—Sanja Vujinovic, OCT,
Terry Fox PS, York Region DSB
As a primary teacher, I often take my young students on trips to the music room. As you can imagine, it’s filled with tempting instruments. To avoid damage and injury, I elect a student per trip to take on the role of our instrument bodyguard. The job is to keep an eye on the instruments and make sure none of the children are touching them when they shouldn’t be. This works especially well when you elect the student who tends to touch the instruments the most!
Got a great classroom tip to share with your fellow teachers?
Send it to us at ps@oct.ca. If we choose to publish yours, you will receive an Indigo gift card.
We all remember our first live concert. Why not help your students experience classical, jazz, blues or world music by the likes of Gilberto Gil, Yo-Yo Ma, Herbie Hancock, Ravi and Anoushka Shankar, and Bobby McFerrin? They are just a few of the greats who have graced the stage at Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall since the Toronto outreach program, Share the Music, kicked off in 1999.
Although the program prioritizes seats for the underprivileged and students of the arts between the ages of eight to 18, teachers from all schools are welcome to request tickets. Lucky ticket holders also enjoy a 30-minute pre-concert workshop where local performers, and sometimes the artists themselves, discuss and demonstrate their craft.
“My jazz band finds it totally inspiring to see musicians in their own setting,” says Cathy Whiteside, OCT, a band teacher at Don Mills CI in Toronto who is a long-time Share the Music participant. “Many kids who have attended the program have gone on to become real concertgoers.”
Be a rock star teacher and visit roythomson.com → Share the Music for its world-class 2013 concert lineup, featuring Paco Peña, Wynton Marsalis, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Gabriela Martinez, Esperanza Spalding and Buddy Guy. Call 416-593-4822 ext. 326 for information.
And while you’ve got music on the brain, stop in at Roy Thomson Hall’s 16th annual free noon-hour Choir & Organ concert series featuring the magnificent Gabriel Kney pipe organ alongside the artistry of Canada’s finest choirs and organists. For reservations of 20 or more, call 416-593-4822 ext. 225. — R.C.M.
Drizzy
@Drake
Canadian Platinum recording artist (3 Juno Awards / 9 Grammy nominations) and former Degrassi: The Next Generation actor
Drizzy @Drake
97% on my final exam. 88% in the
course. One of the greatest feelings
in my entire life. As of tonight I have
graduated high school!
October 17, 2012, 5:50 p.m.
Drizzy @Drake
Thank you to my teacher Kim Janzen
for spending the last 5 months working tirelessly with me!!
October 17, 2012, 5:53 p.m.
An estimated one-third of Canadian classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards, the majority of which are Smart Boards. However, the technology has limited usefulness without appropriate and engaging content — something TVO had been hearing from teachers. In response, the Ontario public broadcaster recently launched a series of 10 Smart Board lessons, which teachers can download free of charge from tvoparents.com/tvokidsteacherzone and from Smart Exchange’s exchange.smarttech.com.
Covering math, social sciences, language arts and science, the lessons were developed with an on-staff educator and link specifically to Ontario curriculum strands for K–6. Each has been tested with children in their classrooms.
The Smart Board lesson plans are outlined in a step-by-step format that lists what students will learn, as well as which of the embedded multimedia resources to use, and in which order. Wish you could customize one of the ready-made lessons? You can easily add and alter the whiteboard resources. For example, in the science lesson on simple machines — which is preloaded with photos of a ramp, wheel, axle and dolly — you can upload photos of additional machines you’d like to discuss with your class, such as a pulley.
If you’re new to using a Smart Board, you can watch online tutorials, hosted by Mark Sykes, OCT, a TDSB teacher and former TVO on-camera personality (you’ll recognize him in some of the fun, three-minute videos that kick off each lesson).
For help after school, TVOKids Homework Zone (homeworkzone.tvokids.com) is a rich resource of practice sheets, teacher-led video lessons (such as tricks for remembering how to spell words) and study tips. It’s all linked to the Ontario curriculum, free and searchable by subject.
— Sandra E. Martin
Looking for homework resources in French?
SOS DEVOIRS offers free interactive online help for students in all grade levels at sosdevoirs.org.
