HeidiSongs Teaching Resource

In most primary classrooms today, teachers seem to spend the majority of their time on Language Arts, with Math coming in a close second on the priority list. This is definitely what happens in my classroom! Because language arts instruction is so important and seems to eat up so much time, I find that it is all the more crucial to make sure that my math instruction is effective and is delivered efficiently. I use math manipulatives in small groups daily to develop math concepts and understandings, and then use the songs from my HeidiSongs.tv Streaming Videos to help reinforce and review these math concepts at other times of the day as well. The songs in the Musical Math  collection are particularly helpful in reviewing the academic vocabulary associated with these math concepts. For example, when introducing a concept such as patterning, I first show the children some patterns in a whole group setting using manipulatives with magnets on them, placing them on a magnetic wh

When my students seem to know most of their letters and sounds, I start them on sight words, and then some very simple books for guided reading. I look in the book that I want to start with, and see which sight words they would need to read it. Then teach them those, and have them read the book. I love teaching the sight words with music and movement, so I always use my Sing and Spell the Sight Words CD's to help teach the words in an engaging way. Every time we sing the song, I hold the word card in my hand, and ask them immediately, "What word is this?" and hope that they answer correctly! We do this during transitions a lot, to help "sponge" up some of that extra time in a solid, academic way. Time permitting, I have them say the spelling of the word after the song plays as well, (without singing.) When a child comes to a word that he doesn't know, I start singing the song for that word, and he usually joins in and eventually says the word