Standard 4 Content Knowledge
The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and creates learning experiences that make the discipline accessible and meaningful for learners to assure mastery of the content.
Reflection
The teacher can organize their content area to where it can be accessed by all learners in their classroom. Through using different means of communication such as digital media. While considering making it relevant and meaningful to the students, this will assist them to gain knowledge and practice their mastery of the content.
Artifact 1 -
Note & Rest Grab game
This game Note & Rest Grab is provided through the online music curriculum, QuaverEd. Through this activity, it provides meaningful connection between the content and their own experiences such as loving the sport of soccer.
Within the game, it helps my 1st grade students to practice their note values of the quarter note, quarter rest and eighth notes. Each team is assigned to the color row they are sitting on. You can reference the seating chart that is on Standard 1, Artifact 1 if you’re interested in looking at it. The team gets to have one of their members come up and put as many notes and rests in the correct goal before the time runs out. After each team has gone, the team with the most goals wins and gets to choose a freeze dance video. I have my students do a few more rounds so other students get a chance to practice. This activity allows students to build their social skills while mastering their knowledge on recognizing note and rest values.
I realized that during this past year that I have been using the Kodaly method (using syllables to differentiate between note values) instead of alternating between this and their technical name. I would like to do this for in the future so that I can assess their level of understanding. What I could also do is present this as another challenge to them and explain that to master this would be a level 4. By scoring a level 4, it is the highest level you can gain in any content area. I will be curious to see how this evolves by implementing it this way.
Artifact 2 -
Steady beat with Boomwhackers
This is one of my favorite activities to do with my students on mastering the steady beat. While practicing this skill, it also exposes them to learn about rhythm and pitches. In the song “Peaches” from the Super Mario Brothers movie, this arrangement for Boomwhackers was done by Swick’s Classroom. This provides an opportunity for students to make a connection between songs from video games and movies to elements we learn in music.
When presenting this for the first time, I have the students do body percussion by tapping or patting various parts of the body such as the head, shoulders, elbow, etc. I encourage them if they know the song to sing along. Then I remind them of the expectations when playing an instrument before handing out the Boomwhackers. We go through the song again, this time, playing with these.
With my kindergarten classes, we only focus on the beat. With 1st and 2nd grade, I bring their attention to the different lengths of the Boomwhackers. This allows them to critically think about how each one is different not just by the color, but how high or low the sound it makes depending on the length of the instrument. To take it further for 2nd grade, I redirect their attention to how there are three or four pitches playing at the same time throughout the video. This is what is required to make a chord. Through the interest in video games and movies, it makes it relatable for my students and able to present elements in music in a meaningful way to them.