THROWBACK THURSDAY - SONG BINDERS BUILD FLUENCY

Hey friends . . . I am finally coming up for air and am back on the electronic box.  Who knew summer would be such a busy time for little old me???  Heaven knows I ain't gripin' . . . life is pretty dang awesome as of late!!!

I am on a roll with a packet at the moment, but I wanted to jump in on Hope's Throwback Thursday.  I will be back tomorrow or Saturday with Doodle's Five For, and I will return again on Sunday with a fun new idea to build spelling independence {my current obsession}.  In the meantime, here's an oldie . . . but . . . a goodie :)  Oh, and it's FREE.  

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How y'all doing??  My room is nearly finished (one more day max), which means I can finally focus on a little planning and fun prep.  It's silly, but I can't touch my plan book or get anything ready until my classroom has been put back in order.  I think this girl may have a touch of OCD . . . just sayin'!  

On that note, I began preppin' a little something for my new cuties yesterday and decided to put it in a FREEBIE form to share with all of you.  Ever thought of using song binders in your room??  Well, if not, let me build a case for you to mull over today . . . 

  

Growing up around music in the classroom and amazing parents who actually create it, I am no stranger to the unbelievable power of song, rhythm, and rhyme!  Learning through music is extremely effective because it is SO brain compatible.  It stimulates and unifies cognitive function.  It also touches three of the four modalities through which the brain processes information - auditory, kinesthetic, and tactual.  Now when you provide the song lyrics in printed form, music also taps into the visual modality.  That's where song binders come in!

Just think . . . over time song binders become a "book" that your students can successfully READ!!!  How??  Well, simply provide each student with a copy of the lyrics when you intro a new song.  Have them track and sing along as the tune is played.  Soon, they will be able to read it without the song.  If all of the lyrics are stored in a binder, you now have a book that your students will love to pick up and read!  It's magical I tell ya :)

This FREE download includes everything you need to get binders set up for your incoming sweeties.  From step-by-step directions to B/W or color song dividers broken out by subject, this collection will walk you right through the process.  It also includes an EDITABLE divider!

Wait . . . I'm not done yet.  It just so happens that I partnered up with Ron Brown's Intelli-Tunes (thanks dad), to help get your song binders started off right!  In the ZIP download, you will find an MP3 of Ron's tune, I'm In A New Grade.  We also have tossed in your very first set of lyrics.  

Most classroom songs come with lyrics - many that are print-ready.
If they are inside a CD jacket, you can enlarge them on the copier or quickly re-type them. 

Snag the song and the binder info HERE.

This year I am setting aside 10 minutes 3-4 times a week to add new songs and sing previous ditties from our song binders {UPDATE: This year I'm shooting for daily}.  This will be a great way for me to review the standards in a fun way.  AND . . . the more my kids sing the songs, the more they will be able to read it without the tune . . . thus increasing reading confidence and fluency.  

Click here to learn more. 

I can't take credit for this doozie.  My mom started song binders in her first grade classroom 20+ years ago and swears by it.  When she first told me about them 8 years ago, I frantically replied, "BUT, MOM!  I don't have time for this every day."  She calmly replied, "You don't have time NOT to do it!"  Shhhh . . . don't tell her I said this . . . but, she was right.  Ten little minutes really does go a LONG way :)  Thanks Mom!

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Before I go, if you live in the Kansas or Texas areas and are interested in a killer Professional Development opportunity, Intelli-Tunes has teamed up with Kim Sutton and Creative Mathematics to bring you some pretty amazing summer classes.  These are packed with ideas and activities that you can immediately implement into your room {lots of music for those song binders too}.  These classes are outlined below - just click on the title you are interested in learning more about!

• Rock Your Math Class (2 Full Days) - Wichita, KS - July 7-8
• Rock Your Math Class (2 Full Days) - Kansas City, KS - July 10-11 
• CAMT Math Conference - Forth Worth, TX - July 21-23                          (Kim Sutton and Intelli-Tunes are hosting multiple sessions).

Alright . . . that's it.  A big thank you to Hope for hosting Throwback Thursday. It's one of my summer faves!  Big hugs and see you tomorrow or Saturday :)