Parallel, parallel.
Intersecting line, intersecting line. All is well, all is well.
I have my students make each pair of lines with their arms as we sing. After we learned about kinds of lines, angles, and pairs of lines, we played Simon Says! I've learned that 3rd graders are really BAD at this game! They can make all the hand motions all right but they can never remember to stay put if I don't say Simon Says first! I can get the whole class out in one full swoop! --- Caryn Mears, Kennewick, WA
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10/08 DO RE MI in OPERATIONS!: As a warm-up, first have the students sing the scale using Curwen hand signs. Have them transfer the Curwen hand signs to numbers. DO is 1, RE is 2, etc. Now, tell the students that we're going to do a little math!
ADDITION: You will say or sing (probably on DO or SO) "2 + 3 is?" and the students will sing "5" on the fifth tone of the scale. "3 + 5 is"" and the students will sing "8" on the eighth tone of the scale.
SUBTRACTION: "10 minus 6 is?" and the students will sing "4" on the fourth tone of the scale. "15 minus 12 is ?" and the students will sing "3" on the third tone of the scale.
MULTIPLICATION: "2 times 3 is?" and the students will sing "6" on the sixth tone of the scale. "4 times 2 is?" and they will sing "8" on the eighth tone of the scale.
DIVISION: "10 divided by 2 is?" and the students will sing "5" on the fifth tone of the scale. "15 divided by 5 is ? and the students will sing "3" on the third tone of the scale.
COMPOUND NUMBERS: "20 minus 10 divided by 2 is ?" and the students (hopefully) will sing "5" on the fifth tone of the scale. "10 plus 2 minus 6 is ?" and the students will sing "6" on the sixth tone of the scale.
Obviously, this is not for primary grades. A high functioning third grade might be able to attempt a little adding or subtracting. It's a bit of a brain teaser for anyone!
This little game was not a Cak original! Our section leader in Willamette Master Chorus brainstormed it, tried it with us, and since I thought it was really great fun, I asked Patti Hurley if I could share it with y'all and she said by all means! --- Cak
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12/07 POWERPOINTS: http://www.pppst.com/index.html
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MATH: http://www.philtulga.com/HomemadeMusic.html
Great math from making music instruments site!
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06/07 SONG: "The Rappin' Mathematician," a CD created by a middle school teacher.
http://www.alexkajitani.com/rappin_mathematician.html -- Patricia Bellar
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06/06 Smart Songs I and Smart Songs II have lots of math related songs on them. Available at http://www.abridgeclub.com -- Patty Oeste in AR
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READING-WRITING
04/05 Educational Activities has published Rock'n Learn Addition, Rap RL909 Subtraction Rap RL910
Multiplication Rap RL907, Division Rap RL 908
Addition and Subtraction Rock'n'learn RL 906, Multiplication Rock'n learn RL 905,
Division Rock RL 941
Hap Palmer has : Math Readiness, addition and Subtraction 10-541
Singing Multiplication Tables AC 45-101
I learned my multiplication tables long ago with an old 33 LP Hap Palmer Multiplication The Rock 'n Learn ones are excellent. I have them as tapes. They might be out on CD by now. -- Angela Reisler
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02/05 Kay A. Smitherman has a lot of math songs, most to familiar tunes, and CD,s to go with the songs. www.mathsongs.com
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How about a "rhythm pizza?" Students would create a pizza using half slices, quarter slices, eighth slices, sixteenth slices and put toppings on from various music symbols. You could make it out of simple poster board or cloth - even inside a pizza box! This connects to fractions in music. -- Brenda Williams
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08/04 Music & Geometry: http://www.aniwilliams.com/geometry_music_healing.htm
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There is a song on the CD "Smart Songs" that involves simple geometry: circles, triangles, squares, rectangles. There is a corresponding worksheet on the Smart Song site that you can download. It's simple, tho. K, 1
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Greg and Steve have a song called "Shapes" where students stand/sit according to directions for different shapes.
Shapes (circle, square, triangle) can easily be used to help show Form in both songs and classical listening examples. These shapes can be drawn, represented by pre-made visuals, or created by the students. We use "stretchy bands" (long strips of lycra fabric stitched into a large band) for small groups of students to make into appropriate shapes when we do AB and ABA form in 3rd.
A staff is very geometric: straight lines running parallel to each other.
Some dances require a double circle - geometrically speaking that would be concentric circles. -- Contributed by Connie Herbon
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09/03 I'm planning a new activity to use with my middlers next week that you might find useful. I'm going to use it as a warm-up activity to accompany a song that's in 4/4 swing meter, w/ 4-16 bt. phrases, and is repeated 3 times total. Here's the plan...
1. Ask students for some simple math equations involving 2 numbers that add up to 8: 4+4, 6+2, 2+6, 5+3, 3+5, 1+7, 7+1 2. Write these on the board.
3. Next, explain that there will be a movement to go with each no. of the equation. The no.'s will be counted out to a steady beat with the first no. involving a rising movement and the 2nd no. patting the lap. So for example 4+4 could be 4 snaps moving upwards and 4 pats on the lap. Other upward motions could be finger flicks (like flicking a fly), karate chops, hand shakes, thumbs up, finger shakes, claps etc.)
4. Choose the upward movement you want for each equation.
5. Then, set a strong pulse and "do the math" while moving and counting outloud to 8. (ie 5+3 w/ flicks would be 5 flicks up and 3 pats counting 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8). For equations like 7+1, the 1 is a quick motion down to the lap. 1+7 is fun to end with cause it looks the "the wave".
6. Repeat each equation 4 times.
7. After establishing the patterns, select some music to accompany them. Decide which patterns you'll be using before starting the music. - Contributed by Gretchen in IL
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03/03 "Multiplication Motivation" by Marilyn Willoughby and Melody House. Each multiplication table has its own melody and musical style. There are movement activities that go with each table like the 2s stroll and the circle of 3s. Good for 3-5th grade, at least that is what I know-maybe someone else has used it differently.
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01/03 I used to teach grades 2/3 and all my kids learned their times tables by learning to skip count or sequence count through songs. I got the following from "Making Multiplication Easy".
2's "If Your Happy and You Know It"
3's "This Land is Your Land"
4's "Old McDonald Had a Farm"
5's "I've Got Sixpence"
6's "You Are My Sunshine"
7's "Happy Birthday"
8's "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain"
9's "The Star Spangled Banner"
I made a poster with all the sequences (one set per roll). I had each kid pass each sequence off. When a sequence was passed, the kid would get a sticker on the chart and class money to use at our class store. When the whole class passed each sequence the class got an icecream party. Of course, I only had 20 kids! Anyway, it was sweet seeing the kids who had passed off their sequences helping the ones who were slower. It was also fun seeing and hearing the kids sing their sequences while doing their math.
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Let's see if I can explain this the Yankee Doodle multiplication. The first line of words to Y.D. is "Y.D.went to town." To that tune you would sing "2 times 1 is two - and." The second line is "riding on a pony," to which you would sing 2 times 2 is fou-our." Does this make sense? You end up singing the verse 2 times thru before singing the chorus. The chorus melody would start with 2 times 9 and end with 2 times 12. If you want to get really fancy, have them clap a pattern while singing the multiplication tables. :-)
I had a chart with each child's name down the left and 0-9 across the top. I did this in a 2nd grade classroom, not in a music class.They did not pass them off all at once, as they sang the song in front of the class or whomever was around and passed off the song, they got a sticker by their name and in the column they passed off. So they were usally working on one sequence at a time.
The idea how this helps the student is if they needed the answer to 8x4, they could sing the 8's sequence to "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain". They would sing: eight, six-teen, twenty-four, thirty-two and 32 is the answer. They may also choose to sing the four's song to "Old McDonald" till they got to 32.
This has been hard for me to write about it's so much easier to show you. I know it helped my little kids, they all learned their facts up to 9 and were doing two column math problems and division with remainders.
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10/02 I have done a math musical at my school the title is YOU CAN Do IT! An integrated Math Musical by Jane Rowland. It has a variety of songs about math including one about coming to school. I bought it a couple of years ago so I'm not sure if the address etc. still works. (The web page didn't come up when I tried it) Rowlaj Music Co. P.O. Box 591 Cabot, Arkansas 72023
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I've used CURRENCY from Music K-8 (Plank Road Publishing: http://www.musick8.com/) and that has always worked nicely.
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School House Rock publishes "Multiplication Rock" which has some fun tunes about multiplication. I have the videos and CDs --lyrics are published on the CDs -- the kids especially love "Elementary My Dear (X 2)", " three is a Magic Number", "The Four Legged Zoo" and "Ready or Not, Here I Come (X 5)".
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Have you ever heard the song "Big Rig" by Trout Fishing in America ( a music group which performs mostly if not all children's music). It is absolutely hysterical. They sing in a style which reminds me of old trucker songs about the eighteen wheels on a big rig--and then proceed to count to eighteen in several different ways--including Roman numerals, my personal favorite! It was very well received by students.
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I ordered this, but haven't used it yet. "Musical Math" by Kimberly Jordano and Trisha Callella. Creative Teaching Press. It's level K-3 and consists of, "Fun lyrics sung to familiar tunes."
