extra credit music assignment

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Extra Credit Assignment Ideas that Support Student Learning

Classroom Management , Project-Based Learning , Writing

Close to the end of the semester, you likely get requests from students to complete extra credit assignments. You might be looking for extra credit assignment ideas , or maybe you’re wondering if extra credit should be allowed in the first place. Maybe you find last-minute requests annoying – grading extra credit projects can be frustrating and confusing! In this blog post, I’ll share some reasons to consider extra credit in your classroom. It can be an enriching learning opportunity for your students. You’ll also receive some examples of extra credit assignments , along with some strategies to stay organized with extra credit assignments.

Is Extra Credit a Good Thing?

Not everyone agrees that students deserve extra credit. Many teachers believe in only assigning “regular” credit. Sometimes the top performers in our class request the opportunity to boost their grades. Oftentimes, students who have unfinished assignments or lower grades request extra credit too. Teachers who do not assign extra credit often decline these requests to emphasize the importance of turning in regular assignments on time .

Meanwhile, some teachers do not assign extra credit because their schools do not allow it. School-wide policies may not permit extra credit in order to promote equitable grading practices. Before you decide whether or not you will offer extra credit, be sure to check your school’s policy.

Equitable Extra Credit Policies

Another place to consult before assigning extra credit is with any staff that teaches the same course as you. If either one of you approaches extra credit differently, your students may interpret this as inequitable . One of the main reasons that teachers believe students do not deserve extra credit is that it is unethical. There are ways to ensure that extra credit is equitable, but you will need to ensure that your colleagues are in agreement .

Students deserve extra credit when it is an opportunity offered to everyone . To ensure that your policies are ethical and equitable, do not assign extra credit on a case-by-case basis. This does not mean that everyone needs to complete an extra credit assignment. This also does not mean that every extra credit assignment needs to be the same. Equity is about access . Case-by-case simply implies that you should not approve extra credit for one student and deny it for another – unless there is a valid reason to do so.

Whether you believe students deserve extra credit or not, be sure to include your policy in your syllabus . If you allow extra credit, you may also wish to note your requirements. These can include when and how to request extra credit opportunities. Mondays Made Easy includes an Extra Credit Application with our Editable Full Course Syllabus Template .

Why Should Teachers Give Extra Credit?

Teachers should give extra credit if they support differentiation for students. When implemented properly, extra credit assignments can be a fantastic way to differentiate for different learner profiles. Many teachers hold the belief that a student’s grade in a course should reflect their understanding of the curriculum. In an equitable setting, there should be several opportunities to demonstrate that understanding.

There are multiple reasons why a student may perform poorly on an assessment. There are also multiple factors that may prevent students from being present in class or turning in work on time. Extra credit assignments, when assigned to correlate with your curriculum requirements and course expectations, provide students with another opportunity to meet course standards .

This is especially true if the extra credit is able to assess learning goals while catering to different learning styles . I saw a great example the other day of a student who baked a literal cake of symbolic elements from The Great Gatsby. Their write-up described the literary elements in the novel in relation to the cake: from rum-flavored icing to pearl necklace piping, this culinary creation fused course requirements with the student’s passion!

Tips for Assigning Extra Credit

One reason why teachers hate extra credit is that it can be a real headache! Keeping track of extra credit assignments and due dates requires additional effort on our part. On top of that, grading additional assignments around report card time is stressful. Thankfully, these hardships are minimized with a simple system in place.

Mondays Made Easy’s FREE Extra Credit Application is a great tool to help you keep track of extra credit assignments and requests. Students typically ask for extra credit in person; an application provides a paper trail for these conversations. Additionally, an application provides space to note assignment instructions and due dates – if your students are anything like mine, they might need a reminder about these details.

Extra credit applications can also double as a metacognitive reflection tool . I often have students explain why they need the extra credit in the first place. This provides them the opportunity to reflect on their performance and participation in the course. If the same student repeatedly asks for extra credit in your class, it can also be useful to have a record of each request . This can provide you both with documentation to discuss the student’s habits and performance.

A final reason why I love using extra credit applications is that they encourage students to be proactive . I introduce my extra credit application with my syllabus at the start of the course. I notify students that I require extra credit applications to be submitted three weeks before report cards. This sets the expectation that extra credit requests should not be made last minute. I also schedule assignments to be turned in before grades are finalized. This eliminates any last-minute grading .

Extra Credit Assignment Ideas for English Class

To simplify extra credit assignment ideas, you can adopt the popular approach of offering an assignment re-do to students. This is the easiest way to avoid additional grading while accommodating extra credit requests.

Another approach to extra credit that requires very little assessment is to implement a pass system . At the start of the semester, you can provide each student with a number of passes. For example, each student might receive three hallway passes and one late pass. In order to receive extra credit, students must have all of their passes remaining at the end of the semester. If your school policy allows, you can give students bonus points for simply showing up to class on time and avoiding hallway distractions.

For novel studies , you can offer students the opportunity to create a movie trailer. This example for an extra credit assignment idea requires a bit of effort, but it is a great alternative assessment for older students . A movie trailer will prompt students to avoid simple plot summaries and establish characterization and theme. To facilitate this assignment, Mondays Made Easy offers a Movie Trailer Project Outline and Rubric .

If your students have written research essays , you can offer them the opportunity to turn their work into a “ real-world resource .” A “real-world resource” is any type of media or document that delivers students’ research to the general public. This example of an extra credit assignment is a great opportunity for differentiation because it allows students to be creative and select any medium they like. Mondays Made Easy also offers a Real-World Resource Assignment Outline and Rubric .

