Back to School: Teacher's In Sign

I was looking at some other music blogs recently and I came across a brilliant idea on Miscellaneous Me.  Cara created a "Teacher's In" sign for her door.  I love this!

From my desk, I cannot see the main entrance to my room.  This can be kind of a pain since I eat lunch in my room.  There are times when I am up and down several times to answer the door.  This sign, I hope, will relieve some of that.  It's also going to be great for planning time or when I'm not in my room.

I started with this purple foam sign from the dollar store.  They also had them in pink.  It did have a flimsy ribbon handle to hang the sign with but I cut that off.

I decided that I wanted a border and some cute flowers like Cara's, so I used some ribbon I had around the house.  I cut the ribbon to about the length of each side.  There are many tutorials out there on how to make flowers out of fabric and ribbon, mine was a bit of luck.  If you could see the mess of thread on the back of it you would laugh!  Since I am no expert, Google it, you will most certainly have better luck.  :)

Using double sided tape, I attached the ribbon to the edge of the sign.

I trimmed the corners to match the rounded edge of the sign.

Used double sided tape to attach the flower.

Then added my name using some silver glitter adhesive letters from Michaels ($5.99 before a coupon).

The letters stick okay to the foam.  Any suggestions on how to keep them on?

I'm not completely done yet, I still have to create signs for in/out/busy to stick on during the day.  I'll take pictures of it during my classroom tour!

Back to School: Stickers

Look what I bought at Target this week!

Aren't they cute?  They were around $3.00 (a bit pricey for the number of stickers).  You can find them with the school supplies.  There were other packs with peace signs, so you may need to dig through the rack to find these.  You may even be able to wait a few weeks and get them on clearance!

Freebie - Word Wall Toppers

I have been meaning to add my Word Wall Toppers to my Freebie section but for one reason or another forgot.  You can still right click and save them from this summers post but I have made it easier by saving all of the toppers in one pdf that you can request in the Freebie section.

Velcro Crafts

I didn't think I would be posting again until the New Year but I received a cute gift today that I thought was worth sharing.  One of my colleagues, a first grade teacher, stopped by with this gift:

I have not seen velcro crafts before and I was very excited about how I could use these in my classroom.  Here's a pic of what comes in the package:

This morning I experimented with hanging a few.  They are really easy to put up, takes just a few seconds.  I created a little area to display notes and artwork from students.  I chose a spot where my kids will be able to see their creations when they are waiting in line.

I'm thinking these could be fun for an eye spy game while in line.  Or any number of other activities.  I'll have to see how I can use them.  I'll post any games or other ideas I come up with!

Seat Numbers Part 3

I posted this beautiful picture of my risers with their seat numbers back in August.

They looked beautiful, all evenly placed but I don't know what I was thinking.  I cut these tiny, cute, little, petite squares of contact paper that just overlapped each seat number by a bit.  Ha!  They lasted like that for all of 3 days.  After they started falling off left and right, I cut bigger squares and I must say they lasted a long time but over the last two weeks they all started biting the dust.  

You can see there aren't many left!

I have them piled on my desk, new contact paper ready but they have been laying there unattended for the last few days because I can't figure out how I want to proceed.  Do I re-contact paper them to the risers or is there a better way?  Any suggestions out there?  I must admit the contact paper works well  but at this rate I would have to redo them at least once a quarter and I know there has to be something that is more practical than that.  While I know that I probably don't need them at this point, my kids know where their seats are, I want something permanent that I don't have to redesign next year.  So, until I come up with a solution, they will sit on my desk!  

Treble Clef Words

I can remember doing Treble Clef worksheets in middle school and enjoying them and my students still enjoy doing this same activity.  Throughout the first 9 weeks of school I had my 5th graders work on writing their own Treble Clef Words.  

Using notebook paper, I made a sample; I traced the lines of the notebook paper to create a staff and then drew a Treble Clef.  When I introduced this idea to my classes, I had them write the music alphabet at the top of their papers.  I found that this made it easier for them to come up with words because they could visually see the letters rather than have to think of them off the top of their heads.  I demonstrated the word "Add" on my paper and how to use a bar line to separate the words on the staff.

I was quite impressed with some of the words they created; defaced, beaded.  This was not something I spent a lot of time on.  The papers were kept in their music folders and when we had a few extra minutes, they could work on writing a few more words.  

