4/3/2018
Topic:
Students with Disabilities
Kristen Lewis
|
Currently, I have a fourth grade student with cerebral palsy. He is in a wheelchair, but he can walk with assistance of a walker and someone standing close by. He remembers music and lyrics like nobody's business and he loves to sing. Needless to say, music is his favorite subject. His teachers couldn't get him to recall much of anything until they started putting it into song =) As a music educator I am constantly using instruments and utilizing movement in my classroom. This child is unable to participate in the same ways as his classmates so I make accommodations for him. During movement, he does the most basic movements that he is able to succeed in doing, but that still resemble the motions of the dance steps. Depending on the instrument, I can bring it to him in his wheelchair. I can give him a glockenspiel if we are playing the larger xylophones. With the recorder I work on getting him to blow gentle air through the instrument. All of these are successes for him in my classroom. The other students even cheer on his successes. |
4/11/2018
Topic:
Tools and Strategies
Kristen Lewis
|
Two strategies I can implement in my room are graphic organizers and discovery learning. Graphic organizers such as Venn Diagrams would be wonderful tools to compare and contrast songs or pieces of songs. We could do it together on the board and students can do it on their own or in small groups.
Discovery learning would be great to incorporate in the music room. Putting instruments or music in front if them and just observe and discuss. This would be wonderful for students with disabilities because a wide variety of responses is acceptable. It would even benefit in keeping the students focused and excited about learning. |
4/11/2018
Topic:
Assessment of Learning
Kristen Lewis
|
I use Recorder Karate with my fourth grade students. I have one student with Cerebral Palsy who has trouble covering the holes and blowing gently to make the notes come out. I have adapted his assessment to simply covering the correct holes without blowing into the instrument. I have also worked with him blowing into the instrument gently while I cover the holes so he can hear his own instrument making the first 3 sounds. |