"Thanks SO much for offering a course like this! It was helpful beyond what I thought it would be!
It is a perfect class for music educators. It gave us enough of an understanding of the CCSS without overwhelming us with, and then it taught us how to go about incorporating CCSS into our current lesson plans.
My "ah ha" moment was when I realized that I can use the lesson plans that I had already written. I didn't have to start back at square one. All I need to do is tweak some of them so they line up with CCSS." -Kathryn Dillman
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"This class is a practical overview of the CCSS for K-5 and how to incorporate them into your existing music lessons, either by questioning or extending areas that overlap. It provides concrete suggestions for implementing the CCSS into elementary music classes, but still retaining the integrity of music education.
It also includes many resources such as lesson plans and charts to make the documentation easier. For most music teachers who have been left out of the loop on understanding CCSS yet still asked to implement it in their classrooms, this is a time saver of epic proportions.
Sharon presents the overview in a clear and concise manner that is easily understandable. She offers examples of how she has implemented it in her classes. In short, if anyone is asked to implement CCSS in their music class, it is well worth the time to take this class and save yourself a lot of stress and time." --Jaree Hall
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"The charts that you made for math and ELA are a huge benefit. I am so glad to have something like that to start this journey with, rather than having to create it myself.
The pace of the class was great. The Pre-work helped a lot to prepare and understand the vocabulary and to know what manipulatives we might be able to use . Having a little homework (a couple of lesson ideas per week) helped to keep it attainable and less stress.
The Lesson Swap is priceless - always is. Some of the stuff we do is so basic and old hat, and other ones take a little prep (or a lot) and the ideas that came from the class covered both. I am thankful that you will be including CCSS in the Freddie stuff too.
Understanding that I don't have to teach Math and ELA, but simply show which standards I am touching with my music lessons, made the stress go away."
- Amanda Heister
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"I recommend this class to all music teachers who are working in schools implementing the Common Core. I would even recommend the majority of the class to any other specialist teacher who seeks understanding of the Common Core. The presentation is relevant without becoming overwhelming. The Common Core has been demystified for me, and the websites included are now bookmarks I will use for planning.
My greatest "take-away" is how easy it can be to incorporate one or two CCSS standards into my existing lesson plans. Another is that, while following your advice to first work with the lowest grade level I teach, I discovered how my implementation of one standard into Kindergarten could be adapted for 1st and even 2nd grade as well." --Lori Gale
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"Sharon Burch has done an amazing job putting together this easy, non-threatening way to explain how CCSS and music education can work hand in hand! There is ample time for student/teacher feedback at any time so that the clarity of the material is understood.
Students can easily maneuver through CCSS web sites plus be able to search other web sites that will help in understanding the goals of the assignments.
The assignments are constructed so that the lesson can be used in the music classroom. A BIG bonus of the class is to be able to print out other music educator’s lesson plans who have taken the class!
The homework in the class is stress free and is 100% usable in the general music K-5 classroom.
My “ah ha” moment during the class is that there are so many websites that can help you while planning your CCSS lessons. Pinterest was my gold mine and I will go there to get other ideas from classroom educators.
I will be using CCSS this coming school year knowing that there will be a common language between classroom teachers and me. I think knowing more about CCSS will help strengthen communication between classroom teachers and the music teacher." --Sandy Weyers
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"Thank you, Sharon, for offering this class about Common Core Standards and how they "look" in our music classes.
I appreciate the time you took to look at these standards and make them meaningful and doable for music teachers. With your gentle guidance, they were not so overwhelming to consider and your comments are always very helpful. My hope is that I can "shift" my way of teaching to make classes more focused and student centered. --Shari Moeller
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