The Inspired Classroom » integration

Beethoven’s 241st

Elizabeth Peterson — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:45:46 +0000

I love celebrating Beethoven’s birthday each year! And this year, his 241st birthday is no different. My plans for the day today include:

Having my students complete their math open response question which is based on Beethoven’s 9th symphony.
Having my students work on their fact and opinion project using leveled Beethoven biographies.
Conducting an in-class all-Beethoven recital where my students are the performers.
Having my students continue their work on their compare/contrast essay comparing Beethoven to Bach.
Watching Beethoven Lives Upstairs and writing a short essay on perseverance.

(These activities and more can be found in my new eResource Celebrating Beethoven in the Classroom on sale now for download at The Inspired Classroom’s book store.)

This year, I’m also celebrating his birthday with more fun – a Teacher Field Trip! After not planning one for over a year, we back in full force tonight with a triple D: Dinner, Drama and Dance. I am looking forward to eating out with other teachers in Portsmouth, NH, then attending a modernized performance of A Christmas Carol at the Player’s Ring and finishing the night dancing over at the Gas Light’s third floor. It should be a birthday bash!

Enjoy your day and your week end!

And Happy Birthday Beethoven!

Celebrate Beethoven in the Classroom

Elizabeth Peterson — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:33:17 +0000

Special Announcement!

It’s finally here – a new addition to The Inspired Classroom’s book store…. and it’s a good one too!

Celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven in the Classroom: A Resource for Classroom Teachers and Music Teachers Alike by Elizabeth M. Peterson

This eResource is built for any teacher who enjoys music, especially that of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven is one of the world’s most beloved composers of all time. Now, you can integrate the music and the man into other areas of the curriculum. This resource was created using activities and materials used in classrooms by students of all ages. Now it is compiled and ready to be used by you and your students. From reading to math, penmanship to performance, students are sure to enjoy the activities that are embedded in this 24 page arts integration eResource!

For years, I have been using the materials and activities that are compiled in this resource. My students love listening to his music and discussing his quotes, reading about his life and performing his music. Each year, we celebrate Beethoven’s Birthday as a December Holiday. His birthday is right around the corner – December 16th. That’s why I wanted to make sure this resources was ready in time for you to use in your classroom THIS YEAR! Of course, you can (and should) use these ideas any time of the year.

So, don’t wait! Get this in your hands so you can check it out and start using it on Monday! (or even sooner than that…)

Celebrate Ludwig van Beethoven in the Classroom

Arts Integration for the Art Teacher

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:35:33 +0000

RED by Arash and Kelly This painting is one that is used in an example in the post.

This week, I wrote a guest post for Jessica Balsley’s website Art of Education. She is an art teacher who provides many resources and ideas for other teachers interested and invested in arts education. I decided to stay with my focus on arts integration and cater to her major audience – art teachers. Here is the beginning paragraph. I hope it will entice you to visit Jess’s website and read the rest which includes ideas to integrate visual art with other arts such as music, movement and poetry.

When a teacher hears about arts integration, they probably think of the general classroom teacher first. Then, they may think of other teachers: special education, ELL, reading specialist, etc. But arts integration can be implemented into the art teacher’s classroom too, creating rich, meaningful experiences….

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

Learning about Dictatorship through Music

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:22:26 +0000

You can imagine my excitement when I read about how an attendee from my presentation at #RSCon11 decided to use some of the music integration strategies in her classroom – and found great success. Stephanie Shouldis (@WizardOzTeacher) did just that. She was there for my 30 minute webinar entitled “Integrating Music with Literacy to Help Struggling Readers” in late July, 2011. What she did was take the active listening strategies found in Inspired by Listening and applied them to her teaching of dictatorship. (Awesome, right?) She says in her post, that music was never a strength for her, but that’s the point – anyone who has even the slightest interest in music, especially listening to it, can integrate music into their teaching.

In Stephanie’s music integrated unit, she introduced the students to Glen Campbell, and Everclear and even Megadeath (YES!) through active listening experiences. The students’ ideas and work were thought provoking as they were highly engaged.

So, enough from me! Please go to Stephanie’s blog Inspiring Change in Education, and read her post about this great integrated unit of study!

If you interested in seeing the webinar in part or in its entirety, please click this link. You will be asked to download the session which includes the presentation, list of participants, archived chat box and Q and A session. Integrating Music with Literacy to Help Struggling Readers

~EMP

Remembering 9/11, Celebrating 9/14

Elizabeth Peterson — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 13:48:53 +0000

Each year, my school celebrates a special, yet under-acknowledged anniversary in our country’s history. September 14, 1814 was the date when Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that became our National Anthem while witnessing the battle at Fort McHenry. Three years ago, I approached my principal and colleagues with the idea of bringing the tradition of the National Anthem Project to our school. The National Anthem Project is something started by MENC, the Music Educator’s National Convention where their main purpose for this project was to get Americans to know their National Anthem and to get them singing it.

