Creative Clutter and Music

 

Individual Student Grades (I keep track on the class seating chart.  In general students receive 5 points per lesson unless they obviously were at a lower level.)

  In addition to students receiving daily points (which I only input into the online grading system monthly) classes strive to earn class points. Class points are determined by classes holding up fingers for the number of points they think the class deserves.  I often remind the students about behaviors I observed and then we take a consensus and place the points into the chart.

  Performances - I decided that 6 grade level performances per year is too much.  (I have always done one live performance per grade each year.) During the pandemic years I was able to send video clips of classroom performances and activities to parents through Schoology, the school Youtube page and Class Dojo.  While that was a different kind of stress (well learning curve) it was less pressure than a live grade level performances. My principal was a bit taken back when I told him that from here forward this is my plan: Kindergarten - last day of school songs for parents during the school day First Grade - annual Wild West Program (because until someone says I can't, I LOVE this one) in April Second Grade - video performance sent to parents in late March with songs using their homemade instrument projects Third Grade - World Music Performance in May Fourth Grade - December Christmas Musical  Fifth Grade - video class recordings sent to parents throughout the year t...