9/11/2019
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Emily Blackmon
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I currently have a student who has a degenerative muscular disease. Although is able to walk unassisted, he spends the majority of his day in a wheelchair because he can only walk for a few steps at a time. For the majority of our standing/movement activities, he stays in his wheelchair. I modify the movements so that he can use his upper body to participate. Often, I think that he feels different than the other students, and that feeling can lead to behavior problems. For example, he will bounce in his wheelchair to make the other children laugh. When possible, I try to allow him to sit in a desk like the other students so that these problems are eliminated and so that he can feel included in the group. |
9/12/2019
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Emily Blackmon
|
One way that I have used task analysis in my music classroom is with learning rhythms. As first graders learn about quarter notes and eighth notes, we begin with the first task of identifying the types of notes. I have them "read" the rhythm using the "ta" and "ti-ti" method. After they have mastered this task with fluency, we move on to our "Rhythm Challenge," which is broken up into three levels of tasks. For the bronze level, the student reads a rhythm aloud on their own. For the silver level, they must clap the rhythm. To go for the gold, they must play the rhythm on a drum. Students who complete the challenge earn a gold medal.
This year, I plan to implement learning centers in my room as well. Some of my ideas for centers include tasks that incorporate motor skills such as drawing notes on a staff or creating a musical note with play-doh. Others include stations where students can manipulate physical notes on a staff to compose their own music and then play them on the xylophone. |
9/12/2019
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Emily Blackmon
|
One option that I always have ready for an adapted assessment is the ability to point at an object. I have many students who are non-verbal. So, for example, if the question on an assessment is to classify instruments into their families, instead of verbally telling me that the trumpet belongs in the brass family, the student can point to the trumpet when I ask, "Which instrument belongs to the brass family?" I have found that this strategy works very well especially for my students with autism. |