Kids Learn Better With a Song in Their Hearts
Do you recall the multiplication tables, grammatical terms, or historical documents because of a song you learned as a kid? Educators recognize that teaching with song makes learning not only more fun, but more effective and long-lasting.
Keeping Art Alive Under NCLB
While nothing in the No Child Left Behind Act says schools must eliminate the arts to concentrate on math and reading, arts instruction is shrinking or vanishing in many schools. Arts advocates say the arts are critical to a complete education.
O, Say, Does Your Class Know the National Anthem?
For years, students learned "The Star-Spangled Banner" and other patriotic songs in music class. Budget cuts,
though, have forced many schools to eliminate music, so the National Association for Music Education is urging
people to learn and sing the anthem.
Learning Takes Center Stage in Second Grade Opera Company
When Ellen Levine saw firsthand the benefits of having students create, stage, and perform an original opera,
she couldn't have known that she would become part of a dynamic teaching team in a classroom with opera at its
center.
Music's Key Role in Helping Students Learn
Music's positive impact on learning is becoming well known, and one of the groups trumpeting that message is NAMM,
the International Music Products Association. NAMM's Mary Luehrsen talked about the research behind the group's
message.
Putting the Arts in the (Everyday) Picture
While for the most part the arts have been on the fringes of education, when they become a larger part of the
curriculum, they can engage students in numerous ways, and particularly can benefit students in low-income, low-performing
schools.
Strategies That Work: Music
"I started writing [music] as a way of helping myself (and my colleagues) survive the year with an intact sense
of humor," educator and songsmith Eric Baylin told Education World. But teachers aren't the only "savage beasts"
who are soothed and inspired by music. Discover how music is being used in schools to enhance and support learning.
Eek! Comics in the Classroom!
Are you looking for a way to motivate reluctant readers, engage urban youth, develop the comprehension skills
of second-language learners, or teach visual literacy to elementary level students? Have you considered using
comics and graphic novels?
Building Close-Knit Communities: Knitting Makes a Comeback
Knitting is a great activity for students with ADHD. It makes a great recess activity, and it meshes with the
multiple-intelligences philosophy. And it's catching on in schools around the country! Included: Learn why knitting
works from teachers at two schools.
Morning Sing: School's Weekly Tradition Is Music to the Ears
What has "risk takers" performing on stage, teachers reading and singing to the entire school, and students still
talking about events from elementary school years later? It's Lake Street School's "Morning Sing," a weekly event
that brings together the entire school.
Strike up the Band, Exit Stage Right!
In the Internet, TV, video game-age, kids draping a sheet in a garage to "stage" a "play" seems quaint. But author
and performer Deborah Dunleavy wants children to create their own dramas and music, and has written guidebooks
both kids and teachers can use.
Strategies That Work: Timelines
Across the grades and curriculum, teachers treasure the value of timelines; the ultimate graphic organizers. Timelines
provide visual tools for studying brief periods of time -- a day, a year, an individual's life -- or for examining
a topic across centuries.
Strategies That Work: Poetry Slam
Blend poetry and theater to create a fun event that emphasizes creativity while developing students' thinking
and presentation skills. Use a slam as a Poetry Month fundraiser or Parents Night event, or as an antidote to
the winter blahs or end-of-year slump.
Strategies That Work: Creating ABC Books
Have you ever had your students write ABC books? Creating ABC books reinforces language skills and develops research
skills. The activity also is a unique tool for turning students into teachers, as they share what they learn about
a curriculum-related topic.
From "Pretty" to Practical: Using Bulletin Boards to Teach
If you've ever been guilty of ignoring a clearly out-of-date bulletin board or of putting up "anything" that will
do, maybe it's time to give your bulletin boards a second look. Experts tell Education World that classroom boards
can be more than just "wallflowers" -- they can be tools for teaching too!
Reader's Theater: A Reason to Read Aloud
The Reader's Theater strategy blends students' desire to perform with their need for oral reading practice. RT
offers an entertaining and engaging way to improve fluency and enhance comprehension. Included: RT tips from the
experts!
Could Your School Be a Money "Wiener?"
The Oscar Mayer School House Jam Talent Search offers schools the opportunity to win enough money to start or
restart their music programs. All it takes is a song!
Music to Our Ears
In the past, because written music requires basic music literacy, the songs that children created on the spur
of the moment were difficult to record, replicate, or edit. Technology has solved that problem by providing a
number of inexpensive ways in which children can write and record their own music. Discover how fifth graders
at California's Village School composed original rondos and created their own CD.
Opera Is a Class Act!
In an effort to enhance learning in all subjects, some teachers and school districts have adopted a musical medium
-- opera! As students become acquainted with Aida and The Barber of Seville, they develop their
understanding of music, language, and culture. One teacher who is infusing her own classroom with opera points
out that it isn't necessary to be an opera aficionado to introduce pupils to Puccini!
Make It Happen: Awesome Author and Illustrator Visits!
Don't squander a precious resource! Learn how to transform a school author or illustrator visit from an hour of
entertainment into a life-long connection to reading and writing. Education World writer Leslie Bulion talked
to Toni Buzzeo and Jane Kurtz, children's authors and co-authors of Terrific Connections with Authors,
Illustrators and Storytellers, about how to help students get the most out of meeting the folks who write
the books kids love to read.
'Art Guitars' Auction to Benefit Music Education!
Staff members at the Fender Museum of Music and the Arts in Corona, California, hope funds from an on-line auction
of celebrity-painted "art guitars" will help them build a larger music center and let them provide free music
lessons for a greater number of kids. The museum's program is one of many nationwide private initiatives to support
music education. Included: Links to national organizations that promote music education.
Special Program Brings Student Excellence to Life!
"The most important thing I learned was if you work hard and put all of your heart into something, the final product
will be excellent," said Heather. "It made me see that I could be more creative than I thought I could be," added
Jordan. Those are the comments of two of the students challenged by a special program that paired the imaginations
of 13 fifth-graders and two artists-in-residence. To participate, students must submit portfolios containing original
writing and an art form. Could such a program work in your school?
When the Curtain Goes Up, All Kids Shine!
This year, fourth graders at Keeney Street School in Manchester, Connecticut, went back to the future! In their
end-of-year play, they became well-known singers of the 50s who had had been cryogenically frozen for decades.
Director Michael Norman said participating in performances such as this teaches children cooperation, presentation,
and stage presence and emphasizes the importance of following directions and listening.
Bettie Lake: Building a Home for Art Teachers on the Internet
Of all of the usual school subjects, art might be considered one of the least compatible with computers and the
Internet. Not so! Students can create art with their computers and experience virtual galleries they might never
access in person, and teachers can communicate via the Net to exchange ideas and show off their students' work.
Bettie Lake is one art teacher who built a Web site for educators who are looking for a guide to art resources
on the Web.
Making the Case for Music Education
What will it be -- music or computers? In some communities, it all comes down to that question. New research,
special programs, and dedicated teachers and community members are helping to make a solid case for putting music
"Bach" into our schools!
WANTED: Art Teachers Willing to Share!
Art teacher Pete Sotelo is looking to add to his "collection" of lesson plans by collaborating with other art
teachers on-line. Here, he offers three of his best activities. Do you have an idea to share with him? Included:
Take a look at Web pages created by a handful of other art teachers!
Making the Case for the Fourth `R’: Art!
Reading and ’riting and ’rithmetic and ’rt (art)? Many school districts are strengthening the art components of
their curricula in light of new research on the benefits of arts education.