Table of Contents: Songs for Sorting--Orchestrating Patterns--Tuning into Shapes--Counting in Sync--Rhythms for Recognizing Numbers and Tones for Tallying--Estimation, Graphing, Probability Jingles--Concerts for Comparing--Tempos for Telling Time--Money Music--Melodies for Measuring--Calendar Compositions--Fractional Refrains--Adding and Subtracting in Harmony
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Looked these guys up on their web site and they look great! If I got a CD does anyone have a recommendation as to which is best for school? BTW "Big Rig" was written by Haywood Banks and they have a link to him on the catalog pg.the CD with that song. I thought that song title sounded familiar! I've heard Banks sing it on a Bob & Tom CD. ( I remember it also because it was the only song on the CD that would be rated G!)
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04/02 Do some sort of bar graph, that graphs out the students favorite songs. They could predict which one they think will win, then graph it out to see which one really does. You could then sing the songs.
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04/02 Instead of placing the cut out rhythms, I might still assign a number to each of the twelve rhythms but then have the kids MAKE the rhythm w/pretzel sticks for stems, m&ms for note heads, Cheerios (??) for half notes....( I remember some discussion about creative ways to make eatable rhythms on the list a year or two ago.)
Then the last direction, after they could perform their chance rhythm would be to EAT the rhythm.
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04/02 I sent a "chance composition" lesson to the list last year. Here's a dice version.
MATH ADAPTATION: Give each kid or team of kids two dice, a sheet of 12 measures of stick-notated rhythms, a paper prepared with 8 blank measures, scissors, and a pencil. Cut apart rhythms. Write a number on back of each (1-12). Roll the dice. This is the rhythm that is measure 1. Write it in the blank and continue until the composition is written. Practice and perform it (clapping or on percussion).
Problem: For a true "chance operations" piece, there should be the possibility of repetition within the song and there isn't in the above. For solution, try the below:
ORIGINAL LESSON: Give the kids a page full of little rhythm measures in stick notation (16+ rhythms), a pencil, scissors, and a paper prepared with blank measures (8 or 16). Procedure: Cut apart the rhythms and fold them into tiny pieces. Stir the pile. Pull one out. This is measure 1. Write it down in the blank. IMPORTANT: put that rhythm back in the pile! Stir and continue...Practice and perform.
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04/02 Do you have any musical compositions in which each measure is determined by the roll of a die? Find out more about it on one of the pages in my Website: http://www.pentatonika.com/dice.games.html
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01/02 Before my kids go off to middle school, I teach them the quadratic equation to the tune of Pop Goes the Weasel.
X equals negative B, plus or minus the square root of B squared minus 4AC, all over 2A.
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This assignment did a great many things for them:
#1. They had to read and analyze a piece of music as a literary work
#2. They had to think outside the box, given very few parameters.
#3. They had to apply their language arts lessons, as I was adamant about proper grammar and sentence structure. Of course, at first, they groaned about this. However, by the next class they were extremely excited. They had their own story. After I had themall turned in, we listened to the rest of the song. They were amazed to hear how different or how alike to the remainder of the story their stories were. A great discussion came out of it.
This is a lesson I have enjoyed doing. Another activity that involved writing was a rap. We were studying rhythm and beat, and began studying rap music. What is great about rap music is that it has that steady beat that you can REALLY feel, while the rhythm is spoken. It really lays it out for them and they understand the difference between the two so much better. We have 3 third grade classes. Each one of them came up with their own rap. It was a democratic decision. A few students offered suggestions on a topic, and the rest of the class voted on the topics suggested. After that we discussed rhyming, and its importance to rap. We discussed syllables, and they figured out how to fit the different lines of the verses into a syllable structure. It was incredible how they all worked that out together. The greatest part for them was performing it for themselves. When they heard how it sounded with a rap track behind it, they were extremely excited.
Here's what they got out of this activity:
#1. Understood the difference between beat and rhythm
#2. Learned about rhyming words and their importance to music
#3. National Standards: Singing alone and with others a wide repertoire of music Composing, improvising
#4. Grammar was also reinforced. Does this sound right? How can we make it sound better?
These are two great lessons where they were very much engaged. I would suggest it. When you discuss rhythm, time signatures, math can be brought into the picture. Time signatures are merely fractions. With rhythm, you can to multiplication, division, addition. I like to use money to discuss note values. With older grades, instead of money I use the division aspect. I always start at the top, with the whole note and work my way down.
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How many gifts would you have on the 12th day of Christmas? DEFINITELY mathematical...and musical too!
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10/01 The following song and activity worked great with my K's, 1st, AI, EMI, EI... I hastily drew 9 different "stick type" cats with a splash of color on each (blue collar on one, red cheek dots on another, etc.) and laminated each sheet. We sang the song Nine Black Cats. (Nine black cats sitting on the gate, one caught a cold and then there were _______. ) I gave nine students a cat sheet. They stood up front, and when we got to the part "one caught a cold" I would take someone's cat and that person would sneeze and then sit down. Then they would have to figure out how many cats were left. Some kids obviously know right away, others I would see counting down the line. Then, we'd do a couple of math problems before the next number down. I'd put a space between two of the cats and ask what the math problem would be. (Two cats plus four cats =..... or subtraction problems, etc.) Played through a couple of times so everyone could be a cat!
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8/01 There is also a wonderful book called "Frog Math" by Jaine Kopp (appropriate K-3) from Great Explortions in Math and Science (GEMS) Lawrence Science Hall, University of California at Berkley. ISBN 0-912511-79-6
when the classroom teachers are studying fractions, I study division of the beat. This varies by grade level, but we either add them (or use another order of operation), or simply use them as another way to visualize 1/2, etc.
I had a second grade class bring me a worksheet that was all math problems but the answers if played in order on a previously numbered marimba (or other pitched mallet instrument) played a song. You could make up your own worksheets like that in conjunction with the classroom teachers at your school.
I just did a wonderful math lesson with my first graders that could be used on up to about third to reinforce odd and even numbers, division, etc. It was one of those spur of the moment things. I use beanbags to inspire individual singing and help me learn names. I probably got the original from the pitch matching thread. I was using colors with K and 1 - Who has the blue? (on so-mi-la sequence), child answers - I have the blue. We all sing - ____ has the blue. Kind of non-challenging beyond singing for other than K. Bags had numbers on them - 10 bags. I sang numbers 1 -3-5-7-9 first. and we talked about patterns. I asked if they knew what even numbers were and used 2-4-6-8. Next week we labeled odd numbers and many could tell me which ones to call. When I called even I had them tell me why they were even by having them divide their amount if they were cookies between them and a neighbor. Many could name the even numbers but did not understand the concept - a weakness in elementary math teaching that has long existed - these steps will hopefully help them understand, contribute to test scores, and we had so much fun in the process without paper and pencil - and made music. Let you know as I have this other inspirations. I am certified in math and language arts up through middle school.
Math and Music I had a second grade class bring me a worksheet that was all math problems but the answers if played in order on a previously numbered marimba (or other pitched mallet instrument) played a song. You could make up your own worksheets like that in conjunction with the classroom teachers at your school.
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8/01 BOOK: There is also a wonderful book called "Frog Math" by Jaine Kopp (appropriate K-3) from Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Lawrence Science Hall, University of California at Berkley. ISBN 0-912511-79-6
Geometry: A great book (mentioned here, I think)-The Greedy Triangle. We made all the shapes discussed in the book (substituted rectangle for quadrilateral)and covered them with clear contact paper. Students raised their shape whenever mentioned in the book. We used real triangles instead of cut-outs and allowed students to play them when mentioned. Using cut-outs of shapes, we sang Here We Go Looby Loo (instrumental track of K8 tape). Instead of putting body parts in the circle, we used shapes. Hokey Pokey shapes.. "You put your circle in..." the little kids loved it if you cut the shapes out of colored paper you can do the Color Hokey Pokey
This is a fun and easy idea to teach young children their shapes (I used it with two year olds) and get them singing independently at the same time. Teach this song to the tune of "Popeye the Sailor Man:" I'm (child's name) the sailor man I can name all my shapes, I can Rectangle, triangle, square, star, circle, heart, And oval and diamond too! After the children know the song, allow them to sing it alone. Cut out each shape from construction paper (or use flash cards) and place them on the floor (in the order of the song for younger children; older children may enjoy the challenge of trying to find the shapes as they sing them). Let the child wear a white sailor hat and point to each shape as he or she sings it.BACK to Academic Integration topics
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12/11 BOOKS WITH SONGS: The Alphabet Action Songs has a book with pix in it AND a story for each letter.... well, a story that has a PILE of that particular letter prominently displayed in the story, not really FOR the letter. Your kids will want to do these songs over and over! You may want to introduce a few at a time, maybe two at a time, to get them all in and to allow time for repeating them throughout the year. ---- Martha Stanley
I really like Denise Gagne's alphabet songs/stories.
I love the Alphabet Action Songs by Denise Gagne. She has a song for every letter as well as an alphabet song.
The kinder teachers sing the ABC Rock by Greg and Steve ( We All Live Together vol. 1) with the kids. It's an echo song and they love the song.
