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Filler Activities for ELA (blog post) What can you do with five extra minutes in secondary ELA? Here are a few ideas to engage students until the bell.
Hello! This is Tanya LeJeune. I hope everyone is keeping warm. It’s cold here in Colorado! For my first blog post here at Kodály Corner I’m going to focus on what I refer to as opening songs. Before they walk into the music room, most students have been sitting in the classroom at their desk and working independently. In music they have to work musically as a group and independently. Students need to change gears. Opening songs set the stage for music and provide a warm-up for the voice and the brain. Additionally, the structure and predictability that an opening song provides is helpful in keeping students focused for the class time. The song we sing may or may not be connected to the specific concepts that grade level is working on. An opening song is not the focus of the lesson and should not take up more than a few minutes. Most of the opening songs I use are also canons and give us the opportunity to practice part work. I keep my opening songs for 1 – 2 months. As students become more confident singing their opening song we add complexity with canons, ostinati, and instruments. Here are a few opening songs I’m using this month. 4th Grade I Love the Mountains The 4th graders are preparing for their Colorado concert and this familiar song will be included. For concerts and performances I like to have an audience participation piece to end the performance. Sometimes the audience participation piece is a simple line dance audience members can do from their seats, (last year the students taught their families the South African dance Pata Pata,) and sometimes I choose a well known song. This might be the audience participation song for the Colorado concert. (or I may use This Land is Your Land, I’m still deciding.) I Love the Mountains is a good song to inspire the students to create accompanying movements. We'll sing and move in canon for the concert, possibly adding the audience as a 4th part. 3rd Grade To Stop the Train Here’s a fun and melodically challenging song to sing. I'm preparing low sol in 3rd grade and later we'll extract the last two note, "five pounds!" (We won't be decoding the rest of the melody!) The movements are as follows: To stop: hands out in “stop” position The train: slide hands together in a circular motion In cases of emergency: hands up “flashing lights”moving fingers out and in on the beat Pull on the chain: both hands up and pull down Penalty for improper use: waggfinger Five pounds: show 5 fingers on “five” and then flatten hand down as if to receive payment This song also provides great audition (inner hearing) practice. I'll have students audiate and perform the motions of sections until they are inner-hearing the entire song. 2nd Grade Are You Sleeping? The 2nd graders are practicing half note. Are You Sleeping is a perfect opening song for them. They sing the lyrics and then sing the rhythm syllables. I hand out hand chimes to four students to add the “ding, ding, dongs,” at the end of the song, (we sing it in F major with the hand chimes playing F C, F F C, F.) During the next class period we’ll turn the “ding, ding, dongs” into an ostinato with half of the class singing with the hand chimes. I have a ostinato song that is sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping that I’ll use as well. (It’s one of those songs I’ve known forever and I have no idea where I first heard it, definitely BK!) Soon they'll learn the Are You Sleeping? lyrics in french and we'll create a class arrangement using ABA form. 1st Grade The 1st graders love moving and grooving to That's a Mighty Pretty Motion! Due to the cold and snow, it's looking like we'll have an "inside recess" day everyday this week. You can bet we'll be very active in the music room! Stay warm and continue singing, playing, and learning!
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Hello! This is Tanya LeJeune. I hope everyone is keeping warm. It’s cold here in Colorado! For my first blog post here at Kodály Corner I’m going to focus on what I refer to as opening songs. Before they walk into the music room, most students have been sitting in the classroom at their desk and working independently. In music they have to work musically as a group and independently. Students need to change gears. Opening songs set the stage for music and provide a warm-up for the voice and the brain. Additionally, the structure and predictability that an opening song provides is helpful in keeping students focused for the class time. The song we sing may or may not be connected to the specific concepts that grade level is working on. An opening song is not the focus of the lesson and should not take up more than a few minutes. Most of the opening songs I use are also canons and give us the opportunity to practice part work. I keep my opening songs for 1 – 2 months. As students become more confident singing their opening song we add complexity with canons, ostinati, and instruments. Here are a few opening songs I’m using this month. 4th Grade I Love the Mountains The 4th graders are preparing for their Colorado concert and this familiar song will be included. For concerts and performances I like to have an audience participation piece to end the performance. Sometimes the audience participation piece is a simple line dance audience members can do from their seats, (last year the students taught their families the South African dance Pata Pata,) and sometimes I choose a well known song. This might be the audience participation song for the Colorado concert. (or I may use This Land is Your Land, I’m still deciding.) I Love the Mountains is a good song to inspire the students to create accompanying movements. We'll sing and move in canon for the concert, possibly adding the audience as a 4th part. 3rd Grade To Stop the Train Here’s a fun and melodically challenging song to sing. I'm preparing low sol in 3rd grade and later we'll extract the last two note, "five pounds!" (We won't be decoding the rest of the melody!) The movements are as follows: To stop: hands out in “stop” position The train: slide hands together in a circular motion In cases of emergency: hands up “flashing lights”moving fingers out and in on the beat Pull on the chain: both hands up and pull down Penalty for improper use: waggfinger Five pounds: show 5 fingers on “five” and then flatten hand down as if to receive payment This song also provides great audition (inner hearing) practice. I'll have students audiate and perform the motions of sections until they are inner-hearing the entire song. 2nd Grade Are You Sleeping? The 2nd graders are practicing half note. Are You Sleeping is a perfect opening song for them. They sing the lyrics and then sing the rhythm syllables. I hand out hand chimes to four students to add the “ding, ding, dongs,” at the end of the song, (we sing it in F major with the hand chimes playing F C, F F C, F.) During the next class period we’ll turn the “ding, ding, dongs” into an ostinato with half of the class singing with the hand chimes. I have a ostinato song that is sung to the tune of Are You Sleeping that I’ll use as well. (It’s one of those songs I’ve known forever and I have no idea where I first heard it, definitely BK!) Soon they'll learn the Are You Sleeping? lyrics in french and we'll create a class arrangement using ABA form. 1st Grade The 1st graders love moving and grooving to That's a Mighty Pretty Motion! Due to the cold and snow, it's looking like we'll have an "inside recess" day everyday this week. You can bet we'll be very active in the music room! Stay warm and continue singing, playing, and learning!
