Singing the Standards: Supporting Content Learning Through Songboards
By Musselwhite, Caroline Ramsey; Schnepf, Alice; Kaplan, Janette; Klenk, Kristen; Martin-Mendonis, Kellie; Pilling, Jan; Closing the Gap, Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 20-21Publication Date: December 2004/January 2005
Article describes songboards, which are interactive learning tools for students in elementary special education classes. Songboards consist of a large presentation board with movable symbols, which can be arranged in order to provide visual cues for songs. Teachers can create songboards that apply to educational songs about a variety of subjects, including science, social studies, language arts, and mathematics. Songboards are valuable in that they provide students with visual supports, which offer a concrete representation of information. The rhyming and rhythmic involved in singing help students to focus on word endings and helps students to predict words, which are both valuable skills for developing communicators and readers. Rhythm helps students to organize information, while music in itself can be a motivating factor in helping children to feel excited about learning. Eight songboards are pictured, while descriptions regarding how to use each are included.
Published by: Closing the Gap, Inc. (Website:http://www.closingthegap.com)
