What a whirlwind of a first month it's been. I can't believe we're already a month into the school year. Where does the time go? Let me just say, that the second year of teaching is SO much better than the first year. Not that the first year was bad at all, just that the second year is going to be so much better. I know more of what to expect and I know what not to expect. Also, because I teach the kids in all the grades, I already know a lot of the names of the 700 kids I teach (yikes!).
This year is going to be different for many reasons, one of which is going to be assessment. As a district, we are trying to be better about taking assessments and sending home report cards with grades. The idea is that we will have a better idea of each child's progress and sending grades home to parents may help to solidify our music program as a significant part of their child's education.
I've started most recently in the lower grades, Kindergarten and 1st grade. I altered/stole an assessment sheet from a colleague, I'll embed it below. Down the left hand side I type in all the kids' names from each class (I employed the school secretary's help to get an excel spreadsheet of all the names) and print out a page for each class. Then as I write the lessons, I incorporate times when students can sing on their own or somehow demonstrate something we are learning in class alone or in a small group. As they perform or demonstrate, I mark down a grade, generally a number form 1-4 based on how well they fulfilled the task. At the bottom is where I make notes of what the objective is that they are showing.
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| Just an example, you get the idea. PS The "G" column is checked off when they've had a turn at a game. |
I printed out a page for each class and then put them on clipboards, 1 clipboard for my Monday/Wednesday classes, 1 for my Tuesday/Thursday classes, and another for the Friday Kindergartens. This way I am able to flip through the classes easily and quickly replace pages as they get full.
I realize that this method is NOT revolutionary in any way, but for me it has made all the difference. In the last week I have assessed all my Kindergarteners' ability to find and use their head voice and the ability to keep a steady beat. All my 1st graders have sung a verse of a song for me and I've assessed how well they are singing in tune. While this is not groundbreaking or incredible, for me it is a huge step towards better assessment keeping.
