It’s hard to believe that I’m already half way through summer break! Now that I’ve had time to rest and relax, its’ time to start planning for next school year! Now, I’m still going to enjoy the second half of my break, but I have a few things I’ve been thinking about for next year. To see my reflection post with what went well and what I wanted to improve on next year, click here.
I think it’s incredibly important to reflect and set goals for the upcoming year. I believe in it so much that I created a workbook that I want to share with you! This workbook includes goal setting and reflection pages for not only the school year, but also programs, units, and observations, so it’s something you can use all year long!
Download your free workbook here!
Scope and Sequence
First up is my scope and sequence. The way I do my scope and sequence might sound a little strange, but stay with me! First, I get the Google Sheet ready with our district’s calendar. I color code the weeks that are not full weeks. You can see my example above.
Next, I’ll add in non-negotiables, like programs and our district’s music assessments. From there I can see what chunks of time I have and can break the semesters down into units. I’ll add in big concepts (like sixteenth notes) at the front end of the scope and sequence. I know that sometimes units get pushed back for various reasons. Units that are fun but not tested in our district’s assessments will be planned for the end of the year. For example, I love doing Genius Hour with fourth and fifth graders. It is something the kids get really excited about, so I plan that for the end of the year. The little ones love folk dancing and need that amount of movement toward the end of the year.
Of course, my scope and sequence will change throughout the year. Kids will catch on to some concepts faster than I expect, or they’ll need more time with other units. That’s okay! This document should be flexible. Let your scope and sequence be the map, but your students should determine the pace of the journey through the school year.
Listening Lessons
Listening lessons was one of the areas that I dropped the ball on last year. I was disappointed that I didn’t expose my students to as many genres or performers that they may not hear anywhere else. At the end of this past school year, I determined that this would be something I would work on over the summer and the next school year.
Over the summer, I made it a point to listen to different genres of music. I listened to country, rap, classic rock, current pop, and more. There was some music that I liked, some that I learned to like, and some that I could appreciate but wouldn’t choose to listen to. I wrote these songs and artists down in my phone and have been brainstorming ways to use them in my classroom. A lot of this has also included reading biographies and research articles about cultures around the world so that I can share the information with my students.
And just a friendly reminder- we should be including these lessons all year long, not just during certain months of the year.
Holidays Around the World
Something else we’re going to include all year long are holidays around the world. This has included a lot of learning on my end, which I appreciate. I have students from all over the world, and they love to share their experiences with each other. I’ve spent a lot of time learning about various holidays and finding authentic resources from these cultures to share with my students.
A few of the holidays we’re learning about this year include:
- Divali
- Hanukkah
- Holi
- Kwanzaa
- Lunar New Year (and how lots of different countries celebrate!)
- Rosh Hashana
If you’re interested in doing the same practice, but want something fancier than the index card I used at first, I’ve create a free workbook that contains reflection and goal setting pages for units, programs, observations, and the school year.
You can get that workbook here!
So tell me in the comments- what are you focusing on this year? When do you go back to school?