I just finished my alphabet lessons with Kindergarten. We sang the traditional song and then ABC Rock by Greg & Steve. Before I play the song I have them echo me for all of the short phrases. We also make the letter W with our fingers when we sing it because it is the only letter that is sung by itself in the song. When I play the recording the students and I switch jobs at the repeat. They must sing the letters first and I repeat them. We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, watched the Discovery Education clip, and played the steady beat on Boomwhackers to Chicka Chicka Funk (came on the CD with the book). I also like Hap Palmer's Alphabet in Motion. -Sarah D. In NC
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06/07 Retelling of a book I have read - or a ballad type song: I do this throgh round robin storytelling as well as writing with beginning/middle/ end - they have to have lead sentence, character(s) and setting.
Describiing an instrument or a group of instruments set up in front of the room
Writing vocabulary words that they might be unfamiliar with while I am reading a book
Completing this thought: "A music class is ".....how would you describe a music class and what goes on, to someone from another country/planet, who has never experienced one.
After singing a song about rain, or doing a rhythmic composition based on Stevenson's poem "Rain is Raining All Around", I have them a sheet where they had to complete the sentences:
"When it rains I........... ......... ......
" I like the sound of.......... ......... ......... ......
When it rains I feel........ ......... ......... ......
I also have them write down emotions or descriptive words that come to mind when listening to different types of music. We then have a sharing and a discussion about how differently people respond/react to music. -- Laura Deutsch
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06/06 To the tune of "Are You Sleeping" - I like reading. I like reading. It's such fun. It's such fun. Reading is exciting. It gives us information. I like to read. I like to read.
To the tune of She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" We'll be reading here at our school, yes sir-ree. We'll be reading here at our school, yes sir-ree. We'll be reading here at our school, yes We're reading here at our school, Oh we're reading here at our school, yes sir-ree!
We'll be turning pages quickly, yes sir-ree.
We'll be learning information, yes sir-ree. (Have kids think of new verses....)
To the tune of "Working on the Railroad" We'll be reading at our school, all the live long day. We'll be reading at our school, just to pass the time away. Don't you hear the pages turning, Information gained, Don't you here the teacher's reading? They have been well trained. Reading in our school, Reading in our school, Reading in our school is very cool. Reading in our school, Reading in our school, Reading in our school is cool. Someone's in the kitchen reading, Someone's in the classrooms, too. Someone's in the office reading, Reading at our school is cool! I tell you, Don't you hear the pages turning? Don't you hear the grinding gears? Don't you hear us turning pages? We could read a hundred years!
To the tune of "Row, row, row your Boat" Read, read, read your books, Read them every day. Read them here and read them there. Passing time away! -- Caryn Mears 07/05 The classroom teachers appreciate any review I do in music class at the beginning of the year with letters and short vowel sounds. We already have the regular alphabet songs plus "Alphabet Hands," (MK8, vol. 15-4, Network) and "See the Cat," the short-vowel song they performed as K's in their May concert. This video begins with a general introduction of all the letters in a jungle-themed little story song, then continues with a snippet about each letter - not jungle related but cute and interesting. The snippets are *not* just Muppet stuff, although Elmo and Zoey and Telly are the narrators throughout. I plan on showing the video in at least three sections, stopping each day as needed for musical connections. For example, "D" has can-can dancers and a cute little spelling lesson on D-A-N-C-E. "M"artha likes music! The letter "O" has an opera singer. "S" has some great little pictograph-style dancers. Although non-musical, one of the cutest segments is at "F," where Suzy hates all "F" words until they all disappear and she finds out she really needs them! The last 2½ minutes of the video are a song called "African Animal Alphabet," which names and shows a specific animal for each letter. -- Connie Herbon Preschool - 3rd Music
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02/04 I supplement that with the Jazzles CD available from www.jazzles.com to reinforce the sound of the letters and to have fun acting out the songs. That is worth every penny and is in my mind better than singing the alphabet song ad nauseum. - Contributed by Sue Michiels
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02/04 I DO use the "Jazzles" C.D., well at least a few parts of it. Other alphabet favorites include "Alphabet Soup" from Tom Chapin's PRETTY PLANET and "ABC Train" from GET READY, GETSET,SING! (Songs for Early Childhood and ESL by Sarah Barchas). None of these "teach" the alphabet; they just make use of something most young students find to be a very important skill - the ability to recite the alphabet. - Contributed by Connie Herbon
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09/03 (Sung to the tune of "Jesus Loves the Little Children")
How we love to eat our colors,
All the colors on our plate,
Red, yellow, brown and green,
all the colors to be seen!
How we love to eat the colors on our plate!
How we love to eat our colors,
All the colors on our plate,
Orange, purple, white and blue,
All the colors - yes it's true!
How we love to eat the colors on our plate!
Text: Copyright c. 2003, Christopher L. Saraga.
I thought it would be a good idea to quiz the kids after each verse as to what they might find on their plate that is red, yellow, brown, green, orange, purple, white, or blue!-Contributed by Christopher L. Saraga
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Two things that I do regularly is use Venn diagrams to compare and contrast different pieces of music. Also, in songs that tell a story, I frequently make students plot the story and identify the characters. I used to have a plot outline that I got from a 5th grade teacher. I don't really use it, I just kind of stress what is important in each song. However, you may want to ask your classroom teachers if they use such a thing and adapt it for a song. -- Contributed by Christine Bock
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SONGS OVERHEAD: A technique that works REALLY well for me is to use overhead transparencies of song word sheets onto my white board. Then we color-code similar paragraphs (usually refrains), and sometimes mark color bars on the right side meaning music same or different...Then, we both read and sing with one student being the "pointer". They love to do this and it helps me know who has trouble tracking, etc...
If you would like some super documentation on music and literacy, there are several good articles by know literacy experts on the MENC website. Check:
http://www.menc.org/networks/genmus/litarticles
I have used these for documentation on our school improvement plan this year. -- Contributed by Laura McDonald
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Sing the spelling words (use the tune of "Bingo") 5 letter words are easiest but claps can be added for fewer letters and adjustments made to the rhythm for more letters. (song) Music is our spelling word and this is how you spell it. M-U-S-I-C, M-U-S-I-C, M-U-S-I-C and that is how you spell it.
2. Whenever you teach a song, have the words printed out,(on the board, chart paper, or a power point)and track the words while singing. Any designs, colors, drawings or pictures that can be added are especially helpful to younger students.
3.After learning a song, make it into a book. Have the words printed on each page and let the students illustrate. -- Contributed by Sandra Raff
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MK8 SONG: "I Wish"
I wrote the lyrics on chart paper. I underlined every "I wish" with one color. I put a different color triangle around one set of rhyming words (I can't remember all the lyrics, and I'm at home) I put a different color square around another set of rhyming words. We counted how many times "I wish" appeared in the song...even some of the K's could read this small phrase. We looked for rhyming words, and figured out that they were encircled by certain colors and shapes. We also learned ASL for the song.
I put a blue rectangle around the words "cold" and "gold."
I put a green triangle around the words "sad," "had," and "bad." I underlined each "I Wish" with a yellow squiggly line. I put a purple starburst at the beginning of the 1st, 2nd and 4th phrases. I put an orange starburst at the beginning of the 3rd phrase. The shapes highlighted rhyming words. The yellow squiggly lined helped students learn "I wish" as sight words. The starbursts gave hints to musical form.
With 3rd graders, we also discussed the last words, "I wish," as being a complete sentence, and compared that sentence to the previous phrases. -- Contributed by Becky Luce
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01/03 PATTERNING IS A MAJOR concept in the current 1st gd. math curriculum and they even use letters to "read" and analyze them. Here's a wonderful composition lesson using their knowledge of patterns to write songs.
Lesson in Brief: compose a pattern using 3 colors, choose one instrument for each color, and play the song.
Concepts covered: patterning (of visual AND auditory), letters used to represent parts of pattern (leading to Form analysis later), symbols representing sounds (like in standard notation), reading left to right, exact repetition -v- variation, composition technique, and performance practice.
Materials: scissors (1 per kid), construction paper cut into strips (3 per kid; hint: don't provide more than 4 colors to choose from!), white paper (1 per kid), glue (1 per kid or to share). Instruments (1 per kid; also works with only a few instruments. at the front of room or with body sounds if you have no instruments.).
Lesson in Detail:
Prep.: Do a sample on the board. Using giant chips (cut constr. paper into 1/4's), write a three-color pattern that repeats a few times with no variation. Draw a picture of three instruments and tape one of the colored papers next to each drawing. Have the class read the pattern first with letters (A, B, and C). Then distribute instruments (or have selected students get instruments) and perform the song together.
Now, compose your own:
Using three different colors of paper chips (cut the strips), compose a pattern that repeats itself (with or without variation) at least 2 times. Choose an instrument for each color (for ex. red chips = drum, yellow = glockenspiel). Play your song, reading left to right. Next lesson: play the songs for the whole class. Display for conferences!!!
Helpful hint: Group the chip-patterns on the paper in phrases so they're easy to read and glue them down. For example, if the pattern is ABBBCBB ABBBCBB ABBBCBB (one of my 1st graders actually came up with that!), the kids will tend to NOT group the letters at all but rather will just keep glueing until they run out of room at the edge of the paper, reading something like this:
ABBBCBBABBBCBBABBBCBB... nearly impossible to discipher. So, encourage them to glue the pattern in "phrases."
