I began by placing a secret code of dots on the board. These dots were placed as one or two at a time. I explained that one dot is the "code" for the word "bean" and two are the "code" for "jel-ly". (I always use colorful markers because, I don't know many people who like the black liquorish jelly beans-yuck!) Students figured out "codes" for four beat patterns, such as : jel-ly, jel-ly, bean, bean.
Once students were comfortable reciting four beat patterns, I let each child pick a plastic egg from a basket. These eggs contained one or two jelly beans in them. Now the jelly beans would represent the rhythms. One jel-ly bean represents "bean" and two jelly beans represents "jel-ly". The children were so excited to pick their eggs and they shook to try and guess how many beans are in their egg. As each child opened their egg, we created rhythms with the actual jelly beans. If the egg had one jelly bean representing "bean" this was a quarter note, while the two jelly beans representing "jel-ly" represented two eighth notes. Each child brought their one or two jelly beans from their egg to me (one child at a time). We used heavy duty tape to tape one or two beans at a time to a poster. I used only four students' eggs at a time to create four beat patterns.
Once the jelly beans were taped, we had the note heads for quarter notes or two eighth notes. I drew in the stems and beams to show the actual rhythms. Students then chanted together the rhythms they created using "jel-ly" or "bean". They were so proud to see that they could read "real" rhythms! We recited each rhythm together and then clapped each rhythm. I was amazed at how quickly they grasped the concept. The known to these kindergarten and first graders was jelly beans, the unknown was clapping quarter note and eighth note rhythms, the result...success
I hope you've enjoyed this appetizer as a taste of my flavor of teaching elementary music.
Musical Mandy
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