There are so many different ways of incorporating audio elements to enhance a classroom environment. I use a variety of audio tools in my classroom, often to assist with transitions, quiet time, and read alouds.
I project timers on my whiteboard at the front of the classroom to give students a timeline for their learning. I may use a two minute timer to encourage students to start wrapping up an activity. I use a calming ten minute timer during snack time to show the kids how long they have to eat. Since the kids can see the timer clearly in the classroom, they understand that when it ends, they must be done working or eating. It is a lot simpler than just telling them to clean up after a given amount of time, catching them off guard, and making the transition take longer. The timer below is the one that I have been using for snack this school year.
In past years, I have also played lively songs while cleaning up. I challenge the kids to "beat the song" and clean up the whole classroom before the song ends. It's a fun way to transition to the next part of the day in an efficient way. Below is a song that I have used for this clean up challenge.
Another part of our day is quiet time following recess and lunch. During quiet time, the kids can make a quiet choice to reset for the afternoon. I also play quiet music during this time to set the tone for that part of the day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G52dUQLxPzg
I also use audio tools for read alouds as well. Sometimes, if I don't have a read aloud available to me, I will seek it out online. Epic (getepic.com) has so many books that I use to support my instruction. These books have an audio option as well that I can play for the class.
I would like to expand on my audio usage for instructional purposes. During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, I recorded videos of myself reading to the kids and teaching lessons as well. (This was prior to the more organized, synchronous zoom lessons that we began later on in the pandemic.) I don't do this anymore, however, I think it would be neat to create audio files or videos of myself reading stories for the kids. Sharing links to these audio/video files could be a nice resource for families who may not be have access to books at their homes.
Another way I could integrate audio resources into my teaching is for phonics. In this era of mask-wearing, it is nice for the kids to see my face while practicing phonemes, letters sounds, digraphs, etc. We use the Fundations phonics curriculum, and each letter card has a specific way of being introduced to the class. I would love to record myself saying these letter cards so that the kids can practice at home.
I like the idea of using podcasts while teaching. At first I struggled with thinking of ways to use podcasts with kindergarten students. (I definitely see the value of using podcasts and having students create podcasts in older grades.) After thinking this through, I can see myself recording SEL lessons (such as breathing lessons) to create calm moments throughout the day. I use Go Noodle (gonoodle.com) as a resource for "getting our wiggles out," and I love their breathing videos. I have exhausted them already this year, and I keep repeating the same ones over and over again. I would love to create a library of audio SEL files that I can access throughout the year when I would like the kids to calm down a bit to prepare for learning.
Another idea for a podcast is for the families of my students. I receive so many questions throughout the school year of how families can best support their children's academic skills at home. I believe that partnering with families is one of the best ways to foster my students' success, and I would love to share resources and ideas of how parents and guardians can support their kids at home.
I would love to explore podcast resources, such as Audacity, to work on these goals, partner with my school families, and help my students be as successful as possible throughout the school year!
Hi Allie! I agree that sending links to parents to listen to podcasts at home with their child(ren) is a great way to help connect families to their child's learning. I was thinking about how I would incorporate this idea into my weekly newsletters to give the parents an option to do this without overwhelming them with all the information of how to get to all of the cool podcasts available to kids. I think that after helping my students explore podcasts in the classroom with me a few times I will extend it out to my families and help them to explore this with their child(ren) as their guide. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHi Allie! I really liked all of the ways that you incorporate audio in your classroom. Playing a song to motivate children to clean up in a set amount of time is a great idea! I can just imagine them dancing to "Happy" as they are cleaning! I really liked your idea about posting video/audio of yourself reading books for students who may not have access to books. This would be a great way to have all students access things like "The Story of the Week!" I did stumble on a children's podcast (Julie's Library Show), where Julie Andrews narrates children's books with sound effects. There is no video...but it might be interesting to have students listen to the podcast during quiet time after recess. Thanks for sharing all of your great ideas!
ReplyDeleteHi! I loved reading your ideas. I love the idea of using a timer with my intervention students. They love to talk to me and tell me stories so maybe having a timer would help - I could give three minutes for sharing and move on!
ReplyDeleteHi Allie! As I was reading through your post, I do almost all of the same things in my classroom! Using the timer videos has completely changed my way of teaching! It helps the day be so much less chaotic. I love your idea of "Beat the Song" for clean up. I will definitely be trying this! I have had my students listen to podcasts during their snack time before, and they absolutely loved it! I use the website Kids Listen, there are so many different types of kid-friendly podcasts on the site, I'm sure you could find one for your kindergarten kiddos!
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