Let's collect those dry bones! This traditional African-American Spiritual is perfect for learning parts of the body, and the innovative die-cut holes on each page helps us to identify them.
A full skeleton at the back of the book teaches us the scientific names for the major bones in the human body.
Magical die-cutting draws the reader from page to page of colourful artwork. Soon the rhymes will be read or, more probably, sung by heart.
Dry Bones
Key Learning Areas - Literacy - Pre Reading - Literacy - Early Reading - Literacy - Intermediate Reading - Vocabulary Building - Spelling & Word Building Age Level: 2 - 6 years Type: soft cover Dimensions: 290 x 290 mm
This is just one of the "Classic Books with Holes" series available at www.crescendo.com.au.
Check out all the other titles today. Great classroom resource.
Though I may be a music educator most of the time, I am passionate about all of the Arts!
Below is a excerpt taken from "30 Days of Drawing"- A DAILY DRAWING PROGRAM FOR PRESCHOOL, ELEMENTARY,AND JUNIOR SECONDARY LEARNER.
You may find some things that music teachers can use, or ideas that you may share with other educators. For the whole article go to www.crescendo.com.au, Downloads, Visual Arts.
Happy Drawing
Children use drawing as language. Indeed, because drawing is spontaneous and independent of cultural norms, it is their most expressive language while learning the codes of literacy. The content of children's drawings is far more complex and subtle than their verbal equivalent could possibly be. Fortunately there is no competition between the two; ‑it is now well known that drawing and words flourish in a symbiotic relationship. When children draw, they use words simultaneously ‑ S.L.Jent for the most part but occasionally audible ‑ and vocabulary and syntax are enriched by the complexity and subtlety of drawing's subject matter. Drawing stimulates literacy in other ways; caring adults engage children in conversation as a way to motivate drawing. The finished work provides opportunities for beginning writing.
DRAWING THE WORLD WE KNOW:
Children get to know their world through direct experience or through books, movies, videos, and still photography. The brain is an efficient storehouse of mental imagery derived from these sources. The great art educator Viktor Lowenfeld refers to passive and active knowledge which directs us to the importance of motivation, the goal of which is to make passive knowledge active. For example: children will have had many experiences of different kinds of trees but their drawings will be more empirically correct if the teacher projects slides of different varieties when motivating drawings of the forest and its ecology.
DRAWING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS:
Children delight in finding imaginative solutions to mechanical problems to which they often apply wit and wisdom. Another advantage: those who have difficulties with realism may enjoy diagrammatic drawing. This activity is an important contributor to intellectual development and the scientific attitude.
* Problems are set by the teacher or brainstormed by children. The teacher explains that problem solving may Involve combinations of 1) words ‑ headings, labels, captions, expository prose, even poems; 2) drawings, charts, diagrams, cartoon sequences; and 3) numbers ‑ measurements, specifications, proportions.
* Individuals or small groups work on the problem and come up with solutions.
* These are photocopied and organized on a wall chart or mural. The originals remain in notebooks.
* A formal discussion determines their strengths and weaknesses. Students create a display poster of the best.
The arts are integral to our sense of identity—as individuals, as communities and as a nation. Through the arts and creative cultural expression we learn about ourselves: who we are, where we have come from and what we feel, value and believe.
An education rich in creative arts maximises opportunities for learners to engage with innovative thinkers and leaders and to experience the arts both as audience members and as artists. Such an education is vital to students' success as individuals and as members of society, emphasising not only creativity and innovation, but also the values of broad cultural understanding and social harmony that the arts can engender.
Move around so that the students at the back become the front row etc.
Change activities frequently
Establish a set of class rules together and refer to them frequently (a rule referral can be as simple as “I like how you are using walking feet in our classroom”)
Encourage on task student behaviour using a variety of positive non verbal and verbal prompts such as using parallel acknowledgement (eg. Amy is off task – but John – who is seated beside her is on task.Say “John, I really like the way you are sitting up straight and tall and listening”Amy will almost certainly sit up straight and tall then – make sure that you reward her with a positive – either verbal or non verbal).This helps you to reaffirm your expectations in a positive manner.
To get the attention of the whole class “1,2,3 copy me” – 1st time, hands on head, 2nd hands on shoulders, 3rd, hands in laps.By the 3rd time the whole class will have stopped what they are doing and will be watching
Checklist at the start of the class.Ask students and check off checklist
Are you sitting on the floor?
Have you got your hands in your lap?
Are your eyes on the teacher?
Are you listening?
Are your mouths closed?(The students shouldn’t answer the last question as their mouths should be closed )
Smile – be encouraging and supportive
Have high expectations of respect, manners and participation
Play games to diffuse situations
Have a behaviour sheet with questions such as
What rule did you break?
What problem did this cause to your teacher and classmates?
Teach from different positions- including being on the floor amongst the students
Invade student body space (a nice non verbal that keeps the lesson moving)
Have extremely clear expectations
Be what you want the student to be
Try to find something to like in each child
Write lesson expectations on board with the word free time included – and have music rotations for free time.
Make a point of noticing the quiet ones – especially with littlies
When getting upset, make sure you are getting upset at the behaviour – not the student
“up the front for the month”
As a teacher make mistakes and point them out.Students need to know that you stuff things up too.
Use a microphone for the students – the love it!!
Reward positive, ignore negatives
Check out our website at www.crescendo.com.au for the complete list and more exciting and fun things to do in the classroom.
The principal singer of nineteenth-century opera was called pre-Madonna.
It is easy to teach anyone to play the maracas. Just grip the neck and shake him in rhythm.
Gregorian chant has no music, just singers singing the same lines.
Sherbert composed the Unfinished Symphony.
All female parts were sung by castrati. We don't know exactly what they sounded like because there are no known descendants.
Music sung by two people at the same time is called a duel; if they sing without music it is called Acapulco.
A virtuoso is a musician with real high morals.
Contralto is a low sort of music that only ladies sing.
A harp is a nude piano.The main trouble with a Frenech Horn is that it is too tangled up.
An interval in music is the distance from one piano to the next.
The correct way to find the key to a piece of music is to use a pitchfork.
Agitato is a state of mind when one's finger slips in the middle of playing a piece.
Refrain means don't do it. A refrain in music is the part you'd better not try to sing.
I know what a sextet is but I'd rather not say.
Most authorities agree that music of antiquity was written long ago.
My favourite composer was Opus. Agnus Dei was a woman composer famous for her church music.
Henry Purcell was a well-known composer few people have ever heard of.
Johann Sebastian Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and had a large number of children. In between he practiced on an old spinster which he kept up in the attic.
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