Okay, I’m probably pretty late to the game on this, but I saw a friend doing a phonics activity called “Write the Room”, and the kids LOVED it! Even the kids who hated writing were having a blast trotting from
12 EASY Ideas for Distance Learning in Elementary General Music
With schools in harder-hit countries closing due to the new coronavirus, I know I’ll have more colleagues around the world who are forced into online learning or some other kind of remote learning (for students without dependable internet access). So
12 EASY Ideas for Distance Learning in Early Years General Music
The coronavirus situation is still pretty stable, so schools here are open for the foreseeable future. But with schools in harder-hit countries closing, I know I’ll have more colleagues around the world who are forced into online learning or some
Online Learning for Music Teachers
With the novel coronavirus on our shores, there is talk about what might happen now. We are anticipating the possibility of schools closing in order to stop the spread of the virus, in which case we would need to go
Responding to “I don’t know”
“I don’t know.” It’s a common response from students, particularly on those days when I make a point of calling on students who are avoiding eye contact and trying to hide behind someone. And I will start by saying this:
Instead of “I don’t know”
Okay, the title is a ruse. Children say, “I don’t know.” You can’t stop them. It’s a go-to response, it’s natural, and it’s fine. But what we want is for students to not stop there. “So you don’t know (or
Composing with Body Percussion
It’s a frustrating thing the day you realize that your Grade 4 students are still confusing beat and rhythm, and that they don’t read rhythms quite as well as you imagined they should. I dare say—and feel free to challenge
Getting started with (or checking in on) inquiry
When I first started working with PYP, I was beyond overwhelmed. I came with a lot of knowledge and ideas, and now I had to do everything a whole new way. I didn’t need convincing; obviously it was a great
Exit Slips as Formative Assessment
Well, I officially went back into school today to start getting ready for the upcoming school year. I’m just starting to get my head around my long-term view of what I’ll be teaching, but I have spent some time over
It’s Just Around the Corner…
I know we may not be ready to think about it, but none of us can hide from all those Back to School sales. Are you thinking about how to get the year started yet? (Okay, I’ll confess that I’m