Intentional Teaching

We would all like to call ourselves "intentional teachers."  What I mean by that is that we teach with a certain outcome in mind.  Sometimes our students get it; sometimes they don't.  It is our job to figure out why they didn't get it and what I could have done differently to reach my intended outcome with my students.

In fifth grade, I am currently working on an Orff piece entitled, "Tideo."  The name doesn't ring any bells with me because it is a folk song from Texas (I grew up in Florida).  The lyric is a lovely rhymed text, but it doesn't make much sense.  The melody is quite catchy and singable for 11-12 year olds, but it won't win a Grammy.  Let's take a closer look...

Pass one window Tideo;

Pass two windows Tideo;

Pass three windows Tideo;

Jingle at the window, Tideo.

Tideo, Tideo

Jingle at the window, Tideo;

Tideo, Tideo

Jingle at the window, Tideo.

My intent in teaching this piece is to re-acquaint my students with several elements of music including Time Signature, AB Form, Mi-Re-Do in the A-section, Mi-Sol-Do in the B-section, a rhythmic motive on the words, "jingle at the window, Tideo" (tika tika ti-ti ti-ti tah) and finally the transferrance of that information to body percussion and then to the Orff instruments in the back of my classroom.

You might ask, "How did you pull all of that out of 8 lines of text and a half-dozen pitches? "  It is not easy, but this year in particular, I am having to teach the same content with much less student contact time.  I am learning to make every minute count.  There is no time to waste.  The expectation has not changed; only the amount of time I have been given to move my students forward.

This year, I will intentionally choose material that will present several concepts at the same time. This year, I will stick to the elements of music because that is what they are tested on in second and fifth grade by the district.  This year, I will use an "exit ticket" on which my students must respond to an "essential question" at the conclusion of their unit of study.  This year, I will produce two musicals in half the rehearsal time.  This year, I will teach recorder using a classroom set of instruments and teach three pitches instead of six.  This year, I will do everything in my power to help singers make it to the All-State Elementary Chorus.  This year, my students will learn because I will teach with the end in mind.

Until next time...