Using music in your classroom promotes language learning!

According to Claire Bolton, a London-based Speech & Language Therapist, music influences language development in many ways:

• Music ensures that words are sequenced in a predictable order.  (Miss Jackie suggests: "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly")

• Music offers a fun opportunity to learn new words and concepts through repetition (an important factor when helping to improve a child’s language skills).  (Miss Jackie suggests: "All the Fish are Swimming in the Water" by Jackie Silberg

• Music encourages turn-taking behaviors -- the same as in a conversation.  (Miss Jackie suggests: Any call and response song)

• Music has rhythm (enabling actions to be combined with words to reinforce word meanings.(Miss Jackie suggests: "The Hokey Pokey")  
• Music has rhyme, which encourages children to become aware of words and their sounds. (Miss Jackie suggests: "Down by the Bay")

• Music helps children to remember new words, particularly once the child has learned the tune.  (Miss Jackie suggests:  "What’s a Friend For" by Jackie Silberg)

• Music helps attention and listening skills. (Miss Jackie suggests: "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt")

• Music and movement assists physical development and coordination skills. (Miss Jackie suggests: "If You’re Happy and You Know It"

• Music motivates children to socialize, assisting emotional development.  (Miss Jackie suggests: "In and Out the Village" sung holding hands)

• Musical involvement is known to enhance self-esteem and confidence. (Miss Jackie suggests: "What Do You Like?" by Jackie Silberg)

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg, who has an M.S. in child development.  An early childhood advocate and popular keynote speaker, Jackie received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Emporia State University, recognizing her current achievements as well as her long and prolific career. Jackie founded and directed the Jewish Community Center School of Music in Kansas City, Missouri, and worked for Channel 41 television, planning the music and performing her original music for "41 Treehouse Lane," a children's program.  She wrote and produced a television show for Time Warner called "Just Kids," which addressed children's needs and interests. Jackie has worked as a consultant with the Discovery Channel, setting up their music streaming website. She has given workshops, keynote addresses, seminars, and family concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, and in Singapore. Jackie has served as an adjunct instructor at both Emporia State University and the University of Missouri at Kansas City and lectures at Johnson County Community College. Jackie is the owner of Miss Jackie Music Company.  Listen to Ones, Twos, and Threes with Jackie Silberg on the BAM! Street Radio Network.

Books by Jackie Silberg: Games to Play with Babies , Games to Play with Toddlers, Games to Play with Two Year Olds, Revised, Reading Games for Young Children, Brain Games for Babies, Brain Games for Toddlers & Twos 

Children’s social-emotional competencies are directly related to how well they do in math and reading according to the results of a study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Denver, Colorado. This research study shows a direct and significant correlation between good mental health and academic performance.

The finding is based on a year-long study involving more than 1,000 public school children conducted by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children in Villanova, Pa. and the Anchorage, Alaska School District.

In the study, the social-emotional strengths of children in kindergarten through the eighth grade were assessed with the Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA). The DESSA is a 72 item, strength-based, social and emotional competencies assessment completed by teachers or parents, although only teachers were involved in this study. The DESSA scores were then were correlated with students’ reading and math grades. Strong positive correlations were found, indicating that social-emotional skills in school are related to how well children do in math and reading. 

“The data indicate that about 25 percent of the variance in math and reading grades can be accounted for by the children’s social and emotional skills,” said Paul LeBuffe, Co-Director of the Devereux Center for Resilient Children and one of the authors of the study.

“This research is compelling in many ways,” said LeBuffe. “We know that mental health has significant impact on the overall well-being of children, these data indicate just how critical it is to academic success as well.”

The Anchorage School District is on the leading edge of implementing Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards, adopting them district-wide in 2006. Ann McKay Bryson is the Social Emotional Learning Professional Development Coach from the Anchorage School District and the study's co-author. “These findings suggest that by developing children's social and emotional skills we can help them learn better in school. Furthermore, these same social and emotional skills are important for success in the community, the home, and the workplace,” noted McKay Bryson. The Anchorage School District’s superintendent, the Alaska Association of School Boards, and The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL) are working collaboratively to encourage establishment and funding of SEL standards nationwide.

