HI Charlotte!

Wow!! 50 minutes -- seriously? Oh my goodness! That is so
crazy! I think in your situation, I would definitely use a
couple of resources. It might be more difficult to plan
that way -- but, it also may keep their attention a little
better. I highly suggest you look into the resource called
"The Music Effect" by Joy Nelson.

Dr. Nelson is head of the Music education department here in
Oklahoma for the University of Oklahoma. She also teaches
all three Kodaly levels courses -- and so much fun! Anyway,
this book provides a curriculum that goes through an entire
year complete with stories, songs, poems, CD's, and visuals
that are easy to use and easy to understand. The only thing
this book DOESN'T come with is a lesson plan for 40 minutes
or more. So, for me, I use parts of this curriculum and
pair it with Musicplay -- or with songs and activities from
Silver Burdett. I also add more movement than what she
suggests -- but that's because I'm an Orff teacher. Still,
I LOVE the stories she provides -- and they are so easy to
memorize and then make them my own -- so the kids really get
them. :)

I also love the visuals! It gives some down time to my
students without making the reading part seem cumbersome --
and there are enough activities to fill the semester with
plenty of opportunities for review. Did that make sense?

Anyway, if you haven't looked into this resource, it might
really be a great help to you. There are two volumes --
Volume 1 you use for the first semester -- and volume 2 you
use the second semester -- but you can interchange them to
fit your needs -- which is the other cool thing - it's
flexible! :)

Good luck with 50 minute classes! ugh!! I can't even
imagine! Most days, 40 minutes is enough for me!

kitmusic/OK

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