From the time of Gregorian Chants to the origination of the blues, lyrics have spread messages and served as oral language foundations for cultures for thousands of years, across the globe. Music from “Horace the Camel” to “Hey Mr. Tally Man” have been staples of music class in primary grades. By the intermediate grades, lyrics and music seem to start vanishing from instruction.

p: Ashley Rose via photopin cc

Yet lyrics play such an integral part as children transition to independent readers. They are immersed in lyrics via YouTube, iTunes, and American Idol (what ever happened to the Walkman?). Lyrics since the advent of pop music have consistently resonated with listeners. From lyrics inserted into love notes (authentic writing) to roadside tragedies (you know, the mix CDs that are flung out the car window after a breakup), students up through adulthood are actively trying to capture the messages contained within.

I hear teachers lament the loss of oral language. Language transforms and language is often coded. Lyrics (good lyrics) are always coded. Isn't that why people insert lyrics into love letters—to give the recipient something to think about, or woo them with (someone else’s) eloquent writing? What about the blues? Or country? How many songs do we sing out loud, expressing heartache, depression, or courage?

Lyrics contain the words, the language, we look for to express our feelings. When we connect to the lyrics, our communication becomes clearer, more expressive.

Music and lyrics deserve (re)consideration in the classroom. The right song, or CD, with the right purpose can take a learner miles. Linking short text lyrics to literature, be it chapter books or short stories, builds schema and creates curiosity. Using lyrics from Paul Kennerley's album WHITE MANSIONS is particularly useful when dealing with the Civil War; it can help teach concepts such as states’ rights and perspectives. Provide students with lyrics, read the song, and practice the “Fab Four” (Oczkus, 2010) strategies before discussing potential meaning locked within the text. After establishing working background knowledge, engage in shared reading with primary and secondary sources. From these in-class readings, student will discover answers to their questions, clarify interpretations, and gain deeper meaning behind historical concepts, such as the “Old South” or class structure.

Songs do not need to make perfect alignments to books. Some lines should be ambiguous or unrelated. This only helps the reader sort relevant information or invites them to ponder alternate perspectives. In a sense, when considering text-dependent questions or close reading, lyrics steer learners away from the “right there” question/answer and encourages synthesis of multiple texts and schema because lyrics do not outright explain ideas, like a text might. Allowing student to engage in such “out-of-the-box” thinking encourages creativity and widens comprehension.

Using lyrics in isolation works, too, depending on purpose. I prefer to model and practice reciprocal teaching with lyrics, particularly as a scaffold into content studies or theme-based instruction. If you use “Cherokee” by the famed hair-band Europe to introduce the Trail of Tears, students obtain the gist of the historical event and generate questions that will propel them into nonfiction reading. More specifically, students can glean from the lyrics that Cherokees were forced from their homes and moved on to reservations. They’ll likely ask questions such as “What promises were lies?” and “What does walked for many moons mean?” Encourage students to look and locate material that discusses the tumultuous relationship between the US Government and the Native Americans during the 1600–1800s, as part of in-class and independent readings. You may also invite kids to consider the time span of the march and the figurative meaning of “many moons”—a great invitation to literature discussions.

As Common Core challenges us to bring short text into the classroom, I find lyrics allows us to use short and complex text to help students acquire reading skills and motivate them to read “new” or “interesting” material.

Justin Stygles is a fifth/sixth grade language arts/humanities teacher in Norway, ME. He is an avid music fan an regularly uses lyrics to teacher literacy skills and comprehension in class. Tweet him at @JustinStygles (#closereadinglyrics).



Using Music to Inspire Young Writers

Use Movement and Music to Improve Reading Instruction

Every year around Earth Day, my third grade students typically do the same thing, focusing on the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. As third graders, I noticed students were simply going through the motion, reciting the same things they learned in kindergarten through second grade. What new things were they learning? Absolutely nothing!

p: Rafa from Brazil via photopin cc

This year, instead of the typical recycling unit, I decided to implement a project-based learning approach for my students, focusing on what recycling meant on a global scale. I challenged my students to think outside of the box by using the driving question, “What does recycling mean around the world?”

