Saturday, November 17, 2012

Snowman Melodic Activity

I'm hesitant to share this because I haven't "tested" it out yet in my classroom.  I just thought of it after looking at a bulletin board down the fourth grade hallway.  The teacher had used the three colors of the candy corns to have students write numbers in 3 different ways.

I think my 3rd and 4th graders would do well with such a project.  I'm working on getting them to see how songs are created, and how everything we are learning is incorporatedSo I created these cute snowmen.  Here's my plan for how to use them:

Lesson 1:
Project the song for the students.
Read the lyrics of Line 1.  Chant the rhythms on syllables.  Clap the rhythm while saying the text.  Sing the melody using Curwen hand-signs.  Sing the melody on the correct lyrics.
Repeat the above step for Lines 2-4.
The students sing the entire “song” (all the lines in order).
Divide the students into four group.  Assign each group a line to sing.  Switch lines until each group has sang each part.
Optional: Distribute laminated copies of the bars of the G pentatonic scale to the students.  Assign each group a line to figure out on the keyboard.  The students “play” the bars by using “air mallets”.
Assign each group a line to play on a metalophone (or any keyboards you have available).
Lesson 2:
Print out and laminate the snowmen, making as many copies as you want.  For easy storage, I'll store the components in a gallon zip-lock bag, with the instruction page stapled to the front of the bag.
Have blank snowmen  and pencils ready for students that finish early.  Students will need to glue their snowman on a blue construction paper, indicate their name, a dynamic level (piano, mezzo forte, or forte) a tempo (andante - allegro), and a pitched instrument (glock, xylophone, metalophone).
 
I think these will work out and be quite cute to put on a bulletin board/take home to decorate the fridge.  Sometimes I wish I taught art...oh well.
 
If you read this and have an idea or suggestion, let me know.  I don't think I'll use them until early December. 

No comments:

Post a Comment