Submitted by Anna Keay, Colorado
Idea posted October 23, 2002
When I arrived to teach music, the fifth graders were not at all keen on coming to music. Rebellion was written all over their faces! I decided to break them down into smaller groups using a 'centers' approach.
We would study a unit such as 'Medieval Music' and they would spend the lesson going 'round each activity. Some activities related to the unit, e.g. a sheet about Josquin Desprez or Medieval instruments and styles of music. There were always two units to do with listening and rhythm or notation. The children would listen to prerecorded cassettes of a particular piece of music (in this case, by the medieval composer they had learned of at another center) on individual headphones and fill in a simple sheet which helped them listen. At the rhythm/notation center they would be required to work out rhythms and play them/play two rhythms as a duet/work out intervals/put notes in correct order to make a popular tune then play it on the xylophone, etc.
I gave out 'tokens' (popsicle sticks - big budget!) to each team - 3 tokens for completing the task and 3 tokens for working well as a group. At first, certain personalities clashed in each group and it took some real self-discipline on their part to earn those tokens! But they were desperate to get the points. After about three weeks, I was amazed to see children helping each other and showing great consideration to each other. One of the most disruptive boys in the class amazed me when he gently took hold of a girl's hand and helped her beat out a difficult rhythm on a drum. This girl, up until then, had been incredibly introverted, and after that week, her confidence rose as she felt part of the group and able to participate. It was probably less humiliating to be helped by a peer than by the teacher.
At the end of the unit, we had a study week where all the worksheets were put in order and stapled into a booklet. We went through the booklet and they highlighted with markers the areas I really wanted them to study. The following week they sat a proper exam which was by no means simple. Class teachers were very helpful in adding difficult-to-spell words to their spelling lists for that week. I was again amazed at how well the children did in the exam, especially special ed. kids.
The following week we had an awards ceremony where everyone was presented with a certificate, and I highlighted a positive character trait I had noticed in each one, e.g. "Nathan gets this award because he was excellent at helping others," "Melissa is getting this award because she read instructions carefully and followed them." The team with the most tokens also got a small prize, like a pencil. Then we 'chilled out' with a video.
My classes were 50 minutes long. It took a LOT of hard work to get the centers set up initially, but once the children and I got into a routine of doing it, we could be set up and ready to go within five minutes. Adding up the tokens at the end took another five minutes, so we had ten minutes at each center. We also had 'regular' classes during which we would be learning songs or playing games to reinforce note-learning and rhythm.
By the end of the year, I no longer had a rebellious class, but a happy, participative class.