Contributed by Sandra Elder
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10/02 ROW ROW ROW YOUR BOAT: For directional prepositions I changed each verse. The older children chose a card with the preposition (in, under, over, between, around, behind) then sang the song replacing "Down the stream" with "Behind the stream" etc. We used body movements (turning 'around', jumping 'in' the circle, reaching 'across' to high five a friend), we used rhythm sticks ('under' the legs, 'over' our heads, 'behind' our backs). Then we replaced the phrase "Merrily, merrily, merrily" with the preposition so that the word was repeated another four times. ie "Under, under, under, under, life is but a dream." The non-reader students did prepositions with simple cards that I made with a mouse and turtle (and the words) demonstrating the prepositions.
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08/02 There's a book called the Big Book of Phonics published by Carson Dellosa that one of my former first grade teachers loved. It has lots of phonics piggy back songs like this one:
Old MacDonald had a farm AEIOU and on this farm he had some vowels AEIOU with an A A here and an AA there here an A there an A everywhere an A A..... and so on.
There are also a few websites with ABC ideas, early literacy and so on...
Can Teach Songs and Poems: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems.html
www.abcteach.com
Songs for Preschoolers: www.preschooleducation.com/song.shtml
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VOWEL SONG (tune Old MacDonald)
Every true word has a vowel, A,E,I,O,U And every vowel has two sounds, A,E,I,O,U
With an AA here and an aa there. Here an A, there an a, Everywhere an A, a
This is the version of the vowel sounds song that I use. Just remember that the first A is a long vowel, and the second A is a short vowel. I teach it like this, "The first A says it's name, and the second A says it's sound." It is less confusing than the terms Long and Short Vowels! Somehow kids think the terms long and short have something to do with penmanship!
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08/02 EC STUDENTS-ABC SONGS: . I also have students in the EC-Speech and Language Development program (ages 3-5 with language delays). In my district, literacy is emphasized across the curriculum, so I have favorite activities that I do that are music and literacy related.
At the beginning of the year, I use a lot of different ABC songs. It's surprising how many are out there besides the traditional one. Hap Palmer's "Marching Around the Alphabet" is a favorite activity that emphasizes letter recognition and marching to the beat. The kids love the book "The Gunnywolf." Can't remeber who it is by, but I can look it up at school. It's about a girl who tames the gunnywolf by knowing the alphabet song. I also do creative movement by letter. We pick a letter, look at it, trace it in the air, and then think of animals that begin with that sound...ie. moose, monkey, mouse, and then move like one of those animals to instrumental music.
Some of the kids have limited language exposure, so I use a lot of Greg and Steve music to help with vocabulary while we sing. Their new CD, just out in February, has a great song called "Opposites." We learned the song, and also the signs for the words (up, down, in out, etc.) It helps them because I can prompt with the signs without giving away the answers. They pick up the signs easily!
I also use many picture books in my room. I keep spiral bound note cards for each month with the songs I usually teach and the books that go with them. I make regular stops at the school and public libraries, so that I have the books that match the songs. For instance, if I am teaching the song "Busy, Buzzy Bee", then I pick up the book "The Honey Tree." We always read "The Snow Parade," and then have one in the classroom after the first snow. I have a long list of book and song correlations. Another idea to consider - Dr. Seuss books are great, because of the rhyming and the language construction. Many short sections of these books can be made into little songs that the kids love. ie. "Look what I found in the park, in the dark.
I will take him home, I will call him Clark. He will live at our house, he will grow and grow. Will our Mother like this? We don't know!" Great for Halloween time with some minor tonality. Also- I have long and short vowel charts hanging in my room. We use the sounds for warm-ups in 1st - 4th grades.
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06/22/02 LISTENING TO GRIEG'S "In the Hall of the Mountain King" while I read a little doctored up version of the legend of Peer Gynt (pronounced Pear Gunt...right????) with an open ending. In other words, the students did a creative writing exercise and they had to write the outcome of the plot. Here is the story I used: (to be read while the music is playing in background) *** Hint: practice before you try it in class!
Legend of Peer Gynt - There once was a little boy named Peer Gynt. He lived in a village and was known as being a troublemaker. He stole things, played tricks on his friends and never helped his mother. Hardly anyone liked him or played with him because he always got in so much trouble.
One day, he went to a wedding. At this wedding, he met the most beautiful girl in the world. The very instant he saw her, he knew that he was in love. Peer also knew that one day he wanted to marry this girl. But that probably wouldn't happen because her parents knew how much of a troublemaker Peer was. They didn't like the way that he acted. They told Peer to leave their daughter alone because she would not marry him. Poor Peer's heart was broken. He was so sad he could not stay in the village. Seeing this beautiful girl everyday would be too painful to his broken heart. So he decided to leave the village and run into the mountains where he could be alone. He planned to stay in the mountains forever so he would never have to see the girl again. On his way to the mountains, he arrived at the hall of the mountain king. This king was the king of all trolls that lived in the mountains. He measured a full 3 feet tall (he was short). His hair was not neat like one might expect a king's hair to be instead it was sticking up all over his head. He had some really funky green teeth and a great big ugly wart at the end of his nose.
The hall of the mountain king was actually underground at the base of a big huge tree. It was dark, cool and damp in the hall. As Peer looked around, he was surrounded by hundreds of ugly little trolls. The troll king wanted Peer to marry his daughter (who looked a whole lot like her father). The king told Peer what he would have to do in order to marry his daughter. He would have to grow a tail, slant his eyes like a troll and live underground forever (under the big tree). He could never go to the mountains or into the woods and play. Of course, Peer did not want to become a troll. So, he looked behind him and he saw daylight coming through the door. Then he looked in front of him and saw all the hundreds of trolls and decided to turn and run out the door. At that very moment, some of the trolls grabbed him by the feet and tried pulling him back. He frantically scraped at the dirt and tried to grab onto a tree root and then..
I required students to keep it clean (rated G) and told them they had to write at least 5 sentences. Depending what age level you work with, you may have students that will want to illustrate their stories. This is a really fun way to cross the curriculum!
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04/02 K/1 LITERACY ACTIVITY
Concepts: patterns, reading left-to-right, playing percussion instruments, how symbols are used to represent sounds. Lesson in brief: kids stand in various boy-girl patterns and others "read" the patterns by playing instruments, girls in pattern representing one instruments and boys representing another.
Here's how:
~ lay out approx. 3 triangles with strikers and 3 drums with sticks (or one huge drum that can be played by three kids).
~ discuss patterns and share examples.
~ have student suggest a pattern using two items: boys and girls. "how could they stand to make that pattern?"
~ organize the entire class into this pattern standing in a straight row.
~ extra kids or choose 3-6 = instrument players. teacher walks behind pattern kids tapping heads. play drum on girl-notes and triangle on boy-notes. be sure to go left to right according to the instrument kids.
~ have instrument players switch spots with someone (boy or girl) in pattern line. have new instrument players turn around so they can't see. kids rearrange into a different pattern. players turn around. ~ repeat.
definition of pattern: to take a small idea and repeat it sometimes the same, and sometimes a little differently, until it makes something bigger.
examples: visual (look around the room, look at clothes), literature (nursery rhymes, other poems that follow a set form), environmental sounds (pattern played by sirens, cell phones, beepers, croaking frogs...), music (play Hoedown, for example and show the repeated motifs with your body while the kids listen, have them do it too).
Later lesson: cut two colored papers into small chips. with partner, make a pattern on the floor. play it for the class on drum and triangle (or whatever).
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03/02 READ ACROSS AMERICA DAY. Not a fancy lesson plan, but a pretty good one, I thought. I had first graders. We started off with learning the song "Rules for Living" We discussed why we should "turn the TV off a lot". Then I read the book "Ben's Trumpet" while playing Miles Davis in the background. After that, I showed the video Dr. Seuss on the Loose, with either The Sneetches or Green Eggs and Ham, because those had songs in them. It went pretty well, I thought. Just thought I would share. In kindergarten, I read Ben's Trumpet and showed the video.
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01/02 BOOK: "Teaching Creatively by Working the Word" by Susan Katz and Judith Thomas. It is full of lesson ideas incorporating language, music, and movement.
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10/01. FAMILY READING NIGHT. Sometimes we meet as a large group and have a storyteller or some such activity, then we break up into smaller groups and they go from room to room. Afterwards there are usually treats of some kind and a book exchange.
I have prepared lessons using "Rainbow Fish", which is something I usually do in the classroom with 2nd graders anyway. I read the story then do some different things usually leading up to a listening lesson on The Aquarium ( Saint-Saens). When I first did this I just thought it would be fun to let the parents do what the kids do. It has ended up being a real challenge because there are so many little brothers and sisters who come along and they do not want to be left out of the action.
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7/01 USING MUSIC TO TEACH LANGUAGE: http://eslgames.com/edutainment/songs.htm
7/01 LESSON: Mathematics of Music A secondary lesson plan integrating music and math
http://www.utc.edu/~thecmath/lesson_plans/DeborahTaylor/thec98dtaylor.html
7/01 CURRICULUM: "Reading By Ear, Breaking the Sounds Barrier." It is a 5 day/15 week curriculum of songs and movement - one for each sound in the English Language, reproducible coloring books with words beginning with each sound and 4 CD's with all of the songs.
Since the program was $193.00 I wrote a grant in order to get it for 2 of my 1st grade teachers, as well as the primary special ed classroom. (Every participating teacher has to have their own set of the CDs, songbook and curriculum guide, but the reproducible sheets for the coloring books can be shared school wide.)
