Primary Subject Area: Music

Profile Sheet

Teacher: Mr. Paul Edgeworth

Primary Subject Area: Music

Outside Subject Area: English Language Arts

Class: Music Wheel 1

Class Level: Regular

Class Level: 7th Grade

Class Time: Ten 50-minute class periods

PBL Title: The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, considers the future of music programs in its schools.

Description of Student Roles and Problem Situation:

Students will be divided into two groups for this lesson. The first group will act as teachers of various disciplines from different schools. This group will provide evidence of the positive, valuable correlation between music and other subjects (such as math or science). The second group will act as parents of actual students in this district. Using data such as progress reports and graded assignments, these parents will show the links between music, necessary skills (learning, cognitive, and study), and the academic success of their learners. Both groups will meet with the school district board to show the benefits of keeping music programs in their schools.

Accommodations for a student from a non-Western culture:

Through a face-to-face dialog with my Filipino student, I will ask him to give me the names of his favorite songs from his culture. I will then ask him if he listens to these songs while studying. By using this strategy, my goal is to make a real-world connection to the problem-based lesson. During guided practice, I will watch to see if he is contributing suggestions for his group’s attempt to solve the problem, providing advice and ideas. If he is not, I will ask him direct, open-ended questions. I will demonstrate cultural pluralism and show appreciation for his viewpoints.

Accommodations for an ESOL student:

I will assist my ESOL student in finding magazine, newspaper, and web articles showing the connection between music and learning in her native culture (if available). I will also provide a list of resources available for funding music programs in schools. Using Google Translate ®, I will give my student a handout for all instructions in her native language.

Accommodations for an ESE Student:

For my learning-disabled student, I will give directions verbally. In return, I will allow him to answer orally. Another student in this “teacher” group can act as a “secretary” who records the minutes for this group. This will allow him or her to write down the answers from my LD student. Considering that my classes last for fifty minutes, I will permit my on-one for at least one-fifth of the class period (10 minutes). Above all, I will give praise and positive feedback throughout this entire lesson.

Sources

“Five Essential Questions”:

(n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2015, from

Title, Learner Characteristics, Florida Standards

Mr. Paul Edgeworth

Music

Music Wheel 1

7th Grade

English Language Arts

Title:

The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, considers the future of music programs in its schools.

Florida Standards:

MU.68.H.3.1 Identify connections among music and other content areas and/or contexts through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Remarks/Examples

e.g., school: other music classes, social studies, dance, physical education, science, health, math, world languages; community: cultural connections and traditions, ceremonial music, sales and advertising, communication

Content Complexity/Depth of Knowledge Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking and Complex Reasoning

MU.68.F.3.1 Describe how studying music can enhance citizenship, leadership, and global thinking.

Remarks/Examples

e.g., dedication to mastering a task, problem-solving, self-discipline, dependability, ability to organize, cultural awareness, mutual respect

Content Complexity/Depth of Knowledge Rating: Level 4: Extended Thinking and Complex Reasoning

LAFS.7.W.1.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.
Establish and maintain a formal style.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Content Complexity/Depth of Knowledge Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking and Complex Reasoning

Learner Characteristics:

In Psychology Applied to Teaching, Jack Snowman and Rick McCown explain learner characteristics in four areas (physical, social, emotional, and cognitive) for different school-age groups. For this problem-based lesson (PBL), I have chosen middle school learners.

Physical

Maturity in middle school students can be swift and irregular. For example, boys who develop early tend to be self-assured and extremely confident, while those who mature later are enthusiastic. Girls who mature early will become self-motivated and adept at handling situations as adults. Girls who develop later are self-reliant and possess leadership qualities.

For this problem-based lesson, I will divide the class into heterogeneous groups. Not only does this support collaborative learning, it also affords each student the opportunity to apply these characteristics to their assigned roles for this lesson.

Social

1. “The development of interpersonal reasoning leads to greater understanding of the feelings of others” (Snowman and McCown 95).

This PBL will give students the opportunity to see how solutions benefit everyone involved in a problem, not just one group (i.e. students, teachers).

2. “The desire to conform reaches a peak during the middle school years” (Snowman and McCown 95).

