Bottle Cap Rhythms

I'm in center creation mode! My 4th graders are in the midst of Recorder Karate for the remainder of the school year and I am approaching how they learn recorder through a centers-based classroom. It is my hope to one day begin implementing the same approach with other grade levels when learning about a certain concept that they have time to work in centers to independently learn said concept.

SO-I am a Pinterest freak! I love finding new ideas and using them or modifying for my use in my classroom. I found a picture of Bottle Cap Rhythms on Pinterest, but it only linked to a picture. So, to whomever thought of this, THANK YOU! I am excited for my students to use them as part of their centers this week!

How to make:

1.  Bottle Caps:
Where did you get all those bottle caps?

• I sent an email out to the staff here at school requesting that any bottle cap that they use that they would send them my way.
• I slowly collected them for a month, and I have MORE than enough. I'm going to save extras for other possible centers ideas with pitch names or music symbols, etc.

2. Labels:

• I used the typical Garage Sale dot stickers from Office Depot to write the rhythms, time signatures, and bar lines on.
• They fit PERFECTLY onto water and pop/soda caps.

3.  Storage:

• I used your typical pencil box to store all the bottle caps and directions in. I used a half sheet to print directions and notation values onto.

How To Play

It's pretty straight forward, I created some directions for kids with the backside showing the notes they can use and their values.

Directions:

1.  Choose a Time Signature and place in front.
2.  Create rhythms using the bottle caps as notation.
3.  Use Bar Lines to separate measures.
4.  Use the Double Bar Line to finish your rhythm.
5.  Make sure that each Measure (space between the bar lines) has the correct number of beats that matches your time signature.
6.  Clap and Say your rhythm.
7.  Play again!



*I will be adding a step for recorder where kids choose a pitch and play the rhythm on the their recorder.

Notation side of directions with the values to assist kids in accurately grouping notes into measures.

Example of a created rhythm for students to clap and say/play.

Busted! Treble and Bass Clef Versions

This summer I came across a rhythm game on Pinterest called Busted! It seemed really fun and SUPER easy to make!  All I needed was some color craft sticks. It's a game where kids go around the circle and take turns pulling a stick from a cup/jar and say the rhythm on the stick. It's cumulative, so each time they pulled a stick, they had to start with their first one and say all that they had in order. Well, if someone pulled a Busted! stick, they needed to put all the rhythm sticks back into the cup and start all over. You play the game until all sticks are out.

**See the original pin here from Stay Tuned! by Steph.  Great blog!  Thank you for the inspiration for another version!

So, I was sitting around my house on the multiple snow days we had this year (count 'em: 6 snow days!) We've only had 1 in the past 5 years!  I digress...back to my inspiration.

My students LOVE Busted! So, I thought, HEY!  ...why not create a pitch name one both for Treble and Bass Clef?!  So, I did!  I love it when I get a clever moment.

It essentially is played the same, but instead of saying all the rhythms, kids pull a stick and say the pitch name, and they need to go back and each one in a row. When a Busted! stick is pulled, then all the pitch name sticks are returned to the cup.

Game directions:

Treble Triumph

Hey all!  Have I got another great game for you! It comes from a resources I shared about a year ago called Match Mine. This resource is filled with so many ways to play the same game.  It's basically like Musical Battleship. You can do instruments (classroom or orchestra), rhythms, form, key signatures, orff bar set-ups, symbols, intervals, solfege, etc...this list goes on and on!

Materials: Match Mine book (for game board and pieces) click here for where to purchase; file folders, paper clip, and a means to store materials (I used a small ziploc for the game pieces, and a large one to hold it all, and then a magazine box to store ALL the game boards.
NOTE: The game boards are on white cardstock and the game pieces are in two colors for the players printed on colored cardstock for durability. Plus the pieces take some time to cut out and prep for the game. So plan for plenty of time to make materials!

In this game I was having students practice identifying pitches on the staff with 3rd graders. I use the Freddie the Frog books by Sharon Burch. If you are unfamiliar with Freddie the Frog, please check it out at www.freddiethefrog.com. There are so many wonderful things that are in these books! I highly recommend them! In 3rd grade I am having the kids practice all the notes on "Treble Clef Island," but also learn the age old tricks (F-A-C-E and Every Good Boy Does Fine) to assist them in identifying pitches. It is my hope that these kiddos know their pitch names well so that in 4th grade they are prepared for recorder.

So here's how you play!
1. Students need to set-up their game boards with the file folders acting as a barrier, using the paperclip to hold the top together.
2. They then need to lay on their bellies to be sure not to peek over the top!
3. Decide who will be the "Sender" and who will be the "Receiver."
4. The "Sender" places their pieces randomly on the game board (which is really the music staff) and then they need to tell their partner where to place their pieces. "Put your 1st one on line note E...Put your next one on space note A...etc."
5. The receiver then needs to place their pieces in the correct spots.
6. When they are finished they compare boards...hopefully the Sender was clear and correct on where to put things, and the Receiver knew where to place theirs and they Match! If they do not match, they need to figure out where they made mistakes.
7. They then switch jobs and play again.