Aligning Extra Credit Assignment Ideas with Your Curriculum

When it comes to selecting an extra credit assignment idea, the most important consideration should be how the assignment aligns with your curriculum. If you’re not sure what to assign for extra credit, one option could be to review the student’s performance . If they scored low on a particular assessment, it would make sense to opt for an assignment that covers similar curriculum strands .

For example, the Common Core State Standards require students to “write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence” ( English Language Arts Standards – Writing – Grade 9-10 ). If your student requesting extra credit scored lowest on an assessment for this strand, it would not be best practice to assess an argumentative writing assignment.

Mondays Made Easy’s Extra Credit Application prompts students to reflect on their performance in your course. It also offers them the opportunity to suggest extra credit assignment ideas . Oftentimes, students are able to recommend an assignment idea that evaluates similar skills to those that were evaluated poorly on a previous assessment. If their recommendation doesn’t align, you can facilitate a conversation to guide them in the right direction. This is a great way to implement differentiation and student choice . It also enables you to incorporate your students’ examples of extra credit assignments into your curriculum. Students have great ideas, and I’ve benefitted from reusing their suggestions with future classes!

Extra Credit Assignment Ideas: Important Takeaways

Assigning extra credit remains a matter of personal preference. You know what works best for your students, and your professional discretion will best determine whether or not extra credit is an opportunity that they need. As mentioned, it is best to check if your approach aligns with your school policy and your colleagues’ practices. If you do decide to offer your students extra credit assignments , I hope that the suggestions and ideas in this blog post support you in your efforts!

Follow us on Instagram...

@passagemsorchestra

@passagemsband

Music Department Handbook

Appendix a.  extra credit projects, before completing an extra credit project, please speak with your director to ensure you are authorized to receive credit for completing the project..

Missed a concert? Missed an after-school rehearsal? Need extra points to go toward your grade?

The following extra credit projects are available for the 2018-2019 school year. Extra credit projects can be used to add points to another assignment that is not a quiz, test, or performance. Each extra credit project is worth a certain number of points. Those are the number of points that can be added to another assignment. Each project may only be completed ONCE throughout a school year. Extra credit project must be turned in during the last week of the marking period, and may not be turned in after the final day of the marking period. If you have any questions, please see Mr. Roberts BEFORE starting the project.

PERFORMANCES: If you were absent from a performance, please see the Make-up Recordings section below to complete your "Make-up Recording." See your director to determine if the absence was excused or unexcused. If the absence was excused, your make-up recording will account for the entirety of the make-up grade for the performance. If the absence was unexcused, you must complete the make-up recording to make-up half of the performance grade. The other half of the performance grade may be made up by completing 200 points from Projects #1-11 below.

Project #1. Orchestra Seating Chart (100 points)

Research the families of the orchestra: woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings. As well, research why the Symphony Orchestra sits the way that they do. Then, on a blank piece of paper, create a diagram of where each section of the Orchestra sits (a Symphony Orchestra seating chart). Then, on a poster board, write the title of your project with you name at the top, and place the seating chart in the middle of the poster board. Then, either neatly write or type the instruments of each family of the orchestra and a paragraph about how each section of the orchestra plays their instrument. Place these descriptions in an appropriate place on the poster board. In order to receive the full 100 points, you must include the following: a poster board, a title, your first and last name, the seating chart diagram in the middle of the poster board, woodwinds description, brass description, percussion description, and a strings description.

Project #2. Instruments of the String Orchestra Posters (50 points)

Research information about each instrument in the String Orchestra: violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Then, create a poster for each instrument, including a picture of the instrument, and five facts about each instrument. In order to receive the full 50 points, you must include the following: four posters (one for each instrument) with a picture of each instrument and five facts about each instrument on each poster.

Project #3. Biographical Sketch (100 points)

Choose on of the following composers: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Igor Stravinsky, or Arnold Schoenberg. Research the following information: The birth and death dates of the composer, the composer’s childhood and the details of the beginning of their interest in music, which instruments they played, details about their lives, and anything else that would help the reader to understand the composer’s life.

If you plaigarize and copy and paste information directly from a source, the paper will earn a grade of 0 and additional make-up projects may not be completed for the current marking period.

IN ADDITION, IF YOU USE WIKIPEDIA, YOU MUST USE ATLEAST ONE OTHER SOURCE. 

Next, compose a three page biographical sketch about the composer. Include the following sections: Composer’s birth, composer’s childhood, composer’s musical career, personal information about the composer’s life, circumstances surrounding their death, the influence the composer had on music. At the end of the paper, include a references list that tells the reader where you obtained your information. You may complete this project once each marking period, so long as you choose a different composer each time you complete this project.

Project #4. Write a Song (50 points)

Download blank staff paper from: http://www.blanksheetmusic.net/ . (If you don’t have access to the internet at home, see your director for blank sheet music). Write a song for your instrument using the blank staff paper. Your song must be 16 full measures long in 4/4 time (…or 24 measures in 3/4 time…or 32 measure in 2/4 time) Then, record your song on your instrument. In order to receive the full 50 points, you must include the following: A clef, time signature, key signature, at least two different types of notes and at least one type of rest, a double bar line at the end of the song, and a recording of the song. You can either record yourself on your own device and send it to your director via Charms, Google Classroom, or email, or you may call your director and record your song on their voicemail.

