It's been a while since I posted anything that you can take right to your classroom. Here's a new one that you can use right away - well...with a little work on your part. The song "Happy" from "Despicable Me 2" by Parrell Williams is a very catchy tune. I feel it's a great teaching piece for many reasons. For one, it's a catchy, popular tune with lyrics you can actually play in the classroom! Another reason I like it for teaching is that it illustrates a very important concept when learning music. So often we tell students "major" songs sound "happy" and "minor" songs sound "sad." Well...here is an example that flies in the face of that logic. When you hear this song you can't help but feel "happy" even though it's actually in the key of F minor! First: BUY THE SONG. Please don't use a free service to play the song. It's available from most music services of your choice (Amazon, iTunes, etc.). Now, if you have a plethora of instruments at your disposal with a full compliment of chromatic notes, then by all means, transpose what I've provided here and use it as-is with the original. Most folks with Orff instruments are limited with the only accidentals available being F-sharps and B-flats. For this reason, I needed to transpose this song down a half step to E minor. Not to mention my fourth graders do not have any idea of how to play A-flat or B-flat on the recorder and I have no desire to confuse what we've already started by teaching those pitches. The way I have it here fits beautifully with the fact that my fourth grade students have just learned the pitch E, so this will be excellent (and fun) practice. "But...how do I get the recording in the correct key?" you may ask. There are options. I transposed mine with a program that I love called "Wavepad." Transposing it down took a little trial and error (it goes by percentage rather than actual pitch or half steps - 94% did the trick) and yes, the result sounds slightly different than the original - but as I find myself saying so often when I have to make do "It's close enough for this side of town!" They do have a free version available here: Click here. Another option that many music teachers like is to use Audacity. You can download Audacity completely free here. To get you going on how to transpose music with Audacity there are several resources available on the Internet. Simply Google "transpose with Audacity" and you should be well on your way if you need help figuring that task out. So here's the play-along notation for the transposed version in E minor. If you have instruments at your disposal with lower pitches (for example, I have some of the bass Joia tubes) I recommend changing the pitch B in the bass xylophone part an octave lower - but that's just a personal preference. The unpitched percussion part can be anything you have - sticks, hand drums, tambourines, etc. The alto xylophone part also provides a great opportunity to teach the famed "syncopa" rhythm pattern in the second measure. The ostinati laid out here can be played throughout and the wonderful thing about the original recording is that it gives you a nice set-up count-off at the beginning. Enjoy and...be HAPPY!
Here is a quick and easy play-along for the start of the 2014-2015 school year. The song is "Love Runs Out" performed by the group One Republic. There is much good news with this popular song, not the least of which it is in G dorian mode. Our Orff instruments are all set for this - all you'll need is B-flats and you're good to go! The other good news is the lyrics have no "bad words" so you're safe to use it completely in tact in your classroom. Please be sure to PURCHASE THE SONG before using this play-along. A $1.23 investment isn't much. Once you have it, you can use it as-is, there is no need to alter the key or tempo using a program such as Audacity. This song follows a very simple I, IV, V chord progression, but in case you're not quite clear on the chord changes, I've posted the beginning play-along below. Once you try it out, I'm sure you'll notice where the changes occur throughout the song. Feel free to add or subtract instruments at will. This is a fantastic review for students to see and hear the difference between BEAT and RHYTHM. The hand drum part (or any type of drums will do) clearly plays the steady beat. The other parts are playing a rhythm pattern (some more intricate than others). I did this with my students by having three groups that used the Boomwhacker colors - Green (the G minor chord) Red (the C major chord) Orange (the D minor chord). This was easier for them than having each student play all the chord changes. I placed the three colors on the board and pointed and called out the changes as the recording played. There is a part in the actual recording where the bass line moves from C to B-flat and then to G, but I have only written "the basics" here for you. Have fun!
Download our classroom icebreakers printable and "go fishing" with your students as they ask and answer questions of one another.
Pre-writing skills are the fundamental skills children need to develop before they are able to write appropriately. These skills help the child to hold and use a pencil, and the ability to draw, write, copy, and colour. Pre-writing skills promote the child's ability to move a pencil fluently and effectively making handwriting more legible. A major component of pre-writing skills are the pre-writing shapes. These are the pencil strokes that most letters, numbers and early drawings are comprised of. They are typically mastered in sequential order, and to an age specific level. These strokes include the following strokes: |, —, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ. What are the components needed to develop writing readiness (pre-writing)? 1. Hand eye coordination which involves coordinated control of eye movement with hand movement and the processing of visual input to guide reaching and grasping along with the use of proprioception of the hands to guide the eyes. 2. Hand and finger strength: Necessary muscle power for controlled movement of the pencil. 3. Crossing the mid-line: The ability to cross the mid-line is important on the physical level as well as on the brain level. On a physical level, when your child spontaneously crosses the midline with the dominant hand, then the dominant hand is going to get the practice that it needs to develop good fine motor skills. 4. Visual perception: Brains ability to interpret visual information seen by the eyes like letters and numbers. 5. Pencil grasp: The efficiency of how the pencil is held, allowing age appropriate pencil movement generation. 6. Bilateral integration: Ability to coordinate both sides of the body at the same time in a controlled and organized manner; for example, stabilizing paper with one hand while writing/ cutting with the other. 7. Hand dominance: Preference for using one hand over the other to perform fine and gross motor tasks. This includes activities like writing, cutting, and catching and throwing a ball. 8. Shoulder and arm strength: stability provided by the shoulder to support controlled hand and finger movements for good pencil control. 9. In-hand manipulation: ability to move objects around in your hand and hand division using the thumb, index and middle finger for manipulation with the ring finger and little finger tucked into the palm allowing for palm stabilizing while writing. What activities can help pre-writing skills: Threading and lacing (grade activity by starting bigger beads) Theraputty exercises Construction: Building with duplo, lego, mobilo or other construction toys. Pre writing shapes: Practice drawing the pre-writing shapes (l, —, O, +, /, square, \, X, and Δ). Tweezers and pom poms Writing on a vertical surface Art and crafts activities Everyday finger and hand strengthening activities like opening jars
Learn why using authentic materials in language teaching is so important and the different types of real-world examples.
