Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Great Resources to Help Students Meet Their Goals

I'm having so much fun working to help each of my students meet their fall goals. If you're like me, you love a good list of free resources, so I thought I'd share some of the tools I've been using these past few weeks.

For students who noted that they wanted to improve their note reading skills, I've been using Susan Paradis' Notes in the Fast Lane. My students absolutely LOVE these worksheets, and can't wait for the time each week at their lesson when we pull these out. I laminated the sheets to save on paper, and I time my students for 90 seconds. Their goal is to complete the sheet and get at least a 22/24 to 'pass' their current level.

For students who told me they wanted to work on reading intervals, I printed and laminated Wendy Chan's Interval Snap Game. This was a HUGE hit with my students last week (thanks Wendy :) ), and a great fun off-bench activity that helped review basic intervals. We used the cards to play Go-Fish.

Several of my students noted that they wanted to get better at keeping a steady beat, so in addition to a LOT more metronome practice, I printed out Wendy Stevens' Rhythm Worksheets and made packets for my students. Each student is responsible for writing in the counts and clapping and counting OUT LOUD with the metronome.

These are just a few of the resources I've been making use of in recent weeks. Do you have any resources that have become staples in your studio? Or any resources you've been using on a regular basis this fall? I'd love to hear about those!

8 comments:

  1. Awww, Sarah. I'm so glad you and your students enjoyed Interval Snap :) Go-Fish is a great idea!

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  2. Wendy, the guys especially loved the sports theme :) Thanks so much for your creativity!

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  3. Hey Sarah!
    I was wondering about your "laminating". Do you have your own laminator or do you get it done somewhere? I would like to purchase one, but I have no idea how much they would be. I'm pretty sure it would be worth it, because I have so many games and flashcards that should be laminated. Do you have any suggestions?
    Thanks :)

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  4. Charlotte,
    I purchased a laminator earlier in the year, and it has been without a doubt one of the BEST investments I've made for my studio! They are relatively inexpensive, laminating worksheets saves paper, and laminated flashcards are much more durable. I'd highly recommend getting one for your personal studio- it pays for itself in no time at all :)

    Here's the link to the one I purchased (I went with the option that included pouches), and as I mentioned, I've been really pleased with the results. Let me know if you have any more questions, and if you buy one, let me know what you think!

    http://www.amazon.com/Scotch-Thermal-Laminator-Laminating-TL901SC/dp/B003GQ2RJM/ref=sr_1_2?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1317820391&sr=1-2

    Sarah

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  5. Thanks Sarah!

    This is amazing... I never even thought to check Amazon. I checked the Staples website and the cheapest one I could find was over $90. I'm definitely leaning towards ordering your suggestion :) Thanks again!

    Where do you get your "laminating paper" from? And how much does that cost?

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  6. Sorry for the delay in response Charlotte...I just realized this morning that recent comments have been getting sent to my old email account- ugh! I was wondering why I had been getting so few comments this week ;)

    Anyway, to answer your question I generally go with paper from Amazon as well. Like you, I first considered Staples for both the laminator AND the paper, but their prices were ridiculous!

    We have an Amazon Prime account, which means that we get free shipping, so that along with the lower cost on the paper makes Amazon the best choice- plus the last time I got paper it was on sale. :)

    But I'd definitely be interested if you find another cheaper source for paper!

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  7. No worries, no worries!

    I just ordered the laminator, and hopefully it'll be here before too long! Can't wait to start using it!! :)

    Thanks again for the information!

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  8. Send me an update when it gets there and you use it for the first time! I'm really excited for you :)

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