Language+Arts+in+Early+Music+Education

Here's John Webber's EDLA-615 Wiki page.

As a Music teacher in a PreK to 2nd grade Elementary school, I don't generally have a need educationally for a [|wiki space]. I have however, made great use of the web-space that the New Paltz School District has provided me. [|Here] I can post music clips of my classes singing songs we've learned, lyrics to those songs so the classroom teachers might be able to reinforce the songs, as well as schedules and lesson plans.

I view every song I teach as an opportunity for Language Arts integration. Whether the purpose of the song is to teach steady beat, rhythm, or melody (the primary concepts at that age), I can usually demonstrate a link to the language therein.

Please feel free to comment on this page, or add links at will.

John Webber http://www.newpaltz.k12.ny.us/local/duzine/Teachers/jrwebber/index.htm

===Before starting to create your site, teachers should set goals for their homepage, the major goal being to improve communication between parent, students and teachers. Classrooms homepages are an invaluable addition to the classroom.=== (Marianne DeMarco)

The harsh reality of trying to utilize technology as a learning tool can best be summed up by response of the principal where I am currently employed. "Mr. Cohen, I have browsed through your website, complete with a discussion board and decided this could only be dangerous for the school. I am afraid of how this is going to be monitored in lieu of what happened last year. A teacher was online with one of her students who allegedly had written something suggestive to the teacher. We do not need any type of trouble like that again." (End of discussion) Needless to say, although I am still employed at this particular public school, I have an interview next week at a High School where technology is appreciated and presented on a daily basis. I am chomping at the bit to use my site exactly for the reasons listed above by Marianne. (Brett Cohen)

Language Arts in Early Music Education When I think about this subject I think about songs, lyrics, writing and thought. I work in an Elementary Public School with students with special need. We have students that are verbal and non -verbal, student that are low to high functioning. We have student in preschool to 5th grade. We make modifications to the curriculum to teach our students. We use Mayer Johnson Boardmaker to make communication boards and song boards. [|http://www.mayer-johnson.com/.] We make different types of communication boards. Depending on the type of classroom, we make song boards appropriate for each class. This an example of a type of song board. Hokey Pokey http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/hokey.htm This gives you the instrumental song. Here is an example of a song board using Mayer Johnson picture symbols. Hokey Pokey.pdf

Dianne Van Dunk