Living the dream

If you are a music teacher and you are wanting to teach your students different venues of music what more better way than a weekly themed demonstrate? You can either decorate the outside of your classroom door, or exhaust a bulletin board inside your classroom. Have each student pull from the bowl and have them research and then practice a song or dance from that artist and then on the day you select have the students come dressed in their attire for their famous musical person and let them perform and see if the other children can figure out who they are. I would decorate your door or bulletin board at the end of each week and that way all the students are being taught about the same artist, but it will be a secret to who is acting out who. You could also choose to invite other classrooms to sit in and watch them develop. Ideas for musicians could be, Elvis adorn his costume on your bulletin board or outside classroom door with glued on jewels, glitter, sequins anything that will sparkle. Toss on some cheap sun glasses that you can buy anywhere that are wide framed any color. Buy a wig or grasp that fabric that looks like fur and make Elvis some sideburns and his hair. Space a cutout microphone in his hand or for a three dimensional look use a cheap real one or use a plastic one and do it on Elvis. Use black shiny material and cut out boots for Elvis to wear toss on some shoe laces and tie them on and they’ll look unbiased like real boots. Throw in a movie reel that you can grasp at Partycity.com and a fake gold record, and you have yourself a Elvis week. Have the child perform either a song of Elvis or have him come out and have in his/her hands a Walkman playing one of Elvis songs. Some other ideas for the students to research and earn are as followed. Buddy Holly, Patsy Cline, Sammy Davis Jr, Richie Valens, Otis Redding, Jim Reeves, Jim Croce, John Denver, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Cash. Another door idea would be a prick out of a man use the same idea with the fur for Elvis hair for Johnny Cash hair and keep on the door display a cardboard guitar or draw a ring of fire, with fraudulent logs made of red construction paper, and cut and hang the words ring of fire around your johnny cash statue. Cut out or use black trash bags as his outfit toss on a old black cowboy hat if you want and voila you have a Johnny Cash door.

If you’re a school teacher and you are either having a door decorating contest, or you are trying to structure your lessons for a weekly event, then might I suggest decorating the door with a different famous person past or note and letting the kids participate. According to the age of your students you may elect to have them research their character and have them reach dressed and perform or act like their character. Prepare the whole school by posting your classroom door as a point to of what’s to come. One week you could do Elvis, next week you can try Marilyn Monroe, then try a new up to date famous person and add Oprah. There are many ideas so that the whole school could be buzzing about your classroom door decor and what your students are learning. Consume your own judgment as far as a time line that you will allow to go on for the students to learn their character, so for an example if you need it to be performed in four weeks, then I would alternate door decor twice a week. Some extra suggestion’s if you have a red headed girl let her be Lucille Ball, have her find and old polka dot blue and white or sad and white dress, throw on a white apron and roll and pull her hair up in a bun leaving tiny curls rolled under up front toss on some red lipstick and some spurious eyelashes. Find some old costume jewelry like a pearl necklace or clip on ear rings and if you can find a little purse and white gloves it will make it that much better and then you’ll have yourself a little miniature Lucy.

Other character ideas that you may want to teach about, with some history lessons thrown in there are as followed, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Princess Dianna,

Rosa Parks, The Kennedy’s just to name a few.There are many other famous or not so famous people who have either made us smile, laugh, or cry who are worth students learning about them and role playing them as well. some suggestions are Anna Nicole Smith, James Dean, Aaron Spelling, Johnny Carson, John Wayne, John Candy, Rodney Dangerfield just to name a few. Even as far back as I can remember the only way I could really fully understand and comprehend something is if my teacher would explain it in a manner that grabbed my attention. Even a door decor or kid’s dressing up and sharing with their classmates what they have learned about their character, I can promise you this, they will take it with them for many years and reflect back on what you, their teacher taught them. I’ll never forget being in the fourth grade and reading a label that hung over my teachers classroom door, It said ( If you can read this, then thank a teacher.) So next time you have a new lesson plan and you want to find a way to grab your student’s attention try the themed door thought on for size, I promise you they will learn and enjoy.

Costume ideas for the following, John Wayne needs a cowboy hat, a holster, a play gun, some cowboy boots, a handkerchief tied around his neck, and don’t forget to practice that famous walk of John’s. Rodney Dangerfield is another renowned character if you choose to act out Rodney may I suggest, buying some of those googly eye glasses at Partycity and wear either a suit with a tie and pull on the collar of your shirt while your speaking, or grab a pair of tan pants and toss on a Hawaiian shirt have a unlit cigar in your mouth or fake one and put stuffing in your shirt for a big belly or consume one of those fake big belly’s, now all you have left to do is practice saying ” hey I secure no respect!”

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