Happy Sunday everyone!
Today’s post is going to be short and sweet (and a little random as well).
I love to use music in the classroom. I am constantly writing my own songs and raps because I think it really enriches learning and helps to ingrain new concepts.
Here are the Top 5 Reasons (I Think) Music is Important in the Classroom.
5. Music helps kids memorize information. Think about it. You probably still sing songs to remember certain things like how to spell obedience (reference for my Sunday School friends) to how many days are in each month, to the elements in the periodic table. How often do you get a popular song that you don’t even like stuck in your head? That’s the power of music. 😉
4. People are naturally drawn to rhythms. If you don’t already do it, try an experiment with your students tomorrow. Have them say and do something in rhythm. They will love it. There is something about doing or saying something to a beat that is very catchy.
3. It’s fun! I have met very few K-2 students who don’t enjoy singing. I have never met any K-2 students who don’t enjoy rapping (especially if you encourage them to do it with “attitude”). Figure out what your class likes better and go with it. Last year my class was all about rapping, so we rapped about everything from digraphs to 2 Digit Addition.
2. It helps all kinds of learners. When you and your students sing, it helps the musical, oral, and auditory learners. Some kids naturally learn though music, some kids naturally learn through listening, and some kids naturally learn by saying it themselves. Singing helps all of those students, and it certainly doesn’t hurt any students.
1. Add some hand motions or dancing. Singing and rapping is fun, but once you add a fun dance or hand motions, your students will be begging to sing it again. The best part is, if you add motions, you’re helping musical, oral, visual, and kinesthetic learners all at once!
Now you might be thinking that this is all well and good but you’re not exactly a song writer. However, there are tons of great songs on youtube, and if you need a song on a specific topic, I might be able to write it for you. Feel free to leave a comment below if you’d like a rap or song about a specific concept and I’ll see what I can do.
Now it’s time for a little randomness.
1. Are you as excited as I am for Read Across America Week? I am SO excited. We have something fun everyday including wearing PJ’s, wearing a funny hat, mismatched clothing etc. Each fun thing goes with a specific Dr. Seuss book. What things does your school have planned?
2. I am super excited to announce that I am working on a sequel to my 15 Writing Lessons for Primary Grades! It’s got a really original name, ready? 15 MORE Writing Lessons for Primary Grades! 😉 I’m hoping to finish it by the end of March. I already have the first 3 lessons done, and I think I like them even better than the first packet!
I’m also trying to add more non-fiction and opinion pieces to align with the Common Core Standards. I’d love to hear any suggestions or requests you have as I’m creating, so feel free to leave them in a comment below or email me at primaryparadisetpt@gmail.com.
Here’s what the cover looks like so far. 🙂
 
That’s it for today, folks!
Have a lovely Sunday!
Martha from Primary Paradise
