For the first week of school, my goal was for the activity to be familiar for the kids returning and simple enough for any newcomers. I also wanted it to be fun and unexpected! I created task cards for each group to help them be more independent ~ they worked really well in that kids […]

When creating a center based curriculum, there are a lot of logistics involved beyond what concepts/ skills you want your kids to learn. Questions arise: what procedures need to be taught? What materials are involved? Do I need to set them up, or can the kids do it? How does only having 20 minutes play […]

As the upcoming school year gets under way, I have been thinking about what I want to do to shake things up in my classes. I have decided on centers. I have done them in the past to a certain extent, but this year, I want to go full out!! Why not? I looked for […]

whim·si·cal /ˈ(h)wimzik(ə)l/ Adjective playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way. “a whimsical sense of humor” synonyms: fanciful, playful, mischievous, waggish, quaint, quizzical, curious, droll, fantastical, Seussian; eccentric, quirky, idiosyncratic, unconventional, outlandish, queer, fey; informal: offbeat, freaky “a whimsical sense of humor” acting or behaving in a capricious manner. “the whimsical arbitrariness […]

Time. We never have enough and so I am obsessed with time management and productivity! Here are a few ways to make your lives a bit easier once the craziness of the year begins. 1.  Leverage tasks to students Students always want to help and there are plenty of tasks that need to occur in any […]

I have been thinking a lot about teachers who see their students so little these past few weeks. The problem is not just there isn’t enough time to go deep into the information, but also there isn’t enough time for thoughtful practice. We know that students need a lot of repetition with a concept before […]

As promised, here is another literacy skills packed lesson that is fun and easy to do! It can be done in the first 10 min of class or have it last the whole time!! It takes charades to a whole new level and has so many versions, that your kids won’t get bored! Rhythm Charades […]

I am in the process of reading Edwin E. Gordon’s Music Theory for Newborn and Young Children. So far, I am most impressed with 2 points that he makes: “Children are ill-equipped to learn what most teachers are attempting to teach. Without the same kind of acculturation in music young children receive in language by […]

As you might have guessed, I am in full concert mode getting ready for our end of the year “presentation”, as my colleague and I call it. The second graders have chosen their rhythms, traced and colored them in and have written the symbols on a new sentence strip. We have already spoken about rests, […]

As you would expect, I absolutely love composing with children! The final result is always fantastic, but it is the process that is so fascinating to me. The composition to the right was done by first graders. They chose partners and created a 4/4 measure. We then took their 1 measure composition and decided on […]