At my school we are trying to get teachers to include music as part of their curriculum, and this was a great way to do it. The teachers thought the program was great and the kids LOVED it!
If there is one downfall, it is that there was not musical notation for the songs. As the music teacher, I don't like children to sing along with an adult on a CD. They don't learn to match pitch very well when they do that. I would rather sing each song a cappella and have them learn it in small chunks. So, musically, I didn't value the program much. Sooooo, I called the people that put it together and voiced my concerns.
They really responded well, and, as a result, are going to publish a melody line with chords. I don't know when this part will come out, but I am looking forward to it. Here is a link to their website. I hope you find it as exciting as I do!
http://www.readingbyear.com
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7/01 LISTENING ALPHABEAT - BY Pamela Rezach
The kits are for the purpose of teaching handwriting based upon music. Each kit includes an instructional video, 2 CD's that are to be used while the class participates, a teacher's manual and student worksheets. Each lesson includes instructions as to how to make the strokes, practice lines for making the letters while listening to the CD, practice sentences which focus upon words that include the letter, as well as Dolche sight words.
Each worksheet has an animal holding an instrument (both begin with the letter being studied). The teacher's manual includes facts about the animal and instrument.
These packets have been prepared for non-music teachers, although music teachers could use them for the purpose of focusing upon keeping a steady beat while the students practice writing the letters. That is not a focus included in the kits because many classroom teachers would not feel confident with that aspect.)
Any Questions? email Pam at: prezach@hotmail.com
The publisher is Zaner-Bloser. The product is "The Listening AlphaBEAT" Manuscript order number is m770100 for grades 1 and 2. The cursive order number is c770200 for grades 2, 3 and 4. The toll free order number is 1-800-421-3018. The address is Zaner-Bloser, Inc. P. O. Box 16764, Columbus, OH 43216-6764. Each kit is 44.95 (the last time I heard.)
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i have used the following books in my 6th grade general music class in connection with the students' writing a story, poem or play (usually they are stories) on the origins of music. We call it "How Music Began". After writing their legends the students may choose to read one, two or all three books and compare their legend with the one(s) they read. Their grade is dependent upon the number of books they read and whether they share with the class their legend and the ones they read (all spelled out in the rubrics). "Musicians of the Sun" "All of you Was Singing" "The Origins of Music
I am doing various listening lessons where 3-6 must write out their responses.
Curriculum topics:
ABC songs, Vowel sounds, Consonant sounds, Nursery Rhymes Story songs, Rhymes, Poems, Nouns, Adjectives, Dr. Seuss, Theme Music Ideas: P-Z/Dr. Seuss
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"MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH". I had all my students (Grades 2-5) write about Music in their lives during their music class time. I then compiled an anthology of sorts, entitled "Musical Notes" which included some of the childrens' writings. I have distributed this to faculty and staff, Board members, administration and of course, parents. I had the following Abraham Maslow quote on the front cover of the Anthology:
"Music is a way of discovering what the self is like. Music can provide great moments in this learning process, moments in which both cognitive and personal growth take place simultaneously. Rather than think of these courses as a sort of whipped cream, they must become basic experiences in education." Inside the front cover, I had a "letter to parents and friends" and at the top of this page was this quote from Charles Schultz which I love: "I would say that music education in our schools is a must. Music is one of the things, like the ability to laugh that has kept mankind going for thousands of years. Music keeps us sane."
I love to write myself and I wanted my students to write without inhibition; without the pressure of a mark and be brave enough to share their feelings with all of us. I made three points before the boys and girls began: 1. Write with confidence. Believe in what you say. What you have to share IS valuable! You have some great ideas just waiting to be expressed.
2. Keep focused while writing - try to get those great ideas directly on to the paper without distractions. Do the editing AFTER the ideas are written down.
3. Try, if you are having trouble getting started, to write as if you were speaking to me.(This only applied to a few children.)
What I got from the students was, in essence, their sloppy copy, their rough draft. Time constraints, as you all know, are very real in a music class.
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ENHARMONIC NOTES - I thought of a comparison idea with grammar. I turned it into a bulletin board outside my room and the teachers are "going wild." Not only do they like the fact I'm teaching homonyms, several of them now seem to realize the difference between sharps and flats. Something they didn't understand before! WOW!
Board idea:
Use yellow or gold background - representing the sun. Make a large pond - Use blue material.
Cut out 7 lilly pads. (Large enough to hold two frogs.) Cut out 2 frogs for each lilly pad. Put enharmonic names on each set of frogs: On first frog write F#, on second frog write Gb. Place these two frogs on one lilly pad. Continue until all the enharmonics are completed.
After I go over the bulletin board with the students, we go into the room and use the floor keyboard to hear the same sounds. Even my first graders understood all this.
Bulletin board heading: "MUSIC HOMONYMS" Show a keyboard that labels the white keys, sharp keys and flat keys. On the other side of the bulletin board write "Music homonyms are referred to as "Enharmonic notes."
Under the pond write: "Two different note names make one sound.
It's turned into a nice looking spring bulletin board. You could add grass, flowers, etc. for more spring effect.
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BOOK: found a really cute book based on Dr. Seuss's ABCs. Our Ks learn one letter a week, so one of the first things we do every week is sing the song that goes with the letter they just learned (so they're one week behind the classroom letter.) Some of the exercises are in major, some in minor, and there are even a couple of modes thrown in, too!
It's called Choral Warm-ups from A to Z: Singing... Dr. Seuss's ABC by Karle J. Erickson. It's published by Hinshaw Music. I just have a student's edition, and it was $5.25.
One upside is, once I established it as a ritual for the beginning of class, the kids would bust me if I forgot to do it! :-)
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(musick8.com has a monthly magazine with original music for schools)
A Ants Go Marching--B Bunny Boogie (mk8)--Barnyard Boogie (Red Grammar)--C (don't remember)
D Dinosaur Dance--E It Takes Everyone, It Takes Everything --F Funny Bunny (mk8)--G Garden Song
H Hippo in My Bathtub (On a recording by Ann Murray)--I --J Joggin Jig (mk8)--K
L Lollipop Tree (old song from an old series)--M Mashed Potatoes (mk8)
N Naughty Betsy (CJ Listens or Once upon a Rhyme recording)--O Octopus' Garden--Penguin Polka
Q --R When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob Bob Bobin Along--S SnowAngels (mk8) Shovelin' (Tom Chapin)
T --Unicorn Song (...about Noah building an ark and the Unicorns didn't get on
V--W I Think You're Wonderful (Red Grammar)--X --Y Yankee Doodle--Z
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ANIMATED LITERACY? (K's) It's absolutely wonderful! Every letter or combined sounds have a little "piggy back" song that goes with them to reinforce the letter, and words that start (or end) with that letter (letters). I believe there's only about 5-6 different tunes used..Sailing, Sailing...Campton Races...I've Been Working on the Railroad...Twinkle Twinkle...Polly Wolly Doodle...ummm....I'm drawing a blank on the others. I have a copy of the song book at school so we can reinforce in my room, and the kdg teacher has coloring sheets, activities, song book, take home sheets, and a tape. The tape isn't the best quality, but the kiddos just sing right along!
My personal favorite is UNCLE UPTON...to the tune of Camptown Races. "Uncle Upton's upside down...uh-huh...uh-huh...Up in the umbrella tree...hanging upside down." I won't write all of it to bore you. Griselda Green is another cute one too! The kids ask to sing solos with my toilet paper roll and foam ball microphones! ANIMATED LITERACY!!! We had 14 of 31 kdgs become readers in KDG!!!
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BOOK: Zaner-Bloser Company bought an idea from me and it was published last year. It's called "The Listening AlphaBEAT." It teaches handwriting based upon Kodaly motifs, (as much as possible.) Each letter has a motif that matches the making of that letter. Along with the CD sound track there are poems that help the children remember proper posture and phrases from folk songs to listen to as the students practice the letters. (In my classes, I use that section to see who can keep a steady beat as they write. Take-for-instance, if they write 10 letters, but there were only enough beats to complete 8 letters, then I know they were moving faster than the stead beat. It's pretty neat. Of course, the kit/s are prepared for teachers who teach in the classroom, so we did not make keeping the steady beat a part of the package.
The student worksheets include practice sheets to write the letters on while listening and following the strokes (melodic motifs) of each letter. There's an animal on each page that begins with the letter being studied. The animal is holding an instrument that also begins with that letter. After the students practice writing the letters, they then practice writing the given sentence. The words in the sentence focus of words that begin with the letter of the page. The sentences also focus upon the Dolce sight words.
The teachers manual discusses facts about the animal and the instrument.
There is a cursive kit and a manuscript kit. Each kit includes a training video, 2 CD's and a teacher's manual with student sheets to be copied for the students. Thought this might be of some interest to you since it deals with letters and music.
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SCHOOL PROJECT encompassing reading/music/art/drama:
The last time I did frogs...The children created a "group big book". We used our old friend "Frog went a courtin'". Each child wrote a new verse and illustrated it for the big book! (Perhaps your art and classrroom teachers would help if you don't have the time or feel comfortable with this aspect). Then we planned the wedding (music, seating, etiquette, etc.), made and delivered invitations (parents, other classrooms), planned the reception (including food).
