First Lesson

A-Rig-a-Jig-Jig

This was a perfect singing game to allow the students to warm up to me and feel comfortable! By the end, they were smiling and dancing together so the segway to teaching fractions fromm the song flowed much more smoothly.
Click HERE to view the plan for this lesson.

Making Connections

A-Rig-a-Jig-Jig is in 6/8 meter and as soon as I wrote it up on the board, Mrs. Skankey noticed how this related to what they had just learned: the definition of dividend and divisor. This immediate connection sparked my excitement and anticipation for how other principles can connect. The students then integrated math by writing in numbers or pictures to represent the length of an eighth note, quarter note etc. so they could learn how a beat can be divided into equal parts. I demonstrated this first with a cookie example. The concept was a little difficult for them to understand right away so we will review next time. Overall, many children left smiling and seemed excited to learn more!

Welcome to 5th Grade!

This semester, I have the privilege of working with Melanie Skankey in her 5th grade classroom at Sage Hills Elementary. This blog will document my experiences as I actually apply the principles I'm learning as a Music Education undergrad at BYU. I'm excited to put all my studying into action!

First Visit

As I entered Mrs. Skankey's classroom, I was impressed with the ease of the environment. As I had learned in Dr. May's class, the environment was condusive for experiential and constructive learning especially because the children could clear the room in 45 seconds so there was an open space in the middle.

My purpose was to observe Mrs. Skankey's classroom management skills so I could apply them later. I was impressed with how well the children followed procedures she had set in place when it was only the first month of school. I enjoyed observing her use phrases like "Class, Class, Class" or a bell to grab attention. It didn't seem authoritative but since it was coupled with the teacher's nurturing demeanor. She had an excellent balance or firm rule-setting and kind acceptance. 

Second Visit

This time, I specifically observed a math lesson. Mrs. Skankey is incredible at integrating drama into math which was clearly displayed in her lesson. I was actively brainstorming ideas of how to incorporate music into math as well. After this second time of observing, I felt more comfortable applying Mrs. Skankey's classroom management procedures. Nos, all I had to do was plan my lesson and go!!