Talia Block
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Música Madness - Elementary Style

3/17/2017

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I’m not the first, and I won’t be the last to implement a Música Madness tournament in my class. With the help of people like Carrie Toth and @Spanishplans, I’ve been able to craft a tournament that works for my students and me. A bracket of 32 or even 16 songs seemed a bit overwhelming for my first go around with 5th graders, so I settled on 8 favorites. At the end of the year, I do a Lip Sync Off, so I chose songs that students would see again in our next competition. I figure the more contact the students have with the music, the more likely they are to connect with it.
 
I set up my brackets attempting to put like music together to even the playing field. I also tried for different genres of music to engage the widest audience. Once the brackets were set; we completed one bracket a week for the first round, listening to the whole song. As we move forward in the brackets, we’ll listen to just a few minutes to remind students before they vote. I’m so curious as to whether the totals will change the more they listen to the song.  
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Brain Breaks 

12/7/2016

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If you’ve ever taught elementary school, you know the kids are squirrely. They can’t sit for more than 10 minutes or so before needing to stand up and move. This is great for language teachers as we often want our students moving around the room and interacting. There are times, however, that we need students to focus on an interpretive task or work on a presentational activity.
 
After reading about primacy and recency, I realized this was a great way to plan my lessons. Even with a 30 minute period, students could only focus on a task for about 10 minutes before needing a change. Enter the brain break.
 
Not only do brain breaks give students a chance to rest and recharge their brains, but also it is a way for me to incorporate cultural songs and ideas and to review previous lessons. Here are a few of my favorites:
 
Chocolate
This is a popular one with students as they get to talk (and think about) chocolate. It has a simple rhythm and simple hand gestures, but it gives them a chance to interact with a friend during class.
Cho-co-la-te
Choco choco la la
Choco choco te te
Choco la
Choco te
Choco Choco la te
Palo, Palo
This is a new find and the students love it! Again, simple words and gestures make it easy to introduce and do during class and it’s just fun! (The action starts about 2 minutes in.)
Palo, palo, palo
Palo, bonito
Palo, eh
Eh, eh, eh
Palo, bonito
Palo, eh

Hand clap
Everyone loves a good hand game and this one is no different! There are three parts to this, the second being quite long. While there is not a lot to the game, I love that the students learn the words associated with the different actions. As they move their hands, they have to say the words. For now, I only have them do part A, but as they get better I may add in part B and the finale. (Start video 1 min in.)
Busca algo…
This is a game we used to play as part of the color unit, but our color unit has been absorbed in other places (thankfully). Kids simply listen for the color (busca algo rojo) and walk around the room to find it. There are three rules: no running, no talking, and no touching other people. It’s a quick and simple way to get them moving and spot check for if they remember their colors. If you want to change it up, have them look for objects or letters.
 
Body Rock, Paper, Scissors
This is your typical rock, paper, scissors game, except that students use their entire bodies to form each object. Before playing, I go over each word and each movement with the students. We practice them in different orders and then in order. When they are ready to play, students close their eyes and say: “roca, papel, tijeras, ¡ya!”. On ya they pick a movement and open their eyes. You can teach phrases like “I win” or “rock beats scissors” as an added bonus.
 
Estatua
Another great way to review vocabulary is with statue. I name an object and students freeze in a way that demonstrates that word. Sometimes, I throw in feelings or adjectives as well.
 
When introducing the brain break, it can take a few extra minutes out of class, but once students know the song or game, all they require is the title of the activity to get going. It is worth the minutes up front to help long-term class participation and interest.
 
These are just a few of the many brain breaks out there. Not all are specific to the World Language classroom, but they can be adapted quite easily. Another option is to take a favorite rhyme or hand game in your target language or to search in your language via YouTube or Google.
 
No matter what you find, find a way to let students move and have a good time. 
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Lip Sync Battle

5/9/2016

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Who doesn’t love a good lip sync? It takes me back to my days at summer camp, but lately, lip sync battles are all the rage. So why not bring it into the classroom. Not only is it a great way to introduce students to popular music in Spanish, but also a chance for me to catch up on the latest and greatest while throwing in some of my favorites! (Plus it was a chance to watch Jimmy Fallon’s lip sync battles gratuitously.)
Students have access to the set of music videos they can choose from before we begin the battle. At home, they listen to as many of the songs as they like and come to class with an idea of their top video. Based on their video choice, they are put in groups. If there are multiple groups that choose the same video, it is up to the group to make their performance standout.
 
Once in groups, students get to work on the studying the song lyrics, and especially the chorus. As this is 5th grade, students are only responsible for truly lip syncing the chorus. In order to impress the judges (a few teachers I roped in and me), they can learn more. Students get to practicing the lyrics while they listen and dividing the work amongst the group. Students perform no more than 2 minutes of the song for the sake of time (we only have a 30 minute class).
 
Next comes the dance moves. No one wants to watch you standing still for 2 minutes! Students choreograph a dance to the part on which they will focus.  It’s really fun to watch the students get into their dance moves. You never know who’s been hiding their talents all year!
 
Groups go against each other in pairs. The winner of each pair advances to the next round. Students are judged on their creativity, the clarity of the lip sync during the chorus, and group dynamics.

While this is a great way to wind down the school year, it is also a fun way to introduce new music to the students. It opens their eyes to culturally appropriate artists and genres, as well as provides input in the target language. Hearing different accents and voices broadens students’ ability to interpret the target language and make use of it. This activity can also be connected to their music classes, adding another layer to its’ purpose. 
 
Next year, I’d love to pair the songs for our lip sync battle with a Music Madness tournament in March, a la Carrie Toth and @Spanishplans. I would introduce these songs/videos in March and get the students geared up and listening. By May, they wouldn’t even need the lyrics to study! 
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