With our newly created big books and puppets (some of which they had to create, others we owned) for each character we enacted the wedding as we sang the big book. We also added other approprite songs and improvisational music. Prior to the wedding I asked open ended questions.."What type of music would a mouse like for her wedding?" "What sounds, would you hear at a wedding in the forest?"
The children created a delightful sequence of songs and sound carpet that any young mouse lady would be proud to have at her wedding! We asked similar things concerning the reception. Part of the menu included.."ants on a log" (tried and true peanut butter on celery with raisins), Green bug juice, apples, berries, nuts, etc. We had a formal wedding rehearsal..with our old man puppet mimister presiding. As each guest arrived we sang that verse as the children with puppets took their seats in the "forest chapel". Sample of child created verses.."You're all invited to the hollow tree, for that is where the wedding will be", "A tiny mouse brought some flowers in bloom, in honor of the bride and groom." "The first to come was Mr. Racoon. he came to sing the wedding tune.""Then slithered in old grandma snake, she brought with her the wedding cake." "A butterfly came in with a flutter, and brought with it some bread and butter." "Then hopped in old Grandfather frog, dripping wet from the lily bog." "A big bull frog came from the dock, he played a piece by J.S. Bach." There were many more, all delightful.
The art work was terrific too! When I began this unit, I thought it would be very short and simple. The interest was so high it turned into one of the major events of the season! Parents and other teachers got very excited. We had a large crowd on wedding day! In addition, the children learned a lot of science, frogs, mice, woodlands, forest animals, art, rhyming, creating writing, rhythmic phrasing, etc. etc. I have kept the big book and we occasionally use it with new classes to show them how they can create other similar books. We have created similar books around Tinglayo, The House that Jack Built, Old Lady that Swallowed a fly, etc. Other song suggestions....
"Hear the lively voice of the frog in yonder pond"...the round "On a log, Mister frog"...movement game Of course the books by Lobel "Frog and Toad are Friends" ISBN 0-06-444020-6 etc. There is also a wonderful book called "Frog Math" by Jaine Kopp (appropriate K-3) from Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Lawrence Science Hall, University of California at Berkley. ISBN 0-912511-79-6BACK to Academic Integration topics
**********************************************************************ARTICLE ON WHOLE BRAIN TEACHING
WHOLE BRAIN TEACHING
Here are two videos that will cover all the basic techniques of the Whole Brain Teaching for anyone who is interested in what WBT is all about. The first link below will have the Class Yes and the Teach Okay. These are the best of the WBT videos in my opinion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJw9mzCtWbk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfS6aNdG0k4&feature=related
I also recommend that you go to the Whole Brain Teaching website to learn more. You will need to register, but it's free. There are some e-books that are free that give you more details about the WBT method. You should check out the "Whole Brain Teachers Training Manual" it gives you all the details about the stuff we have been discussing on the mk8 list. You do need to register if you want to have access to the free e-books.
http://www.wholebrainteaching.com/
Having my students lead themselves in was inspired by our Professional Development training for Expeditionary Learning (EL). Our EL coach sang a song as we came into the room to make a circle. Many teachers like the song and were planning on using it. Students will sing the song as they come into the room to put their things away and then they get into their crew circle. I decided to create my own song so students wouldn't get tired of the other song. Since I am not good at coming up with my own melody I found a song that I liked and used that for the melody. I chose the song "Bowl of Cherries" by Peter and Ellen Allard you can get it from iTunes. Here are the words that I came up with:
Now it's time to sing a song or two Singing Dancin' through and through
La dee da da da, La dee da da da We are gonna have some fun
Life is so lovely like a bowl of cherries Chitty chitty bim bom singing so merry
We are crew not passengers, Yes we're crew not passengers
They sing this twice as they come in. As they sing they follow the leader in. The line leader will stop once near the doorway to let the end of the line students in. Once they are in the leader continues to walk forward until they get to the orange tape up by the Promethean board. The caboose (the last person) will end up on the other orange tape by the Promethean board. Once everyone is on a tape, the line leader looks around the rectangle to see if everyone is ready. If someone isn't ready, they usually will just say the student's name or they will say something like, "please stop talking" or tell them to stop whatever it is they are doing, most of the time the student will stop. When the leader sees that everyone is ready they sit down and the group does the same. During this time I am not involved unless things go wrong. I will ask the line leader to take the group back out into the hallway if I am not please with what I hear or see. I do give them smiley faces or sad faces for this. My students know this and they try very hard to do it right. When I first implemented this into my classroom I led the group in. I did this for about 3 lessons, then on the 4 lessons I sang the song as they came in. By the 5 lesson they were doing the whole thing by themselves. I did encourage them to sing with me each time if they thought they knew the words. I did not take any class time to teach the song. I figured they will eventually catch on and they did. Once everyone is sitting down, they recite the 5 rules and I have the rule leader name on the Promethean board. What I really like about all of this is that it gives me time to get things ready or I get a breather from the last class. My classes are back to back. This whole routine takes about 2-3mins.
Here is how I made my rectangle (I have a carpet) for those who want to know:
I use the velcro that you can get from Harbor Freight. Then I used different colored masking tape to glue onto the velcro. The pieces are 3" inches long and I use fabric glue to glue them on. If you're good at sewing you could cut pieces of fabric and sew the fabric on. I am not so I just glue masking tape on. I think the tapes are like 24" apart. The long sides of the rectangle have 12 colored tapes on them (6 of one color and 6 of another), Then the tape that goes across the rectangle only has 4 tapes of another color. The other tape that goes across only has two and there is a big gap between them because this is where I sit on the stool. This is the top of the rectangle and it's up by my Promethean board. The two tapes are orange and the leader stops on the first tape and the caboose ends up on the other. My rectangle can sit 30 students. I do have another line that goes across with the 4 tapes. I put it closer to my end and it makes the rectangle smaller and it will sit 26 students. I use the smaller rectangle for Kinders and 1st grade. 2nd - 5th grade use the larger rectangle mainly because there usually is more than 26 and they need more room to sit down on. I also use the rectangle for line up. I added a line that I extends from the side that is closest to the door. The line goes from the rectangle to the door. This line has 6 orange tapes on it. This is the front of the line and then they bend the line around the rectangle. I use MK8 Line Up song from Vol. 20 No. 4. I love using this song for line up. John Riggio did a great job. It's just the right length (27 secs). My classes are able to be in a line by the end of the song. I use the recording with vocals for the first few lessons, then I use the instrumental track and they have to sing as they line up.
It takes 3 packs to make my rectangle. I think it's like around 25' long and 10' wide.
Tami in COBACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************PROJECT TO INCREASE TEST SCORES
12/03 FIRST GRADE: My after-school group is with 16 very select first graders. This is our first year doing this, so we are taking it slowly, and documenting everything. All first graders have been tested by their classroom teachers, and those who were found to be low, were additionally tested by our reading resource teacher. We chose the eight lowest performing (one student was in the 1%) and the eight highest performing students. We meet once a week after school for one hour. Parents have signed permission slips and are responsible for transportation. This past week I taught the songs: The Greeting Song, and The Days of the Week. It would take a long email to describe everything I do!! But, I'll try to write a condensed version.
I have made Power Points to introduce the songs. I take actual photographs of the students to insert in the slides. My digital camera is my constant companion. Students love seeing themselves on TV.
Words Make Rhythm Center
I have the words to the song at this center. They are posted on the wall (via velcro) over black, beat lines. Students decode the rhythm (one sound on a beat line is ta, two short sounds on a beat line are ti-ti).
Boomwhackers
Attached to the words are the corresponding boomwhacker colors, so students can play the melody of the song.
Rhythm Boards
I have made rhythm/staff boards for students. One side of the board is a staff, the other side is for rhythm and has eight, black beat lines drawn. This week I made word cards for the days of the week. Students placed the word cards (in order) and then matched the words with notes. All of the days were ti-ti, except for Sat-ur-day, which we interpreted as ti-ti ta.
Word chunking
The first grade teacher does most of this activity. This week the word chunk was _ay words. First, we sing and draw the letters with the first grade print paper ( blue, red, green lines). The high line is sung as so, middle line is sung as mi and the bottom line is sung as do. This idea was shared by Pamela from the list. As we draw the letters, we sing them! Then we find all the ay words in the songs, and students make their own words ending with ay.
This was all done as whole group instruction this week. Next week, well actually the week after next, we will do centers. All of the centers will be centered around what we did this week. Students will practice and master all the skills taught with these two songs.
I've tried to be brief, and probably haven't explained things real well. I am so excited about this project. We are going to be thorough in our research and are really hoping that all of this work, will indeed improve scores for our first graders. We absolutely could not do it without our high achieving students. They love all the activities as well, and help their lower performing partners so much. They really do become little teachers. It is really exciting to watch. - Contributed by Monica AutryBACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************SCIENCE
06/09 SONG: “Newton’s Laws of Motion” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkAO8F-Tm-w
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12/07 1. CREATE A RAINSTORM!:
1. The teacher starts on one side of the gym snapping her fingers. The kids join the snapping as she walks along the front of the group adding the snappers as she goes.
2.Then the teacher starts patting and as she walks back in front of the kids they change from snapping to patting.
3. The patting gets louder and faster.
4. The teacher then claps her hands at random times--the kids watch her and join in the claps (that's the thunder) this goes on for a short time. In-between the clapping everyone still pats legs.