Project #5. Note Identification Practice (1 point per two minutes of practice – up to 100 points)

Make an appointment for Mr. Roberts to set-up a note identification exercise on http://www.musictheory.net . Then, practice that exercise for as long as you need to. When you are done, print the “report” when you are done. Each report should have an average of at least five answers per minute (i.e. 50 minutes, 250 questions answered).  For every two minutes you practice note identification, you will earn 1 point toward an assignment.

Project #11. Create Your Own Project

Create a project proposal and submit it to Mr. Roberts BEFORE BEGINNING WORK ON THE ACTUAL PROJECT.

The final presentation can include any of the following:

Write a paper (neatly handwritten or typed)

Write a song

Create a PowerPoint Presentation

Design a poster or other presentation

Make a TV commercial

Create a video presentation

Illustrate and design a comic book

Create a scrapbook

Make a playlist

Create a multimedia presentation

Create a piece of artwork

Design your own presentation format

Write a brief proposal that includes a brief explanation of the work you want to complete. Your proposal should include resources you will use to complete the assignment (i.e. references, materials, etc…).

Arrange an appointment to submit this to Mr. Roberts as soon as possible. Mr. Roberts will review the proposal with you. Then, both you and Mr. Roberts will determine the number of points the project will be worth. After that, you can decide whether or not you want to move forward with the project.

Final approval and point value is at the sole discretion of Mr. Roberts. You may complete Project #11 once each marking period, so long as you do not use the same format or same resources to complete the project in more than one marking period.

Make-up Performance

Did you miss a performance? First, see Mr. Roberts to determine if the absence was excused or unexcused. If your absence was excused, then you may complete the make-up performance, and that will make-up for the entire performance grade. If your absence was unexcused, then you may complete the make-up performance recording and an additional 200 points in extra credit projects to make up the remaining points.

To make up the performance, complete the following procedures:

Sign-in to Charms Office and click on “Recording Studio”

Record each song separately, and save each song with your last name and the title of the song.

Submit each song as a separate file.

Communicate with Mr. Roberts to ensure that he received all of your recordings.

Remember…make-up performances are graded according to the Alternative Assignment Rubric, which can be found in the Performances section of this handbook.

Project #6. Be a Music Critic (100 points)

Newspapers and magazines often have an arts critic or music journalist. This person attends a performance and then writes an opinion about the performance, the music, and the atmosphere created by the performance. For this project, attend a musical performance (other than a performance in which you participate), and write a one-page review. In order to receive the full 100 points, you must include the following: a program from the performance, the date and times of the performance, an introductory paragraph about the performance, and a review paragraph for each of the selections that were performed (no more than five selections are necessary).

Project #7. Concert Etiquette (100 points)

Research the important points of concert etiquette for audiences. You should be able to find at least eight good rules for concert etiquette. Then, create a PowerPoint presentation that includes the following: a title slide with the title of your presentation and your first and last name, a slide for each rule of concert etiquette including pictures and an explanation of each rule (including why each rule is important), a wrap-up slide which lists all of the concert etiquette rules, and finally a references slide to cite where you found all information in your presentation.

Project #8. Beginner Tutorials - Welcome to Orchestra (50 points)

Write a one page, three paragraph paper including the following information: an introductory paragraph giving a brief introduction to students joining orchestra, a paragraph explaining why you joined orchestra, and a paragraph that gives three tips on how to be successful in orchestra. In order to receive the full 50 points, you must include all three paragraphs either neatly handwritten or typed, and each paragraph must include a minimum of five sentences each.

Project #9. Beginner Tutorials – Bow Grips / Embouchure (50 points)

Write a one page, three paragraph paper including the following information: an introductory paragraph about holding the bow, a paragraph explaining why it is important to grip the bow properly, and a paragraph describing the process of gripping the bow. In order to receive the full 50 points, you must include all three paragraphs either neatly handwritten or typed, and all information must be accurate.

Write a one page, three paragraph paper including the following information: an introductory paragraph about forming an embouchure, a paragraph explaining why it is important to form an embouchure properly, and a paragraph describing the process of developing an appropriate embouchure. In order to receive the full 50 points, you must include all three paragraphs either neatly handwritten or typed, and all information must be accurate.

Project #10. Beginner Tutorials – My Instrument (50 points)

Write a one page, three paragraph paper including the following information: an introductory paragraph identifying your instrument and why you chose your instrument, a paragraph which explains four facts about your instrument, and a paragraph which explains why it would be a good choice for the reader to play. In order to receive the full 50 points, you must include all three paragraphs either neatly handwritten or typed, and each paragraph must include all of the details included in this description.

Back to the

Table of contents, next section:  appendix b - string buying guide.

Extra Credit Assignments

From musictechwiki, extra credit assignments everything is sound - collaboration.

This is a growing database of Extra Credit Assignments to choose from. You can do as many as you want in addition to or instead of the required assignments in this course.

Students are encouraged and supported to do ANYTHING they want.

Extra Credit Solo Projects

Show us ANY of your work or experiments. Stuff you have CREATED or messed around with.

