Teaching Ideas

Rhythm Shuffle Board – 6′ squares Rhythm Shuffle Board This is a great game board that can be used for multiple levels of rhythmic discovery. It’s easy and inexpensive to make, and will last for many years if laminated. I made two of them to divide my class in half and work as teams. My game boards are 36″ x 8′ and I used Gaffer’s tape to bind the edges and give body. Once they were made, I split them, laminated them, then taped them back together again. Roll it up when you’re done!  Here are several ways to use it: 2nd Board- similar patterns What Do We Call It?: Students take turns tossing a beanbag to identify the name of the note values. Or, on the count of 3, have students try to toss their beanbag on a specific note value. The team that has the most bags on the correct note wins one thousand points. (I like to reward BIG numbers!) Rhythm Shuffle Level 1 Students take turns tossing the bean bag from the large “Stand Here” circle. It works best if they either close their eyes to toss, or toss it high because it doesn’t take too long for them to figure out how to cheat and always land on the whole note! Once their beanbag lands on a note, they must determine how many beats it receives. They can either keep score by tally the points (perfect for 1st graders), or they can put the correct number of marbles in their team’s bowl (see picture below).  On the first go-round, if the bag lands on a line, let them move it to the note with the most points. Note Values = # of marbles for team Rhythm Shuffle Bonus Round Bonus Round: Change the game up after about 15 minutes and introduce the Bonus Round. If the bag lands on a line in this round, students may ADD the notes together. Jackpot occurs when the bag lands in the middle of all four blocks! Although the game play is fast-paced, each team must work together to determine the correct number of beats each toss receives.  Remind the students that you will be watching for fair play and if anyone cheats or argues, you will take a handful of marbles away without any problem.  This fun game is great for mixing math and music. It’s fast-paced, a little rowdy, but it sure makes the note values stick in their brains.  You will need to determine how best to use the game and what information needs to be reviewed before play. It works best to have the note values displayed somewhere in your music room for reference and to check their work.  Silly Spots Silly spots make it extra fun! Just for fun, there are several special spots that add a whole other level of fun to this game. Here are just a few of them: Do 5 jumping jacks (the entire team has to do them!) Give your teacher a high-five Go and turn the lights on and off 3 times Count to 10 in Spanish Hold your breath and sing “Happy Birthday” Say your name out loud 4 times  I hope you can use the idea… Cherie