For Parents

Contact Information:
Instructor: Mrs. Jennifer Harris Thomas Jefferson General Music harrisj@newton.k12.ia.us or jenniferharris2@u.boisestate.edu Phone: 641-792-4298 extension: 1535 Please note that emailing is the easiest way to get in touch with me as it linked directly to my cell phone.

Class Requirements:
Computer High Speed Internet Connection Keyboard and Mouse Speakers or Headphones Microphone Schoology Account (see below) VoiceThread Account (see below) Mozilla Firefox or Internet Explorer Browsers (Click either for directions on how to update your browser) QuickTime (Click link to download) Make sure Adobe Flash Player is up to date by clicking this link

Set up a Schoology Account for your child:

Schoology is the learning management system where your student will find class lectures, information, assignments, assessments. Schoology allows your student to turn in their work using the site as well. 1. Visit www.schoology.com 2. Click Signup 3. Choose Student 4. Enter the access code found on the participation permission slip 5. Enter the following: 6. First Name: first 2 letters of childs first name, example: je for jenni 7. Last Name: Enter childs last name 8. Email or username: Enter your email address so you can retrieve passwords and view student information at any time 9. Password: Enter a password your child can easily remember 10. Confirm Password: Retype the same password 11. I recommend unclicking the Receive periodic Schoology updates as this will likely just create spam for you. 12. Click Register Please view the video tutorial for setting up the account by clicking the following link:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lT3CIGAS4k Note: The email address which I used in the video is made up and will not be checked. Do not email that address. Use the harrisj@newton.k12.ia.us Additionally, the enrollment code which I

entered into the tutorial is no longer valid. Please use the enrollment code found on the top section of the permission slip you signed.

Set up a VoiceThread Account

Due to the age of our students, Ive chosen VoiceThread as the medium which we will communicate. This allows your student to speak into their microphone to communicate many assignments. I feel that this will keep reading, spelling, and grammatical problems from affecting learning and instruction. 1. Visit http://voicethread.com 2. Click Sign In or Register (right side) 3. Click Register (Left Panel) 4. Enter the same information First Name, Last Name, and Email Address 5. I suggest entering the same password that you used for Schoology 6. Type the words found in the box 7. Click Register Please view the video tutorial for setting up the account by clicking the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PUO56S0SsM

NCSD Standards and Benchmarks

Below are the standards and benchmarks related to K-3 General Music that will be met in this course: 4. Analyzes, evaluates, and listens to music performances. 4B. Identifies simple music elements (e.g., timbre, rhythm, form, melody, texture, harmony, expression, style) when presented aurally 4D. Recognizes characteristics that make certain music suitable for specific uses 5. Learns lifelong skills in relation to music and other disciplines and cultures. 5A. Performs and/or listens to music from various styles, time periods, and cultures 5B. Identifies various uses of music in daily experiences and describes characteristics that make certain music suitable for each use.

More Information
If your student is having a problem with the software or other applications, please look within the Video Tutorial Section for video tutorials. All text assignments will have a corresponding audio clip that reads the text. This is another way Im helping students avoid reading problems so we can focus on the content. Please encourage your child to follow along in the text while the audio is playing. Below is a copy of the syllabus your child is supposed to read as part of the first week of class. You may want to skim this so you know the expectations for the class. Please feel free to contact me at any time regarding course questions.

World Music for 3rd Graders

Online Course Project for EdTech 512: Online Course Design Boise State University, M.E.T. Program

Teacher Mrs. Jennifer Harris 641-792-4295 X1535 (School) harrisj@newton.k12.ia.us jenniferharris2@u.boisestate.edu Welcome to World Music! I am very excited to share the music of the world with you through your computer! We are always complaining that we never have enough time together, so now I get to teach you from home too. If you have questions you should use the Schoology website Problem forums to ask your questions. If you are having trouble with your computer, ask your parents for help. If they have trouble then the best way for your parents to talk to me is by email. My email goes straight to my phone so I can answer their questions or call them whenever they send me a message!

What are we going to learn? Our world music class will help us describe music from other places and cultures in the world. Music outside of the United States often sounds very different to us. We will also be learning tools to figure out what the purpose of songs might be from each place. For example, some cultures sing songs while they ground wheat for bread. The grinding goes with the beat of the music.

Class Location This is an online class that uses a site called Schoology to help us keep track of the things we learn and how we learn them. You must login to the Schoology website every time you want to learn or complete assignments. Your mom or dad has your login information and, if you need them, will help you login the first time. This means you can learn any time your parents are able to be around to supervise! Remember if you have trouble with the computer at any time, you should ask mom or dad for help first. If they still have problems they will email me so I can help them. Our goals are: 1. Describe the basic parts of music (timbre, texture, melody, harmony, and rhythm). 2. Identify parts of music in the music from our own culture. 3. Figure out what the important musical parts are in songs from different places in the world.

4. Identify characteristics that give purpose to songs from different places in the

world.
5. Use what we know to figure out the purpose of songs from different places in the

world.

Before you begin Your parents should have already looked over the required computer software and hardware to make sure everything will run smoothly for you. Please have them do this before you go on to the next area in Schoology.

Schedule When learning online, we call big sections with several lessons modules. Below is the current schedule for each module: Topic Introduction Week Week 1 Week 2&3 Week 4 Week 5&6 Week 7 Week 8&9 Week 10 Activities Syllabus, Parent Information, Schoology Tutorials and Exploration, Icebreaker Timbre/texture, melodic/harmonic, and rhythmic listening. Use forum to describe. Complete adjectives chart Complete the listening and DJ activity. Participate in Jigsaw activity. Create a brochure Research historical and cultural backgrounds. Participate in a matching game Create a presentation Check out a friends presentation, leave them some comments. Reflect on the comments your friends left you.

Module 1: Welcome to the zoo, its a musical element review! Module 2: Right here, right now: Musical elements in our own music Module 3: Africa, and Asia, and Australia, oh my! Looking at musical elements in different cultures Module 4: Do we haaaaaave to?: Identifying the purpose of music in different cultures Module 5: Detective E. Music Ologist: Applying your Knowledge On a Good Note!: Class Wrap-up

This is not a required class so I can not force you turn assignments in on time. Please know that if you are more than 3 days late on 2 assignments I will contact your parents and we may decide to remove you from the class. I will be using your grades to help me choose my end of the year award winners so please do your best!

Assignments Below is a list of planned assignments and how many points they are worth: Assignment Module 1 Forums: Descriptions of Timbre/Texture, Melody/Harmony, and Rhythm Module 1 Graph: Listing Adjectives Module 2: DJ Activity Module 3: Jigsaw Activity Module 3: Brochure Module 4: Historical and cultural research and Musical Elements Assignment Module 4: Matching Assignment Module 5: Musicologist Presentation Module 5: Peer Review and Reflection Points 25 25 50 50 50 25 25 100 25

I know it looks like we have a lot of work to do, but please remember all of these assignments are spread over a 2 month time. I have control over when you are able to see new modules so you wont feel worried seeing too much. Welcome to class, I look forward to seeing your work!!