So there’s this new craze with wireless karaoke microphones. Obviously they are fun, but there are definitely some educational benefits I have found from using a wireless microphone in my SPED classroom! This may not apply to every student or every classroom, but let’s give it a try! They are fairly inexpensive, re-chargeable, and compatible with many different phones/devices if you want to have audio directly play out of the microphone speaker. I typically play other audio (like music) through my computer speakers though so that the student’s voice is maximized on the microphone. Here are some activities I use a microphone for in my classroom, and how they benefit the students.
Karaoke
Okay, so you could have guessed, a karaoke microphone is great for karaoke, duh. BUT, the educational benefit I found from doing karaoke in my classroom is that it’s a major reinforcer! I set aside a few minutes at the end of each day (maybe a little longer on Fridays), to let students who had a great day pick a song and do karaoke! The other benefits in doing karaoke is that my students are building confidence, practicing reading and the rate at which they are reading! Often times I find that my students don’t know the words to a song as much as it originally appeared, so this is a great way for them to catch those wrong lyrics and correct themselves! Students that are watching have a fun time reading a long and singing as well. Check out this Song Of The Day activity you can incorporate into a lesson if you’d like karaoke to be more of an educational activity!
Read Alouds
I started giving my students the option to use the microphone to read out loud (not all of my students are crazy about the idea of amplifying their voice), but I saw participation increase with many of my students after I started doing this! It used to be like pulling teeth to get my students to read out loud in front of the classroom, but now I have students raising their hands at every opportunity! The great part is that I have a handful of students that have trouble reading/speaking at an appropriate volume, and having the microphone has helped with increasing their volume and helping them realize how loud their voices can be. If you have struggling readers, you can also put a “read to me” book on the smart board, and have the student read along with the voice!
Answering Questions
Similarly to read alouds, my students have really increased their participation in answering comprehension questions (whether its to an article, video, worksheet…etc). The microphone has made “boring” lessons more engaging, and students have been more willing to participate. I’m not exactly sure why its so fun to speak into a microphone, but it adds a spark to what you are saying an gives people a sense of purpose.
Teacher’s Assistant
Occasionally I will pick a student and have them help direct an activity. For instance, in the mornings we watch a You Tube video and do stretches. On the video it tells you what each stretch is. When a new stretch pops up, I have a student read it out loud to the whole class so they know which stretch is next! Another way I utilize the microphone from an assistant is if we are playing BINGO or doing a similar activity that asks students “Who Has…”. This microphone has helped empower students to feel like leaders and gives them peer to peer interactions.
Attendance & Daily Schedule
Students can practice roll call by calling out names and responding “here!”. A student can also go over the daily schedule (if it works out that everyone is on a similar main schedule). Many of my students have many services and on/off campus jobs, so its also beneficial to have a student read out loud who has services or jobs for the day as a fresh reminder each morning!
Where to get the Microphone
I’ve seen the wireless karaoke microphone at many different stores now a days like Target, TJ Maxx, Bed Bath & Beyond, usually ranging from $15-$30. You can get one online at Amazon, check it out here (affiliate link):
These are just some of the small ways I use the microphone in my classroom, how do you use one to benefit your students? I would love to hear your ideas, comment below!