Learners at this age begin to form opinions that may not match those of their peers. My goal with this PBL is to not only allow students to provide solutions for this problem, but to also encourage and embolden them to vocalize those solutions.

Emotional

Snowman and McCown explain this attribute: “As a result of the continued influence of egocentric thought, middle school students are typically self-conscious and self-centered” (98).

Middle school years can be challenging to students as they change physically, emotionally, and socially. Egocentrism further exacerbates this self-focus. My desire for this lesson is for students to shift attention away from themselves and toward classmates and the teacher. By doing so, they will be able to provide constructive solutions and feedback for the problem in this lesson.

Cognitive

The authors share the following insight concerning cognitive learning characteristics: “Because of the psychological demands of early adolescence, middle school students need a classroom environment that is open, supportive and intellectually stimulating” (98).

This PBL will be a perfect fit for my classroom. Using an authentic problem (eliminating school music programs), students will have the opportunity to use higher-order thinking skills. To promote this type of thinking, I will give praise and positive, constructive feedback.

Self-competence bears a significant impact on the actions of middle school students, both in class and outside of class with their friends. Snowman and McCown explain it this way: “These self-evaluative beliefs influence what activities they choose and for how long they will persist at a given task, particularly when progress becomes difficult” (100).

This self-efficacy can be used as a powerful assessment tool to determine how dedicated students are to finding solutions for this problem. In addition, students can take the skills that they learn in this lesson to make wise career choices once they leave my classroom. They can also employ those skills to tasks pertaining to their chosen vocation.

Sources:

"MU.68.H.3.1." - Identify Connections among Music and Other Content Areas And/or Contexts through Interdisciplinary Collaboration. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <

"MU.68.F.3.1." - Describe How Studying Music Can Enhance Citizenship, Leadership, and Global Thinking. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <

"LAFS.7.W.1.1." - Write Arguments to Support Claims with Clear Reasons and Relevant Evidence. Introduce Claim(s), Acknowledge Alternate or Opposing Claims, and Organize the Reasons and Evidence Logically. Support Claim(s) with Logical Reasoning and Relevant Evidence, Usi. Web. 11 Mar. 2015. <

Snowman, Jack, and R. R. McCown."Age-Level Characteristics."Psychology Applied to Teaching. Fourteenth ed. Cengage Learning, 2014.93-100. Print.

Learning Outcomes, Student Role, and Problem Situation

Meet the Problem Method

Florida Standards in Music:

MU.68.H.3.1 Identify connections among music and other content areas and/or contexts through interdisciplinary collaboration.

Remarks/Examples

Content Complexity/Depth of Knowledge Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking and Complex Reasoning

L.O. #1: Using reliable sources (print or Internet), students will work together in small groups to accurately analyze one connection each between music and the following disciplines: math, science, physical education, social studies, and language arts.

MU.68.F.3.1 Describe how studying music can enhance citizenship, leadership, and global thinking.

Remarks/Examples

e.g., dedication to mastering a task, problem-solving, self-discipline, dependability, ability to organize, cultural awareness, mutual respect

Content Complexity/Depth of Knowledge Rating: Level 4: Extended Thinking and Complex Reasoning

L.O. #2: Incorporating a PowerPoint presentation and YouTube videos, students will work together in small groups to accurately evaluate and provide two examples of the influence music has on each of the following areas: dedication to task mastery, ability to solve problems, and organizational skills.

Florida Standards in English Language Arts:

LAFS.7.W.1.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the reasons and evidence logically.
Support claim(s) with logical reasoning and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
Use words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), reasons, and evidence.
Establish and maintain a formal style.
Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Content Complexity/Depth of Knowledge Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking and Complex Reasoning

L.O. #3: Given an oral presentation rubric, groups will justify answers to the given problem, achieving a “Basic” score (6 points) or higher for each component of the rubric, which utilizes a ten-point system.

Adapted from “Oral Presentation Rubric” by jenniferbaines.

Baines, Jennifer. "IRubric: Oral Presentation Rubric." - K94242: RCampus. Web. 27 Mar. 2015.

