First Day Activities

The first day of school usually proves to be an exhausting day for teachers and a relatively boring day for students. Lots of guidelines, and policies, and syllabi, and not enough activity and FUN. Most of them are excited to be back in school, with all of there friends, and in a safe environment. We should capitalize on that concept!

My first day activities always include 2 key ingredients: the "Syllabus Scavenger Hunt" and an activity that gets them engaged and speaking.

The Syllabus Scavenger Hunt takes the typical policy review to a fun level. I make a list of the key information I want the students to review with me the first day of class. I create a PowerPoint presentation with each key point phrased as a question and appearing on mouse clicks. Some of the questions have follow-up questions (How many performances do we have this year? When are they?).

For each correct answer, I give the student a small piece of candy; I usually buy one of those humongous bags of candy, such as Dum-dums, Jolly Ranchers, or a mix of types of candy. I call on a different student for each answer if the question has multiple answers. There are enough questions in the activity that every student is able to earn one piece, if not two or three pieces of candy.

Yes, it is a bit like bribing them to participate, but yes, it works! They look through the syllabus to find the answers as quick as they can.

Most recently, the activity that got them engaged and speaking was an online resource: Incredibox.

In between the Scavenger Hunt and this activity, I shared with the students what I had been doing over the summer (knee surgery, my garden, my Musikgarten classes, etc.) and I wanted them to share something about their summer. Usually just asking them to share out-loud earns me eye-rolls and groaning. But I added a twist.

I demonstrated the coolness that is Incredibox, then made the stipulation that if they wanted the opportunity to interact with the program, they would have to share, out-loud, something about their summer. Hook, line, and sinker. They were so enthralled with the program that they were BEGGING to share! It really gave me the chance to get to know them, while they just wanted to "play the game."

If you are not familiar with Incredibox, go play with it now for a few minutes. I'll wait here...

...

Fun, right? It exposes students to the concepts of looping and phrases and effects, while seeming like a game. My 6-year-old loves to play it at home!

After the student shared a detail from their summer, they could interact in whatever method they wanted to with the program: add a character, delete/add a character, mute a character, or mute everyone except that character. And my classroom students picked up on the bonus fills very quickly; some would watch the screen carefully and then volunteer to speak when the bonus was activated :)

This activity does require a computer with internet access and a method to display the screen for the entire class to view, as well as a decent set of speakers.

What activities work for you first day? If you do try Incredibox, stop by and comment with how your students interacted with it. Have a great start to the school year!

Back to School, the Band Way

If you hadn't noticed, I took the summer off. Well, I didn't completely take the summer off. I was working at a local community music school as well as preparing for the new school year, however I did not blog for a few months.

I have returned and I am starting out by sharing my lesson plans from the first 2 days of school.

For the first time in 12 years, I am teaching ONLY band classes this year. I know: MIRACLE. I have taught band, general music, guitar, piano, theatre, foreign language exploratory and remedial math. This is refreshing and I'm hoping it will help me to focus and provide a better overall plan for my students.

Here is the break down of my teaching schedule:

On A days (every other day) I see my 7th & 8th grade Concert Bands (on grade-level ability) for 80 minutes each, and my 6th grade Advanced Bands (started playing in elementary school) for 38 minutes each divided into a woodwinds/percussion class and a brass/percussion class.

On B days (the opposite day) I see my 7th & 8th grade Symphonic Bands (advanced ability) for 80 minutes each, and my 6th grade Beginning Bands (never played before) for 38 minutes each divided into a woodwinds/percussion class and a brass/percussion class.

The program is growing, with a total of 160 students this year. Of course, I'm aiming higher ;)

For the first days of school, I decided to keep the activities interactive. There's a lot of "policies" and "procedures" in all of the classes, so I needed to keep their interest.

Day One, Step One: Attendance
I need to take attendance to make sure the students are in the correct classroom and to make sure I am not missing anyone. Instead of responding with "here" or "present," I ask them to respond with a Musical Term. It can be as simple as the name of their instrument, they can look at the words posted around the classroom, or they can state a term they remembered from last year. I was impressed by 6th grade students saying "fortissimo" or "crescendo." Side note: for the next 2 classes, the students insisted on taking attendance in this manner since they enjoyed it so much.

Day One, Step Two: Non-Negotiables
In my school building, we have a set of 4 Non-Negotiables which guide student behavior. These are reviewed and briefly discussed (with examples) to reinforce that the guidelines are school-wide. Student volunteers read the Non-Negotiable aloud and then we discuss the meaning.

Day One, Step Three: Who is Mrs. McEndree?
I created a PicStitch of six scenes from my summer. For students who I had last year, it was an opportunity to "catch up" with them. For the new students, it gave them a glimpse into my life and who I am.