The challenge with this game is not only knowing where their notes are, but also in communicating them correctly and clearly! This resource comes from one that my ELL teachers shared with me. With how high my ELL population is, I try to do activities that helps develop their language skills (which in turn helps English speakers with their communication skills as well!)

My students really enjoyed playing this game and when walking around, they really seemed to understand where the pitches were, but I found myself assisting on how to communicate to the partner clearly so they could have their game boards match at the end. This is a game that I did when I felt students could practice their knowledge of pitch names independently. It could work well as a center for kids to play together. This would also be a great game to use as a review prior to any assessment as well.

Happy Music In Our Schools Month!

I love this month!  I love creating an atmosphere in our building that is celebrating music all month long!  I'm curious what others do to celebrate?  Here's what's happening this month in my building:

1.  Announcements:  We have a C.A.R.E.S. model to our daily morning announcements.  Each day is a different focus on the following words, but this month will have a music theme added to it: 
                  *Cooperate (Mondays)
                  *Appreciate (Tuesdays)
                  *Respect (Wednesdays)
                  *Empathy (Thursdays)
                  *Success (Fridays)

2.  Trivia Contest:  This is something that I did with a colleague of mine in a different building years back that I have carried on to this building.  It is a school-wide trivia contest that is a weekly thing in the month of March.  Monday the new question is revealed, along with the previous week's winners.  I typically choose 2 winners per grade level and the win a very simple prize like a toy instrument that I usually can find either through Oriental Trading or a local Party Supply story like Party City.  Questions are along the lines of "How many keys are there on a full-size piano?" or "I am known as the 'King of Rock 'n' Roll'.  Who am I?"  The first question this week is, "What is the most sung song in the United States?"  The last week is the Stevenson Mystery Musician.  I have some talented staff who at one point have played an instrument!  So, why not share that talent with the building?  So I record the person playing their instrument and then the kids have to guess which teacher or staff member played that instrument.

3.  Journaling:  I have each grade do a grade-level appropriate writing assignment for me. 

• Kindergarten actually colors a music note to decorate my room with.
• 1st writes down their favorite song and draws a picture to go with it.
• 2nd grade actually does a performance this month, so no writing for them!
• 3rd grade writes a journal entry to focus to respond to the question "What would the world be like without music?"  This is an AMAZING writing assignment.  I LOVE reading their responses every year.
• 4th grade writes about what music means to them.

4.  I Love Music Because...:  I am going to be recording kids sharing a sentence or two about why they love music.  This will then be aired on the broadcast each week.



5.  Display:  Lastly, I have a calendar of "This Day In Music History..." displayed outside my classroom that I also did with my colleage at a previous building.  Everyone in the school loves reading it each year and it's a great way to start conversations about music with kids and staff.

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.)

Quiz-Quiz-Trade

Our school is a SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) building.  Which really is a way for ELL teachers to better aid their students.  My school has a high population of ELL students and our whole staff has done training on SIOP to better incorporate some strategies and activities to help strengthen their vocabulary.  I wasn't sure what this would offer me as a music specialist, but then realized that I gained a TON of different ways to teach music vocabulary and concepts to my students in really fun, interactive ways.

One strategy or game that I LOVE to do with my students is called Quiz-Quiz-Trade.  This week I played this game with my Kindergartners to review Letter Names on the staff (which they learned via the Freddie the Frog stories). 

NOTE:  If you are not familiar with Freddie the Frog--check him out here!  He has been a WONDERFUL addition to my classroom.  Sharon Burch is a genius!

Now, the way Quiz-Quiz-Trade work is like this.  Usually students have a flashcard of some sort.  They then face a partner and each take turns asking a question about that flashcard (QUIZ-QUIZ).  In this case they were asking "What is this place?"  Trying to get the answer for Treble Clef Island where Freddie and his friends lives.  Once each of them answered correctly (giving some clues to help if they were struggling), they would TRADE their cards and find a new partner.  Kids looking for a partner would need to raise their hand and find another kid doing the same thing.  Got that idea from one of our 2nd grade teachers and it works really well when they are looking for a new partner.  This activity can last 5 minutes if you want just a quick review for them OR up to 15-20 minutes if each kid has something different.

You can also do this activity with rhythm cards.  Part of the activity is not just about the content, but about practicing language skills...asking a question, answering correctly, etc.  So in the case of doing rhythms...I would have a 4 beat rhythm pattern fitting the age group, of course, and they would say to their partner "Say this rhythm."  or "Clap this rhythm" or "Clap and Say this rhythm."  You can do it with ANYTHING that you want students to gain more knowledge about.  Instruments of the Orchestra, Tempo Terms, Dynamics Terms, etc...the list is endless! 

Some resources that are pretty great for SIOP can be found on the Kagan Website.  They are always coming up with new strategies and activities.  Check them out here.  And they have even come out with Music Resources!!!  And I'm SO pumped to use them!  Both Match Mine Music and Cooperative Learning and & Music can be found on the Kagan Website.