Description of Student Roles and Problem Situation:

Meet the Problem Documents:

Students will receive an e-mail memo from the Palm County School District superintendent (see attached) as well as two hyperlinks explaining reasons for cutting music programs from its schools. One article is from and the other is from ABC News.

MEMORANDUM

To: Paul Arthur, Chief Academic Officer

From: Serena Ashmont, Superintendent

Re: Program Cuts in Our School District

Date: March 31, 2015

As you are may know, we have been faced with budget cuts and the possibility of eliminating certain courses in our schools, particularly music classes. The School District Board is seeking solutions on whether those classes should be kept in the curriculum. They are anticipating a discussion at the next School District meeting on April 7, 2015.

Please put together two groups. One should be comprised of teachers from a cross-section of our schools, and the other should consist of parents of students from another representative sampling of our schools. These two groups will research the benefits of school music programs. Keep in mind that School District members are not music teachers and may not be familiar with the advantages of music in education. These two groups should be prepared to enlighten the school board concerning this situation.

Despite White House Report Advocating Arts Education, Budgets Face Cuts

May 13, 2011

By MATT PHIFER

Funding for the arts and music in schools was thrust back into the limelight last Friday as the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities released a report urging educators to re-invest in arts education.

Over an 18-month period, the committee gathered information from multiple studies and sources about the benefits of arts education and offered ways to bring the arts to underserved schools.

Taking the findings of its report, PCAH is making five recommendations to create a well-rounded K-12 education in American schools. They include building "collaborations among different approaches" for teaching the arts, expanding "in-school opportunities for teaching artists," and utilizing "federal and state policies to reinforce the place of arts in K-12 education."

The committee's report also revealed two major themes. One theme is the diverse style of teaching the arts across the country due to "nonprofit community organizations, visionary school principals, private philanthropy, and parent groups."

The second is the need to more widely distribute quality arts education so that it is available to more students. PCAH acknowledged that arts education is disproportionately unavailable to students in lower-income schools.

Nick Rabkin, a senior research scientist at the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, whose research was cited in PCAH's report, is cautiously optimistic that President Obama's interest in the arts may translate into support for arts education.

"It's a hopeful sign. The President's Committee on Arts and Humanities is not the Secretary of Education even though Arne Duncan wrote the introduction to the report," Rabkin told ABCNews.com. "It doesn't have a budget to do this. Secretary Duncan does, and Secretary Duncan's got a soap box to stand on and preach to the states' education commissioners all across the country to make changes in state policy too."

A Battle Over Funding

As the White House released its findings, the battle over funding for arts education continues in towns across America.

Dave Gallaro, a parent and marching band field staff member at Jordan-Elbridge High School in Jordan, N.Y., is concerned about the music program in his district -- so concerned, in fact, that he recently decided to run for the local school board. The music program is slated for a 41 percent cut in the band budget, $24,000 out of $59,000. The athletic program is facing a 28 percent cut, he told ABCNews.com, but that program starts with $500,000.

Music and Arts Programs Face Deep Cuts

Jordan, a village in central New York, is not alone.

Last May, the Broward County Public School system, in Florida, reduced arts funding in more than a third of their middle and high schools.

And in New York City, between the 2006-2007 school year and June 2010, the funding for the arts in public schools was cut by 68 percent, or $7.2 million.

The scenario of music and arts facing deeper cuts than sports is common across the country, leaving a question: Why do music and the arts seem to go first?

Robert Sabol, the president of the National Art Education Association and chair of the Department of Art and Design at Purdue University, cites many reasons for the cutting of arts programs, but specifically points to the No Child Left Behind Act as a major contributor.

The No Child Left Behind Act was a 2001 revision to an earlier education law. NCLB is aimed at making schools more accountable by using standardized tests to rate how well students are learning. If a school is considered to be "in need of improvement," parents can have their children attend another school. The law has received criticism for making performance on high-stakes reading and math tests more important than an overall education.

"Because of that and some other state legislation, requirements, the arts are frequently and I think generally not included in state assessments of learning," Sabol told ABCNews.com. "And because of that they are seen, in many cases, at the periphery of education."