By the time the projects were complete, the students had not only become experts on their country’s recycling, they had learned how to incorporate technology into their presentations and how to better interact with one another in groups, utilizing problem solving strategies when disagreements arose.

The final product impressed me because students had complete ownership of their project. As students made new discoveries, it was they who took the role of teachers as I became an eager learner. Before this project, students had no idea they had the ability to use Skype to interview recycling experts around the world or create their own webpages. As students previewed their final projects, they could be observed jumping for joy as they high-fived one another. At that point, I realized I had created a project where the students were truly engaged in their learning.

Of course, recycling isn’t something that happens once a year. So while I chose this for Earth Day, the following project could be undertaken at any time of the year.

STEP 1: Formulate the driving question. The driving question is what sparks interest and guides the students through the project. For this project, our driving question was “What does recycling mean around the world?”

STEP 2: Brainstorm countries. Allow the students to brainstorm countries or cities outside of the United States. They will research how recycling works in their country or city.

STEP 3: Gather Internet sites and contacts. Once the students have brainstormed their list of countries and cities, narrow down the list to the number of groups you are going to have in your classroom. Begin to locate reliable recycling sites students can use for their research. On the sites, look for contact information. Send e-mails describing the project and request someone who would be willing to Skype with the students or answer questions about their recycling via e-mail. The students get excited when they have a chance to correspond with someone outside of the United States.

STEP 4: Group your students. Divide your students into groups of two to four. Assign students a country or city to research, or allow them to choose from the pre-determined list.

STEP 5: Write research questions. Students should create eight to ten research questions about recycling in their country. The students need to write deep questions that will allow them to really learn and investigate ( i.e.,How often does curbside recycling occur? Why?).

STEP 6: Draft interview questions. Next, have students write eight to ten interview questions. If someone responds granting them an interview, they will need to be prepared.

STEP 7: Record the research. Students will compile their data and record it on one sheet of paper. This will make it easier for students when they incorporate their data into the technology projects.

With this phase now complete, students can use their findings to work on the following projects. My third graders completed all of them. This isn’t necessary, but having them complete all the projects allowed them to become immersed in technology, where they understood how they could use a variety of tools to authenticate their learning.

Podcast: The students will write at least one paragraph summarizing some of their research. They will use this research to create a podcast. A very easy site to record their podcast is Record MP3 (http://www.recordmp3.org/).

Prezi: The students will work together to create a presentation on Prezi (www.prezi.com). This is a presentation tool, similar to Power Point that helps you share and organize your ideas as a visual journey for your audience.

Images: The students will search for five to eight copyright-free images of their country’s recycling using Google Advanced Search (http://www.google.ca/advanced_search). When using advanced search, change the usage rights tab to free to use or share, even commercially. This ensures none of the images used are a copyright infringement. It also teaches the students about copyright and creative commons rights.

Animoto: The students will work together to create an Animoto video (www.animoto.com) to display images of their country’s recycling. They are able upload free music from the site and insert text.

Glogster: The students can also use their images to create an online Glogster poster (www.glogster.com).

Xtranormal: On this website, students will use their writing to create a 3D animated movie using one or two unique actors. They are able to select their own background for the setting of their movie and create actions for the actors they have chosen. The students will work together to construct a conversation (involving two people) about their country’s recycling. They will write it as a script. My only requirement was that they used text evidence from their research. On their Xtranormal (www.xtranormal.com), the students will choose actors, background, and voices. The kids LOVE this site. It is a great way for the students to demonstrate their creativity.

Commercial: The students will write a 30-second commercial about their country’s recycling. If a webcam is available, have the students record their commercial. The students enjoy playing with all the different backgrounds for their webcam.

Website: After all of their hard work, why not put it all together? The perfect site for your students to create their own webpage is Weebly (www.weebly.com). They can choose their own design, upload their work and add any text needed. I found students feel like they are on top of the world when they have created their own webpage and are able to share it with friends and family.

Here are some of my students’ global recycling projects:

http://germanysrecycling.weebly.com/
http://southafricarecycling.weebly.com/
http://netherlandsrecycling.weebly.com/
http://dubairecycling.weebly.com/
http://japanrecycling.weebly.com/
http://hollandrecycling.weebly.com/

I hope your students enjoy exploring recycling around the world!

