FINAL Lesson Plan-Integrating Music into Reading-VIDEO

My video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdYLGp0lE_w
Enjoy!

Final Presentation Proposal

For my final presentation, I am going to do a lesson plan about integrating music into a reading lesson.  This will be done by creating a summary song over a book that was read.

Controversial Issue-Should teachers be paid based on student performance?

I do not think teachers should be paid based on student performance.  This is because you could have the best teacher out there, but there may still be students who don’t care about school and don’t care to work too hard.  The bad grades they receive for not trying should not reflect the teacher’s performance.  A student is going to work however hard he or she wants to work.  An effective teacher does whatever he or she can do to help a student out.  They listen to their students and take the time to help students understand whatever it is that they are working on.  This all leads back to however hard the student is willing to work is what they are going to get out of their education.

Controversial Issue-Teacher Unions & Tenure

Teacher Unions are there to help protect teachers rights and legal protections and all that good stuff.  I think teacher unions are very important, especially in this day of age.  Tenure, on the other hand, is that a teacher can be fired from a job within the first 3 years of teaching, but after that, can only be fired if there is a major issue and a legit reason.  This may be okay, but what happens when there are teachers that may not be doing their jobs too well, but there is not a major reason to fire them?  This could definitely make conflicts arise.  So with tenure, there may need to be some reforms.

Controversial Issue-School & extra-curriculars

Sometimes it seems hard to balance extra-curricular activities and school in a Sports-Driven society.  It is hard when every coach is saying that whatever it is they are doing should come first.  I think that teachers and coaches of extra-curricular activities need to get together more to discuss what should really come first, and that is school.  I do like that at schools, if a student is failing a class, he or she is unable to participate in their extra-curricular activities until they are passing again.  I still do not like that coaches seem to want their activity to be first in a student's life because this just seems to wear students out.  In the elementary classroom, I feel as though it is a little easier to balance these two things because there are not as many extra-curricular activities available to younger students.  If we, as teachers, let our students know at a young age how important work is, it may help them learn to stay on task and get their work done before participating in extra-curricular activities and this could help them in the long run.

Introducing new instruments

Some instruments are easier to learn and play than others.  Some instruments are going to take some time to learn.  It would be developmentally appropriate to introduce the rhythm sticks and the cymbals early on in a child's life.  You could give a child these instruments at a very early age even before they understand what a beat is and how to keep a steady one.  They can just play around with these instruments to get a feel for music although they don't truly understand music.  When they go to school, they would know what a beat is and they could use these instruments to keep beats.  A kazoo is also a simple instrument that could be used early on.  To play a kazoo, one must hum into the instrument rather than just blow to make noise.  This would not be too hard to teach children in the younger grades because they would get the hang of it pretty quickly and could add vibrations to music.  The recorder and the xylophone are two instruments that I would wait to introduce to students until they are in the fourth grade or so.  I think this would be an appropriate age because at this age, children should know more about music and know what the notes are.  They should be able to read music and play songs at this point in time.

Carl Orff

Carl Orff's philosophy is about integrating music into the classroom as much as possible every day.  Many instruments are used and children's natural play is greatly encouraged.  A lot of times in a Carl Orff classroom, children are asked to create their own rhythms, songs, or use instruments to represent different characters from stories.  Children nowadays love to express themselves in their own ways, which is why allowing children to create new and exciting aspects to lessons is a great way to make them excited about school!  Children learn their normal lesson, learn more about music concepts, and have a great time learning when the Carl Orff approach is used.

Sequential learning & rote learning

• Sequential learning is learning new information in a series of steps.  This is important because it is a connection to what the children already know and it is something that they can always look back on to help them.  It is probably one of the most effective ways to teach a new concept.
• Teaching a student by the "rote" method is memorization by repetition.  This is having students repeat what the teacher says so they really understand what is being taught.
• Steps in making a lesson plan with the "rote" method:
• Ex: teaching a song
• Set the stage-a teacher could first create an activity that would help the children anticipate the upcoming lesson and raise their curiosity.
• State the objective-Have the students detect different tempos within a song and have them repeat your directions so you know they understand.
• Teacher input-Let them know how they are doing with the lesson and make suggestions on how they could improve.
• Modeling: The teacher could now begin to sing the song instead of just having the students listen.
• Checking for understanding-Ask the students if they understand the lesson or if the teacher needs to re-explain the lesson in a different way.
• Guided practice- Have students get into groups and sing the song or have them do other activities that relate to the lesson and reinforce the concept.
• Closure-Review what you just taught the students and have them repeat things that they learned.

