Learning Rhythms and Note Durations

Objectives

Understanding rhythms and their value. 

Standards

Standard 1 – Creating, Performing and Participating in the Arts. 

Anticipatory Set

Students will come into class, and immediately be asked to stand up.  Each child will run in place for 60 seconds.  Once the 60 seconds are over, the teacher will ask the students to feel the inside of their wrist, and ask “What is this steady beat that you feel?”  The answer should be, “Pulse” and then the teacher will ask how pulse relates to music. 

Teaching: Input

The teacher will then explain that rhythm is 50% of music, and without a steady pulse, there would be no music.  Then the teacher will begin to explain the different rhythms that can be used in music. (i.e. quarter notes, half notes etc…)

Teaching: Modeling

To model the rhythms, the teacher will put a few of the notes on the smartboard and clap different patterns of the notes.  Once the teacher has demonstrated a few examples, the class will then clap a few of the rhythms together. 

Teaching: Checking for Understanding and Guided Practice

To check for understanding, the teacher will then put the program “Quacking Rhythms”:

http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/multimedia/Interactives/quack-and-whack/quackin-rhythms.aspx

which will allow the students to come up to the smartboard and demonstrate their knowledge of the learned rhythms.  The program will provide a score when the student has played the correct rhythms. 

Closure

Teacher will end the lesson by explaining that there are rhythms everywhere.  The teacher will explain to the students that these rhythms are necessary for any musical composition as without rhythm, the music would be boring.

Independent Practice

The teacher will give a copy of the quackin’ rhythms website so that the students can practice at home.  The students should try and achieve their best score, and write down their score to bring into class. 

Materials

Smartboard

Duration

40-50 minute lesson