Many researchers and many principals say that teachers should post their class agendas every day for every class. While there are many ways to do this, some are more time-consuming than others.
I use PowerPoint in my class all day, every day, and this class agenda idea worked itself into my PowerPoint world.

As times have progressed since the original writing of this, I have also adapted the Index Page idea to both ActivBoard and SmartBoard as well as PowerPoint.  So as you read on, you can use your projecting medium-of-choice interchangeably with PowerPoint.

I call these agendas "Index Pages" because they remind me of an index in a book. I guess they could be "table of contents" pages, too, but I chose "index" instead. Whatever.

Basically, an index page is a single page on which you type words or place pictures indicating an activity that will take place during the class.  Each work/picture has the possibility of linking to yet another page or website or file or PowerPoint.  Instead of trying to find your sound file or your picture or that URL while the kiddies wait and wait, you'll just click a link that will take you to the resource that you're desiring.

Every activity I plan for the week (5-day rotation) in my elementary music classroom is put onto the slide. Any activity that has a corresponding file for lyrics, or background knowledge or whatever gets a hyperlink to that file. The index page will say "America," for example, and it will be underlined, indicating that it's a hyperlink.

Click on the link and you will see the slide with the lyrics to "America" and also a sound icon which is linked to the .wav or mp3 file stored on the external hard drive of my computer.  Another link might take you to a listening selection or even to a site on audience etiquette via the internet. By using a remote
wireless presentation mouse, I can click any link or move forward and backward through the slides from anywhere in the room or even at the computer.  On an IWB, you have other navigation options, of course.

Benefits:
No passing out books or lyric sheets, no getting out posters, no writing on the board, no going back and forth to the CD player is necessary for many activities using this set up. And then avoid doing all that again tomorrow!   There are times, however, that lyric sheets and writing on the board and posters are the best way to go, of course, but I'm not tied to nearly as many as I used to be. Mistakes can be easily fixed, updates easily made. This saves a lot of paper and storage bother.

Setting Up Your First Index Page

Open PowerPoint. Start with a blank slide.  If you are using an IWB, adapt the directions to your medium.

Here is how to create the first illustration above. 
Using the table tool, divide your slide into 6 sections. Rearrange the boxes so that there are 3 big vertical ones on top of 3 small boxes.

Use your table tool to merge the bottom boxes into one box.

Choose three colors for fill color, one for each vertical box.
I used tints of the covers of my grade level series books as my inspiration for the colors. Do not add color to the merged box.

Save your work and then insert a duplicate slide.

You could save this as your Index Page template if you want.
Just save it as "IndexPageTemplate" and when you need a fresh page, there it is. I suggest you make a folder names "AAIndexPages" and save it there. That way, I can find them easily at the top of my folders.

I use the first slide for grades 3, 4 and 5 and the second slide for K, 1 and 2. So at the top of each box, type the grade level you will be working with. Then enter the information needed in each box.  Add your links.

Consider setting up a folder for these pages in your PowerPoint presentations folder.
When you are doing links, this makes navigation a lot easier to manage.

The tall boxes will contain the names of your activities. Some will be linked to other items, some won't.

The tall boxes may also contain reminders, announcements or key words that you want to be sure to cover.
In addition, the tall boxes may contain the title and composer of the listening selection of the week and key ideas that the students need to be reminded of. Highlighting this is effective.
The merged box will contain the dates of use for the slide. It is also a good place to add holidays or classes that are absent that week.

In the Notes view, you can add your music standards, notes to yourself, instructions for that dance that you just can't get straight...... make it useful!

After using this system for a few years, I have tweaked my Index Page so that I put the date and grade level on the top. I put information in a colored text box with a tiny black outline.  To add visual interest, I like to find a smiley face of some kind that connects somehow to the lesson.  I often put the vocabulary and/or lesson focus in the colored area as well. 

Changing your index page

You'll need to change these pages frequently, of course. Save the file with the dates appropriate. I suggest this format "4 14-17 2007." I have three separate index pages that I use, elementary, chorus and instrumental.  My elementary index pages titles look like "E10 14-19 2011", chorus would be "C10 14-19 2011" and the instrumental title would be "I10 14-19 2011."  I save them all in a folder titled "AAIndex Pages".  Easy to retrieve.

Rather than starting over from scratch, consider saving the pages you used this week with next week's dates.Then start editing the slides for the current week.
First, change the dates on the bottom of the slide. Add special events for the week.
Activities that you will repeat will remain on the slide - no retyping.
Delete the items you won't be using this week.

Then add the new activities. Insert any links to pre-created PowerPoints or to sounds or other files/locations.

Other things to add

The way I insert music is first to rip the CD into my hard drive. I find iTunes satisfactory.  Then I link the individual file that I need in the index page.  Depending on the need, I will insert a sound link directly on the Index Page or else I may instead add the music link onto the page where the song lyrics are.

Do you get tired of the excuse "you didn't tell me!" and that's from the parents?!? Add a highlighted box at the top of the slide - choose a red fill - and drop the reminder text into it.
Example: two weeks before the project is due, type "Projects due in two weeks." The following week, type "Project is due next week." On the final week, type "Project is due today."

Print out slides for student handouts or even tests. Use the projected slide to point to help students track the words or notes or to help find their places on the sheet.

Create slides with directions for activities. Then they are easy to refer students to during the activity.
I have a dance index page which lists several dances I like to do with students.  The link goes to a slide that breaks down the dance into form and in each area of the form I type the word cues to the dance PLUS a link to the sound file. 

Insert timers. Use the automatic advance option to advance to a new slide every 30 seconds, every minute - your choice, of course. For a thirty second timer, try this.
Title your first slide "30 seconds left" and add a graphic of a clock. Title your next slide "10 seconds left" and add the graphic. Title the last slide "Time is up. Please take your seat." Go to the slide transition option in PowerPoint to set the slides to advance every so-many seconds. In this case, it would be 20 seconds and 10 seconds. Timers work well and you just put in a link from your index page to the timer. The students can look at the screen to see how much time is left. No questions needed.

Make an Index Page for your program.  Type each song title on the slide. Add designs and graphics, etc.  Then use that page itself as the program and print it out for handouts.
Then, link any accompaniment files to the song titles.  Run your program from your computer.  I have computer speakers that pump out enough sound to use for our small concert space.  In larger venues, I hook the computer into an amplified speaker or a karaoke machine.  Your equipment and your venue will determine the usefulness of this idea.


Enjoy, use, adapt, ignore, make it your own. I change it all the time to suit my needs and I invite you to do the same thing.

Martha



First Posted - April 11, 2007
Updated October 14, 2011
return to www.marthabeesmusic.com