Moving Beyond the Workbook: Singing the Curriculum

July 23, 2015
One of my favorite things to do with my students is sing with them. I love coming up with my own songs and having the students sing them with me. I’m not a great singer but the kids always think it’s wonderful when I sing with them. It’s a real confidence booster! 🙂 Plus, there is nothing better than hearing 20 sweet 2nd grade voices singing. It’s also really awesome when they just break out singing a learning song that we have sung previously. Singing really helps things sink in.
Over the past month, I’ve been writing songs to sing with my students for reading, writing, and language arts. I’ve combined these songs into a pack for you.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-through-the-Year-Literacy-edition-1964249
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-through-the-Year-Literacy-edition-1964249

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-through-the-Year-Literacy-edition-1964249

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-through-the-Year-Literacy-edition-1964249

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Singing-through-the-Year-Literacy-edition-1964249

Now I’m sure you are asking, “What does singing have to do with not using worksheets?” Well, here’s what you can do with songs instead of just singing them.
(1) Print off the lyrics and have students glue them in their interactive notebooks. Have students illustrate the lyrics or add an additional verse.
(2) After gluing the song in their notebooks, students can search for nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. 
(3) Have students write their own song about a topic. It could be a rap or a chant instead of having it fit a certain rhythm.
(4) Have students act out a song. 
(5) Students can work in a group to create a poster or ad to go along with the song.
My biggest goal when I’m teaching is to get students moving and being creative. I learned so much more when I was allowed to create on my own and I try to establish that vibe in my classroom.
 While you are here, today is also Throwback Thursday. I’ve been holding a half off sale all summer on an older item in my store. Today I thought I’d throw a sale on something that will help you move outside of using worksheets. I love having students work in cooperative groups. But I also hated working in a group when I was in school so I teach my students that they have a role in a group. It’s important to teach that from an early age so they don’t become that freeloader that everyone hates working with in a group.  So my “Ready, Set, Groups!” pack is 50% off for today only. Click on any of the images below to head over to TPT.
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ready-Set-Groups-Cooperative-Grouping-Guide-739377
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ready-Set-Groups-Cooperative-Grouping-Guide-739377

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Ready-Set-Groups-Cooperative-Grouping-Guide-739377
 Tomorrow, I will be answering any questions about my posts from this week. Email me at swimmingintosecond@att.net or leave a comment here. 

1 Comment on “Moving Beyond the Workbook: Singing the Curriculum

Comments are closed.