Whitesides Elementary with Keri Reynolds

I had the privilege of spending some time at Whitesides Elementary in early December.  Keri Reynolds was teaching me some fun Chanukah and Christmas dances and songs. I apologize for taking so long to get these up for you but here they are and hopefully you can use some of them next year!


Here is Keri's board at the front of her room.  If you look close at the bottom she has her objectives listed for all different ages.  She also listed the Rondo form which she will be teaching that week and the pattern (using iconic notation) for a Chanukah song she will be using.  What a great way to start your classes by making sure both you and your students know what you will be doing.

Keri always begins her classes with the school song.  She gets them warmed up with the singing and ready to listen.  Here's a clip of her 6th graders singing the Whitesides Elementary school song.

The first Chanukah song Keri shared with me is found in the 3rd grade Making Music book page 379, Chanukah Games.  Keri teaches her students about the dreydl, the symbols, meanings and games to play.  She also teaches the melody to the refrain and practices it with them several time.  Then she teaches them some very simple dance steps to accompany the song which is a grape vine step.  Every time the chorus or refrain is sung the students dance the grape vine to it.  Here's a clip...

The next piece Keri shared with me is from the 3rd grade Making Music books page 380, Hanuka, Hanuka.  Keri first teaches the melody to the song and then shows the students how it is divided into 3 groups.  The melody, refrain and interlude...all good terms our kids should know.  In the book it gives some brief suggestions on how to play some instruments with this piece.  But they are pretty vague.  What I enjoyed about Keri's arrangement is that she created an ostinato for each part of the song and then assigned an instrument to play that part. Keri uses hand drums, tambourines and bells, but you can use whatever you have in your classroom.  You can also have the students create their own ostinatos for the music and then have them perform it. 


I loved the way Keri was organized about passing out her instruments...watch!

The kids knew exactly what she expected and she gave positive reinforcement where it was needed.  Was there noise?  Yes...but it was controlled and the kids listened because they wanted to participate.


Here is Hanukah, Hanukah...

We all know or have heard the Dreydl Song right? 


                      I have a little Dreydl, I made it out of clay
                      And when it's dry and ready, my Dreydl I will play.


If you are not familiar with this song it is found on the 3rd grade Making Music Cd's #12 track #12.  It is a fun little song that is easy to learn.  But the great part about it is that the kids can make up their own verses.  Here are some clips of Keri reviewing the Dreydl Song with her kids, then giving instructions making up their own lyrics.

Here are some of the best verses created by the 6th graders...

I made it in the pool...

I made it out of fur...

I made it our of thread...

And for your viewing enjoyment...the typical 6th grade boy....

I made it out of waste....

The whole class was amazing and very creative.  Keri gave them 3 minutes to do this in.  Many teachers are afraid of giving this kind of assignment out to their kids.  First, they are afraid of the chaos and second they are afraid it will take too long.  Remember that Keri gave them very specific instructions and a time limit so they knew how to work and for how long.  They can do this!  Give it a try!


Later in the day Keri's classes showed me some chair dances they had learned.  The first is to Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker March and the second is to Stalia, Stalia from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  Here are clips of both...


Nutcracker march is used to teach Rondo form.  It has an A section, a B section and a C section and is performed ABACABA  (sometimes we call it abracadabra form..lol).  It also teaches body percussion and phrasing as well as gets the kids listening to the different sections.  My favorite section is the C Section...Keri's poses are the best!

Nutcracker March

Stalia, Stalia teaches similar things as Nutcracker March but it adds one more thing.  It teaches the difference between unison and duet.  Can you find what movement they use to identify that quality?

Stalia, Stalia

At the end of the day the kids showed me one of their favorite Christmas songs, The Twelve Days of Christmas.  I love the actions they put to it and the excitement they had for singing it.  But I loved Keri's introduction to the song and her pointer on how to be prepared to sing correctly...

GOTTA BE ROYAL!

Here is a clip of the song with the cute actions...but watch first how they all sit up straight...OK almost all of them. 

Thank you Keri so much for the fun day and for teaching me and all of our teachers your amazing lessons!  Isn't great how much we can learn from each other!