Submitted by Caryn Mears, Kennewick, Washington
Idea posted July 29, 2004
One of the things that helped me tremendously going into elementary music was having an established list of rules. I put the rules to music, and we sing them for the first several classes. Later on in the year when we get new students, I tell the students that they can see the rules posted, but we are also going to sing the rules to them. However, we are going to sing them at "warp speed," and we have a timekeeper. The fastest we have sung these six rules is 45 seconds.
1. Do your best in music, do your best!2. I will raise my hand to share. (Sung to the tune "The Farmer In The Dell.")
3. I will keep my whole self under control, even my hands, my mouth, and my feet. (Spoken in monotone robot sound.)
4. Cooperate and Respect each other. (Sung to "Someone's In The Kitchen With Dinah.")
5. Be responsible with books and instruments because they are expensive. (Scale up and down.)
6. Follow the directions. (Sung to Peter Pan's "Following The Leader.")
The consequences for not following these rules are:
First time - a warning. Sometimes I say, "Warning, warning Will Robinson." like the robot in Lost in Space, but I use the student's name. I also add, "You've broken rule number __ ." The second time they break the rule, they go to the writing table. There the rules are posted, and the student will copy the rule that they have broken. First graders write it once, second graders write it two times, etc. They then quietly come back to the group activity, and if they still are not cooperating, they will have to come back at recess time. At that time we chat about what they could have done differently and how time is very valuable. The fourth consequence is to call home, and the fifth consequence is to visit the principal's office. In the last six years I don't think I've had to go any further than having a few squirrelly ones stay in for recess.
The students know that they receive two points for walking in quietly. They also know that they earn two points for lining up quietly at the end of the lesson. This is done through guided practice and a tremendous amount of praise. They are working towards earning ten points for the day. After the students earn ten points, I give them a star to give to their teacher. Once the class has ten stars, they get a day of fun activities. We use Greg and Steve's "Freeze Game" which they love and John Jacobson's "Kung Fu Kick" and "Conga In The Kitchen." The fifth graders go on and do the freeze game activity with other songs. It's all very structured, but they think they are just partying away!
With the rules and consequences in place, life is much easier. Kids love structure, and they also love knowing what to expect. I feel that music is a place to have fun, but I don't tolerate inappropriate behavior.