Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Are you groovin?


I was reading a bit about how Sarah at Amick's Articles uses music to help with management and routines during reading workshop. I love to sing and incorporate music in the classroom. I am wondering if and how primary and intermediate teachers incorporate it into their rooms? Is it just a fun thing? Do teachers use it in purposeful ways? Here are 2 of my favs. Do you use music?

The Good Green Earth by James K.
This song from the album Good Morning Sun Good Evening Night. It is a class favorite and one that I learned to sign last year as I was blessed with an interpreter and hearing impaired kiddo. I use this as a break between workshops as my students are building stamina. The song is close to 6mins long and we sing about days of the week, months of the year and seasons. As we sing and move, I invite the kids to jump for the day of the week we are on and squat down for their birthday month. We sign some of the song too! It is all good..to move, sing and just have a little fun together.

Curious Geroge Soundtrack
by Jack Johnson

3 R's is my favorite and I love to crank it up during our recycling unit. I turn the refrain into a poster that I use for shared reading and the kids love reading and singing the words. We talk about the ideas Jack Johnson sings about taking care of the earth.

3 comments:

Sarah Amick said...

I love the music from Curious George. (just from my personal collection!)
I use "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" to begin the day and bring them to the morning huddle, it's a Debbie Miller thing!
To signal kids to the carpet anytime during the day I play a friendship song and they just gather. It is amazing.
Sometimes I just play instrumental stuff for quiet work times. Never really just for fun do I play music, it is all very intentional.

Jen Barney said...

I teach fourth and also use music. I have classical in the morning when the kids get there. It is very calm and quiet. I then play a list down loaded for calling to the carpet. I use Rosenshantz's Greatest Hits, The Adams Family Theme, and 9 other songs. They know when they hear it they stop wht they are doing and come to the carpet. I don't even say a word, they just come!

Sarah said...

I have been singing more this year than I have in a long time. The children and I always start and end the day with a song. Thanks to Camp Newaygo, I have so many camp songs I don't know what to do with them. Last week we sang An Austrian Went Yodelling. It was so much fun. Even though I had a tough week, the kids and I took out some time to sing and laugh really hard.

Transitions are a great time for music.

Sarah Parker