barnum woods elementary school february 2015 board of ed 2015 for...our objective was to write a...
TRANSCRIPT
Gregory J.R. Bottari, Principal Harriet Alfano, Assistant Principal
Meegan Sam Coleman, Music Teacher Jaime Assortato, Computer Teacher/Literacy Coach
Damien Bennett, Lucas Rodriguez, Suleima Ayala, Taylor Ellis,
Brooke Vislocky, Jessica Ziegler, Grade 3 Students
Standard 1: Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
Speaking and Listening Standards: SLS 3.5: Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
Writing Standards: WS 3.11: Create and present a narrative.
Language Standards: LS 3.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
LS 3.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Music can improve speech and reading skills by increasing one’s ability to distinguish between various sounds and understanding the patterns of language. Music and the ability to read is an actual byproduct of the overlapping cognitive structures of the brain that process music and language. Nouns and verbs are very different from tones and chords, but the parts of the brain that process them are overlapping connections. Virtually any component of literacy can be put into a musical format, from learning syllables, initial consonants, short and long vowel sounds to learning text structures of poems, and stories-both fiction and non-fiction.
For most students, this is their first actual exposure to the new language of music. Symbols, circles, and flags on a page now must be translated to sound, just as symbols, circles, and lines are translated into sounds and letters, followed by words and sentences. Playing an instrument, like the recorder, enables our third grade students to better process speech in classrooms and, more accurately, interpret the nuances of language, which are conveyed by subtle changes in the human voice.
Composition Criteria:
Our objective was to write a letter to a classmate incorporating
words comprised of letters from the musical alphabet (A – G).
• Students used five words
from the musical alphabet bank.
Letters were written with proper
salutations and closings.
Grammar, punctuation, and
spelling were revised by writing a
first draft, a final draft, and a
final copy.
Students cut their music word
choices from the bank and
pasted them into their letters, in
place of the written word.
“To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the music words make.” –
Truman Capote
Exceeds – 3 points Proficient – 2 points Novice – 1 point
Criteria
Grammar,
Punctuation,
Spelling
All words are spelled correctly.
Proper punctuation is included and
sentences are grammatically
accurate.
The sentences flow well into each
other.
Most words are spelled
correctly and there is one
incorrect punctuation mark
missing. The sentences flow
well into each other.
There are two or more spelling
and/or grammar errors. The
sentences do not flow well into
each other.
Proper Letter
Format
The letter contains a proper opening
salutation and a proper closing. The
body begins with an indented
sentence. The closing is placed on
the right side of the page with a
comma and name.
The letter contains a proper
salutation and a proper
closing. The body begins
without an indented sentence.
The closing is appropriate and
contains a comma.
The letter does not open with
a proper salutation or close
appropriately. The body of the
letter contains all 5 words, but
does not begin with an indent.
Performance No mistakes in note identification or
in correct placement of fingers for
each note. Student plays the piece
with ease.
Two mistakes or less with note
identification or correct
placement of fingers for each
note.
Three or more mistakes with
note identification or correct
placement of fingers for each
note.
Hand Position
Placement
Hands are in the correct placement.
Fingers are all correctly aligned over
tone holes.
Struggles to remember correct
placement, LH Top, RH
Bottom. Fingers are not always
aligned.
Hands are not in correct
placement--LH bottom, RH
Top. Fingers are not aligned
over each hole.
Musical Alphabet Composition Self-Assessment
Learning music and languages combines the mechanics of speech and communication. With both, students need to be proficient performers, as well as proficient listeners.
Musical composition follows cognitive rules and those rules play a major role in improving students’ writing & communication skills. Emotion and cognition naturally converge when we engage in conversation, both musically and linguistically.
A few million years ago, our distant ancestors chanted together. Gradually, the chant divided into spoken language and music, with musical sounds being the basis for the development of language.
In our general music classes at Barnum Woods, we stress the
importance of the written word with the unabashed joy of creating music.