RPRhythm


 * Teacher Name:** Rachel Pischnotte
 * Subject/Grade:** Lower elementary general music
 * Concepts/Skills/Values:** Rhythm
 * National Standards:** Compose, Read/Notate, Listen, Evaluate
 * Behavioral Learning Objective:** Provided with previous knowledge of introductory rhythm and rhythm cards, the students will be able to compose their own rhythm cards.
 * Materials:** Rhythm cards, note cards, markers
 * Sequence of Activities and Assessment:** The rhythm cards have four //complete// beats of //Ta//s, //Ti-Ti//s and rest combinations (quarter notes, two eighth notes, and rests). I draw mine as a stem without a note head, but you can draw them with note heads. There are about eighth different combinations, each card a little more difficult. The students should practice reading and clapping the cards for a few weeks. Then during the next few classes ask volunteers to draw a //Ta//, //Ti-Ti//, or rest on the board, and continue practicing the rhythms cards. Finally, give each student a note card to draw their own rhythm card; explain that they need four steady beats, and that it needs to be big enough on the card so that other students can read it. Have them pass all the cards in for assessment, and work individually with the students that need improvement. Read 5-7 rhythm cards each class and hand them back so the students can keep them.

//Great way to get the kids to start notating music. You should rephrase some of the terminology. When I think of the word "steady" as applied to rhythm, it works better when discussing __performance__. When giving them instructions for the assignment, you should say that they need four "complete" beats or something like that. Unless this is a quiz or something, you can have a reference on the board to show what notes or combinations make up a complete beat. Zak

Rachel- I really like the idea of having them create their own rhythm cards and I think the students would also enjoy doing this. I also like how your lesson plan spans more than just one lesson, I haven't noticed anyone else taking this approach. There are just a few things that I would possibly add to your lesson, the first being to have the students experience the different rhythms is more ways than just rhythm cards and clapping. I know that this is sort of the point of your lesson but I couldn't help thinking how neat it could be for the students to practice the rhythms on the mallet instruments or on hand drums or maybe assigned certain rhythmic values to certain instruments (eighth notes = maracas, quarter notes = hand drums etc). I also think that you could have the students create more than one card or have them get into small groups and put their rhythms together and practice longer phrases. Once again I really like the idea of allowing them to create their own, nice work! -Kinsey Cole-//

//Having the students create rhythms is a great idea. I will make a suggestion that I would do if I taught this lesson, though. Expanding on the whole "four beats per measure" thing. Working with middle schoolers right now, I was surprised at how many never learned what notes or rests make up one beat. Before students come up with their own rhythm, create a rhythm bank on the board of rhythms that equal one beat. I know you'll probably have only three: quarters, 2 eighths, and rests. Then write several of each one-beat option on little card stock squares and mix them up in a hat or bucket. Have each student draw from the hat 4 squares of beat and arrange those squares in their measure in a four-beat rhythm. Then have them come up with their own rhythms using the rhythm bank. This may be breaking it down too far for some, but I recently taught a simple rhythm lesson to 6th graders, and MANY of them didn't understand what made up one beat or two beats or four beats, and in a four beat measure, they couldn't figure out how many notes they needed to fill the measure. This is a very important skill for them to understand. I also love Kinsey's idea of using instruments; go for it! :) -Jessie Beran//