My students are a wonderfully diverse and inquisitive group of kids whose biggest concern is transitioning to middle school next year. They are not so dissimilar from fifth graders across the country in terms of worrying about the road ahead, but they also desire to make their last year in elementary school impactful. After all, they are at the beginning of their journey toward becoming young adults. They have goals to improve their writing so it is more dynamic or they want to increase their lexile level in reading.
They are anxious to express themselves both academically and personally.
My students push themselves inside and outside the classroom. They play baseball, soccer, football, and volleyball and have goals they are reaching for in their respective sports. My goal as their teacher is to provide them with avenues for expressing themselves. I want my students to leave fifth grade with an unexpected love of language and rhythm. I want them to enter middle school unafraid and empowered.
My Project
Music has a unique way of bringing people together and can provide students with an outlet for stress or creative energy. My students will use these ukuleles primarily to explore the creative process and hopefully find their voice through music. Sometimes kids struggle to express themselves with paper and pencil because they are unsure of what to write. Music provides them with a voice as they learn various notes and chord formations, and these notes and chords have the ability to tell a story.
Music provides students with a strong sense of camaraderie and pride.
My sincere hope is for my students to bond through a shared love of musical expression. As they learn chord patterns they will also learn how to constructively disagree and help one another when struggling. My students will learn responsibility through caring for their ukulele and the surprising satisfaction of collaboration.
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