Match Mine! A Musical Battleship

I have a FUN game/activity to share with you today!!!

On an earlier post, I shared about "Quiz-Quiz-Trade," a SIOP (ELL) strategy that I use.  My building has a very strong population of ELL students (we have 4 ELL teachers for a building of 550 students and about 1/4 to 1/3 are EL students, just to give you an idea)  Yesterday I decided to try something from the Match Mine: Music resource that I purchased over the summer.  So many fun ways to practice music terms and symbols, instruments, etc.

2nd Grade has been working on rhythm and learning to identify the names of the notes.  So I decided to try this musical version of Battleship. 

SET-UP:
The kids have 2 file folders, 2 game boards, 2 sets of different colored pieces, and a paper clip.  They first need to set-up their file folders up Battleship style and paper clip the top so they stay standing.  We found that we needed to pull the folders about an inch away from each other from the bottom in order for it to stay upright.  Then each kid gets a set of pieces and a game board to set down.

 

One person is the "Sender" and one person is the "Receiver."  The "Sender" places their pieces on the game board in random places.  Their job is then to tell the "Receiver" where to put their pieces using describing words like "Top Middle" or "Top Left Corner," etc.  They are not only trying to identify my vocabulary, but also using descriptive words to help their partners put them in the same spot as they did.  So the students were expected to use sentences like "I put the Whole Note in the Top Left Corner."  There could be NO peeking or looking, which is why I have them laying on their bellies so they couldn't look over the barrier.  They had to figure it out using words and asking questions if they need clarification or help.

 

 

 

 

 

I found it was VERY helpful to model it first on the Smart Board and do it together as a class.  (I scanned the gameboard and then made my "pieces" with the SmartBoard Notebook.)  I was the "Sender" for the class and had students move the pieces to the places I wanted them to.  I reminded them they need to know the difference between Right and Left (showed them the "L" trick with their thumb and finger) and they also need to use words like Top, Bottom, Middle. 

 

 *Looks like Left and Right got mixed up!*

 

For this activity, I wanted them to practice identifying the note names.  i.e.Whole Note, Half Note, Quarter Rest, Half Rest, Pair of Eighth Notes, etc.  But you could have them use "ta" and "ti-ti" language as well.

 

Once they were finished, they can compare their boards to see if their partner matched their board.  Then they switched jobs.  This kept them entertained for the remainder of the class period.  It was really fun walking around hearing them using the descriptive words and using the music vocabulary that I wanted them to know!

 

 

This can also be a GREAT activity for a center as well.  I would suggest pre-teaching it to the class before making it a centers activity, then the students will understand the goal of the game better.

 

So glad I made this purchase!  There other game boards for Instruments of the Orchestra, Classroom Instruments, Form, Dynamics, Ostinatos, Orff Bar Placements, Rhythms, Melodies, etc.  and it has game boards designed for ages PreK through 12!  (The older activities are designed for grades 6-12, so if you teach those grade levels, this could be a fun different way to practice music skills.)