5.The teacher starts walking again and as she goes by the patting changes to snapping
6. She walks by one more time and they quit snapping as she walks by until there are just a couple kids snapping at the end.It sounds so much like a rainstorm and it really is fun. At the concert we had a couple kids walk by with umbrellas. Not so easy to write after a long day, but easy and fun to do. -- Jan Ringstmeyer
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01/07 www.aeideas.com -- "Science Through Song" packet put out by Sue Snyder has songs about life sciences, physical sciences and earth sciences, with a CD of accompaniments. The lesson plans are very complete and well-written. Good stuff! -- Barbara Williams
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http://www.exploratorium.edu/music/
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06/06 http://www.preschooleducation.com/smother.shtml
11/03 BOOK: Songbook called "The Complete Sing the Science Standards with the Science Explosion". It has 95 pages of songs directly linked to the science standards. There is also 2 CD's that go along with these songs (both with words and instrumental). It appears that these songs could work for all ages.
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09/03 SONGS:
http://www.songsforteaching.com/
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06/06 WATERGLASSES: 1. One of the simplest possibilities is to use a set of water glasses, filling each with a different amount of water. The different amounts equal different pitches, not because there's more water, but because there's less air. Once the glasses are tuned -- that's the hard part -- the student can add food coloring to each, to equal Boomwhacker colors.
2. Students can make a Unican which is like a one-stringed lap dulcimer. Working the fret board proves the physics lesson that long sound low and short sounds high. The can (pop can or soup can) is the sound chamber.
3. Maybe they could make a bi-can, with two strings of different thickness. If you have a way to make sure the tightness of the two strings is the same (is that torque?), then the two strings would give different pitches due to their relative thickness/thinness.
4. In my school, on the elementary level, I do the water glasses, as well as a ukulele. I move my finger up and down the fret board so the kids can hear and see that higher pitches come from short strings. There's less "stuff" to vibrate. Less of the string can vibrate, and in the case of the water glasses, there's less air to vibrate. (There's a shortness of air in the glasses.) With the uke, I also loosen and tighten one string while playing, so they can hear the sound change. With a uke, it's hard to see the difference in thickness in the strings; it's much easier with other strings instruments so I take my guitar, too. (I use the uke when I loosen/tighten because I don't like to retune my guitar.) Since the 1st and 6th strings are in octaves, and the kids can see the thickness, the guitar works well.
To get all this into the kids' experience, I tell them that with short strings the sound waves don't have as far to go, like swimming laps in a small pool instead of a long one. And my kids know that there is no sound without vibration (really fast wiggling). So I ask them which is easier to wiggle -- a pine straw or a pine tree. That goes for thickness.-- Kay in GA
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06/06 SCIENCE SONGS & LESSONS: http://www.aeideas.com/?s=SCIENCE+THROUGH+SONG. -- Barbara Williams
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06/06 VIBRATIONS, ETC., Start out with vibrations: hit a gong gently
--and let them touch the gong itself
--let them feel the air close to the gong as well without touching
--let them feel the string holding the gong
=== vibrations move and are things that you can feel. They push the air.
Get a tuning fork and….
-- hit it on your shoe. Note sound
-- hit it and place it on a wooden board. Note sound.
-- hit it and place it on a cardboard box. Note sound!!
-- hit it and place it on the piano's "box". Note sound.
=== vibrations travel through some objects better than others. They LOVE wood. Wooden boxes make the sound travel all over before they leave and make the air wiggle and this makes the sound louder. Note all the acoustic instruments and how boxes and bells (like the brass family) amplify sound.
Get a big metal bowl and a cookie sheet. Hit them and compare amplitude (volume). The bowl is a little like a box. Fill the bowl halfway with water.
-- hit the bottom of the bowl with a mallet and watch the vibrations. -- hit it hard enough and it will spray the on looking faces with water. Fun!
-- hit it and swirl the bowl and listen to the wah-wah sound.
-- change the amount of water in the bowl. Compare pitch difference.
-- Get a big plastic bowl, fill it with water and compare the sounds with the metal bowls.
--Note that materials make a difference in the sound.
--Note how many instruments are made of metal and wood. Why is that?? -- Martha in Tallahassee
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06/06 SONGS: Brilliant series of songs published in the UK by A & C Black, all about various Science things. Mine and the children's favorite is called 'It's a gas', and has the really catching chorus of 'Oxygen, Hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide', repeated in a blues harmony. I would really recommend them. -- Shelagh Lee
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01/02 I bought a book at convention called, "Sing With Me! Learn With Me!-41 New Rounds, Partner Songs, Short Songs and Speech Ensembles for Young Singers" published by Alfred Publishing Co. (www.alfred.com) There are forty-one songs, and instrumental accompaniments.
Song titles include: "Remember to Thank Ben Franklin", "Snow! Rain!", "Thunderstorm A-Comin'", "When Lightning is Flashing", "The Water Song", "A Rainbow Round", "Rainbow", "A Weather Round", "Autumn Mystery", "Rain Forests, Green Forests", "We'll Plant a Tree", "Song for a Butterfly", "Reasons for Changing Seasons", "Celsius to Fahrenheit", "The Earth's Atmosphere", "Moon Song", "North Star", "Ninety-Three Million Miles!", "Planetary Roll Call", and a few more.
Choral Web's Children's Corner Press (http://www.ChoralWeb.com
01/02 BOOK: (Rounds & Partner Songs) I've used this book for several songs this year with my 4ths. Our 3/4 concert theme is "Ready to Learn," (MK8, vol.12-1) so songs like "Sing With Me! Learn With Me!", "Like Banners Brown and Green," and "Our Gratitude for Latitude" are three from the Glipatrick book that work well. I also have all her other books and use them regularly. Orff accompaniments are included in the book but not piano accompaniments.
Another group of science-related songs is the "This Pretty Planet" collection from Tom Chapin. I always play the following five (video format) for Earth Day: "This Pretty Planet", "Someone's Gonna Use It," "The Wheel of the Water," "Good Garbage," "Sing a Whale Song," and "Happy Earth Day."
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Science songs?---there's Rap of the Solar System from Music K8....also Interplanetary Jammin'.
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MICHIGAN CURRICULUM: Lesson 1:
teach the traditional song: Bob Barner's book is great historical context (slavery in Amer. 1800's), why slaves made up so many songs from Bible stories (hope for freedom on earth/beyond, comfort in troubles, double meanings to many song lyrics...). opt. tell/act out the story from Ezekiel 37. Sing with traditional words (using book) Stand and sing moving the body parts as they are sung.
Lesson 2:
materials: markers (enough for each child to have one), black markers (5-6), large sheets of white craft paper (5-6 sheets size of child's body and 1 your size), something with the scientific bone-names labeled (papers from their science unit, charts from store, encyclop., for example).
Review song with trad. words.
Have some student you trust :o) trace you while you lay down on the paper.
Tape yourself up where all can see. Inside your outline, draw skeletal system starting with skull and label as you go with the REAL scientific names for the bones.
Stand and sing with scientific bone names, still moving body parts.
Divide in small groups, trace a group member, draw skeleton inside, and label.
Opt. cut out and have kids take turns hiding behind them and making them dance around while others sing. display in hallway with notation of the song.
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See also the file #55 Theme Music Ideas: P-Z
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SCIENCE: we study the science of sound (longer the tube, lower the sound) I do a space unit with 4th grade including a study of Holst's "The Planets," composing songs using planets and their characteristics as the words for our melody, rhythmic compositions using planet names, movement activities (rotating around a human sun)
BACK to Academic Integration topics
**********************************************************************POETRY
01/07 There are two books of poems for two voices by Paul Fleishchman and Eric Beddows; Chrysalis Diary has the poem "WhirlyGig Beetles" which is also found in the language arts series for California 5th grade. Last year, the fifth grades in my school explored this choral poem in many different ways:the choral reading, movement, figuring out the meter, adding some instrumental accents, and finally creating drawings in art class. Great connections across the curriculum. -- Joan Dakin
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06/06 Poetry for young children: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems7.html
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04/05 HAIKU: I had the kids compose a haiku (after reading examples) and then they worked with a xylophone using a pentatonic scale to compose a melody to fit the words. I did not ask them to bother with rhythm as haiku usually don't follow a meter.-- Sandy Toms
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POETRY RAP: Three kids performed it and I had the others provide the rhythm instruments:
Larry:
Good day Miss Mary, how are you? It’s good to see you ‘round
I heard you were in London and you really did astound!!
Mary:
It’s true, I gave a lecture and it went quite well;
The students were enamoured and the teachers rang the bell.
Barry:
But Mary, why in London when you live so far away?
That town’s across the ocean and and the flight takes one whole day!
Mary:
That seems to be the only place where I can sell my verse,
I tried my best to sell it here but only made things worse.
Larry:
But po’try isn’t easy and to write it takes some time?
I’ll bet you worked a lot of hours to get the words to rhyme.
Mary:
Excuse me Larry but your facts are gen’rally out of whack,
In olden times the words all rhymed but let us not go back.
Barry:
She’s right my friend, the words can be as one would make a speech
They tell of things or happenings like going to the beach.
Larry:
I think I understand it now but still it’s not quite clear
You mean to say that poetry can take us there or here?
