Valentine's for School

 

Baby It's Cold Outside!

 
Happy Halloween, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year!  Life has been busy.  Blogging has taken a backseat, BUT creative productivity is definitely on the rise.  I've posted several new winter-themed print-and-go activities that I'll be using in my classroom over the next few weeks.   Maybe you'll enjoy them too.     To help my students review and recall treble lines and space, these winter notespeller worksheets provide a quick and easy assessment.                     I love giving my students bookmarks in holiday gift bags.  These valentine's day inspired treats have quotes about singing that are perfect for any young choir.          Some of my students needed a quick review of SML after Christmas break.  These hot cocoa cards were created to provide a way for us to play games and asses understanding while bringing in the winter theme.   

My classroom rhythm strips needed a major over-haul.  With winter on hand, I decided to act now and create some cards that could be used today.  Though posted individually in four levels, I've also bundled this pack for an easy print-and-go resource. 

   Here's hoping you have a great winter season.  Maybe you'll find something from The Bates Clef that is helpful to you and your students.  Until next time...  

March Madness

Where has the time gone?  Apparently March flew by so fast that I didn't have time to blog.  Ugh....and I thought I was getting better :)   Oh well.  Spring Break was much welcomed this month.  While I had high hopes of getting a lot accomplished, productivity was at an all time low....and that's o.k.

 With school resuming, so has the busyness.  Programs are on the horizon, testing is grueling, and end-of-the-year crunches are in full swing.   Life has become a little more stressful recently.  As for now, I'm holding my breath until the end of May when I can relax again.   Glancing back at my March happenings, 2nd graders were introduced to W. A. Mozart. After much explanation about "composers" vs. "presidents," they enjoyed making their scarves dance around to some of Mozart's pieces.  Eyes got bright when they recognized "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" from the cartoon, Little Einsteins.  Following our movement activity, we created a Mozart Fact Flipbook (made by Jena Hudson.)   The kids enjoyed learning all about Mozart and having something to take home and share with their families.  It was a really fun project for us to do together :)
 

 In 1st grade, students have been working on MSL for a while.  Though already familiar with "Twenty-Four Robbers" from our curriculum CDs, the 

 kids were recently introduced to the song on the staff.   Practicing our solfege and rhythms, I used a fun assessment worksheet to check for understanding.  This was a great resource to send home as well.  Many times, parents don't realize what their children are actually learning in music class.  I believe sending things home occasionally can help solidify the importance of music in the curriculum AND help families understand music isn't just a blow off class. 

As with many of our songs and games,
children joined along on Orff instruments.  Twenty-Four Robbers has an Orff arrangement included that can be modified depending on the level of your students.

Older students (grades 4-6) have just began working on recorder.  They've been looking forward to it all year long.  I use the Recorder Karate program, and my kids LOVE it!  The thrill of earning a belt for their instrument makes this a successful system for my students.  I converted one of my magnetic chalkboards into our progress board on a Friday afternoon so when the kids came in on the following Monday, they were eager to begin learning recorder.  I use the current girl and boy clipart to add each student's name on front, and a magnet on back.  When they play off each song, they are able to easily move their "person" to the corresponding color on the board.  It's the highlight of their year, and exciting for me to see their note reading confidence.

What's happening in your music room this month?   I'd love to hear about your programs and ideas.

Winter Activities

Let's face it.  Coming back to school in January is hard, especially after a relaxing Christmas break, chock-full of sleeping late and lounging around for two weeks.  It definitely took a few good days for the students and I to get in the groove again.  Secretly, we've all been wishing for a snow day or two.  Unfortunately, here in TX, we've had no ice, no snow, just cold - brrrrrr!  Well....I say cold!  If you live in the Lone Star State, you'll agree with me that 30 degrees gives us quite the chill.  Of course because our state is a woman (I really believe this), she can change her mind on a whim.  Thirty degrees one day.....70 the next.  Yep!  Texas definitely has a female mind :) 

To ward off the cold days of no outside play, I kept the students busy with all kinds of winter/football themed activities in my music classroom.  Here's a brief summary of our Brrrrr-y good month.

1st-3rd -

We used a giant floor staff with die-cuts to practice our melodies.  They worked in small groups and had a blast helping each other.  Our biggest issue was spacing.  Most of the children wanted to stack their notes like chords.  After a few tries, they were all on the right track.  

For rhythm practice, first and seconds used Music a la Abbott's "Winter Themed Beat Strips."  Using rhythm sticks, at first I would tap and say the pictures for the line I wanted them to create.  After a few rounds, I used the sticks and said the rhythm only.  The students had to figure out what picture matched that rhythms.  Last, I only played sticks, and they had to use their listening skills to create the correct pattern.  We even used a blank space for a rest.  This was a fun activity and allowed me to assess while they played.

Since our snow day wish hasn't come true yet, the students had a "Snowball Challenge" to see who could collect (pin) the most snowballs.  Though I would normally do this in a small group/center situation, this time we grouped up and shared our boards.  This provided a great review of the concepts that the students have learned over the last few months.

4th-6th -

I love these age groups because everything is about competition.  Very rarely do I play a game with my older students where there is no "winner."  I enjoy seeing their wheels turning as they attempt to answer correctly.  It's just plain fun.

We've been doing a lot of staff practice with note names.  Soon we will begin playing recorders and I want the students to be proficient in reading music.  In the spirit of football season, AND since the Cowboys made it to the playoffs, I incorporated some football helmets into our note names game.  I began by calling one, then two, then three letters on the staff.  Students had to race to put the correct helmet in its place.  To change it up, I also called just a line or space number.  This challenged the students to not only place the helmet in the right location, but also they had to know what letter was on the line or space.

Later in the month, I used the same idea, but this time using staff words.   I called a word and the groups had to place their die-cuts on the staff to spell that word.  For some it was a challenge because of spacing their notes correctly.  I had to do a "mini-lesson" on how we read words from left to right, and music is the same.  Of course, this was a huge competition as well.  Three letter words earned 3 points, 4 letter words - 4 points, etc.

Another activity I used with 4th-6th was "Mystery Song."  I used a simple song that everyone knew (Twinkle Twinkle) and challenged them with using the barred instruments to solve the mystery.  I told them nothing about the song except that the first and third phrases are the same.  After working out the first few measures, the light bulbs came on!  It was fun seeing them READ music without me rote teaching.  My plan is to do one "Mystery Song" each month.  

 

 It's been a great month for some fun learning in music.

  Thank you for visiting The Bates Clef.