October 6th, 2017! Going BLENDED!

Welcome to the long weekend, Fine and Performing Arts Family!



Here are some pictures and recaps from the 
Thursday Professional Development Meetings...  


                 


At Letourneau, K-8 Music Teachers had the pleasure of being hosted by Ms. Becky Jontos, and walked away with the ability to plan a lesson using the Compose Yourself musical composition game.  These will be arriving in all schools very soon.

Tasks for K-8 Music:
  1. Watch video explaining features of Compose Yourself https://youtu.be/FstDf7YdMhQ
  2. Each group will explore and compose using the program
    1. 1 person complete the registration
    2. Start composing as a group
  3. Composition share outs
  4. Watch video about Compose Yourself: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw2_8Hl3Q08
  5. Each group will plan a station activity based on resources available in their schools and write down the directions
  6. Each group will follow directions left behind and try the station activity.  Leave any comments, suggestions, ideas for the planners.
  7. Reflect on the program and stations
  8. Discuss goals
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What tasks will we plan for our students that will engage them in station rotations?
  • Boomwhacker activity to reinforce treble clef note reading
  • Rhythm patterns
  • Review rhythmic syllables “ta, ti-ti, ta-ah”
  • Composing
  • Self expression
What key vocab terms will our students be asked to know and use?
  • Tempo
  • Beat
  • Rhythm
  • Quarter, eighth, and half notes
  • Staff
  • Measure
  • Musical alphabet
  • Marimba
  • Orchestra
  • Compose/composition
  • Notation
  • Phrase
  • loud/soft
  • Ostinato
  • Harmony
  • Melody
How could this rotation through stations with different learning tasks help to enhance these experiences?
  1. Students with challenges with long term tasks will be more successful with smaller time framed stations.
  2. Varied activities would peak interests and different levels of engagement in different students
  3. Engages students with multiple intelligences
Here are the team goals that develop students' musical literacy as well as teachers' use of technology in stations to engage all learners...
Elementary Student Team Goal:
By the end of May 2018, 80% of grade 5 students will play recorders independently with steady tempo, rhythmic accuracy, appropriate technique and correct posture, proficiently as measured by a recorder rubric that addresses each of these skills. Students will be assessed in small groups and/or individually, monthly.


Elementary Professional Practice Team Goal:

In order to uphold common grade level high expectations for all, the district music staff will increase their skills and practice in blended learning strategies by building an accessible online technology platform to collaborate and share online music units of study including vocabulary, tasks, resources, station ideas, and online lesson platforms (Blendspace) to engage all students through technology.  By the end of May 2018, we will implement this platform into the district’s music planning/teaching practices as demonstrated by the collaboration space on the GDrive that educators will use to share effective instructional strategies, exemplars, rubrics, videos/tutorials and model units of music study.  By the end of May 2018, we will implement at least one lesson per trimester using Blended Learning.










Also at Letourneau, K-8 Art Teachers met with Ms. Victoria Arons to brainstorm through ideas for station rotation in the Art Classroom. Lots of great conversation was had around norming practices for moving from station to station, clean up, set up and tasks at each station. Teachers discussed:
  • Breaking down lesson into two stations that both adhere to the same Element and/or Princple but via a different media.
  • Having a teacher led station for small groups, while remainder work independently (depending on class needs) with a Blendspace video tutorial plying at independent station.
  • Creating Blendspaces that could be at each station with a mini-lesson
  • Laminated How-to cards at each table with steps for task
Also discussed were ways teachers could implement this in their classrooms. We will be continuing on with this work during the next professional development day, as Steph Pereira from Silvia will model how to film an art lesson and upload to Blendspace! So excited!

Durfee Fine and Performing Arts Teachers visited with Mark Carvalho and Gary Bigelow to see how they have implemented regular use of Google Classroom to allow for more independent learning. They use it for uploading tutorials, assignments, communicating, collecting work, and providing students with a platform for self-guided learning. We had a special guest visit from Case High School- Greg Sampl, art teacher. He emailed me later on that evening to say what a wonderful family we are, and that we have a "Gem" in Mr. Carvalho (he was with Mark in his model classroom). Kudos to Mark and Gary for doing this for us. So helpful!

In the News This Week...

  • Terry Walkowicz and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra visited their first two of five schools in Fall River this week- Tansey and Spencer Borden. 3rd Graders were intrigued by the connections between musical composition and our Earth's Ecosystem... So many parallels! So cool to see the musicians play for our kids!


  • The Doran School's Chorus is up and running!  So excited to revive our young choral program this year in Fall River.  Jayson Newell reported out that his ensemble met and he is excited to work with them!  Yay Jay!
  • Instrumental Lessons are also up and running and Band, Orchestra and Percussion Leaders have chosen their repertoire for the winter concert, and will begin practicing with sight reading these pieces with their students soon!  Teachers should be sharing their schedules with building offices in case there are any questions from parents or teachers.
  • Teachers have submitted their SL and PP Goals and they look great.  I am excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work with all of you!  I will be looking at all teacher PPG's so I can compile my Professional Development offerings throughout the year to support these.
  • I will review all goals and make any comments in the "comments" tab to the right on the google document.
  • The next task will be to complete the Ed Plan Development Forms.  These will be in your folders.
Have a wonderful, restful loooong weekend!
Jackie

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