• Assignment Ideas
• Extra Credit - Airtable (100 Points)
• Extra Credit - Join Circle (100 Points)
• Extra Credit - Join Circle (200 Points)
• Jesse Dienner - Acoustic Guitar Project
• Create a short podcast

Extra Credit Group Collaborations

• Organize all your Files in a Folder
• YourFullName-CourseNumber-AssignmentName
• Ex: DebbieSmith-54A-MidTerm-Project
• So we can give you points in Canvas
• Upload to DropBox Extra-Credit

Education YouTuber & Blogger | English Studies PhD

• Recent Ever Educating Resources
• ENG 101: Composition as Critical Inquiry
• ENG 101: [Multimodal] Composition as Critical Inquiry
• ENG 170: Children’s Literature
• ENG 125: Children’s and YA Literary Adaptations
• ENG 125: Young Adult Literature
• ENG 128: Gender in the Humanities
• ENC 1101: Composition
• ENC 1102: Composition and Literature
• Teaching Philosophy
• Online Teaching
• Conferences
• Publications
• Research Statement
• Resource Library Sign-Up
• Gift Ideas for Teachers and/or Graduate Students
• How to Create Templates for Your Digital Journal (Video Tutorial)
• Consult Call

5 Extra Credit Activities That Promote Engaged Learning

We may earn money from the companies or products mentioned in this post, as there may be affiliate links included below. For more information, see our disclosure policy.

If you'd like access to my free resource library, sign up here. Hope you enjoy this post! Note: I use affiliate links in my posts. Also, opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer.

The end of the semester is approaching quickly. Only two more weeks of coursework before finals week arrives. At this point of the semester, it’s not uncommon to receive requests for extra credit opportunities. I’ve never received an extra credit request from a student, though, because I build in multiple opportunities into the semester. There’s a lot of debate over whether extra credit should be an option in the classroom. Personally, I believe that if students are willing to put in extra effort to complete additional work, then they should have that opportunity. I’m more than willing to allow students to increase their project grades by a few points by completing additional activities that require students to deepen their understanding and abilities to apply what they’ve learned. Here are five forms of extra credit activities I offer in my various courses. [ A video version of this information is included at the end of this post, too!]

Responses to Classmates’ Work

In my literature courses , my students are required to complete 3-5 literary analysis discussion posts throughout the semester. They post them using our LMS forums tool. The forums are set to not allow students to read earlier posts in a specific forum until they themselves have submitted a post. At that point, the rest of the posts are revealed and they are free to reply to them. Once the deadline for a post passes, I change the setting so that all students can see the posts even if they did not complete one. Students have at least double the number of possible forums to post to than required of them, so they can pick which required texts they are most interested in analyzing before they are discussed in class.

As this is a digital assignment that all students easily have access to via our course website, I always include an extra credit opportunity at the end of the assignment sheet. Students were required to complete 3 posts in this semester’s ENG170 . The assignment equates to 15% of the student’s course grade. With this grade dynamic in mind, my students could receive up to 10 points extra credit on individual posts by completing the activity below. The language that follows is copied directly from my assignment sheet:

Extra Credit: Up to 10 points total

• Additional quote(s) and analysis that support their points
• Additional analysis of the quote(s) they used that further support their points
• Quote(s) and analysis that can counter their points
• Additional analysis of the quote(s) they used that counter their points
• A discussion of why their points/arguments are significant
• There is no word requirement for these comments. The detail you put into them and/or the points you make in them will equate to the amount of points you receive for each comment. Once you receive 10 points total, you will not be able to receive more of this extra credit, though additional comments can help with your participation grade in a manner similar to the Discussion Addition forums.

Very few students tend to take advantage of this extra credit opportunity, but I offer it every time I use this assignment. The students aren’t required to reply to classmates who submitted a post to the same forums they did. So, while a student might not have written a post about El Deafo , this extra credit activity gives them the chance to earn points by thinking further on a text that they originally passed on analyzing in written form. If they do respond to a post from a forum they chose earlier in the semester, then they’ve chosen to approach a text they’ve analyzed from an angle they might not have thought about on their own. In either case, students gain more literary analysis writing skills and work on rhetorically responding to someone else’s analysis rather than just always writing their own without any concern to the complications of collaborative writing.

Creative Project

This extra credit activity is posted during Week 1, but it’s not due until the last day of class. In contrast to the activity above, this project is not attached to any one assignment. For my children’s literature courses, this activity takes on the form of creating a picture book or first chapter of a graphic novel. In my YA literature course , they have the option of writing a piece of fanfiction based on one of our required texts. Here’s the assignment from my ENG170 course:

Step 1: Create a picture book or graphic novel chapter

You can work with one partner or by yourself. The picture book should be at least 14 pages long; the graphic novel at least 8 pages in length. The picture book can be a narrative or concept book. Your intended audience should be children, though you can pick any age group. It should be designed to look like a picture book or graphic novel (front cover to back cover, not just the story). 

Step 2: Write a Reflection

Write a short reflection (400 words or more). In it, discuss topics like how you came up with the idea for your book, why you decided to create this idea, why you designed the book the way you did (colors, shape, materials, etc.), what message(s) you want (or don’t want) your reader to get from the book, etc. Submit this reflection into the “Extra Credit Project” assignment link. If you work with a partner, each of you must write a reflection.

This project is much more popular with my students. Most complete the project without a partner, but I’ve seen some amazing writer and illustrator pairs. Most tend to create a narrative picture book. Graphic novel chapters are very rare. Students can earn up to 5 points extra credit on an exam by completing this activity, depending on the detail of their reflection and effort in creating their children’s text. We spend so much time analyzing the content and design of visual texts. This activity allows students to learn first hand just how hard creating these texts can be. Putting in the effort to experience this creative process and reflect on it is worth adding a few points to an exam that they might have struggled with because of how much information is included in this prerequisite course.