My philosophy in alignment with student needs/state expectations

I believe that my philosophy is in line with student needs and state expectations.  I want whatever is going to be best for my students.  I will do all that I can to adjust my curriculum for the needs of my students.  As a teacher, I plan to use as many different methods as needed to help my students succeed.  I want to be a teacher who will make my students enjoy coming to school and excited to learn.  I will teach the necessary content, but I will make it exciting for my students.  My philosophy is in alignment with state expectations in that I want to focus on how my students will learn the best and benefit the most.

Music Therapy

From what I have read and seen about music therapy, I think it is a wonderful thing.  Everyone loves music, so why not use something people love to help them achieve their goals?

•  I think music would be very beneficial to students in reading and literacy.  I read an article about a student who struggled with dislexyia so much that he was almost to a point where he wouldn't do homework.  His mother had heard some success stories about music therapy so she thought she would give it a try, and music therapy worked for her son too.  He would write lyrics to songs and this helped him cope with his dislexyia.  It is important to use music activities in the classroom to help other students like this boy learn to read and write.  Music is a great way to help people relax and could help make students less frustrated with certain things.
• http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/03/29/3466730.htm

•  I also read an article about using music therapy to help children with autism develop social skills.  I think there are some pretty useful approaches that I read about.  A teacher can use instruments as a way for students to work together and develop social skills.  They can pass instruments around the room or one student can hold a drum and another student can hit the drum.  These sound like great ways for students to develop social skills.
• http://harmonymusictherapy.com/how-music-therapy-can-help-develop-social-skills/

Music therapy sounds great and seems to help students.  It is fun to hear about students who have had music therapy and their success stories, because it shows that music therapy does help! This is why music must be integrated into the curriculum in any way possible!

Special Education today in America

Every child will develop at his or her own pace and it is important that educators respect this.  I have babysat some children with special needs and what they really need, is patience.  The try their hardest to communicate with us what they want or need and it is our job to figure it out.  We have to be empathetic and patient because if we get frustrated when we don’t understand what they are trying to tell us, they will start to get frustrated too.  Teachers need to have many resources available in a classroom to meet the needs of differentiated learners and must work with each student to figure out what works best for each one.  If one approach does not work, a teacher should be able to adjust the curriculum accordingly to make sure that each student benefits his or her education.

Comparing & Contrasting

• Bloom's taxonomy and the 9 National Standards in Music have some similarities, but also have some differences among them.
• Both Bloom's Taxonomy and the National Music Standards are meant to help people achieve creativeness and higher levels of thinking.
• On the other hand, I think that the national music standards are more a set of requirements.  What people should be able to do in a classroom.  Bloom's Taxonomy is a hierarchy that classifies thinking by six intellectual levels of complexity.  Whereas the National Music Standards are a list that teachers and students want to achieve, Bloom's Taxonomy helps teachers encourage their students to reach a level of thought that is higher on the pyramid.

Terms

Cognitive Learning-Later teaching builds upon earlier experiences to create a more mature understanding of a concept.
Cooperative Learning-Having students work together in groups.
Eurhythmics-Rhythmical physical movements to music used to help teach musical understanding.
Multiple Intelligence Theory-Theory that all people possess a set of intelligences in varying degrees.
Rote Learning-memorization by repetition
Think-pair-share-Having a student develop his or her own thoughts and ideas and then pairing up with another student to share their thought or idea.
Checking for understanding-Different strategies used to check to see if a student is understanding  something such as giving a thumbs up for "Yes, I understand." or a thumbs down for "No, I do not understand."

9 Music Standards & Answer to Assertion

Music Standards
1. Singing alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and musical performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

