Manipulative Monday: Rhythm Round Up

My first graders just started their rhythm unit, and it really is one of my favorite times of the year. There are just so many good ideas for teaching rhythm! Below are a few of my favorites. If you wish, most of these would be easy to turn into stations.

Chair Rhythm

An oldie but a goodie. I got this from Jim Solomon, but this is so common there must be more than one source. You set up four chairs, and inform the kids that each person is a sound and each chair is a beat. I have them count the number of heads; one head is a tah (its real name is quarter note) and so on. This makes note heads easier to explain later. We start with the representative notation, and I follow along with stick figures on the smart board. Once it is time to introduce the musical notation, I simple fill in a stick figure’s head and draw the note. The “aha” moment they get is pretty fantastic to watch. My district teaches rhythm in a “# of sounds, # of beats” format, so teaching them to count note heads to know the number of sounds is very helpful. I use chair notation to introduce rhythm. I usually bring it back for any new rhythm as well, or whenever students get stumped on a rhythm.

Introducing musical notation

Mini-Notation Sort

When I moved into my current classroom, I found stacks and stacks of empty CD cases. I was tempted to toss them all, but decided to keep them just in case. Boy, am I glad I did! It turns out that when you take a sharpie and add a line down the middle of the case, you get a perfect four-section sorter. (You could do this with the typical square cases as well, just pop out the black cd-holder.)

I printed off a quarter sheet with each of the rhythms as well as their definitions, then printed off mini notation cards. Kids take their cards and sort them into the correct term and definition. This is a great check for understanding if your objective is identification.

Pipe Cleaner Notation

When my art teacher graciously donated a box of short pipe cleaners, I knew I had struck manipulative gold. These things are useful in general, but perhaps my favorite use of them so far is as a way for student to get to know the notation of rhythms. I have students first use a set of mini-notation to set up a rhythm, so there is an exemplar close at hand. Then students use the pipe cleaners to create each rhythm. Kids can get a bit “creative” with them at first, but it’s fun and engaging.

Foam Heart Notation

My first year teaching, I went through the trouble of laminating a ridiculous number of hearts for steady beat and rhythm teaching. It was a pain, and my school is VERY protective of the laminator and encourages us to use it as little as possible (preferably never.) Oh, if only I knew then what I know now! Instead of feeling guilty for a large laminating job and burning through your paper supply, pick up some foam from the dollar store. It works with the die-cut machine, and lasts as long as laminated paper. You can also easily find pre-cut shapes at hobby stores. These hearts were free (yay!) so I use them constantly, but it could easily be a different shape if you wish.

I use the big hearts to represent the beat, and the little hearts to represent the number of sounds. Alternating the colors of the big hearts makes it easy to add in the concept of strong and weak beats later.

Chip and Stick Rhythm

This also uses representative notation, but uses a square for each beat and a chip or stick for each sound. You could use just the bingo chips, but I throw in popsicle sticks as well for the longer rhythms like half and whole notes.

Rhythm Dice

I love these things! They have so many uses. Students could identify the sounds, beats, or sound of note they roll. These dice could also be used to create a rhythm, or inspire a game of notation-search using a piece of sheet music. 

Manipulative Monday: Review Cards

One of the battles I constantly fight as a music teacher is forgetfulness. When you see your kids only once or twice a week, it is a battle that will never stop. I don’t want to waste time going over already learned concepts every other second, so we regularly review the concepts already covered.

Every day with intermediate grades, I have two or three review questions on the board so students have a task to focus on as soon as they are in the room. We go over them very quickly, and this does help them to remember concepts. Sometimes, however, students more than one or two questions to make sure they stay on top of previously taught concepts. This is even more true with grades that are about to take summative semester tests. Partner review cards are a great way to help review and keep students engaged.

Can I tell you how much I love the dollar store? I LOVE IT A LOT. There are so many good things you can use as manipulatives, and for a lot less than official manipulatives online or at teacher stores. This summer, I found these beauties at Dollar Tree and stocked up, knowing they would come in handy. They come in packs of 24, so I picked up several of each to be ready for the larger classes.

The game is simple. Students have a card that is either a concept or a definition/example. Students get a card and silently move (I use a musical timer) to find the person who has the accompanying card. For first and second graders, I let them whisper to help students who may not be to the point of silently reading yet. Once students find their partner, they talk for a few moments to make sure they can justify why they think the two cards go together. We check a few groups as a class, and then the students have 10 seconds to trade cards with someone who was not their partner. This sets us up for another round.

Here is a second grade example.

I like this game because it gets kids up and moving, gives them a chance to talk with several partners, and really reinforces previously learned knowledge. I focus on getting students to justify why they chose the answer, really making them think about their reasoning. My school is also focusing on accountable talk, and this activity is a good opportunity for students to practice those skills. This is a great review for any definition-heavy subject as well. I've found this game much more effective than more traditional reviews with paper and pencil.

Have fun with this game, I hope your kiddos love it as much as mine do!