Beacon Lesson Plan Library

Pies and Rhythms

Robert Cox

Description

Students learn to use different types of pies to recognize and notate rhythms in standard notation. The students use popsicle sticks to illustrate rhythms clapped by someone else.

Standards

Florida Sunshine State Standards
MU.A.3.2.3
The student writes notation for simple melodic patterns that have been performed by someone else.

Florida Process Standards
Information Managers
01 Florida students locate, comprehend, interpret, evaluate, maintain, and apply information, concepts, and ideas found in literature, the arts, symbols, recordings, video and other graphic displays, and computer files in order to perform tasks and/or for enjoyment.

Effective Communicators
02 Florida students communicate in English and other languages using information, concepts, prose, symbols, reports, audio and video recordings, speeches, graphic displays, and computer-based programs.

Numeric Problem Solvers
03 Florida students use numeric operations and concepts to describe, analyze, communicate, synthesize numeric data, and to identify and solve problems.

Cooperative Workers
08 Florida students work cooperatively to successfully complete a project or activity.

Materials

-Popsicle sticks
-Visual aid showing relationship of words and rhythms (see attached file)

Preparations

Note: This lesson plan is designed for a music educator.
1. Knowledge of rhythmic notation is essential.
2. The teacher will need a visual aid that depicts the five rhythms with the corresponding words. (See attached file.)
3. Gather needed materials.

Procedures

1. Clap and say rhythms in 4/4 time that use the following words, asking the students to echo him/her. Pie is a quarter note; apple is two eighth notes; huckleberry is four sixteenth notes; raspberry is an eighth and two sixteenth notes; apricot is two sixteenth notes and an eighth note.

2. After several examples, use a visual aid (see attached file) to explain that the syllable and pronunciation of the words represent notes in standard notation. Be sure that the students understand that it is the number of syllables in the word that makes it useful in determining the rhythms.

3. Display and clap rhythms (in both and 4/4 time) using the words. Students again echo the clapped rhythms. Tap your foot on the beat so that the students realize that each word begins on the beat, and that each word represents one beat.

4. When the students understand, clap rhythms and ask the students (as a class) to help the teacher notate the rhythms on the board. Do several of these.

5. Demonstrate how the rhythms can be notated using popsicle sticks (without note heads).

6. Divide the students into groups of four of less. Each group selects a secretary who will be responsible for notating the rhythms with the popsicle sticks.

7. Clap a rhythm (as many times as necessary) using three or four words, and the students attempt to notate the rhythm using the popsicle sticks. The groups may elect to switch secretaries after each rhythm.

8. Eventually pick some students to create and clap the rhythms.

Questioning Strategies (Higher-Order Thinking Skills)
Knowledge: Which word is represented by (clap one of the words)?
Comprehension: How many words will you hear if the time signature is 4/4?
Application: Can you notate the following rhythm in 3/4 (clap rhythm)?
Analysis: Why did I use the work huckleberry for four sixteenth notes (show sixteenth notes)?
Synthesis: Can you use these words to create a pattern in 5/4 time for the class to notate?
Evaluation: How would you prove that you've clapped the pattern correctly?

Design Qualities:
Content and Substance
Organization of Knowledge
Product Focus
Affiliation

Assessments

During this one-hour class, assess students by observation using the rubric(formative assessment)described below. After further instruction and practice, a written assessment (where the students have to notate rhythms clapped by another) would be appropriate.

Rubric:
4 Points
The student is able to use the rhythm words to read and create rhythmic patterns of 2, 3, 4, or 5 beats. The student is able to perform such patterns well enough (without pausing between words) that another person would recognize the pattern. The student is able to notate patterns that are performed by someone else.

3 Points
The student is able to use the rhythm words to read and create rhythmic patterns of 2, 3, 4, or 5 beats. The student is able to notate patterns that are performed by someone else.

2 Points
The student is able to use the rhythm words to read rhythmic patterns of 2, 3, 4, or 5 beats. The student is able to notate patterns that are performed by someone else.

1 Point
The student is able to use the rhythm words to read rhythmic patterns of 2, 3, 4, or 5 beats.

Extensions

1. The teacher may choose to introduce raspberry and apricot after the students are comfortable notating pie, apple, and huckleberry.
2. As an opening activity in future classes, the teacher may select students to clap rhythms for the other students in the class to identify.
3. When the students are able to recognize the rhythms, they will be able to play Rhythm BINGO. The teacher can fill in the squares on blank BINGO cards (see attached file) with rhythms that are appropriate for the level of their students.
4. The teacher should regularly draw students' attention to examples of the rhythmic words that are encountered when learning songs.
5. The teacher could easily create a summative assessment where each student has to choose the correct rhythm from a selection of rhythms (multiple choice) or notate rhythms performed by someone else.

Attached Files

Picture of rhythms and words, blank rhythm BINGO cards File Extension: pdf