Music Genre Project

Project work often falls under the SESE area.. but why not in music?

If you want to try something different with your class, or you're exploring the notion of 'genre' in music this is the perfect project! The class will love it! 

I distributed this task sheet to the children: Music Genre Project  .  Feel free to download and edit as appropriate to your class. 

The children worked individually on a project.  I wrote down a variety of different genres on slips of paper and put them in a hat.  Children then chose a slip of paper/genre from the hat and worked on this for a week. 

This would work well alternatively as a group project.  

In order to keep some variety in the projects I distributed the slips of paper.  However, if there is a style of music a child is particularly passionate about I would encourage them to go with this!

The children were given a minute to present their projects to the class. 

I encouraged the rest of the class to ask questions.  They also wrote down one interesting fact they learned for each project which was presented.  

This is a great project for a rainy day or as an early finisher activity. 

Here are some pictures of the final projects

Let me know how it goes for you! 

Yvonne 

Land League History Lesson

There are some topics within the 6th class history curriculum which can be heavy and hard to make fun or active... particularly (dare I say it) when it comes to Irish History.

I created this lesson to:

• Get the children researching and investigating. It's important that children discover or find the information for themselves and for a meaningful purpose. 
• Incorporate drama into the lesson.  Drama is a wonderful tool within history to help the children develop empathy.  It allows them to step back in time and into the shoes of the characters. 
• Develop teamwork skills.  Children had to work together to come up with an appropriate campaign. 

I have attached a copy of the task sheet I distributed to the children here: 

Land League Project Brief

I was amazed with what the children came up with! Some re created the scenes when Devoy, Parnell and Davitt joined forces.  Others distributed campaign leaflets, posters and voting slips.  Speeches and chants were made to win the support of the crowd.  Some children even brought in their own props and clothes to really get into character. 

Check out some of the pictures on our twitter page!
https://twitter.com/MissWardsClass

Finally I created a display of some of the posters and campaign slips created by the children.

This turned out to be one of my favourite lessons this year. 

The class LOVED it! 

Learning about the Land League will never be boring again! 

Let me know how you get on! 

Yvonne 

Angles & Lines Maths Trail for Senior Classes

As part of Maths week, I carried out a maths trail with my class on the topic of Angles and lines.  

What is a maths trail? 

"A Maths Trail is an organised walk through an area close to school where pupils can experience maths in the real world. A trail will help to highlight for them the huge use we make of number in our everyday life and how Maths surrounds us in even the most unusual areas" (PDST, 2014)

  

The trail I used offered the children the opportunity to explore the use of angles and lines in the environment around them.   Before starting I set out some ground rules. 

·      Children formed groups of three and four. 

·      I then assigned one piece of equipment to each child as follows:

o   Chalk

o   A large protractor

o   A metre tape

·      All children were given the task sheet and set out in their groups to complete each task.

TIP! Before setting out on the trail.  Make sure to discuss what is required on the trail prior to leaving the classroom!

The children absolutely loved the activity and for many helped increase their understanding of lines and angles. 

I have attached a free copy of the maths trail I used here! Google Docs Maths Trail File

Feel free to download and try it out with your class. (Please note: Share the file to your own account before editing! :))  Let me know how you get on!

Don’t forget to discuss your findings when you return to the classroom!

If you're thinking of creating your own trails, PDST have some great advice here and prompt questions: 

Maths Trails Overview & Prompts PDF

There are also some other examples of trails you can use here: 

Maths Trails Documents

Yvonne