Have a Consistent Learning Activity at the Beginning of Every Class
A little background...
When I first began teaching, I made a set of rhythm cards and a set of melody cards both of which were levels K-4th grade.
Have a Consistent Learning Activity at the Beginning of Every Class
A little background...
When I first began teaching, I made a set of rhythm cards and a set of melody cards both of which were levels K-4th grade. I would frantically pull cards out and/or put them back in as a new grade level entered the room.
Finally, it occurred to me that I needed a separate set for each grade level. Duh!!
And then I had the even more brilliant idea to color-code these cards using a different color for each grade. Bingo!! The students instantly recognized their colors, I used the same colors for their vocabulary words and Word Walls. I cannot stress enough howimportant color-coding by grade level is. It's a visual recognition tool that goes a LONG way toward helping students with their reading skills.
I also made matching color sets for our PE and art teachers. That grew to a system-wide color coding that is still being used today. My husband and I actually printed and cut the cards and sold to the teachers. Our district has a high mobility rate and it is very important for students to be able to recognize and find consistency when they go to a new school. They absolutely loved our Word Walls!
Lesson Plan Notebook
Whether you already have card sets or make your own or purchase, download, and print my set, they still need to be organized into an efficient method.
I loved my lesson plan notebook and card holders. I kept my notebook on a table to my right. I punched holes in my lesson plans on the right side of the paper.
You can easily find pocket dividers at Walmart or any office supply store. I like the clear ones so I can see the cards better. I have two divider pages for each grade level—one for the rhythm and melody cards and one for the vocabulary cards. See illustrations.
The vocabulary card set has a slit which is great for the symbol cards.
Take a long handled stapler and create two compartments on each divider—a sm