As I'm sure many are aware, history is a huge part of the 5th grade curriculum. Music and other performing arts can be associated with this to create a memorable way to remember the information. On UEN the Utah Education Network, the history curriculum explains that they must learn
about "The era of the exploration and colonization of the Americas by European marked the beginning of the recorded history of what is now the United States. One of the core standards states that "students will understand how the exploration and colonization of North America transformed human history." As I mentioned, a great way to do this is allowing the students to express this in art. The 5th grade students at Adelaide Elementary (shown in the picture above) have had the opportunity to perform many songs that relate to information in the State Curriculum. These students have memorized these songs and have as a result learned the information. As I have been observing and preparing to teach my own classroom, I have learned that music and the arts is a great and fun way to help the students memorize and learn the information in a way that not only appeals to one side of the brain but uses their entire learning potential.