Digital Project

A new extra credit activity I offered this semester is the “class blog” project. Our LMS has a blog tool that allows students to construct a collaborative blog on our class website (so there is no need to grapple with creating their own blog or posting to the online public). So far, no student has posted to the blog. But, they have three more weeks to post. Here’s the assignment description I created for my students:

You can blog about anything related to children’s literature/media and culture. There is no word requirement for these blog posts. You can post as many as you want and include as much detail as you want. The more detail/depth you include in the posts, the more points you will earn. Just make sure it’s your own writing, and if you cite someone else in your posts, make sure to credit them. Once you receive the 5 points available for this extra credit, additional posts can function similarly to the discussion addition forum posts in regard to improving your participation grade. Here are some ideas for what you can blog about, though you might come up with other ideas:

• Children’s literature book reviews
• Children’s movie reviews
• Children’s app reviews
• Your thoughts/opinions about something going on in the media that connects to children’s texts or children in general
• Your experiences reading to children at a library or at home
• Your childhood memories of reading/watching one of the texts we’re reading for class
• Your ideas for how you’d teach a children’s text in your future classrooms

You can also reply to others’ blog posts. It’ll likely be harder to earn the same amount of points in comparison to creating your own, but replying is an option for anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable creating their own posts. If your post inspires a lot of comments, this community response can also increase the amount of points you earn for that post.

Like the creative project, students can earn up to five points extra credit on an exam by completing this activity. In adding this activity, my hope was to inspire students to connect our class to the world outside the classroom. I consider what I teach to be incredibly relevant to my students’ lives outside the classroom. Getting students to have that same belief can be difficult, so I created this extra credit opportunity so that students would have reason to put in extra effort to make these connections. I’m curious to see if any student will do so in the coming weeks.

Event Attendance and “Takeaways” Response

ISU’s English department hosts the Lois Lenski Lecture every spring semester. We invite a children’s and/or young adult literature scholar to speak at our campus and host a Q&A session after their talk. I’ve learned so much from these presentations, and always mention them to my children’s and ya literature students. I also offer extra credit if they attend the event and write up a “takeaways response” to it that night. They submit them digitally by midnight, or just turn it in physically at the lecture.

This semester, my students have the option of exploring a children’s literature display at our university library. A special collections display was created by students in a graduate course. If my students explore it and write up a response to it, they can receive a few extra credit points were they most need it (up to 3, depending on the detail in their response). They had two weeks to complete this activity. Fewer than a handful did so. This activity and other events are great for helping students see how others outside the classroom study and use children’s and YA literature. Note: The takeaways can’t just be regurgitated facts. Students have to reflect and metacognitively respond to what they’ve heard/seen during the event.

Aesthetic Additions

I include this option when students complete a highly visual project. For the picture book festival activity I’ve used in past ENG170 sections, students could increase their poster grade by up to five points depending on the effort they put into designing their posters. All students were automatically eligible for earning these points. Students could earn a high grade as long as they included all the required material on their poster. But, if their posters’ design aesthetic was well thought out, extra credit points could be earned. Some students focused on emphasizing the content of their text (crafting a tree on a The Giving Tree poster), while others focused on the medium (designing their poster as a TV screen when analyzing Gilmore Girls ). Most students tend to receive only a point or two for this extra credit opportunity, but I’ve been amazed by the thought and effort put into a few poster designs over the years. It livens up my grading experience at the end of the semester too, which is always welcome.

Final Thoughts

Of the five activities listed above, four were options in this semester’s ENG 170 course. Giving my students the chance to earn up to 23 extra credit points likely seems excessive to some of you reading this post. Here are a few points I’d like for you to keep in mind, especially if you’re considering what extra credit activities you might want to offer next semester: 1. In a 30 student course, usually less than half the students will attempt even one of the extra credit options. 2. Less than a third will attempt more than one option, and they are often the ones that don’t even need extra credit. 3. It’s rare for a student to earn the max number of points for any of the activities because of how much extra effort and work I expect from them in order to gain these points. 4. The only activity that creates the opportunity to gain 10 points is the forum posts extra credit. These points are added to individual posts rather than to the activity grade as a whole. In this specific case, one post equates to just 5% of their overall course grade. 5. If students are willing to put in the extra time and effort, and the activities actually require them to learn something, why not offer them the opportunity for engaging in additional ways with the course material?

I’ve never regretted including extra credit options in my courses. Few students take me up on my offers, and a bump up in their overall grade definitely isn’t guaranteed. But, by having these activities in my course design, I’m making clear to my students that hard work will be rewarded and that doing poorly on one assignment doesn’t mean they’ve done irrevocable damage to their course grade > GPA > financial aid/grad applications. Even one offer of extra credit can demonstrate to students that we as instructors understand that sometimes they need an extra chance to show their willingness to put in the effort to learn and grow. Why not give them that chance?

>>If you’d like to download a PDF that lists the various extra credit activities described above (and a few other activity ideas!), just subscribe to my blog. You’ll receive access to all my blog-related PDFs and will receive an email every time a new blog post goes up!<<

Do you include extra credit opportunities in your courses? If so, share what activities you offer in the comments section below!

Assignment Examples , ELA , Full Archive , Teacher Life , Teaching Tips

College Courses Course Design extra credit Pedagogy Teach

February 18, 2020 at 4:15 PM

Awesome suggestions!

February 20, 2020 at 2:20 PM

I’m glad you like them!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Note: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer. 

My YouTube Channel Intro Video:

Recent posts.

