Music Teacher Tip - Do Nows

Do-Nows are old news. I feel like most teachers have been starting their classes with a Do Now for years. I know I have. This year I have decided to be more intentional with what types of questions I ask to start class. Historically I have asked questions related to something we did the class period before or a set up to what we were going to do that period. This year, I have decided to try something different. My principal shared an article about different ways to engage and get to know our students. One of the ideas was through the use of Do Nows and this really spoke to me. I only see my students for 10 weeks. It goes so fast and it's not a lot of time to get to know them. I now ask intentional questions as my Do Nows multiple days a week and it has really made a difference.

Monday's I always ask "What was the highlight of your weekend?" and Friday is always "What are you most looking forward to this weekend?" The one that my students love the most though is Wednesday. Wednesday is a "Would You Rather..." question. Sometimes I ask a question to learn about them, for example "Would you rather go to the beach or the mountains?" Sometimes it's a choice between two gross things, for example "Would you rather eat moldy bread or lick the inside of a dirty dumpster?" I was quickly amazed as to how much my students were willing to share their responses to these questions. Students who might not typically participate much during class volunteer to talk about what they think and how they feel about the different topics.

We had a snow day last Tuesday and I forgot to make the Do Now Wednesday a "Would You Rather" question. Every single one of my classes noticed and was disappointed that they weren't getting their usual Do Now that day. It warms my heart to know that they like it so much and helped solidify that it really was making a difference. For the record, Tuesday and Thursday are both questions that are content based.

Do you use Do-Nows in your classroom?? How do you use them?