Music Inquiry with Touch Piano and Taiko

In Kinderland we sing and make music daily. We use music to learn and consolidate letter names and sounds, sight words, counting by 1's, 5's, 10's, etc. We write music and record audio and video of us creating music. We love music! So, we decided it was time to do an inquiry about music since the kinders have such great interest in it. On the SMARTboard and iPads we've been watching stomp and other garbage band videos. Pinterest has been helpful for brainstorming ideas about how to make an outdoor music wall. Kinders made their own instruments and recorded their songs with repeating patterns(Math and Music) on video and Garage Band.  We went for a parade at an assembly showing off our instruments. Kinders have also been practising repeating patterns on a piano app called Touch Piano and a drumming app called Taiko.  We've put simple lyrics to these repeating patterns as a phonemic awareness activity with syllables(i.e. apple-apple-pear).

Lego Inquiry with Lego Movie and Blocksworld

In Kinderland we've been inquiring about lego.  We went to see the Lego Movie and yes, "everything was awesome!"  After seeing the movie the kinders came up with wonderings such as, "how is it made?", "who invented lego?", "how do you make lego?", etc.  We have used the iPads in researching videos and websites that can answer our wonderings.  Our vocabulary has been expanding through these questions with words like, creative, manufacture, structure, foundation, etc.  To encourage writing the rule is, if you want to save your lego creation for later than you need to write about it.  Some kinders chose pencils and paper while other students chose to use the camera, video, or explain everything on the iPad.  We take pictures and put them up on our lego documentation panel to show our learning.  Students have been creating lego challenges and writing signs inviting other kinders to take up the challenge.  A new to us app has been Blocksworld.  It is similar to Minecraft in the sense that you can build structures, however geared to a younger audience.  It uses 3D shapes and the students have been excited about creating and sharing their worlds with other classmates.  They challenge each other's thinking continually and taking risks, and this app has introduced experimenting with 3D shapes.  This has been a perfect lead into instructing 3D shapes informally in small groups and formally in Math.  The Lego Movie app has been an exciting way for the kinders to explore their creating in story telling and cinematography.

Getting Started

Getting Started

This month we have been familiarizing our focus groups of Kindergarten students with the new iPads. We have spent time on learning the basics – turning an iPad on, entering the code [placed label on case for easy reference], turning an iPad off, and being GENTLE when using an iPad.

                                                        

Apps

We have also been investigating various apps with regard to suitability of topic and ease of use. Some of the apps we are looking at are set out below.

Seasons and Weather is an app that captures the interest of 4-5 year olds. It allows students to learn about seasonal changes through various games. It deals with weather concepts, what to wear as seasons change, and what outdoor activities are available as seasons change. It requires students to listen carefully to the directions and information given in order to understand what they are being asked to do.  The Kindergarten students appeared to enjoy exploring this app.

Grandma Love Bugs has been a particular favourite. This app is suitable for ages 4-5.  There are 10 mini-games [e.g., catching fireflies, building a spider web, spotting the difference in bugs, and bug matching]. It also allows students to look at selected bugs under a virtual magnifying glass and watch 8 short instructional bug videos.

LinguisSystems has apps for developing basic questions, concepts, and categories. These apps are suitable for ages 3-7. We are currently investigating the Concepts app for use with students struggling with receptive and expressive language. The Concepts app uses Becca Bunny stories to teach concepts [e.g., shapes, time, counting, and feelings] and is aimed at developing receptive language skills and early expressive language skills. The five Kindergarten students exploring this app repeatedly asked to use it when given an ipad.

Internet Sites

We have been investigating the Internet site – reading a-z.com, again with a view to suitability of topic and ease of use. We have a membership to the site and the various leveled books are appealing to the Kindergarten students.  There are easy to read books about the seasons, nature, insects, and animals [e.g., Winter Level aa, Shapes in Nature, What Lives Here? and Pond Animals Level A,  Ants, Ants, and More Ants Level G].

Photo Gallery

Summary

Next month we will continue to explore various apps relevant to our inquiry question and begin tracking student progress through the use of anecdotal notes,  photos, videos, note-taking [speech to text], oral language checklists, and students’ journals as an expression of their understanding [generating ideas, elaborating on them, identifying them orally, in drawings, and in writing].