Mary:
In short the words of poetry are brief yet say a lot
They make you think and feel and dream or remember what’s forgot.
All:
That’s right, it’s not how big or small or if the words are long
Even lacking melody, the words become a song! -- Sandy Toms
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POETRY WEBSITE FOR KIDS: Here is a website where kids can read poetry, learn about it and play poetry related games and enter a contest: : (Java required) 04/05 http://www.poetry4kids.com/
04/05 DR. SEUSS: http://www.seussville.com/
04/05 MOTHER GOOSE, Haiku, and more: http://www.mothergoosecaboose.com/rp.html#
04/05 POETRY PLUS: http://www.gigglepoetry.com/
04/05 POETRY ZOO: http://www.jandean.co.uk/BACK to Academic Integration topics
**********************************************************************PROJECT TO INCREASE TEST SCORES IN FIRST GRADERS
My after-school group is with 16 very select first graders. This is our first year doing this, so we are taking it slowly, and documenting everything. All first graders have been tested by their classroom teachers, and those who were found to be low, were additionally tested by our reading resource teacher. We chose the eight lowest performing (one student was in the 1%) and the eight highest performing students. We meet once a week after school for one hour. Parents have signed permission slips and are responsible for transportation. This past week I taught the songs: The Greeting Song, and The Days of the Week. It would take a long email to describe everything I do!! But, I'll try to write a condensed version.
. I have made Power Points to introduce the songs. I take actual photographs of the students to insert in the slides. My digital camera is my constant companion. Students love seeing themselves on TV.
. Words Make Rhythm Center
I have the words to the song at this center. They are posted on the wall (via velcro) over black, beat lines. Students decode the rhythm (one sound on a beat line is ta, two short sounds on a beat line are ti-ti).
. Boomwhackers
Attached to the words are the corresponding boomwhacker colors, so students can play the melody of the song.
. Rhythm Boards
I have made rhythm/staff boards for students. One side of the board is a staff, the other side is for rhythm and has eight, black beat lines drawn. This week I made word cards for the days of the week. Students placed the word cards (in order) and then matched the words with notes. All of the days were ti-ti, except for Sat-ur-day, which we interpreted as ti-ti ta.
. Word chunking
The first grade teacher does most of this activity. This week the word chunk was _ay words. First, we sing and draw the letters with the first grade print paper ( blue, red, green lines). The high line is sung as so, middle line is sung as mi and the bottom line is sung as do. This idea was shared by Pamela from the list. As we draw the letters, we sing them! Then we find all the ay words in the songs, and students make their own words ending with ay.
This was all done as whole group instruction this week. Next week, we will do centers. All of the centers will be centered around what we did this week. Students will practice and master all the skills taught with these two songs.
We are going to be thorough in our research and are really hoping that all of this work, will indeed improve scores for our first graders. We absolutely could not do it without our high achieving students. They love all the activities as well, and help their lower performing partners so much. They really do become little teachers. It is really exciting to watch. - Contributed by Monica AutryBACK to Academic Integration topics
***********************************************************************RESOURCES
12/07 BOOK: Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts. An Integration Resource for Classroom Teachers. Third Edition. Claudia E. Cornett. All of the VPA staff were given a copy of this book, and it is great, but I think that it's strength is really for classroom teachers. How to use OUR standards to create meaning for THEIR standards. Well, Dr. Cornett probably stated it slightly different, but it was one of the first things that I had read that actually sounded like the arts were an equal partnership with the classroom. The first half of the book is rationale, learning theories, models for arts integration, full of classroom examples. The last half of the book is chapters full of seed strategies integrating for literature and poetry, visual arts, drama, dance and movement, and music throughout the curriculum. These are most useful to the classroom teachers. I recommend the book. --- Sally in SC
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06/04 ARTICLE: For more titles and ideas than you could probably ever use, check out a fabulous article by Joanna M. Calogero called "Integrating Music and Children's Literature" in the March 2002 "Music Educators Journal." (Publ. MENC, Vol. 88, No. 5). -- Contributed by Beth in AZ
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05/21 LESSON BOOK: Artsmart by Dr. Snyder & McCaughey Teacher Guide/Binder $27.50 Infusing the arts I.D.E.A.S. 5 Lancaster West Norwalk, CT. 971038864 (203)229-0411 Lesson plans, student/teacher assessment forms 06850-2310
Total Literacy by Snyder & McCaughey Teacher Guide/Binder $30.00 I.D.E.A.S. Integrating the arts with reading 971038813
INTERACTIVE ARTS FOR TOTAL LITERACY Vol. 1 by Snyder & McCaughey I.D.E.A.S. Binder Book w/ CD $120.00 9 6-week thematic units w/ literacy units listening maps for emergent readers 0971038821
Interactive Arts for Total Literacy Snyder & McCaughey Binder Book w/ CD $100.00 Vol. II, Bk. 1; 6 week thematic unit on Details 971038899
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ULTIMATE TEACHER TOOLS
http://www.theeducatorsnetwork.com/utt/index.htm
Really, it's the ultimate. There are online tools to help you use the periodic chart, calculate age, calculate distance, calculate, fix your grammar, fix your spelling, vocabulary, quotations, maps (black line masters to most!), flashcards, lesson plans, certificates, worksheets, rubrics, etc..... Worth a click.
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1/02 SONGS FOR TEACHERS http://www.songs4teachers.com/
Categorized songs and activities for teachers. This may or may not be as useful to you as it was to a group of primary classroom teachers.
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01/02 Instant Glossary Builder
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/glossarybuilder/index.html
OK, I don't use textbooks so I found this tool incredibly useful. You just type in a list of words that you would like to use to create a glossary (as many as you want!) and then click and you have a printable, complete, professional glossary. I was more impressed by this feature than the Michael Jackson special. OK...well that may not be a good comparison...but I was impressed!
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11/01 Teaching "songs about..." is not really integration, but connection. Sue Snyder, ("Integrate With Integrity"), says that connecting is sort of the entry level of true integration. This is what most classroom teachers think of when they hear "integration."
Your school's theme "science and the sea day" could have music integration, however. For instance, maybe you could do some music-science lessons on sonar(sp?), whale sounds, voice-prints, etc. You could teach about flutes and other instruments made in the past from protected species. There are good, ready-made lessons about these topics in Share the Music, grades 3 and 4.
Something that works with just about all themes is to get a word list from the classroom teachers; ocean, coral reef, killer whale, seahorse, etc... Make a word chain and figure out the rhythms (have the classes do this in music class). Transfer the rhythms to percussion instruments and recorders, put movement to it and you've got integration! There's nothing wrong with teaching sea chanteys as long as you know that it's not true integration.
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10/01 AMC SITE Free holiday lesson planning. Plan interdisciplinary lesson plans around Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, Eid and other winter holidays. Sandy's music site is also featured in this issue. The new Fall/Winter 2001 newsletter includes special *Christmas Around the World* lesson planning for Kindergarten through Grade 12. You'll find the historical background, recipes, music, arts and crafts projects, and other related activities you need to create exciting hands on learning experiences in this newsletter. Discover traditional recipes and crafts celebrated by many around the world.
You will find the free lesson planning located in the middle to last half Part I and Part II of the Fall/Winter 2001 online newsletter. You will also find links to other fall/winter holidays. Art and music educational sites are also included. Help young students appreciate poetry and science with some fun filled autumn activities. Learn how the Mkeka, one of the seven Kwanzaa symbols, can be used to create some interesting math projects. Plan a scavenger hunt for students at the library to help them learn more about Kwanzaa. In the Fall/Winter 1999 newsletter, you'll also find detailed instructions on how to make an Oware game and suggestions for having children plan and help create a Kwanzaa meal.
Those not familiar with Hanukkah traditions, will learn how to make a menorah, receive traditional Hanukkah song sheets, and see an illustration of how to make a dreydl.
You'll also find some interesting science and literature activities which could be used to incorporate literature or science into the holiday lesson planning. You will find links for recipes, lesson plans and activities to make this holiday season an extra special time for your students.
Locate additional, comprehensive multicultural lesson planning in our Summer Supplement 2001 newsletter. This issue will save you hours of searching the net for multicultural lessons.
This issue includes:
Resources to Help You Get Started, Links to Art, Music, Social Studies, Literature, & Languages,
Resources, Links to Teaching Japanese, Korean and Chinese, Multicultural Cooking
Foreign Language Resources, Music and Musical Instruments - Internet Resources
Japanese Recipe Site, Complete Resource Information for Multicultural Lesson
Planning Information, Links to Actual Lesson Plans, Links to Japanese Montessori Schools
Map Projects and Activities, Recommended Reading Activities and Booklists
The links to free lesson planning information are located in the middle to latter portions of both Part I and Part II of this newsletter. Some of the links have actual lesson plans for multicultural education ranging from preschool through high school.
You can read this issue online by visiting the Montessori site: http://www.amonco.org/ Just click on the multicultural lesson planning links to the left of the page. All of these newsletters can be easily accessed from this home page Just click on the blue newsletter collection icon.
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THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC ON YOUR LIFE: http://www.stark.k12.oh.us/Docs/units/1996/music.ms/ A grade nine unit focuses on musical affectation, analysis of music, and expression of music through complimentary art. Math, Science, Art, and Music are all considered in the various activities.BACK to Academic Integration topics