Back to school feels different this year. I am starting classes face to face, but I am already putting together plans for the possibility of moving to distance learning this semester. I want to share some of the resources that I'll be using.
Boom Cards
Where have they been all of my life? To students, they feel like a game. A variety of activities ask students to name notes, identify note values, do musical math, identify and classify instruments and more. When students get an answer right they hear a happy "ding" and when they get it wrong a silly "ooops". I love that!
Boom Cards are meant to be played online so I'll send students a link to their file via Google Classroom or email. Some of the activities that I assign, I'll use as assessment grades. Others will just be great review and practice.
Depending on the kind of account you have, depends on whether or not you can track your students' progress. For a small fee, you can assign a deck (that's a group of the question/activity cards) to your students. They set up an account (easy and private) and you track their progress. Assessment couldn't be easier!
With the free account, you don't get to track students but you assign a "quick link". This allows students to complete the activity but you don't get to track the results. I use this option often.
Boom Cards are hosted on BoomLearning.com but you can also purchase them at TeachersPayTeachers. You can try each of the games in full screen mode to experience what your students will experience. Check out my Boom Cards on TeachersPayTeachers or on Boom Learning.
Poison Rhythm Games
My students LOVE to play poison rhythm games in my classroom. Poison Rhythm can be played but I play in two specific ways. In the first way I clap a rhythm and students echo it. I declare this the poison rhythm and once the game starts, they should echo clap every rhythm except the poison one. Whoever does is out or we play so that if they get it right then the class gets a point but if anyone messes up the teacher gets the point. FUN!
We also play with visuals. I have several Poison Rhythm Games in my TeachersPayTeachers store. These PDF files are fun to use and have fun clipart too. The rules are the same except instead of clapping a rhythm I say "One, two, ready, clap" and students clap the rhythm they see unless it is the poison rhythm.
For distance learning I will either record myself with the cards like in this sample video or I will send them the pdf and have them practice themselves or a family member.
Check out some poison rhythm games HERE.
Google Slide Activities
My district is a Google Classroom district which I am learning to love. My 3rd, 4th and 5th graders know how to use it and I can assign activities there, post questions, share videos and more. Last year I created some activities to use in Google Slides. When I assigned these to students I forced a copy to them that way they weren't editing my original. Learn more about that in this video by Sherry Stanton. Students use them in "edit" mode and then send their assignment back to my via Classroom. It was so much easier than I imagined and I hope to use even more activities this year.
You can take a look at my Google Slide activities HERE.
Flip Grid
In the spring of 2020 the "teaching" I did felt more like emergency teaching than teaching virtually. If the need arises this fall, I think it is important to find ways to let students sing some of our favorite songs! Flip Grid is free for educators and allows teachers and students to create and share privately videos and video responses. It is an easy and safe way to actually HEAR what students are composing, singing or playing. Aileen Miracle has a great post that discusses FlipGrid. Check it out HERE.
You Can Do This!
I know that this year may seem daunting, but you can do this and I will help in anyway I can. Best wishes, friends. Stay safe!
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