Transition Music

Several teachers have asked what music we use to transition from the closing of one lesson to the opening of the next.  During this time, students have the opportunity to use the restroom, get a drink of water, stretch, move, etc...so they are better prepared for the upcoming lesson.  They are also expected to bring their necessary materials to the carpet and write the lesson's learning objective in their notebooks.  At my previous school, this was the domain and the standard, but could be an essential question based on the vision of your school (what's most important is that students have an idea of what they will be learning).

Let me also say that my co-teachers and I have had in-depth conversations about the songs we have selected because we want students to be able to determine the central idea of the songs.  This frequently comes without a lesson, however we also use some of these song lyrics when teaching close reading to determine central ideas.

I should also point out that we use the one song to indicate which workshop is forthcoming.  We always tried to keep our schedule as routine as possible, but we all know that is not always possible.  When our students heard "Man in the Mirror", regardless of the time of day, they knew it was time for Reader's Workshop.

Without further ado...feel free to make a joyful noise!