Pinay Homeschooler is a blog that shares homeschool and afterschool activity of kids from babies to elementary level.
Anyone who knows me, reads this blog, or uses my resources knows that I am passionate about differentiation. I think that is because I grew ...
A summer review packet for rising first graders. To get a FREE copy of this summer review packet with your students, when you get to the blog, click on the picture.
These cauliflower tacos with breaded cauliflower, refried beans and silky Yum Yum sauce are all about one thing: big flavor!
Children add a greater value to everyone’s life and attending a wedding day with children creates memories. Children on a wedding day sometimes feel monotonous during the long schedule of rituals and to avoid tiredness, plan good entertainment for the kids at a budget-friendly rate. Magic Shows Magic Shows are one of the best entertainments […]
ALL ABOUT EARTH Get ready for a month filled with so many fun activities to teach your kiddos all about our planet Earth . I teach this unit in April so it coincides with Earth Day. I’ve loaded up this blog post post with read aloud book ideas, free videos you can share with your students,
Over the years I've created and shared more than 500 printables here on the blog. Keeping track of all of them and, more importantly, making them easy for you to find can be a bit
keeping it DIY... my hand-made one-color press I'd been itching to design and print my own line of shirts from age 10, and now as a l...
Are you a christian blogger looking for creative blog post ideas?As both a christian blogger and lifestyle blogger (over at gabbyabigaill.com), I know how overwhelming it can be to always have something new to write about. While there are so many topics to write about for Christians, it can be easy to get lost in
How to start an new everyday journal? 1. Find your ideal notebook . 2. Break it in . 3. Customize it . Make it your own . 4. Write...
Are you wondering what to do with a stack of old, unwanted books gathering dust on your shelves? Look no further! These are our favorite DIY home decor projects using old books.
Don't confuse a collection for clutter. When displayed the right way, the things you love can make an artful statement in your home.
Makers Gonna Learn
These stretchy, cheesy soft tapioca wraps are grain free, naturally gluten free, and made simply with cheese, oil, egg, milk, and tapioca starch. They stay fresh and flexible warm or cold!
ALL ABOUT EARTH Get ready for a month filled with so many fun activities to teach your kiddos all about our planet Earth . I teach this unit in April so it coincides with Earth Day. I’ve loaded up this blog post post with read aloud book ideas, free videos you can share with your students,
I am short. There is no other way to put it. I’m barely 5′ tall. I think I’ve only bought two pairs of used jeans in my life that were already hemmed to my length…ever……
Does the internet really need another 'spaghetti sauce' recipe? For a year and half since I started this blog, the answer to myself was consistently NO. Yet here it is. Instead of seeing it as too pedestrian to be blog-worthy, I now see it as invariably delicious, nourishing and actually an excell
There are a few elements to building influential student relationships. Keep on reading to find out the six keys to fostering strong connections in your classroom.
Are you looking for engaging toys for children with CVI? This blog post shares my 10 favorite CVI-friendly toys to keep kids engaged...
I like to keep it simple and clean up from dinner is no exception! If you're an avid reader of my blog you will notice that most of my recipes are super quick and that I like to keep the cookware to a minimum. I don't like to skimp of taste either and my Tangy […]
How to Weave Straight Edges Like a Pro Hi friends! I often get students who are frustrated by this, and even though I cover it in my beginning weaving video class, I decided to publish a public tutorial as well. The secret is 3 words: BUBBLE , STRUM and BEAT . Do you have issues keeping your
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My sister Michelle has been bugging me about these for MONTHS. Since I only reserve Sundays for knitting for family and friends, it took mu...
Are you ready for some fun and easy pop art ideas? Pop art has been a popular style for artists for decades. These easy pop art projects for kids are