This week was the end of the quarter, so I went through their folders and picked out some of the best work to share in the hallway.  I copied the treble clef staff onto some colored paper and then slipped them into sheet protectors.  (I cut the 3 whole punched part of the sleeve off.)  

The reason I displayed them this way was so that I could change out the words from time to time.  I wrote the name of the child at the top of the sleeve using a dry erase marker and then attached an index card to the bottom of each staff.  When flipped up, the index card reveals the answer.  

Rhythm Building Blocks In Use

This week we sang about the zoo and created a B section using the Rhythm Building Blocks.  Here are the words my students came up with to match the rhythms on the blocks.  Each class was slightly different but ti-ti ta seemed to always be kangaroo.

More on Rhythm Building Blocks.

The Spaces Spell FACE!

In 4th grade Game Plan there is a suggestion to have students make a face so that they will remember that the spaces spell face.  So, for the past 3 years, I have had kids make faces to decorate our music room.  I love seeing what they create from year to year!

The sign was created by a 5th grade students older sibling.  I told her what I wanted and she made this beautiful sign!

I give this as a homework assignment.  These are the faces I have had returned so far.  I don't get 100% participation but most of the kids end up bringing theirs in.  I give each student a paper plate and they can create any face they want, using any medium they want.  They can cut their plate, add more paper to it, anything goes as long as its a face.

Rhythm Building Blocks

I learned about the Rhythm Building Blocks (technically called Bricks in Keetman's book) during my level II.  I loved the idea but I have never really incorporated them into my lessons.  This year I am trying to find as many ways as possible to incorporate them.  I have found that my kids have a hard time with clapping the rhythm of words, so it's something that I want to work on throughout the year.

I started the year off using them with 2nd grade (I wrote about this lesson earlier:  2nd Grade: First "Real" Lesson).  For this lesson, I chose the words to coordinate with each rhythm pattern but the next time we experience them, I will choose a theme and ask the kids to come up with words that fit the rhythms.  This is not only a great way for kids to visualize the rhythm but there is such a strong connection to syllables and reading.  I actually write the words under each rhythm using a dry erase marker (my blocks are laminated), so that I can easily move them from place to place.

To help build this into my lessons and visually remind myself (I am very visual!), I posted them on my cabinets.  Now they are easily visible and accessible anytime.  If something happens in the creative process we can just pull them down and create an ostinato, introduction, etc. on the spot.  They are also placed where the kids can see them while sitting in line, so I'm thinking we can even play a game with them at some point this year.

I attached the blocks to my cabinets using velcro dots (what a fabulous product!).  I made sure to put the loop side on the block so that they won't scratch any little fingers if we take them down to move around the room.

Don't have a set of blocks?  They are a free resource here:  http://www.scalantropio.com/Orff/images/building%20bricks.pdf

Audience Behavior

Back door display.  Another check mark on my list of things that needed to be completed.  I created these over the summer and finally have them hung in my room.  These will be great as I prepare my 2-5 graders for their music field trips.

Look Who's in the Spotlight

I have mentioned before how much a feel like I am playing catch up this year and I still feel that way but this afternoon I made a bit of progress.  One of the projects I  have been wanting to get done is my hall bulletin board.  Open House is coming up and it's time to show off what we have been doing.  So, this afternoon that's what I worked on!

I was inspired by this pin:

http://www.izzyshare.com/ideabulletinboard

But I wanted my board to feature our school colors, so I added a bit of blue fabric and some cute frames from Lakeshore Learning!  Soon I will have pictures of my Maestro of the Month and Spotlight Performers in those frames.

Mrs. P, our PE teacher was helping me hang everything and she taught me a cool trick.  The staples were pretty obvious on the letters, so we took Sharpies and colored over them and now they are barely visible.

Time to Pause

Tomorrow is Friday and I don't know which makes me happier, the fact that it's Friday or that I get to wear jeans!

Anyways....early I posted pics of my classroom and at that point I was waiting for a few things to be laminated.  One of those was my thinking spot poster. This is new to my room this year.  I wanted something that included directions for what a child should do if they have to take a time out.

Here's my poster!

Below are the directions, feel free to print and use this.

Solfege Ladder

I'm sure you have seen or may even have this solfege ladder in your classroom.  I bought mine a few years ago from West (here's the link: Solfege Ladder ).  When I received my ladder I wasn't happy with the fact that it didn't have the syllables written on each pitch in the scale.  I created my own little labels to place on each card (they aren't laminated, just printed on copy paper and mounted to colored paper).  I wanted to be able to easily take pitches on and off when I needed to, so I attached them using magnetic tape.