Brandi Leggett is a National Board Certified Teacher in Middle Childhood Generalist. She received her Master’s in Elementary Education from Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania. She currently teaches third grade at Prairie Ridge Elementary in Shawnee, Kansas.Her classroom website is www.usd232.org/bleggett and classroom blog is http://teambleggett.blogspot.com/.



Where’s the L in STEM?

Your Classroom Got a New Tablet Computer—Now What?

When I read the Common Core State Standards, it is clear to me that we have to transform our teaching to better prepare students to achieve the standards. Transform our teaching? That sounds a bit overwhelming! But, really, it’s not. By simply making a few instructional shifts, those of us who teach in K-2 classrooms can guide learners in developing the habits of mind necessary to independently read, write, think, and converse about complex texts.

Encourage rereading and close reading

p: Barrett.Discovery via photopin cc

I don’t know about the children in your classroom, but I have many kids who are quick to say, “We read that in kindergarten.” My answer to that remark is always, “That’s wonderful! It’s an old favorite. I love old favorites because every time I read them, I can learn something new and interesting. I can read it with new eyes. So, here’s your challenge today, ‘What can you find with your first-grade eyes or learn with your first-grade mind that you didn’t notice in kindergarten?’” To develop the habit of rereading for our youngest readers, select engaging books. The Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems has hooked many a reader in my classroom. When we view these books through a “text complexity” lens we see the multiple teaching and learning opportunities these books offer when read again and again. At their most basic level, the books are ideal for strengthening children’s foundational sight word knowledge. Then, Willems’ engaging illustrations offer opportunities to converse about interplay between visuals and text. Pairing students to perform a readers’ theater starring Elephant and Piggie will build their fluency.

Another book that offers the same layers of meaning is DUCK! RABBIT! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld. Read it the first time for pure enjoyment. Return again to discuss who children think is narrating the story. Place it in the reading center for partner reading (great fluency practice!). Return to it to spark a conversation about different perspectives. The more you demonstrate the power of rereading and close reading, the more willing students will be to adapt this learning stance.

Engage in collaborative conversations

If you’ve ever said “turn and talk” in a primary-grade classroom, you know exactly what happens. The students turn toward each other (maybe) and begin talking at each other. Over the past few years, my co-author Katherine Phillips (MONTH-BY-MONTH READING INSTRUCTION FOR THE DIFFERENTIATED CLASSROOM) and I have spent a lot of time working to support our learners as they talk collaboratively. Collaborative conversations are the layer we’ve added to our instructional read-alouds and guided reading lessons to help children meet the Common Core Standards. Teaching children how to listen carefully to what others are saying before sharing their own thinking or opinion is challenging. We’ve provided children with key questions and phrases that help them link their thinking to their classmates’ thinking like, “Why do you think that?” or “Tell me more about your thinking.”

Expect evidence

We’ve become skilled at asking questions to assess students’ background knowledge or prompt them to make personal connections to the text. With the Common Core State Standards in mind, we need to refocus our questioning a bit to draw readers back into the text to support their thinking.

Some questions that spark text-based conversations include the following:

• Why do you think that?
• What in the text or illustrations helped you to come to that understanding?
• Can you show me in the pictures or words where you learned that/why you think that?

You’ll notice that the three instructional shifts I’ve shared all relate to the way you and your students read, think, and converse about books. As a children’s literature fanatic and a read-aloud proponent, I think that selecting the right texts is one key to unlocking the standards, but that’s a topic for another blog!

Maria Walther, who earned a doctorate in elementary education from Northern Illinois University, has taught first grade since 1986. Along with teaching young learners, Maria inspires other professionals by sharing her knowledge through customized professional development experiences. The ideas she shares reflect her continued commitment to teaching, researching, writing, and collaborating with her colleagues. Maria was honored as Illinois Reading Educator of the Year and earned the ICARE for Reading Award for fostering the love of reading in children. She has co-authored five professional books with Scholastic. Learn more about her books and find other teaching resources at http://www.mariawalther.com.



Use Movement and Music to Improve Reading Instruction

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