• Ideas for the Last Day of Class
• 5 Strategies for Using LMS Announcements in an Online Course
• My Career Pivot: Transitioning from College Instructor to Instructional Designer
• Using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy in Your College Classroom
• Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction

Newsletter Sign-Up

Email address:

Blog Post Categories

Privacy Policy

Disclaimers & Terms and Conditions

Erika Romero is a participant in the Amazon.com Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2020 Erika Romero

© 2024 Erika Romero

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑

Privacy Overview

A Form: Music Extra Credit Project: Home

Instructions.

FORM A EXTRA CREDIT ASSIGNMENT Q2 2022

This assignment is NOT mandatory, but for those who wish to add to their music grade.  Simply completing this assignment does not add to your grade.  What is really of importance is the quality of your work.  Below are a few pointers to help you.

Choose a person or genre of music we have not studied in class. (check with me once you have made a selection).

You may choose the format of the factoid sheets that you have in your binders, or you may choose to write in paragraph form.  Either way you should include the following:

Biographical information such as, place of birth, family background, education.

Influences on the person’s life or type of music presented.

How was the music or composer received by the public?

Special recognition or awards granted the composer.

Choose an excerpt from YouTube that you can present to the class as an example of the composer, instrument or kind of music.

Most importantly, explain why you feel this composer or genre of music is important.

Give 2 sources of information.  In addition to your computer, there are books in the Lower School library to help you.  Mrs. Conlin is a great source for research. USE NOODLETOOLS TO CITE YOUR SOURCES AND THEN EXPORT FOR MS. MOORE

DUE DATE – THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, no exceptions.  This is a Q2 assignment.  If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask me.  

Citation Management

• Last Updated: Jan 4, 2022 12:56 PM
• URL: https://stalbansschool.libguides.com/c.php?g=1205754

You're signed out

Sign in to ask questions, follow content, and engage with the Community

• Canvas Instructor
• Instructor Guide

How do I give extra credit in a course?

• Subscribe to RSS Feed
• Printer Friendly Page
• Report Inappropriate Content

in Instructor Guide

Note: You can only embed guides in Canvas courses. Embedding on other sites is not supported.

Community Help

View our top guides and resources:.

To participate in the Instructurer Community, you need to sign up or log in:

Extra Credit: To Give or Not to Give – That is the Question

By Michelle Read, Ph.D.; Katherine Fugate, Ph.D.

Snapshot: This article discusses the pros and cons of utilizing extra credit with your students. Both authors have utilized extra credit in the courses they teach. Moreover, the article presents various ways to add extra credit points in the Canvas LMS.

There are a variety of reasons why one might want to assign extra credit for students. However, the use of extra credit in higher education has been a topic of debate for decades.

InsideHigherEd.com ran two articles on this topic, each expressing opposing views on the matter.

Interestingly, the sociology professor used to feel the same way as the English professor until she designed an extra credit assignment that not only complemented the course goals, but, as she said, “enriched” student learning with very current, relevant events which required not only attendance but also reflection in order to earn the optional extra points. These types of extra credit options do not serve to replace an assignment or assignments, instead they allow for additional learning opportunities. While the English professor acknowledges the reality of students’ lives, he does not, however, allow these realities to impact his instructional practices. It is important to recognize and address that in this past year of COVID, educators have hopefully learned how valuable and necessary flexibility in due dates can be. Opportunities for students to maintain their typical average-to-above-average grades via extra credit assignments can be vital to student success and overall morale during turbulent times, such as a pandemic or personal tragedy in the individual’s life. Often times, flexibility in due dates also provide benefit to instructors. Just because one is an instructor, this title does not preclude them from contending with these same realities of life. Sometimes the need for extra credit is not to pass the course due to missed assignments, but augment low scores on the assignments. It is also important to note, that students may simply be trying to boost their totals to the next grade level to improve their GPA or to meet their major’s program requirements. The option to take advantage of extra credit opportunities is the student’s; the job of the instructor is to make any extra credit opportunities relevant, meaningful, and aligned to course goals and objectives.

In 1993, Norcross et al., conducted a study interviewing instructors to determine why they would or would not offer extra credit. Reasons for offering extra credit included the following:

• Reduces student anxiety and builds confidence.
• Extra credit can be a second opportunity to learn the content.
• Some need a second time to learn and engage with the content in order to master the material.
• Capitalize on the student’s current degree of motivation. In doing the extra credit, they will learn.

There were also valid reasons noted for not providing opportunities to earn extra credit:

• Reinforces tendencies to not work hard if students know extra credit is an option.
• Time spent on extra credit means less time spent on regular assignments.
• If too easy to complete, extra credit reduces course academic standards and rigor.
• It’s unfair to those who did the assignments and did well.
• More work on the instructors’ part to create and/or grade extra credit assignments.

It is easy to see that the arguments from each of these professors correlate with what faculty have been debating for years. The sociology professor expands on these benefits by making her extra credit possibilities available for everyone and designs them to be specifically relevant to the content as an optional extension of, as opposed to a substitute to, what is already provided to students for understanding the content.

What constitutes a “good” extra credit assignment?

