Reply To: Really frustrating 5th grade

[nafmeadmin]

Is there any way that you can do small group work with this class? I find that students of this age really like to be creative in their own ways and try to push boundaries whenever they can. Give them a chance to explore and create. Can you work on making instruments, composing, or creating movement to go with songs? I agree that it’s harder to get older students to buy into a singing-based classroom sometimes, but letting them be musical in other ways is an option. In a group of 30+ students, you could have groups of five or six students and still keep things manageable. I would even let students choose their own groups to start off with- you might find that they are overall more cooperative and productive. Your students that really want to engage in music will likely group up, and they might even drag along some of their less willing friends, too.

Lots of CHOICE within given parameters lets students feel like they are in control. Once they finish a project together, they can present it to the rest of the class, and you can help them become better listeners for their classmates.