Now that I have lived with this visual for a few years, I love it!  It is so great to be able to take the pitch names on and off.  This seems to help students focus on the pitches in the song they are learning and visually see the steps and skips in the pattern.  I have noticed that they are better able to find steps/skips on the barred instruments than if I had all of the pitches labeled.

I also make sure to always hang the scale vertically.  I have seen it hung horizontally before, and while I guess this may be a great way to connect to the barred instruments, I feel it is easier to visualize up/down, high/low when the scale is placed vertically.

5-S Line

I'm sure you have seen the 4-S Line posters all over Pinterest.  This is how Mrs. M (my art teacher buddy) introduced me to the world of pinning.  She was making a sign for her classroom and she had changed the poster to 5-S.  Since she shared Pinterest with me, where she originally found the idea, I have been a Pinterest junkie!

The 5th S that she added was sitting.  We both have the kids sit in line and wait for their teachers to pick them up, so this was the perfect addition.  Over the summer I made my own poster in Photoshop and now it is hanging on the inside of the door to my classroom.

Do you like this poster?  If the answer is yes, then I have good news for you.  I will be giving away a poster to a member of my blog.  More details coming soon.

2012-2013 Classroom Tour

I finally had a moment today to take pictures of my classroom set up.  I was hoping to have more done before I took these pics but honestly this year seems to have been more hectic than others.  As you will probably notice, I haven't even had a minute to put my word wall cards back in the pocket charts.

I have finally come to grips with the fact that it will just have to wait for another day.  I have a few more days of my beginning of the year lesson before we start really getting into things, so that is a bit comforting.  Hopefully be the end of week 2 all wall decor/unpacking will be done.  Fingers crossed!  :)

This is the entrance to my classroom.  Not pictured here but to the left of the door is the Performer's Corner, a display where I post information to keep my performing groups organized.  To the right is my Pluck-a-Note display.

I got this idea from my best buddy, the art teacher at my school.  She always posts Art Advocacy materials on or outside her door.  It's so great to have this information posted when administration is giving a new family a tour of the school or for classroom teachers as they wait to pick up their kids.

The view from the door.

Inside the door I have my bookcases and rocking chair.  I love having this space to sit and play line games with my students while we wait for their teachers.  (Looking at it now, I realize how much more is still boxed up!  Those bottom shelves are bare.)  I also keep my recorder karate belts and recorder karate music next to my chair.  Check out this related post:  Recorder Karate .

On my cabinets are my Word Wall and Fingering Charts.  If you notice I have trapezoid tables behind my risers.  Instead of having the barred instruments on the floor in an instrumentarium, I have my students rotate around the tables.  In Kindergarten, we sit in rows and play instruments.  I will take another picture later in the year but normally my BX/BM/CBB are in the corner between the red and blue risers but for now they are still in the cabinets.

Behind the green and blue risers and next to the back door, I have a cabinet with drums, found sounds and my white boards.  I also house my tubanos along this wall.  And down at the end is my thinking spot.  I will post more on this later.

I moved this book case up front this year.  It was back where the tubanos are now and it was such a pain to get to these instruments.  Much easier!!!  On the bathroom door is my Common Board Configuration .

Under my bulletin board I have storage units that I bought at Target.  In the green and blue bins are the instruments I use most frequently with Kindergarten.  These containers are easy for them to move in and out and are close to where they sit.  Below are close ups of the labels and contents of the bins.  I use these instrument labels throughout my room.  

My white board and glockenspiel storage.

 Doc cam and more storage.  In this unit I have all of my movement resources (scarves, ribbons, balls, etc.) extra mallets, and rewards.  Behind the cabinet is my desk and on the wall are my rules.  I got my rules from Sandy Lantz at my Level I.

 Earlier in the summer I posted this: Summer Project  I ended up finding the Laiva desk at Ikea.  It was cheaper, sturdier and the color blended with my cabinets.

And it has a nice little space for pen storage.

 It has taken me 3 years to figure out that I could move the piano!  Not really.  I just didn't figure out that I had the space to move the piano away from my desk in order to have a path for me to walk through.  I spent 3 years walking from the front of my classroom all the way around to where the doc cam was behind my desk!  Sometimes I wonder about myself.  :)

 My space.

Behind the piano is a sink area.  This is where I keep extra copies of newsletters and recorder karate packets.