As with whether or not to  allow extra credit is considered good practice, the opinions on what types of extra credit are valuable is also debatable. The following list are some suggestions gathered from various resources, my own experiences, and from my work with faculty in designing their online/hybrid courses:

• Add opportunities to earn “professional” points when replying to peers’ initial discussion responses. Often, we do not give students any direction in how to do that. Guidance is helpful and will get you more than “Atta boy” from peers. You can ask repliers to make connections that require higher order thinking skills by asking questions or analyzing the content and critiquing it, while also making it necessary to provide additional resources that support or refute their claims, etc. As an instructor, I provide professional points for extra replies, extra resources, going back and answering questions posed to the original posters by their peers, etc. I try to promote ongoing discussions, furthering the goal of having enriching and meaningful learning opportunities.
• Adding extensions to assignments may come across as more work, and it is, but it is meaningful, relevant work and provides the opportunities to make up for points lost from their original submission.
• Provide additional, optional creative assignments. For example, I offer my students an extra credit assignment in which they create a video that offers advice to students who come after them. My students are often in their graduating semester, so the advice is for the next group of graduating seniors and advises them on various aspects of life after graduation.
• Optional blog assignments. Have students reflect and write about topics from your class.
• Suggest students attend events related to the course content. For example, when I was an undergrad (here at Texas State), my music theory professor had us attend a symphony to earn extra credit. I don’t recall him having us write a reflection, as the sociology teacher above did, but it would’ve been a good idea. “Did you like the symphony, why or why not?” would be a great starting point. You can add specific questions to prompt their reflection that tie into your course objectives.
• Extra creativity points. Allow for extra credit points on any creative assignment. Often students will do the bare minimum to make their project look good, but they’ll likely do more if they know you’re looking to provide points for extra appeal, wow factor, etc.
• Revise and explain. When a student does poorly on an assignment or exam, give them the opportunity to revise or correct and then explain their change in answers. If they were provided answers on the test, have them prepare a presentation and/or video that teaches the concept to earn back points.
• Video-record a science experiment. If you teach science or other subjects with demonstrations and don’t normally have students record themselves doing an experiment or demonstrating an activity, consider having them record themselves doing one for extra credit. They could do this by screen-recording if it is an activity completed on the computer or use their phones or use other recording devices.
• Book reports. An oldy, but a goody, often used in K-12, can work in higher education as well. You could also give the students options such as doing one as a paper, as a presentation/video, etc.
• Service work. Allow students to volunteer. The volunteer work should be something that would apply concepts learned in class or at least the opportunity to observe the concept’s application.
• To ensure rigor particularly for upper division or graduate courses, have students take the concepts and topics and explain/teach them for a layperson, someone who has not studied the discipline. This could be done via presentations, and/or videos. You could even tie in the points to how well received the project was by recipients via a satisfaction poll or have them create quiz questions. The latter of course, would require that someone volunteer to be the audience.
• In addition, for upper division or graduate students, have students do a case study analyzing a provided case that is relevant to their profession. For example, have an education student in a class management course analyze a video-based case study looking for specific events, such as poor behavior, not noticed by the teacher.

You may have noticed that any one of these examples, would actually serve as really great assignments too. Does it require extra work on your part as well? Probably. Grading is always going to take your time. Only you as the instructor can decide if doing so is worth your time and is providing meaningful learning experiences for your student(s) who need that extra support.

Ways to add extra credit using the Canvas LMS system

For specific instructions on how to add extra credit points in Canvas, please see the instructions here , which can also be downloaded.

Cohan, D. (2018). Extra, extra, read all about it: To offer extra credit or not to offer extra credit?. Inside Higher Ed . Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2018/01/16/professor-explains-why-she-offers-extra-credit-her-classes-opinion

Norcross, J.C. , Dooley, H.S. and Stevenson, J.F. (1993). Faculty use and justification of extra credit: No middle ground? Teaching of Psychology , Vol. 20, No. 4: 240-242.

Stauffer, W. (2019). Extra credit is not really extra. Inside Higher Ed . Retrieved from: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2019/01/16/professor-explains-why-he-doesnt-offer-extra-credit-his-students-opinion

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Springdale Park Music

"If arts have a place in society, they must be a part of a community. To be an artist is not the privilege of a few, but the necessity of us all." –Robert Lawson Shaw

• Bitmoji Music Room and Music Class Codes 2023-2024
• Chorus & AC
• SPARK Song Practice!
• Civil Rights Songs
• Modern Band LKR Resources
• Music Class Grading
• The Science In Music
• Music Lessons and Choirs
• About Ms. Turgeon
• Orchestra Info
• Music Kit Activities

Ms. Turgeon's Zoom: http://tinyaps.com/?musicatSPARK

PAYMENT Link http://tinyAPS.com/?payMusicatSPARK Put in the payment amount and what the payment is for and Child's name

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Extra credit assignments.

