Hey peeps! I’ve been talking a lot, as always, about integrating literacy skills into the music classroom. Today, I have 4 great tips to help you do this so easily! I promise that it won’t take you more than a couple of extra minutes, and these skills are SO VALUABLE to your students! Before we go there, let’s just chat for a moment about the why, in case you’ve missed that part.
As music teachers, we teach EVERY student in the school. That makes us responsible to be part of the TEAM of teachers that are helping to educate these students. When students see how music connects to their gen-ed classroom, they are more likely to see value in our class. I know, as do you, that they should ALREADY see value. But let’s be real here. They don’t! And neither do the teachers in your school, unless you find a way to show them what you are doing to be a part of the team of educators at your school! 
How many of you have been asked why you went to college when you’re only a music teacher? Who has had the experience of an administrator saying, “Specials teachers are just glorified babysitters!!” (not my current admins who are VERY supportive). These are actual statements that have been said to and about my class.
I’m not at all suggesting that we are not a valid part of our schools. However, I am here to tell you that my teachers see me as a part of their team. This gives me and my classroom a little extra cred, and who doesn’t need that. Don’t allow your ego to get in the way. Know that everything you do to help students, teachers, and administration to see you as part of the team will help your students learn MUSIC. When the teachers and admin at your school see you as part of their team of educators, they will talk about your class differently. Suddenly, instead of teachers saying, “Have fun” or “Sing pretty”, they will be saying “Can’t wait to see what you learned today!”
That being said, here are those great tips I was telling you about:
Pick a fun rhyming storybook with vivid pictures!
When I look for a great storybook, the first think I look at is the cover and the title. I want something that looks fun and inviting. If it looks funny or silly, that much better! 
Next, I take a picture walk through the book and look at the pictures. Then I do a quick read-thru. I’m looking for vivid pictures, good movement words (can you see the movement in your head), and a story that rhymes.
This is a page from the storybook, Journey of the Noble Gnarble, by Daniel Errico and illustrated by Christian Colabelli. This storybook would be a great one to teach your students about never giving up and also about high melodies and gradually getting higher. Stay tuned for a lesson plan next month! If you’re not part of my email tribe, be sure to join here:
Make predictions & help you students do the same!
Making predictions is an important part of the reading process. It helps students remember to connect to their background knowledge, and it also help them to stay actively involved in the read aloud. You can do this in several different ways:
- Read the title, and look at the front & back covers. Invite your students to predict what will happen in the story. Demonstrate yourself if you have littles, and be sure you don’t give away the surprise. Tell your students that you can’t wait to see who is right!
- Make a prediction about what is going to happen next, based on the events of the previous page.
Ask great comprehension questions!
Comprehension is the final and sometimes the most difficult strategies for students to grasp. Just because they read a sentence fluidly, doesn’t always mean they know what the story is talking about. If they don’t understand the story, how can they enjoy it?? We can help by just asking a couple of quick questions. Here are some examples: 
- What is the setting of this story? (Where it takes place, for example, it’s in the forest)
- Who are the characters in this story?
- What is the main idea of the story? What was the author’s purpose in telling the story
- Did anything that happened in the story also happen to you or did it remind of something that happened to you? (This is called making connections) When a student can connect the story to events in their own life, they will better understand and remember the story.
- What did you like about this story?
For these and other great comprehension questions, click here!
Focus on new vocabulary!
I’m not a classroom teacher, so I don’t always know which words are new to my students. Here are some of the ways I figure out which words to focus on:
- Movement words – If you can see a movement in your head when you read the word, it is a movement word, and we can use these words to add movement to our activity.
- Sound words – If you can hear a sound in your head when you read the word, it is a sound word, and we can add some instrument play to these words!
- New words – If a word is long or just seems hard to me, I will discuss it with my students. I may ask if they know the word, or I may just tell them the definition. Sometimes as we are doing our picture walk, I will ask students to pick out words they don’t know.
These simple steps will make a huge difference, not only to your students, but also to the team of teachers that you are a part of. If you have questions or would like to connect further and learn more about integrating literacy skills seamlessly into your classroom, please join my private Facebook group, Stories That Sing for Teachers! I look forward to connecting with you there!