1st Day of School Music Lesson for Upper Elementary!

Hello friends!

As a part of my “Back-to-School” series, this next post will be about FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL lesson ideas for 3rd-5th grade. I remember my first year of teaching, I was so nervous about what I would do with my students once they walked into the classroom! So I am going to go through this step by step, especially for those beginner teachers out there. But there is also some great resources for music teachers at all levels looking for ideas, including videos and a Music survey.

1. SET THE TONE/ARRANGE SEATING-Make sure students are lined up outside of the classroom in a quiet, straight line before you allow them to come into the classroom. This sets the tone for expectations for the school year. Be sure to greet each student as they come in, and then help students find their seat. I usually have assigned seating in alphabetical order. They sit on my rugs. Each row has a specific color (I lay down different colored duct tape for each row). Whatever your method is, make sure they know where they are sitting from the first day of music class. 

2. START MAKING MUSIC! As a rule of thumb, I always start the class with something musical. Whether it be a chant, a song, or a rhythm echo. I created a rhythmic chant for my students that involves the definition of beat and rhythm. I choose a different student at the beginning of each class to start the beat by clapping the steady beat at moderato tempo. Once all of the students have joined in clapping, they chant the song together.

Here is a youtube video of the song and motions, so you can get an idea of how it goes.

 

The next thing I’ll do is a simple vocal warm-up. It’s extremely important for 3rd-5th graders to start singing from the first day of school! It’s harder to get them to start singing mid-year. Singing needs to be a part of the culture of your classroom from Day 1! My favorite is the “Counting warm-up”. It’s basically a scale all the way up, but counting each number and going back as you go up. The video goes fast, so I usually play a slower tempo on the piano. 

3. INTRODUCE YOURSELF: I always create a poster at the beginning of the year with pictures of myself/family/friends/dog, things I like to do, and other important facts about me. Some teachers create a powerpoint with this information included.

4. INTRODUCE GUIDELINES/PROCEDURES:  A fun way to do this is to use my beach ball method. I write the 5 guidelines for the classroom on the beach ball, and when I throw the beach ball to a student who then has to read one of the rules outloud and then tell the class why it’s important. After this, I go over the consequences, rewards, short list of procedures, and my “Rockin’ behavior” system. Check out my Top 4 Classroom Management Tips post.

5. SHORT ACTIVITY: I have this music survey that I use for my students that I love. I give them   about 10 minutes to complete this survey by themselves or in a small group. Be sure to walk around from group to group, asking students questions about what they’re writing. This is a great way to get to know them. It’s especially important to build relationships with the 3rd-5th graders by showing them that you care. At the end of the 10 minutes, I ask for volunteers to share some of their answers.

6. LINE UP/END OF CLASS PROCEDURE: Have students line up orderly. I usually call them by row color, and expect them to line up quietly. If there is extra time, this would be a good time to ask them questions about themselves, and build rapport between you and your kiddos.

Have a great first day of school!!!

-Paige-