This document gives eight test-taking strategies for students. It was designed to arm students with the tools necessary to help themselves reduce anxiety, stress, or nerves. These strategies can be used before and during a test. This document includes two versions. One version is completed with ...
Since mid-year benchmark testing is here, I thought it would be helpful to talk about getting the most information out of those running records as possible. Analyzing errors and self-corrections in running records can give you SO much information. This information can help you to determine what your students are using to decode words and what they need to work on. Take a running record of a student reading a passage or short text aloud. Be sure to record what their errors are above the word they read incorrectly or self-corrected. Need running records? Check out the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project for some FREE ones! You can also do a running record of any book a child is reading. Let’s take a look at an example: Take a look at each error and self-correction individually to determine whether or not the student was using meaning, structure, or visual information while reading. Notice if students are over-relying on one type. Analyzing Errors: Ask: "What type of information did the child use when they made this mistake?" Analyzing Self-Corrections: Ask: "What additional information did the child use to correct the error?" M – Meaning: Does this error make sense? This student read screamed for cried, and self-corrected after reading burn for bury. Errors using meaning show that students are comprehending what is happening in the text or by using the pictures. It is evident that this student was using meaning after self-correcting the word bury in a sentence. This student understood that the word didn't make sense in the context of the sentence. I would work with this learner on using visual information (paying close attention to the letters/word parts in the words) along with meaning. S – Syntax/Structure: Does this error sound right? This student read it for that, to for for, and my for her. These errors are acceptable in the English language and fit the structure of the text, without changing the meaning. I can hypothesize that this student was using syntax/structure when reading. V – Visual: Does this error look right? This student read glazed for gazed and Gliman for Gilman. Glazed does not make sense in the context of the story, nor does it fit the structure of the sentence. Gliman is a little different because it is a name. This student’s error doesn’t change the meaning or structure of the sentence. Because the beginning and ending sounds in the words were read correctly, these errors do show that the student is attending to visual information. I would also note that the student needs to work on reading through the entire word by recognizing known word parts to help them decode. The goal of MSV = Self-Correction We want students to be able to monitor and self-correct on their own. Avoid immediately pointing out errors to students. If they do not self correct, guide them to reread the entire sentence instead (helpful prompts below). We should give students strategic actions to use with any book, rather than just guiding them through the book you're reading. Prompts to guide students: "Run your finder under the word and read all the way through it." "What strategy could you try here? (chunking, covering up part of the word, familiar word parts, etc.)" "Try that again and keep the story in your head." "If that didn't make sense, remember it's your job to check it again." "What are you thinking about?" MSV has ALWAYS confused me. Every single time I analyzed a running record I had to Google what it meant. For some reason I couldn’t keep that information in my brain. So I made a cheat sheet (lifesaver). If you want this cheat sheet for yourself, you can download it for FREE from my TPT store!
Whether you're new to teaching or a veteran, this list has you covered for 4th grade.
Discover 25 effective strategies to prevent teacher burnout and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Improve your teaching experience with these tips.
As part of our twilight INSET programme this year I am delivering a CPD session on marking. It’s a great opportunity to bring together lots of ideas from lots of superb bloggers, teachers and…
Reflections and resources from educators in the Teacher2Teacher community on creating equitable school communities to ensure every student has access to the learning they need.
Have you ever had a class that just tried your patience day after day? Have you ever felt like you could walk away from teaching forever tom...
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In this post, I'll talk about why teaching schema is important, give some ideas and tips for teaching about schema to your young readers, and discuss when we
You have passed all of your assignments, waved farewell to your final placement classes and are now ready to be unleashed onto the world of teaching without a safety net.
This is a place for me to post ideas so that maybe I won't forget them... Maybe they will be helpful to you!
Curious about spelling rules for making words plural, such as why we add S to some words but ES to others? Find answers in this comprehensive blog post!
Uses easy-to-understand diagrams and examples to remind students of the rules for operations involving integers. Print off as a notes page or blow up to A3 size for a poster in the classroom.
The How to Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning Infographic refers to Gagné’s 3rd event of instruction and presents ways teachers can determine students' prior knowledge.
Teachers! Do you know all the tax deductions you can claim each year? Find out the teacher tax deductions that will boost your tax refund.
Hey Teachers! Do you have the kind of teacher troubles that pop up day after day? The questions that linger without a solution? That is why I am here with 10 ways Flipgrid can solve them! In my work…
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Need some fresh ideas on how to teach summarizing so your students actually understand it? Come & grab my best tips and tricks that you can use right away!
Geometry resources for teaching and learning mathematics. Fun and visual resources for maths teachers and kids.
Carry the one...
America gets its name from Amerigo Vespucci. Kids will learn about this important historical figure with this fun worksheet.
I so remember my first year as a new teacher! I wondered why I was even hired! (Did they not know that I didn't have a clue how to do ‘this teacher thing'?!) Yes, I had graduated with a degree, a teaching certificate, and had an idealistic philosophy of education (that had no basis in research […]
Click here for tips and advice on how to teach spelling.
At some point a math student needs to move from learning algebra to doing algebra. Many techniques that students learn are designed to facilitate a person’s understanding and remembrance of …
I Teach. What’s Your Superpower? Teach • Design • Grow
