Brief Description

This lesson introduces students to the world of reading music.  Students will use interactive websites that use games to learn the name of notes and rests symbols.  Some of the sites have the capability that allows students to hear and learn about note and rest duration. After they have learned the names of the notes and rests, students can download worksheets and apply the knowledge that they have gained.  After ample practice, students will be asked to create their own rhythm patterns and perform them for their classmates.

Standards and Frameworks

Technology Standards

• 1T-F2. Demonstrate functional operation of technology components
• 1T-F3. Use developmentally appropriate technology resources to access information and communicate electronically

• 1AM-E1 Expand note reading ability to include sixteenth and dotted notes, and rest in 6/8, 3/8, and alla breve (cut time) meter signatures.

Academic

• Students will learn to identify note and rest symbols and duration values.
• Students will demonstrate their understanding of the note and rest symbols and duration values by playing games and completing on line quizzes.
• Students will compose a rhythm pattern to be performed on a classroom instrument.
• Students will evaluate their performance by answering a self-assessment sheet.

• Students will access pre-bookmarked sites on the internet to learn what note and rest symbols look like and their duration.
• Students will print out a worksheet to complete and turn in for a grade.
• Students will video tape each other to use for viewing their performances and evaluate themselves.

• Ability to use mouse and access pre-bookmarked URL’s
• Knowledge of the printer program.
• Ability to use a video camera

Classroom computers or computer lab.
Printers for the computers
Manuscript paper and pencils
Classroom instruments

Accommodations for Special Needs

Gifted students – This lesson allows students to be creative in their thinking as they create their own music rhythms.   Extensions for advanced musicians may involve creating a longer rhythm pattern, or creating words to go with the rhythm. If they finish early, as some do, they may have the option of helping another student with the writing or technology process.

SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) students – students may be paired up with another student to help read the instructions on the different web sites.  The beauty of music is that it is a language of its own, and does not require a student to speak in any other language.  So SEI students will be able to compose rhythm patterns as easily as the other children after they learn the note and rest symbols and duration.

ADD/ADHD students – Break down the task. Have theses students access fewer pages.

Special Education students – Break down the task. When writing the rhythms on the manuscript paper have the students perform the rhythm orally for the teacher and the teacher can write it down.

Procedures

Step One:  Check the computer lab schedule and schedule your class times for the lab. You will need about two, forty-minute sessions.  If you don’t have a computer lab, you could use this lesson in a classroom with one or two computers.  You would need to change the procedures some-what and have paper and pencil activities for the students who are not able to use the computers at that time.  Just make centers and have the students rotate to each station.

These are all sites that are included in the Cox Education Network in the Base Music section, under the music theory.  These sites can be typed into the URL box and be accessed that way if you do not have access to the Cox Education Network.

Use the following links to have the students practice identify the notes and rest symbols and duration:

• http://www.lessontutor.com/musicgenhome.html

This is a page of several links that will provide information about note and rest duration, games to practice identifying note and rest symbols and their duration, links for students to listen to different notes being played, and quizzes to check student knowledge.
• http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/4durations.html

This is another site that shows the notes and their duration.

Step Three:  Allow students ample time to practice identifying note and rest symbols and their duration.  While students are working independently gives the teacher a  wonderful time to walk around and check for student understanding.  The teacher can help students who are having problems, or encourage students who have a good understanding to continue learning more complex rhythms.

Step 4:  Students need to click onto this music theory site that has the printable worksheet and print it out. http://www.musictheory.halifax.ns.ca/q4.html  Have the students complete the work sheet and turn it in for a grade.

Step 5:  Give the students manuscript paper to write down their own rhythm creation.  You can set the guidelines to be as long or short as you wish.  I asked my students to create an eight measure pattern, or two phrases.  It is important to remember that asking them to write the pattern is a different skill.  So far all we have asked them to do is to identify the symbols.  Asking them to write them on a blank sheet of paper is difficult for some students.  I found helpful for my students to have the note and rest symbols written on a chart on the wall for a quick easy reference.

Step 6:  Now it is time to have students make a decision about which instrument they would like to use to perform their rhythm for class.  You might need to set guidelines for this activity, such as you might want to limit the number of instruments available.

Step 7:  Give the students time to practice their rhythms and get ready to perform for each other.

Step 8:  Have the students perform their rhythm patterns for each other.  I like to video tape my students’ performances, so that we can view them together.  Video taper also gives students and opportunity to evaluate their own performance.

Step 9:  I have my students watch their performances on tape and evaluate themselves.  For this grade level I wrote the questions for them to answer.  For older children I like to ask them to create their own criteria for evaluation.

Assessment

• Technological Objectives will be assessed through teacher observation during computer lab time.
• The worksheet that they needed to print out will tell the teacher how well students understand the process of using the computer printer and their understanding of the note and rests symbols and duration.
• The manuscript of their rhythm creation can be used to evaluate the extension of the students understanding.
• The answers of their self-evaluation will give the teacher a clear understanding of how the students feel about their learning experiences.