Monster Melody Game--Music Pin!!

Today I was perusing Pinterest to see if there were any new music teaching ideas and I came across this gem!  Anything that has an appealing look that I think will catch the eyes of my students, I click on.  Anyway, the short version of it is that the class has to sing melodies to "feed the monster." If they draw a "make a snack" card instead of a melody card, they have to write their own and sing it.  Click on the picture to get to the pin, and then click on that to get all of the directions :)  I'm thinking I may have to make a rhythm version for my students.  Always looking for ways to keep it fresh! 

By the way, I'm thinking I'm going to have to start following her blog.  You can check it out here! 

FREEBIE Find!

One of the reasons I like Teachers Pay Teachers is that everyone has to put at least one FREE product on their store page!  In fact, most people have quite a few free things.  So, I'm going to start posting cool free products that I find on TPT occasionally to save you some time!  Here's a cool FREEBIE for today! 

Cori Bloom has some great products in her store.  Check it out if you are looking for some fresh ideas for your music classroom.  And don't forget to check out her FREEBIES!! 

National Standards

If you didn't know it, there are new National Standards for elementary music educators.  I read this by Aileen Miracle at Kodaly Corner.  She gives some helpful info and has a good perspective on working towards integrating them in our classrooms.  Check it out! 

Behavior and Classroom Control

      The first week of school is always a fun one!  We go over seats, play name games, review our rules, meet the kindergartners (who are doing quite well this year!), and find out who has "morphed" over the summer.  I use that term jokingly :)  But you know what I mean--that student who used to mostly follow the directions and now could care less!  You already put them in a good seating spot, used fun activities to lighten the mood, and made your expectations clear.  And they don't seem too impressed!
     Well, if PBIS hasn't come to your school yet, it will likely be there soon.  PBIS=Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports.  Think RTI (Response to Intervention), but for behavior.  It makes sense; you've tried everything you can think of, what now?!?!?  At one of our meetings this year, my someone suggested the website www.pbisworld.com.  I went to check it out and liked the concept. 
     The first page lists a bunch of behaviors (anxiety, defiance, etc.).  When you click on the link, it will tell you a better description of the behavior to make sure you have correctly identified it.  Then it will take you to a page with a bunch of interventions to try.  As an experienced teacher, this may not seem earth shattering, but for a new teacher, this would be amazing to have at your fingertips!!  And even as experienced teachers, it's always good to make sure we've really looked at every option possible to help our students succeed!  Also, if the main interventions aren't working, you can go to the Tier 2 page that will give you some more ideas to try.  (Just an FYI, it often takes you to other sites to explain the ideas--occasionally some of the links don't work.)
     So, check out PBIS if you haven't!  Encourage positive behavior in your classroom using every tool you can find!  Believe it or not, it's made a big difference at our school when we've made little changes using this data.  (Sorry if you've heard that word a million times already this school year . . . I'm pretty sure it's here to stay!)
     

Cool Pin Time!

I was looking through my old pins and found this one!  I love the idea of getting instant feedback from students about how much they understand.  I am planning on utilizing a method similar to this, this year.  How about you?  What do you do to find out what your students know? 

New Blog Design

Eeeeeek!  I'm so excited that I have to share!  My new blog design is getting close to being done.  Want a sneak preview!?!?  Of course you do!

Is that cool or what?  Not sure when I will be rolling out the new look, but stay tuned . . .  Jen

Open House

     We just had the open house for our school this week.  It was fun to see all of those familiar faces again!  I swear some kids grow soooo much in just 3 months!!  Our open house is a time for parents to walk around the school with their children to see what class they will be in.  Normally, I just have my room set up and say "hi," but this year I wanted to be a bit more interactive.
     The first thing I did was set up my NEW (well, new to us) SMART board!!  Those things are AWESOME!!!  Can't wait to try it out this year with my students :)  I made it so they could draw on it, and also move notes around on a music staff.
     Then, I put out some owls so they could be part of my latest bulletin board.  Here are some pics from making it and then with their little owls on it.  It was a great way to start conversations and meet new students--definitely an idea to use again next year!

 

First, I made a tree out of paper and put some grass below it.

 Then, I added some clouds (batting) and some owls. 

   I added my saying--tried to keep it small so they will have lots of room for their owls.  I'm thinking I might make a banner to put above the bulletin board instead . . . a teacher's work is never done!

Finally, I put some leaves on the tree and the ground to add a little more texture to the overall picture. 

   

 When they started to put their own owls up at the open house, it began to look like this! (Pardon the beautiful florescent light right above the tree . . . )  Can't wait to see what it looks like when there are owls everywhere after the first week of school! 



Catch you next time I have something Noteworthy!