I've been sneaking up on planning this year, a little here and a little there, and now I'm starting to really put some hours in. I'm also planning what I'm going to do with my classroom walls.
Bulletin Board Prep - Geography
Here's one bulletin board called "Music Takes Us Places" that has traveled to my new school and worked well.
I have a world map on top and a United States map below. I marked the songs we did with some sticky notes and the idea stuck!
Now every time we have a song from a specific place (or a place is mentioned in the song, like Bobby Shafto goes to Italy), we add a sticky note.
Pro tip: Use a super sticky note with adhesive on the entire body of the note!
My students LOVE looking at the map when they're lining up or they sit near the maps. And they love seeing songs from "when they were a kid" (giggle) on the map.
Print and Cut Out
Every time I have a (non-music) summer PD, I try to print out a resource ahead of time so that I can have something to cut out during the session.
Check out my new Kindergarten manipulatives! They are the cutest little cards. I had been using ones I'd scrapped together over the years, but a friend asked me to design some new ones, so here they are!
Loud/Soft = Sun/Moon
High/Low = Bird/Grandpa
Fast/Slow = Rabbit/Turtle
How do I use them?
The large ones are great for:
- bouncing to the beat as we sing "like grandpa" or "like the bird"
- place on the board and have 1 student at a time tap the icon
- print 4 to make a beat chart to tap (individual or at the board)
- place on the board for aural questioning (did I sing it like grandpa or like the bird?)
- place on the board for visual selection (which one did I sing?)
- place on the board when labeling the sound - then the icons go away and the words come to stay!
The small ones are great for:
- ASSESSMENT!! make a class set for each stage of the process
- make a small beat chart for each student
- partner games - which partner can "draw" the correct word the fastest
- play "super spy" or "crack the code" and show the icon of what was sang
- also great for after present the notation with word-only cards
This year, I'm using magnets to keep them on the board, but you could use velcro, sticky tack or even tape!
What are you doing to prepare for next year? Comment below!
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