tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post1032531977083408927..comments2024-03-22T17:41:31.183+11:00Comments on Literacy, families and learning: Using Music and Songs to Improve LiteracyTrevor Cairneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-7832981216433776812014-02-15T08:25:21.020+11:002014-02-15T08:25:21.020+11:00I teach special education in the self-contained se...I teach special education in the self-contained setting, and I must say, music is one of the only things that all of my students enjoy. I know that some of my students enjoy painting, while others prefer to write down their thoughts and ideas; some enjoy hands-on experiments, while others don't like to get their hands dirty. But the one thing that they all enjoy is music. If I can find a way to incorporate any type of music into my lessons, their attention span doubles!<br /><br />What is so interesting to me is how much putting a concept to music helps it "stick" in a child's brain. For example, while reading an adapted version of Frankenstein, we were discussing the bones in the human body and the various parts that Dr. Frankenstein sewed together to make his monster. One student jumped up and began singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes". Before I knew it, a new connection was made in each student's brain and they had a song to relate to the story.<br /><br />My students read on a very low level, and I am always looking for new strategies to assist them while reading. One thing that this post has encouraged me to do is add more music to their literacy instruction. I considered music and literacy two separate entities (except for rhyming) until reading this article.<br /><br />Thank you!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05971837143922883207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-37675978633309767732014-02-15T02:12:42.361+11:002014-02-15T02:12:42.361+11:00I am a strong proponent for music within the class...I am a strong proponent for music within the classroom. As a general education classroom teacher, I had music playing all day for my students. Depending on the activity, we could go from upbeat music students could sing and move to, to slow and calm music that allowed the brain to be calm and effective. My students thrived on the music and enjoyed it being a part of their routine. During reading and writing, students tended to remain more focused as music was playing and were able to produce far better work. <br />I always think back to when I was younger and my parents would say “how do you always remember the lyrics to the songs, but not your______________.” As you can imagine, this always stuck with me, and as I see my students growing as learners, I see similar traits. I would like to incorporate music and song into my classroom to see how students progress with those topics as well. Even if that means students are creating a song based on their understanding, it would be something meaningful and hopefully something they can hook onto in remembering.<br />You bring up a good point as making sure the song choice is appropriate. Students may use different songs, or hear different songs, that aren’t necessarily appropriate. As the teacher, supporting this inclusion, it would be critical that I choose appropriate songs to support student learning rather than hinder it.Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00707278878358886256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-56767880833485449242014-02-12T21:52:14.133+11:002014-02-12T21:52:14.133+11:00Thanks for your comments Terri and Susan, some gre...Thanks for your comments Terri and Susan, some great insights. Trevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-90708638029001922962014-02-12T03:37:18.447+11:002014-02-12T03:37:18.447+11:00I agree that music and songs can absolutely be use...I agree that music and songs can absolutely be used to help improve literacy. I have had students in the past that really struggled with remembering enough of a story to have even basic comprehension, but somehow these students could sing and write all the words for their favorite songs. There is something about setting the words to a specific rhythm or tunes that somehow helps us to remember it. <br />While teaching 7th grade social studies several years ago, I did a lesson using songs when teaching about the Vietnam War. I not only played the songs for the students, but I also gave them copies of the lyrics so that they could follow along. We then look them apart line by line to talk about meaning and the feelings that were being conveyed. I made sure that I had songs that represented both sides of the public opinion related to the war; those that were opposed and those that were for it. I also asked students to research on their own other songs that related to this issue. Using the music and lyrics as a way to express and explain this time in world history had a great impact on my students. It made it much more personal and “real” to them than the information presented in the textbook. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-24275813521467647662014-02-11T11:59:01.599+11:002014-02-11T11:59:01.599+11:00I really like the ideas shared here about using so...I really like the ideas shared here about using songs to teach literacy skills. I teach kindergarten students with special needs, and music is very motivating to them. We use similar strategies to the ones listed in your post when we study nursery rhymes, but I hadn’t thought about using songs. My students attend better to musical activities than to any other kind, so I think that these activities would hold their attention well. I will definitely be using the words to songs to work on sight words and word families. There are so many songs that my students love and request daily that we could work on these strategies using those songs for many weeks. I think that your urging to carefully select songs is critical, and I would probably begin with shorter songs with more repetition within the lyrics. I also had never considered songs as journal topics, but I think familiar songs would be a motivating topic for students, as well.Susan Esranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-8282873035796101762014-01-30T07:53:57.310+11:002014-01-30T07:53:57.310+11:00I have watched students begin a testing session in...I have watched students begin a testing session in an English classroom and before the test starts the first thing a student will ask is- “can we listen to music? Earlier generations may consider music a distraction especially when students have passages to read. However, with a new generation of students music may really help because they are so accustomed to being surrounded by some type of sound-whether it is a computer, a cellphone, headphones, etc… I have seen high school students create raps to remember dates in social studies classes and to learn concepts in a biology class. Many high school libraries are different as for as noise level. They are no longer environments of sssh… Quiet please, no talking. Students are talking, studying for a test with headphones and an ipod, creating projects with music as the background. Teachers are playing classical music in the background as teachers enter the room. This seems to have a calming effect on students and they become more focused to learn. It does bother me to watch a student try to read a passage and try to come up with a correct answer. Even though this is a different generation, I still see this as a distraction. However, if music will help students to become better readers and to do better in school we should allow them to listen and to use music. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02496965112092256545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-70170907990100734862014-01-17T21:02:40.068+11:002014-01-17T21:02:40.068+11:00True Sue, nursery rhymes, jingles and chants all e...True Sue, nursery rhymes, jingles and chants all encourage play with language. You just need to connect them later with print. Trevor Cairneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10743409298855125040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9200808769555430311.post-63320272451728407682014-01-15T09:38:16.618+11:002014-01-15T09:38:16.618+11:00Very interesting....this also links through to the...Very interesting....this also links through to the use of nursery rhymes and songs and other rhymes prior to school in developing phonemic awareness. You would also think it could encourage parental engagement with sending songs home.Sue Pearcehttps://www.facebook.com/100storiesbeforeschoolnoreply@blogger.com