1.  Christina Lloyd Mathematics Specialization

2.  Research Question: Will teaching a mathematics unit through music increase first graders’ understanding of that mathematical content over time?

3.  Music is mathematics o Music is comprised of mathematical relationships (Southgate and Roscigno, 2009) o Music naturally lends itself to incorporating and teaching mathematical concepts (Johnson & Edelson, 2003; Geist & Geist, 2008)  Musical mnemonics o Help students memorize information (Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1990) o Works through rehearsal of material (Scruggs & Mastropieri, 1990)

4.  Setting: o Kindergarten/First grade multi-aged classroom in a Stafford County public school  Participants: o Only first graders were assessed during this study o 9 first graders from my K/1 classroom (experimental group) o 7 first graders from a different K/1 classroom (control group)  Duration: o Two week measurement unit o Tested after the unit, and again two and four weeks after the unit o Coins were taught and practiced throughout my student teaching experience

5.  Supplemental Musical Activities  Music is mathematics o A mountain dulcimer was used to teach the mathematical concept of length  Musical mnemonics o Recognition of coins and their value, a concept taught in mathematics, will be taught through a song

6.  Students were assessed one-on-one with the researcher  Assessments took place after the measurement unit, and again two and four weeks after the unit ended  Students were asked to: o List tools and strategies we can use to measure things o What measurement is (definition) o Identify coins o Identify values of coins o List how students learned about the coins

7.  Music is Mathematics o Students in the experimental group had a broader definition of measurement than the control group o Students in the experimental group also had more measurement strategies, on average, than the control group

8.  Musical Mnemonic o Many students could already successfully identify the various coins and their values o Students who initially struggled with identifying coin names and values were very successful once they used the coin song Assessment #1Assessment #2Assessment #3Average Control Group73.2183.3389.2981.94 Experimental Group 85.9493.7595.8591.85 Percentage Correct on Coin Identification and Value Assessment

9.  Music is a tool which can be used to broader understanding of underlying mathematical content  Music as a memory tool can help struggling students master mathematical concepts which must be memorized  I would use this in my own classroom to enhance mathematics activities, and to engage students

10. Armistead, M. (2007). Kaleidoscope: How a creative arts enrichment program prepares children for kindergarten. Young Children, 62, 86-93. Geist, E. A., Geist, K. (2008). Using music to support emergent mathematics. Young Children, 63, 20-25. Johnson, G. L., Edelson, R. J. (2003). Integrating music and mathematics in the elementary classroom. Teaching Children Mathematics, 9, 474-479. Scruggs, T. E., Mastropieri, M. A. (1990). The case for mnemonic instruction: From laboratory research to classroom applications. The Journal of Special Education, 24, 7-29. Southgate, D. E., & Roscigno, V. J. (2009). The impact of music on childhood and adolescent achievement. Social Science Quarterly (Blackwell Publishing Limited), 90, 4-21. Questions?