For two years, we put on an assembly for our entire Cashman Elementary School community that focused on the history of the song, the four verses of the poem and our singing the Star Spangled Banner. Each year, we always thought about how this event was so close to 9/11, but this year, September brought with it the 10th anniversary so we thought it appropriate to combine the two.

To do this appropriately for our elementary audience, we used carefully chosen images, poetry and song opening up with America the Beautiful. Then a line of fourth graders came up to a microphone and took us through the assembly, briefly describing 9/11, sharing a poem about heroes, emphasizing unity among Americans, introducing the National Anthem and then leading the Star Spangled Banner.

A view of our 4th grade collage poem commemorating 9/11.

To remember 9/11 in an age appropriate way, the fourth grade students created a poem where all 115 students from five 4th grade classes contributed to a collage poem. (This idea was learned during the poetry session by Ayanna Gallant during this summer’s Teacher Art Retreat.) After studying an image commemorating 9/11, students wrote down a brainstorm of words that came to their minds and then narrowed it down to two. Then, those words were taken, put together and arranged to create a poem. Each class had their own image and their own sets of words, thus creating 5 verses to a poem. This poem was read during the assembly.

The students also watched this video that was made by past fourth graders about the story behind the National Anthem before standing tall to sing the song.

The highlight of the assembly, though, were our honored guests: firemen and policemen from the Amesbury community. When these four gentlemen entered our gym, they were greeted by clapping and cheers. It was wonderful. These community celebrities graciously accepted our invitation to attend our assembly and the kids loved having them.

Our guests pose for a picture with our fourth graders after the assembly.

It’s important to have these types of serious assemblies for all age levels to instill a sense of patriotism and pride. I’m fortunate to work in a school that honors these times.

I wish all a solemn remembrance of 9/11 and send sincere thoughts and prayers to the families of all who have been and still are affected. May God bless America!

~EMP

Here is the poem our fourth grade students created together to remember September 11, 2001. The pictures are the ones that inspired each verse.

America’s beautiful twin towers
Standing proud and tall
Big, bright towers
Tall golden towers crashing together
And crumbling
Amazing brave strong America
Tall and Proud
America’s rock-hard freedom standing tall

Freedom
Strong America
Tragedy Destruction Ashes
Brave Hardworking Firefighters
Powerful Bravery
Battle for Freedom
Heroes Raising the American Flag
Brave Strong Independent Americans
Freedom

Fantastic bright city
Enormous New York Twin Towers
Peaceful skyscrapers illuminate the blue skyline
Memorable tragic beam of light
Scary memories of 9/11
Planes hit the Twin Towers
High beams in the night sky
Brave strong army
Bold New York buildings
Brave America

Strong, heroic firefighters
The defenders of America
Willing firemen
Brave helpful lifesavers
Big bold eagle
Strong willing heroes
The twin towers memorial
Freedom and safety
Brave heroic troops
Protective fierce fireman
Encouraging strong heroes
With great courage
Lifesaving guardians
Strong and brave

American Neighborhood Patriotic
American Flags Unity
American Freedom Brave
America Home Together
America Compassionate Peaceful
America safe neighborhood
America Home Courage

The Community that Art Built

Elizabeth Peterson — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 10:05:09 +0000

It always amazes me how quickly a community can be build when art is involved. I was reminded about this last week, during the grad class I taught in arts integration and the creative process when I saw it happen again. During our five day class we created visual art, music, stories, poems and drama together and through that process, we became extremely close for a group of women who were practically strangers the day before the class.

I was first introduced to this phenomenon of art and community when I was getting my masters from Endicot College in Arts and Learning. With every class we took and every art form we experienced together, we got closer and closer to one another. Things came up. Things that were personal and raw and real. We supported one another. Laughed with one another. Celebrated with one another. It is amazing what we did for each other. And the commonality we all had – a love for art.

Art making breaks down walls and gives you a level of connection nothing else can. As you create art and share art, you build a safe environment for a group to learn and share and grow together.

This can be something we instill in the lives of our students. This sense of a tight-knit community that is supportive, encouraging and empowering. Imagine if we took the time – REALLY took the time to lay that foundation in our classrooms and allowed time for our students to create art together. It doesn’t matter if we see our students all day everyday or for 45 minutes a week; if we see a class of 25, a small group of 6 or a student one-on-one. If we take the time to create with them, the bond that is made will only intensify the learning possibilities throughout the year.

By the time Friday of our class last week rolled around we were hugging good-bye, vowing to keep in touch and continue our journey together. This happened years ago as well for me with my fabulous arts and learning cohort. Yes, life gets in the way sometimes: schedules and family, work and play, but whenever one of us gets a message from another, it’s like we were just together yesterday. That bond that art built lasts a lifetime.

Enjoy your day!

~EMP

Ideas for building community in your classroom:

For additional ideas and thoughts on this subject, see the post Artful Community or check out the “community” tag.