I am becoming obsessed with centers! I have started using them with almost every new topic I teach! The 3rd graders are studying dynamics right now. After a day of standing at the board going through the symbol, the Italian term, and the definition, I watched my 3rd graders quickly lose interest and focus. Let's be honest, kids have a hard time "sitting and getting" anymore. It's our job as teachers to keep them engaged, and standing in front of a board going through names and definitions is simply not going to work for some classes.
The next day we split into 6 groups to work on dynamics. Each group has a folder with directions and a cheat-sheet listing the symbol, Italian word, and definition.
Center 1: Flashcards and Worksheets
This center originally started out as a station where the kids would create their own flashcards to practice with. However, I quickly realized that if each kid needed 8 notecards, I was going to be going through a LOT of cards! So now it is a worksheet station. Worksheets are good because the students have to work independently and it gives me a good idea of who gets it and who doesn't. They don't turn them in, but I always check them before they leave.
Center 2: Cup Stacking
Kids are totally into cup stacking right now, so this is a great way to help them learn almost any concept. I have a symbol on the bottom of each cup and the kids take turns naming and defining the symbol. If they get it right, they get to use it to make a tower. If they get it wrong, it goes back into the pile. Kids love to come up with different ways to create a tower, so they never seem to get bored.
Center 3: Eggcellent Dynamics
I already had the eggs out for the 1st and 2nd graders to practice solfege with, so I thought, why not use them to practice dynamics, too. Each egg color represented a different dynamic. The group was given a basket of eggs and had to create a pattern in the egg carton. Then, they played each pattern on a given instrument, making sure to play each egg at its designated dynamic level. The book,
Kids Can Compose has a worksheet that I used to have the kids color and label their patterns when they finished.
Center 4: Match Mine
I got this idea from
www.confessionsofamusicteacher.blogspot.com (this teacher also has a ton of great ideas for centers, by the way!). Each student has a folder with a 9-grid square inside (this is a sheet I also use for music symbol Bingo where the students create their own Bingo card). One person, the sender, fills out his or her card with all 8 dynamic symbols we are studying and one free space. He then tells the other kids where he placed his symbols by giving clues like, "I placed the symbol for forte in the top left corner" or "The symbol for medium loud is in the bottom right corner". This way students need to know the definition, the name, and the symbol. When all 8 symbols have been revealed, the sender checks each players card to see if they got them right.
Center 5: Dynamic Definitions
Using a bulletin board kit I got at Target, I created a matching game for this center. On a bunch of flowers I put each music symbol and on another set of flowers I put the definitions. I created 2 sets, so depending on the size of the groups, the kids either partner up or work individually. They need to match each flower symbol to its definition and then sort them from softest to loudest.
* In hindsight, I would have created this game a bit differently. I have 3 different colors of flowers, so what I wish I had done was put all of the symbols on one color, all of the definitions on another color, and all of the Italian terms on the third color. This way they would have to match all 3 concepts. I still have more flowers and plan to add the Italian terms, but they just won't be color-coordinated.
Center 6: Swat the Symbol
I use this game for so many things-Music symbols, note naming, sight reading-you name it, the kids love it! I made a flipchart on my Promethean board with all of our dynamic symbols and the kids have to race to the board to swat the correct symbol with a flyswatter. If there are 4 people in a group, 2 people race, 1 person in the caller, and 1 person is the judge. The caller must say either the definition or the term. I would not recommended letting 3 people race. It gets a bit too crowded for that! This game gets to be a bit competitive, so keep a close eye on this group!
That's it! Those are my Dynamic Centers! Depending on the size of my class, I might use all 6 or I might use only 5. I like to have 3-4 people in each group, but no more than that. We have 30 minute classes, so I usually spend 10-15 minutes at each center, finishing 2 per day. This means it takes about a week to do all of them. Any students that aren't working well in their groups (or who are off-task) always have the option of working independently on a worksheet or activity. Centers take a little bit of work to prepare, but once they are created, I laminate everything and set-up is a breeze for the rest of the week!