Paul LeBuffe, M.A., is the Co-Director of the Devereux Center for Resilient Children in Villanova, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland and received his Master's degree in experimental psychology from Bryn Mawr College. Paul is an author of many widely-used assessments of behaviors related to children's social-emotional strengths and needs including the "Devereux Behavior Rating Scale - School Form", the "Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders (DSMD)", the "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA)", the "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment Clinical Form (DECA-C)", the "Devereux Early Childhood Assessment - Infant/Toddler Form (DECA-I/T)" and most recently, the "Devereux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA)." His major research interests are the measurement and promotion of social-emotional competence and resilience in children, psychometrics and test development, treatment outcome evaluation in behavioral healthcare, and suicide prevention education.

Devereux is a leading nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many of the most underserved and vulnerable members of our communities. Founded in 1912 by Helena Devereux, it operates a comprehensive national network of clinical, therapeutic, educational, and employment programs and public education and prevention programs and services that positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of individuals and families every year. Devereux helps empower children and adults with intellectual, emotional, developmental and behavioral challenges to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives.

"I am a Kindergarten teacher with 18 beautiful fun loving children. The community in which they live is deprived and sometimes unsafe. These children have not had many educational opportunities or had positive interactions. They operate in "survival mode." I am in desperate need of big books, a big bookstand, picture libraries, mini pocket charts and sight word materials..." (Wanda Peck, Easton Elementary, Winston-Salem, NC)

Adopt-A-Classroom invites the community into the classroom  in support of teachers  and their students.   By   adopting   a   classroom,  donors form   partnerships   with   specific   classrooms providing   financial   and   moral   support.   The result is a meaningful contribution to education in  which  donors experience the impact of their efforts and celebrate in a classroom's success.

Here's how it works: A donor selects a classroom and makes a contribution for the teacher to use and purchase much needed resources for the classroom. Donors may search for classrooms by geography, school name, teacher name or other search criteria. If a donor has no preference, Adopt-A-Classroom partners the donor with an underserved classroom in the community. Adopt-A-Classroom directs 100% of all donations earmarked for classrooms to the classroom teacher in the form of online credit. Adopt-A-Classroom takes $0 for administration. The teacher uses the credit to shop online from a network of affiliate vendors that have partnered with Adopt-A-Classroom. The teacher has full discretion to purchase resources that meet student needs and increase opportunity for classroom success. If the teacher is unable to meet classroom needs with the affiliate vendors, Adopt-A-Classroom will work with the teacher on a one-to-one basis. Adopt-A-Classroom sends each donor an "Impact Report" which details item-by-item, dollar-for-dollar what the teacher purchased with the donation.

Kaplan Early Learning Company proudly partnered with Adopt-a-Classroom several years ago as an affiliate vendor -- and now we wanted our employees to select a specific local classroom for us to "adopt."We searched among the classrooms registered with the program to narrow the options to five pre-K and Kindergarten classes in Winston-Salem that have a high percentage of students below poverty level.  We gave our employees an opportunity to read descriptions of each project and to vote for the one they found the most compelling.  Ms. Wanda Peck, a Kindergarten teacher at Easton Elementary was the overwhelming selection!

"I am in desperate need of big books, a big bookstand, picture libraries, mini pocket charts and sight word materials. Currently, my classroom library is bare. Just having big books and a stand to hold the books will add excitement to reading. I have to hold the book in my lap as I read and.... do you know what happens? The book folds up, the pages run together, you lose your place in the story. Eventually the book falls to the floor. Meanwhile the children just watch you as you struggle because no one is listening to the story. The show is much more fun to watch! The photo libraries are a series of photographs that aid children in building background knowledge. This sounds simple but imagine little ones that do," wrote Ms. Peck.

We look forward to communicating with Ms. Peck throughout the remainder of this school year to learn about the difference we have made in the lives of the students.  (See the nice thank you note we received on our Facebook page)! We also look forward to supporting the classroom in ways beyond the financial contribution, such as visiting the classroom, chaperoning field trips and other activities that we may coordinate directly with Ms. Peck.

Interested in developing a lasting and meaningful relationship with an underserved classroom in your community, your child's classroom, or even a friend in the teaching profession?  Locate a classroom to adopt here!