Day One, Step Four: Incredibox
Thanks to the Facebook Band Directors group, I was introduced to the awesomeness of Incredibox. I use this as a tool to encourage the students to introduce themselves and tell something about their summer. To be able to use the ActivSlate and manipulate the "groove" being created, they have to share. They were so excited to share and work with the website! They often request to play with Incredibox when waiting for buses at the end of the day!

Day One, Step Five: Writing Rhythms
This step is not completed by the 6th grade students, since their class was half the length of the 7th & 8th grade classes. The students create rhythms on whiteboards based on guidelines (4-beats, 8-beats), and then random students are selected to create the rhythm on the screen, using the ActivInspire program and the ActivSlate. The entire class tapped/clapped the rhythms, and then we selected rhythms to add additional sound effects. For example, a rhythm might end up as clap-pat-pat-snap-rub-clap-clap.

Thus ended the lesson for Day One. I save the Band Policies and Procedures for the second class, since I know they are inundated with this information in all other classes on the first day.

Day Two, Step One: Attendance
The students respond with a Music Term to verify attendance for the day.

Day Two, Step Two: Policies Scavenger Hunt
Which student really wants to read through the class policies? The student that is being given candy! I make a game out of reading through the policies, in which a correct answer earns a small piece of candy. The process is simple. A question is displayed on the screen (using PowerPoint or ActivInspire). When the students find the answer in the policies, they stand at their chair. I select a student to answer the question,making sure every student has the opportunity to earn candy. All correct answers earn a piece of candy. Many of the questions have multiple parts: How many Musicianship points can you earn each class and how do you earn them? The students then enjoy learning (or reviewing, for returning band students) the class policies and are actively engaged in the lesson.

Day Two, Step Three: Review Non-Negotiables
Another reminder of the school-wide Non-Negotiables

Day Two, Step Four: Band Participation Self-Assessment
This step is not completed by the 6th grade students, since their class was half the length of the 7th & 8th grade classes. Based on a document I found on Teachers-Pay-Teachers, I give the students a Band Participation Self-Assessment. As a point of clarification, the students are able to mark multiple answers for one question. After the students complete the assessment and complete the tally, we share answers in a general sense: I read each question aloud and ask the students the raise their hand (if they feel comfortable) as I read the answer they selected. Once finished reading the questions, I ask them to raise hands based on their final tally. Only at this point do I share with them how the tally relates to their probable success in class. Then we discuss ideas for changing their habits to increase success in class.

The students seemed to really enjoy their first two band classes. Although I went through a lot of candy, it was worth it to have them actively and positively reading the policies. The 7th & 8th grade bands began performing on instruments for the third class, while the 6th grade classes began rhythm and melody reviews prior to performing on instruments (and as a way to buy some time while they rent instruments and purchase method books).

I hope your first few days go as smoothly as mine. I try to rotate "First Day" activities, so that the returning band students do not repeat an activity (although the Scavenger Hunt is a yearly favorite!).

Icebreakers

I love using Icebreaker activities for the first few class periods to help the students get back in to the school groove and for us all to get to know each other better. The challenge for doing this with band classes is not using the exact same activity each year since I have the students for multiple years. Sometimes they really like the activities and constantly ask throughout the year, "Can we play that game again?" However I do like to keep things fresh and exciting for myself as well as them.

So this year I mixed and matched activities I have done in the past to create 2 activities that aren't necessarily new: they just have a new spin.

NOTECARDS
I purchased 4 types of patterned card stock at the dollar store to use as note cards. I could very well have used plain note cards, however the patterns are used as part of the next activity. I chopped the card stock into note card size and then mixed them all together to get an equal amount of each pattern for each class.

As the students arrived at the door, I handed them a note card and invited them to select a seat in the classroom. This is one of the few times that band students get to choose their seat instead of sitting in sections... they love it! Once everyone arrives, I verify that they all have a card and then give them 5 seconds if they want to trade patterns ("Pink is for girls!" "I want the stars!"). The next instruction is to have a writing utensil in their hand.

On one side of the card, they write: instrument played, favorite food, and favorite color. Yes, they can do multiple answers if they play many instruments, love all sorts of food (one student wrote: "anything edible"), and have a set of favorite colors. On the other side of the card they are to write one interesting detail that makes them unique. I give them a list of suggestions to get the mental wheels turning: sports, vacations, awards, activities, and "special" talents (aka Stupid Human Tricks, like wiggling ears). THEY DO NOT PUT THEIR NAME ON THE CARD.

I collect the cards and then randomly distribute them to everyone. While I am distributing, the instruction is to silently read the card they are handed and begin using "deductive reasoning" skills to narrow down who the card possibly describes. When I say GO they have 60 seconds to locate the owner of the card and return to their seat still holding the same card.

