Fifth Grade
Students spent the beginning of the first trimester learning the rules and procedures of music class. We also spent time talking about why we have these rules and procedures, and why it is important to protect music by couching it in silence. Both fourth and fifth grades talked about Lawrence Kohlberg’s Six Levels of Moral Development (see page labeled “Lawrence Kohlberg” on my website), and we agreed we all would like to work toward becoming “Level VI people”. We practiced ways to show each other respect, and how to stop meanness. We practiced stopping others from telling us mean secrets, learned how to help each other focus instead of clowning around, and how to make sure to include everyone with our words, our faces, and our body language. We also reviewed many of the procedures learned in kindergarten through second grade: how to enter and line up quietly; how to find an open space for movement; how to move through the
room without bumping; where to sit on the ring (seating chart); how we earn or lose “celebration day” time; how to raise our hand for permission to talk; what Ms. Dunn’s signals for quiet are; how to move to music without making noise; we memorized our music class numbers; we learned about the “Oops Book” (where you sign your name if you’ve broken a rule).
Some of us were also assigned jobs. Each year, there are more jobs than the year before, so job training takes at least one class period to complete.
Then we got down to business! We listened, chanted along, played music games, enacted skits, moved creatively, and/or sang along to the following songs:
All Join In; Mary Ann; The Water is Wide; We Go Together; Music Brings Us Together; Let’s Get Going; This Train; Peace Round; Everybody Loves Saturday Night; Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand; Funga Alafia; It’s My Journey; Mango Walk; I Got Rhythm; The Rhythm of Life; Sweet Potatoes; Zum Gali Gali; Sing, Sing, Sing; Nine Hundred Miles; La Cumbia; We Shall Be Free.
Some of the songs listed above will be performed at our concert, in the Avery Parsons Elementary gym, on Thursday, January 19th, at 7:15. Come listen to us sing, and watch some video footage of our creative movement work in the classroom!
room without bumping; where to sit on the ring (seating chart); how we earn or lose “celebration day” time; how to raise our hand for permission to talk; what Ms. Dunn’s signals for quiet are; how to move to music without making noise; we memorized our music class numbers; we learned about the “Oops Book” (where you sign your name if you’ve broken a rule).
Some of us were also assigned jobs. Each year, there are more jobs than the year before, so job training takes at least one class period to complete.
Then we got down to business! We listened, chanted along, played music games, enacted skits, moved creatively, and/or sang along to the following songs:
All Join In; Mary Ann; The Water is Wide; We Go Together; Music Brings Us Together; Let’s Get Going; This Train; Peace Round; Everybody Loves Saturday Night; Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand; Funga Alafia; It’s My Journey; Mango Walk; I Got Rhythm; The Rhythm of Life; Sweet Potatoes; Zum Gali Gali; Sing, Sing, Sing; Nine Hundred Miles; La Cumbia; We Shall Be Free.
Some of the songs listed above will be performed at our concert, in the Avery Parsons Elementary gym, on Thursday, January 19th, at 7:15. Come listen to us sing, and watch some video footage of our creative movement work in the classroom!