In this six part series on How to Teach Spelling, this third post discusses and provides teaching resources for teaching the eight conventional spelling rules.
To Stop The Train is an easy round for children to learn. It can be found on page 280 of Arvida Steen's "Exploring Orff: A Teacher's Guide." Arvida suggests adding movement to visually enhance the round, although she doesn't describe any specific gestures. Dr. Robert Amchin, head of the music education department at the University of Louisville, has often included this round in his classes and workshops. In the video below, you can see Dr. Amchin first teaching the movements of the round then adding the words one phrase at a time. Last, he introduces the pitches. To create harmony, he allows the class to become the first group while he sneaks in as the second part of the round. He gradually adds people to group 2 until both groups are equal. This year, my fellow music teachers and I decided to have our students perform this simple round in our Central Area Music Festival. But, we knew we had to make the round longer and more interesting. First, we started in unison with movements only and no voices. We added one phrase at a time until we sang the entire song in unison. Then, we sang the song one time through in a 4-part round starting 4 beats apart. Last, we sang the song one time through in an 8-part round starting 2 beats apart. Here is the video of our performance. These are the elementary choir students from 3 neighboring schools. All of the students really enjoyed this round; it quickly became a favorite! For weeks, I would walk through the hallways or lunchroom and hear someone singing or humming it. Whether you are just performing it in class or you are polishing it for a performance, I hope you and your students enjoy this round.
Check 'em out! These 54+ library puns and jokes will make you laugh and roll your eyes at the same time. Dewey dare share?
While breathing for singing is important, it's been thought of as the ONE SECRET to singing success. Here's one daily breathing exercise for breath support!
Are you hiring a harpist to play at your wedding? Check out these songs (and planning tips!) for inspiration.
SOS — I can't get "The Lazy Song" out of my head.
★ Notes on Year 2, Comic 5 - Providence Falconers★ ✓ OH! SO THIS MEANS JACK IS GOING TO PLAY FOR THE BRUINS, RIGHT? Like the post-it note in panel 5 of comic 2.1 said! WHAT. GO BACK AND READ THE...
IMAGES: 9 Awesome Posters For Book Lovers
Hi Folks!! Hope everyone is well. My family has been plagued with the stomach bug for almost two weeks now. We are just starting to emerge from the haze and put ourselves back together again. (I've had to miss two days of school, and as you know, there is nothing worse than unplanned sick days when you are a teacher!) Phew!! It was a tough one. I can't ever remember being THIS ready for spring to arrive!! Anyway, I've got a quick one for you today, but trust me when I tell you that this lesson is a HOOT! This is second year that I've done this with my students and we all have such a blast. The idea is for the students to write a parody of a song. I start by showing Adele's "Hello." Next, I show them this AMAZING parody done by third grade teacher, Mary Morris, from Tennessee. Then, we discuss the meaning of "parody" (an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect) and I show BOTH videos again while we note the parts of the performance Mary Morris parodied. Finally, the FUN part! The kids write and perform their own parodies! Now, you can allow them to select their own song, but in order to keep this lesson short (we spend three class periods total), I have them all use "Hello." For students who struggle with this, have them select a topic and then brainstorm some vocabulary associated with their topic. In the picture above, the girls wanted to do a song about softball, so they made a list of words that go with sport to help them while the compose. Last year, each and every kid SANG their parody to the class! This year, only about half sang... the other half read theirs like they were at a poetry reading while the "Hello" instrumental music played in the background. Unfortunately, I didn't record our performances so I don't have any to show you (blogger FAIL!!) and I don't collect their papers because this is a speaking/listening grade (so I grade them on the spot while they perform). So, you are just going to have to trust me that this lesson is a blast! And it served as the perfect little "break" in between our compare/contrast and argument units :) Let me know if you give this a try and how it works out! I'd love to hear from you!
Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School ShoesBuy Now We love Pete the Cat! Second graders have read/sung the book and watched Pete's Wheels on the Bus video. In the book Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes Pete does lots of great things at school like reading, writing, singing, painting, adding, playing and more. We brainstormed several things that we could do at school that had two syllables: learning, helping, walking, thinking, etc... We used these ideas to complete a rhythm song. If students finished early they could draw Pete the Cat. Here are some of my favorites! Useful Links: Teachers get a copy of the worksheet here: School Shoes Composing Worksheet Pete the Cat Rockin' in My School Shoes Video Pete the Cat Wheels on the Bus Video Download FREE Pete the Cat MP3s
Can you really earn money while listening to music? Yes, you can! Check out these 15 sites paying up to $12 per song listen.
I love classroom cheers and these are wonderful. You have to check out Sugar Blossoms' blog. She provides short videos of each cheer and a printable of all the cheers. I am going to make the printable a poster and hang it up in my classroom. Click on the picture to go to her blog.
Check out this fun free Musical Terms Word Search, free for use at home or in schoolThis is a printable Musical Terms Word Search pdf...
Mission Impossible theme arranged for ukulele duet.
Kids LOVE scary Halloween music. But the TRICK is finding Halloween theme music they can play quickly. NOW these easy songs are easier than ever, with your choice of plain notes, or lettered notes. What a TREAT!
Check out the infographic for better vocal health. Includes links to vocals warm-up and work-out exercises.
Check Out This NEW Piano Tutorial! (Video Tutorial Included for this Sheet Music). Click HERE for Tutorial Video of this song: https://w...
Update: July 13, due to overwhelming interest (and overwhelming my email box) the full collection will only be available until Monday, July 14. Only requests received until that time will be honored. Thanks for understanding! It's finally done.. after asking many other music teachers about their favorite clapping games for the classroom, I've put it all together into one collection. Here are some of the ones from the collection. Enjoy!
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star music for guitar and violin, now with a NEW super-easy sheet for violin beginners!
