This video reminds me of the reasons I'm doing this.
http://busyteacher.org/4868-classroom-video-of-the-week-1.html
I love seeing the passion in the kids and the teacher.
I ran across this video while I was looking for alternatives to worksheets. Googling "alternatives to elementary worksheets" basically brings up web site after web site of worksheets, but tucked inside here and there are some interesting teaching ideas. One came from an ELL teacher. She distributes popular song lyrics to English learners, and then shows the music videos of the songs. She uses the lyrics to teach them English, asking them questions such as "Find the following words in the song and choose the correct meaning," and "Which word is left out of the following line?"
Music can be used as a teaching tool on so many different levels. When my son was in the first grade, his teacher had times during the day when she would play a CD and invite the kids up to dance. By encouraging them to dance freely, she not only provided them with the movement that helped them focus, but also allowed them the opportunity to express themselves and connect with each other. To me, the entertainment value alone makes it worth trying.
This video conveys a pureness to me: collaboration, connection, and a teacher who loves his job. It makes me think of the different ways that we can engage our students when our hearts are in it, and that when we bring out the best in our students, we also bring out the best in ourselves.
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Thanks for posting the video. These kids were great, and I loved how into the song they were. They obviously loved the opportunity to sing. Another way to use music is to help with memorization. If you are not a song writer, you can pick a well-recognized tune, such as a children's song, and put the words you need to memorize in the tune. Example sung to the song Turkey in the Straw: A noun is for naming a person like Paul, a place like Chicago, a thing like a wall. So remember the rules as you play the noun game and name persons and places and things nouns name. Persons and places and things nouns name. Persons and places and things nouns name. So remember the rules as you play the noun game and name persons and places and things nouns name.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea!
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