Reflection #8 Music

Note: I missed class last week because of my illness, and was disappointed because music is my favorite arts subject.

The textbook's definition of music is "sound patterns over time intended to express moods, ideas, or feelings". (Creating Meaning Through Literature and the Arts) Music can be used as a valuable tool in teaching students in the classroom. I plan to use music in helping my students memorize facts and concepts, as background sound to help stimulate thinking, for brain boosters, for exercise activities, and to have an enjoyable experience in learning.

It is important to teach students musical elements and concepts, how music has developed and how it defines different cultures. Music has always played an important part of history and I think students should be taught about the influence of it. Also, students and teachers need to know that they don't have to be professionals in music. They just need the desire to learn a new skill.

I want to be able to integrate music in my classroom. First of all, this is going to require some research in finding songs and activities that will increase learning and that will match the core. Starting at preschool age, children learn their abc's by music. It is much easier to learn by lyrics and melody and students will be able to retain their knowledge better if facts are taught by music. I would like to incorporate music in behavior reminders, classroom rules, helping with self-esteem, and physical exercise. I have used music in kindergarten (as a substitute) as a teaching tool for learning colors, rhymes, abc's, and as substitute for physical education activities when outside recess was not allowed. I have also used classical music to help students concentrate on math problems. I have seen it's positive influence in these situations. Music will help me teach Math, Science, Language Arts, and will also help to create a RAD classroom. My students will definitely be exposed to music in our classroom.

Reflection #7 Creative Dance #2

Reflection #7 Creative Dance Wk #2

As I have experienced dance and creative movement in Creative Arts class, I have realized that a person doesn't have to be talented and coordinated to participate in these activities. I also found out that the more I participated in the creative movement activities, the more I felt comfortable doing them.

I like how creative dance can be integrated into academics. I think it was quite easy planning these activities around picture books and by using the ideas in our textbook. I enjoyed coming up with plans for our group presentation and it was fun participating in some of the other group's activities. I like this strategy and plan to use the ideas created by my classmates, along with others that I create, and from books written by other teachers. I would like to involve my students in this type of active learning. I will also encourage my students to be considerate of others and to include everyone in these activities, so that every child will feel comfortable enough to participate.

Using creative movement and dance is a good tool to use because it not only teaches and reinforces facts and information, but students can have a chance to express themselves in their own way. Additionally, children will get up and move, which will give them a chance to exercise, without them even realizing that they are doing just that.

Reflection #6 Creative Dance

I, like many others perceived dance as techniques learned in classes such as ballet, jazz, and tap. I'm not a very coordinated person and I was happy to see that it didn't matter what the movements are in creative dance. It was up to my own imagination and creativity how my body moved. It made it a little less embarrassing to participate.

I am continually amazed at how the arts can be integrated into the curriculum. Not only can dance be used as a tool in grabbing a student's attention and interest, but it also can be used to help them remember what has been taught, and help them with higher order thinking. I like how the text says, "Dance is the art that puts the curriculum in motion." I felt it did just that as we performed the water cycle last week. I am really amazed that students can even learn or review math through dance.

I think one of the most interesting things that I learned last week is that possibly children who are diagnosed with ADHD might just need to get up and move. The book says that dance triggers the brain to produce catecholamine which is an alertness hormone. I think it is great that we learn about helping our students be able to focus in class. In Psychology we do brain busters that serve the same purpose. After activities such as these, kids will be able to concentrate more and this will help in moving information from sensory memory- to working memory- to long-term memory.

I really like the idea of implementing creative arts, including creative movement into the curriculum. This will take a little extra planning, but it will be worth it in the long run. My students are worth the effort. They will be able to learn better, feel good about themselves, and be able to use their creativity, all while having a good time.

Reflection #5

Chapter 9 in our textbook discusses ideas on how to use drama skills and techniques for higher order thinking. Energizers and Warm-ups can be useful in motivating students. These activities can also stimulate the brain for use in creative problem solving, and can help increase concentration and focus. Pantomime can be a good tool for shy students or ESL students to make it easier for them to be able to express themselves in a comfortable way. Improvisation can be very useful in reviewing material. It also requires different ways of thought process. The use of drama in Literacy will bring about increased participation and is a great starting point for a theme or idea for writing projects.

I learned that there are many ways to implement a variety of skills while reading a book to the class. I particularly liked the activities that will help my students feel empathy toward the characters, especially in Non-Fiction books. When we participated in some of these activities in class, it was really cool to put ourselves into the place of the character and/or scenes. The story of Ruby Bridges can be a life changing experience as students learn about the challenges that she went through and that one person can make a difference. It was kind of sad to experience the kinds of treatment she received from other people as we as students participated in the “CarWash” activity. As we shouted at “Ruby” it really helped our class feel sympathy and a little empathy for her. The Imaginative/Sensory activities we participated in as we read some of the other books helped us feel like we were in the character’s shoes. These activities can draw students into the story and can be a powerful tool in teaching about real people and the sacrifices that they made. They can also stimulate creativity and imagination.

I would like to try several ideas from the information sheets and also from the textbook. There are so many ways to use drama and I will be able to refer to these ideas as I make my lesson plans. They will be very beneficial to me as a teacher.

I love the idea of Process Drama through reading books aloud in class. I particularly think these activities would benefit students in the study of Social Studies and Literacy Skills. I also liked the drama activities in class, such as the Reporter and the Panel activities. I especially like the idea of activities in groups, so that everyone can feel comfortable and not be put on the spot. These activities can be really good assessment techniques for end of units. I was amazed that we can even use drama in learning grammar (such as in the adverb game) and also in math. Who knew?

Creative Arts Reflection #4

I took a drama class in high school and considered drama as just acting, such as in a play or musical.  In our Creative Arts class I learned that there are many uses for drama.  It can be very useful in teaching, assessing, in motivating, and it also builds social skills (just to name a few).  I am excited about learning how to implement these ideas in my classroom.  It will be so much more fun to design and carryout lesson plans when these creative ideas that we learn in class and from the book are used in our planning. 

I was a little nervous during the theatre games last week, but it helped to be able to work in groups.  I did enjoy the narrative activity.  I like to read stories (especially picture books) to my students when I substitute and I think this will be a great way to reinforce many subjects when I have a class of my own.  Who knew that drama could be used in teaching math?  I would like to use the idea of "Daily Math" where students pantomime how math is used in everyday life and also role-playing story problems.  These activities will help my students find that learning math will be useful to them. 

Drama activities can be helpful in the academic achievement of students.  It can improve reading comprehension, oral language, and writing skills.  It can also be beneficial to students with learning disabilities, ESL students, and students from families with low incomes. 

I will definitely find ways to include drama in my classroom.  I will also find ways that students in my class who are shy or uncomfortable can participate and will have the desire to do so.  Adding drama to my lessons and activities will add excitement to the classroom and it will also help my students attain higher academic achievements.  It's a win-win situation, I think!