What Happens in Teacher Education?-Assertion #1

• Are the mission and goals of our undergraduate teacher preparation programs consistent with the aspirations for K-12 achievement inherent in the Standards?
• I feel that they are consistent, and depending on how much future teachers work for it, these standards may be inherent in them.  Everyone is musical in one way or another and can meet these standards if they work hard and understand how important they are.  It is our job as teachers to fully achieve these standards.
• How is each competency expressed in the Standards addressed within and across the components of our teacher preparation curriculum for  each arts discipline?
• These standards need to be fully embedded into one's mind because they are important for teaching the arts.
• Is curricular time and weight allocated to courses in the specific arts discipline, general studies, and professional education adequate to achieve the requisite artistic, intellectual, and pedagogical competencies?
• I believe so, once again one will get out of something what one wants to put into it.  So, if we take the time to do so and pay attention, courses are adequate to achieve the requisite artistic, intellectual, and pedagogical competencies.
• What expectations do we have for developing competence and capacity for artistic educational leadership in the classroom, with various types of groups, and in the community at large?
• We want to be able to help children be creative and artistic within the classroom both by themselves and within groups.  It is our job as teachers to adjust curriculum to benefit each student.
• How should our programs promote, by requirement and example, the "habits of mind" necessary for performance and growth of a teacher?
• Programs should guide students drill these music standards into them.  Activities could be done in the classroom to show understanding of the standards and if studied well enough will become "habits of mind."  These standards are necessary to know so the more they are studied, the better of we will be.

Day 1-Answer to YouTube video

The information in the YouTube video is extremely relevant to the elementary classroom.  It is important to know that there will be students who would like to express themselves, but just don't know how to go about it, which frustrates them.  Music is a way for anyone to be able to cope with something they are going through and to learn to express themselves as much as they can!  It is important for teachers the put themselves out there and not be afraid to sing songs to and with the students, because music can help teachers to connect better with the students.  When a teacher is willing to express themselves, students will be more open to expressing themselves as well.

Assignment #1-8 questions

I know quite a bit about music.  I grew up being involved in musical activities such as dance and piano lessons and I continued musical activities by playing the clarinet, participating in musicals, and participating in choir.  I know how to keep a beat, read time signatures, and understand different musical concepts.  I took the Topics in Music class and learned so much more about music. I would like to learn some more songs that I could use immediately when I become a teacher. Also, I  would like to learn more about how I, as a teacher, could help students learn about and really appreciate music! 

Music and the Creative Processes: 8 questions

Music IN Education....Things to Think About

1. How do you use music in YOUR life?

-I use music all the time! It is a great way for me to express myself! I listen to music in the car while driving.  When I am stressed, I listen to music to help me relax.  I also like to be goofy and make up random lyrics to different songs.  Music is a great way for me to just get my mind off of other things.  It also helps me to hum while doing different tasks.

 

2. What musical activities and interests did you have as a child?

-I danced for 8 years starting when I was four years old.  I also played the piano for six years.  I love music so I continued participating in musical activities such as band, play productions, and high school choir. 

3. Have you observed children at musical play?

-I babysit a little boy who has a speech pathologist visit him and work with him and I was able to watch the speech pathologist use different songs such as "Wheels On The Bus" to help the little boy with his language abilities.  I also observed a preschool class and enjoyed listening to all the songs used to learn the months, days of the week, etc... and also to help them with transitions and to just have fun.

 

4. Are there some musical skills you are able to teach to children more easily than others?

-What the notes are and how to read music would be pretty easy.  I also think it would be easy to help them learn time signatures.  Teaching students different genres and what time periods they were developed would be harder.  I think it will be difficult to teach students musical elements and have every student learn to appreciate music.

5. What do you think that all children should be able to do, musically, as a result of a MUSICAL

education?
-I think children should be able to know some music basics: different notes, beats, how one can emphasize notes, and just simple concepts.  I hope that after children have a musical education, they are able to create catchy tunes to help them if they struggle with a concept.

6. Have you ever observed a teacher integrating music into the classroom? Cite examples.

-As I stated earlier, I observed a preschool class and I was able to see a lot of music integrated into the classroom.  Songs are a great way to teach children new things and children also have so much fun singing new songs and ones that they have known for a while.  Songs are great for students, especially students in the lower grades who are just discovering routines.  Also, when I was in fifth grade, we sang songs about the 50 states and their capitals to help us learn.

7. How do you think music can be integrated into the elementary classroom?

-Music can be integrated into pretty much every subject in the elementary classroom.  Some of the most common songs to help younger students learn are the ABCs and days of the weeks songs.  Maybe math is hard for some students, but a teacher can find a way to create a catchy musical tune that will help those students that may be struggling.  This can help them enjoy learning new things.  You can use calm music while students are studying which I think helps people get focused.  Or music can be used just to take a break from work and get up and move around and have fun.

8. How do you think music can be used as an interdisciplinary tool in the elementary classroom?
-Music about math facts is a great interdisciplinary tool in the elementary classroom.  In Social Studies a teacher could incorporate different songs from different countries to help students learn.  As a science teacher, one could sing songs to help students learn about the planets.  Music can be integrated into every subject to enhance student learning.

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