• Write a paper (neatly handwritten or typed)
• Write a song
• Create a Powerpoint
• Design a poster/presentation
• Make a TV commercial (video)
• Create a video presentation
• Illustrate and design a comic book
• Create a scrapbook
• Make a playlist (selected projects only)
• Create a multimedia presentation
• Create a piece of artwork
• Design your own presentation format (consult Ms. Turgeon if you have questions)
• Orchestra Seating Chart (up to 5 points) Student will research the families of instruments and discuss why Orchestras have a typical seating chart. Student should create a diagram of where each section of an orchestra plays, and write a paragraph or two about how sound is produced on each instrument, and how loud or soft each instrument plays.
• Who Am I? A guessing game (up to 5  points) Students will use the Glossary of Instruments, Instrument Cards, and other resources to find 4 facts about their chosen instrument. Students will write the four facts about the instrument on the outside of a “hamburger folded’ piece of paper, then draw the instrument inside and label it with the name and family of the instrument.
• Lyrics Book Illustration (up to 10 points)
• Music Book or Music Comic Book (up to 15 points) —(fiction or non fiction) Students may write and illustrate a book about music, a musician, or a musical character. Eight to ten pages with title page. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation must be correctly utilized.
• Song Writer project (up to 10 points) Write a song with at least 1 verse and a chorus. The song can be vocal, instrumental, or both. Decide how you will present the song—written in text, written in notation, video or audio recording, etc.
• Instrument projects (up to 7 points)
• Musicality (Varies, according to the difficulty of the song, up to 10 points)
• Memorization (up to 5 points) Student may memorize a song in another language or English, but it must be challenging for his/her age, and it may not be a song from the radio.
• Music Current Events (up to 7 points) Student will read newspapers or magazines and write a synopsis of an article about a musician or musical event. 
• Musical Time Capsule (up to 10 points) Pretend that you have gone to the future and you want your grandchildren to know about the music that you listened to as a child. Start a “time capsule” to capture your own experience and understanding of music in your world today. A time capsule can take the form of a journal, a video, documentary, an original song, or a work of art. Include your thoughts and feelings about the music you like now (at your current age) and the music you liked as a younger person. Describe how your musical tastes have changed (or have not changed), and make a timeline of your favorite music from each time period in your life.
• Musical Celebrations (up to 10 points) Does your family, neighborhood, or community celebrate events in a special way? Explore and tell about the interesting ways that you use music to celebrate different events in life (parties, weddings, holidays and so on). You might start by interviewing your family or closest friends. Find out what their favorite ways are of celebrating their cultural heritage—parades, festivals, ceremonies, parties, etc. Then create a brochure, poster, TV ad, or display to show what you’ve learned.
• Critical Thinking (up to 10 points) Newspapers and magazines often have an arts critic or music journalist. This person attends an event then writes an opinion about the performance, the music, and/or the atmosphere created by the event. Read several arts critic reviews, then prepare your own review of a musical event, concert, or performance. Be sure to use appropriate musical vocabulary!
• Compare/Contrast (up to 10 points) Choose two musicians or two songs from two different styles of music and compare them. These can be two musicians you like or one you like and one you do not like. Explore the sources and inspiration for their music, or find out who they admire personally or musically. Choose a song from each musician and write about the musical aspects of the song (tempo, meter, major/minor, instruments, voices, etc) and compare the two. Try to determine why you like (or dislike) each song and write about your observations.
• Music Mix (up to 5 points) Pretend that you are planning an event and you are the DJ. Choose the type of event (dance party, elegant evening, quiet meditation, wedding reception, karaoke party, skating party, sporting event…) and make song list of music you would play. You should write a paragraph or two about the event, how you want the audience to feel or react, and how you plan to keep the mood going. For each song tell about the mood it sets or the musical reason that you chose it, and include at least a sentence about why you chose that song.
• Save the Music, Save the Arts! (up to 12 points) Imagine that your school or community has cancelled all Music and Arts classes (it happens!). Prepare a presentation that shows why Music (or Art, Band, Orchestra, guitar, violin, piano, voice, or other visual art lessons) should not be cut. You should give important and accurate facts which support your main idea (not just emotional explanations), and your presentation should show your understanding of the importance of music and the arts in our world. You may include how music or art has been important to you in your life or at school, or how it has improved the life of your family members or friends. You could also include how music and art help the economy, help others through concerts and benefits, or simply how music and art help people express themselves.
• Music Manners (up to 12 points) Research proper manners or concert etiquette for different types of musical events (rock/pop concerts, elementary music concerts, classical music, jazz, weddings, parties, and so on) and create a brochure for children about appropriate Music Manners for the different situations. You must include at least THREE different event types.

2 comments:

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

extra credit assignment geography

All Formats

Resource types, all resource types.

• Rating Count
• Price (Ascending)
• Price (Descending)
• Most Recent

Extra credit assignment geography

Spanish Countries Geography Facts Internet Scavenger Hunt

• Internet Activities
• Easel Activity

Geography Puzzles

• Google Drive™ folder

Geology Latitude / Longitude Maps - 2 Coordinate Maps (Science / Geography )

Country Brochure - World Geography Project

UTAH GEOGRAPHY , HISTORY, GOVERNMENT FUN PACK

• Word Document File

Finding Cleo: A Podcast Extra Credit Assignment

• Google Slides™

Geography Challenges ( Geography Trivia) Enrichment Assignments – Bundled #1-36

Geography Challenges ( Geography Trivia) Enrichment Assignments – Set 1: #1-9

Geography Challenges ( Geography Trivia) Enrichment Assignments – Set 2: #10-18

Geography Challenges ( Geography Trivia) Enrichment Assignments – Set 3: #19-27

Geography : Choose a State Geography Project

Geography Challenges ( Geography Trivia) Enrichment Assignments – Set 4: #28-36

Latin American Geography Assignment

European Geography Scavenger Hunt

• Google Docs™

Movie List for Geography and Social Sciences

World Geography Syllabus

Music Research Projects-Baroque Era- Extra Credit - Grading Rubric

Geography - Find It on a Map Puzzle Page (Wordsearch and Criss-Cross / SUB)

GEOGRAPHY : ST. VALENTINE'S DAY (GROUP READING & COMPREHENSION GAME)

Country Profile - Geography - Google Drive - Distance Learning

Quality of Life and Culture Geography Google Slide Presentation Project

• Google Apps™

Columbian Exchange Menu Assignment

FUNGI: THE WORLD OF MUSHROOMS: A T/F QUIZ w/ 1 EXTRA CREDIT & ANSWER KEY

Travel Project to France Plan a trip Planning a trip to France Vacation France

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think