6/8 Time

I found yet another use for my large felt notes. The 5th graders were learning about 6/8 time. I put them into groups and they were each given a pile of various notes. Using those notes, they had to create 2 measures in 6/8 time. They could do it in treble clef or bass clef. Once I had checked their measures, they copied the notes onto the paper and labeled the pitches. Once they were done with that, they used Boomwhackers to perform their composition for the class. 

 

Steps, Skips, and Repeats

The 1st graders have been talking about how notes can move by step, skip, or repeat. On large staff paper, we used felt notes to notate these different patterns. It really helped the kids see the movement of the notes.

Skips

Easter Egg Hunt

I'm a bit behind on my posts, but I wanted to share a great activity I did with several of my classes for Easter. I got a great deal on plastic Easter eggs at the Crazy Days sale in town this summer and I've been waiting all year to use them. I created a composition Easter egg hunt for several of my classes that they loved.

1st, I sorted the eggs out by color to create 5 different teams. Then, I put a piece of paper inside each egg with a note, time signature, or treble clef written on it. The students had to find all of their eggs and the pieces would add up to create a two-measure composition. Once they found all of their eggs, they went to the note station where they collected the pieces they had found in their eggs. I have a bunch of felt notes that fit great on a large piece a staff paper. (Had they been smaller, I would have put them right inside the eggs.) The teams took their notes back to their spots and composed their 2 measures. Each group was given a different time signature, so they had to make sure to have the correct number of beats in each measure.

This activity worked great, except to this day, there are still 2 eggs missing that we never could find! I'm hoping a good end-of-the-year cleaning will help me find them!



Opening up their eggs

Done!!

Improvisation and Partner Assessment

The 2nd graders recently learned about improvisation. We created a rhythmic pattern, and then improvised a melody on the xylophones and metallophones using the pentatonic scale.

Then we discussed what things were important to do when improvising on the instruments. We decided on 5 things: steady beat, correct rhythm, mallets bounced off the bars, proper hand position, and the melody should end on 'C'. The students paired up and graded their classmates on these 5 things. It was great seeing them play teacher for the day. They gave positive feedback as well as constructive feedback.



Students on the left, teachers on the right.

Teachers on the left, students on the right.