The final step is to go down the row and have each student share one detail from the card ("Evan's favorite food is Sushi") and then hand the card back to the owner. Even when I've known the student for multiple years, I still learn something new about them from this type of activity.


BALL PATTERNS
Using the same note cards, the student form teams of 4 based on the patterns of the note cards (cannot have 2 pink polka-dot cards on the same team). We clear the chairs to the perimeter of the room and the teams sit or stand in a circle. Each team receives a tennis ball. The goal of the game: create a pattern of movements using the tennis ball that progressively gets more challenging.

EXAMPLE: Student A gently tosses the ball up and catches it. A passes to B. Student B does A's motion and adds to pass around the back. B passes to C. Student C does A's and B's motions and adds switch hands. C passes to D. Student D does the entire pattern (toss, around, switch) and adds under the leg. D passes to A... and the game continues until someone completely gets lost in the pattern.

I leave them to work in the small groups for a few minutes, wandering around to check out the creativity and see how "long" they can get the pattern (such as 9 different motions). I add a little competition by calling out updates: "This group is up to 13!"

When they seem to have a pretty good grasp on the game, then I call "FREEZE" and ask the teams to combine with one other team to form groups of 8. We repeat the same process, now having to work with more people. Again, I leave them to work for a few minutes, calling out updates as I wander.

If time allows, we form one circle with all members and try to get a pattern all the way around the circle. Usually, it only makes it to about the 10th or 12th person before it's totally confusing or someone refuses to play. I don't make a big deal about it; I ask the students to grab a chair and sit approximately where they were before we cleared the chairs.

Now we discuss the game. What was easy about the game? What was most challenging? And the best question of all: Why did we play this game? I LOVE the connections they make between the game and playing an instrument in band: progressively gets more challenging, following directions, memorizing patterns, working together, helping each other, small versus big groups, doing the same motion over and over is easy but boring, and how the actions of one person can affect the whole group (remember the kid who refused to play?)

I took pictures of this activity, however I still need to verify the "permission status" of the students in the photos before I can post any. I will update when I have some I can use :)

Music Bingo

You don't need to purchase a music bingo game; I have made my own that I can pull out at any time and change to fit the music topic my class is learning. It can be used for note names, rhythms, vocabulary, practically anything that can be drawn on the board and then a "clue" given for them to find it on the board.

The bingo board can easily be created in any word processing program or created by hand. I created a blank board: 25 blank boxes (5 x 5). At the top of each column I spread out the word MUSIC (like the word BINGO on typical boards). I copy as many of these boards as I have students who will play the game. The idea is that each student will create their own board, ensuring that each student has a unique board.

My 6th grade general music class is currently learning to read the treble clef, so they filled in the boxes with the letters of the music alphabet (ABDCEFG). I give only 3 guidelines to the students: each box contains only one letter, no letter can be repeated in a column, and there is no "free space." I also encourage them not to copy from their neighbor... it's a game right? You don't want them to beat you to the prize :)

As they are creating boards, I am putting 2 spoonfuls of M&Ms or Skittles into bathroom-size cups. I love using these candies for them to mark their boards!!! The students love nibbling on a few while they play, and then eating them all when the game is done. I do not have to worry about losing pieces or storing pieces. I encourage them to reuse the cups, either giving them back to me at the end of the game or taking them and using the cup for their own purpose.

Now the fun begins. I have a container with slips of paper that have every clue in every possible combination they could have in their boards. For "treble clef" bingo, the slips say such things as "M space 2" or "I line 4." To play, the students have to know the lines and spaces of the treble clef. "Space 2" corresponds to "A," so for the first example the students would look to see if they placed an "A" in their "M" column. The second example, "D" in the "I" column. We usually do the first 3 together (call it out, discuss it, look on the boards) to make sure everyone understands how to play, then away we go!!!

I personally like to have a few winners (3-5) before I have them clear their boards and start over. I keep track of what I have "called" by using either a white board, a document camera, or some sort of tech app (such as a Promethean slate). That way I don't get confused, the students can see what has been called, and while I'm checking if a student has gotten "Bingo" the others can check their boards and/or catch up.

And, yes, we play for prizes. It could be simple stuff: lollipops, pencils, erasers, additional M&Ms or Skittles. Depending on my class size, I may bring in larger items: full-size candy bars, PopTarts, treats, doodads from the dollar store.

For rhythm bingo, it could be based on note values ("M 4 beats") or clapping simple rhythms for an audio version. For vocabulary, it would be definitions dependent on your unit ("M quick and lively").

I have found that all middle school students love Bingo, whether they are 6th grade or 8th grade. They are having a blast and I am reinforcing the lesson in my unit.