2nd and 3rd Grade Lesson Plan

Submitted by Chris Ann, North Dakota

Idea posted May 16, 2005

First, introduce the rhythm instruments and select one for each student. Go to the open area of your room and make a circle.

Have your students copy your example of a steady beat (quarter notes). Clap first, then move onto instruments as a group and then one at a time. Do some versions loudly and some softly.

Compare the teacher's steady beat with a galloping beat (quarter eighth quarter eighth). Ask the kids if the pattern is the same or if it is different.

The galloping tends to make kids think of horses. Do a galloping beat and add one student at a time. (Think of the horses being far away, then closer, then in front of you, and then galloping away.) To be tricky, my students had to watch me point to them (not always in order) to start or stop galloping. After a time, switch instruments and repeat the steady beat and galloping beat.

Next switch to lummi sticks (rhythm sticks). Show the students what a steady beat looks like on the board (show stems only at first, then show the full quarter note) and discuss rests. Have the kids perform as a group.

After the rhythm stick exercise, use a rainstick and improvise a skit. (I narrated our story about "two students walking home from school, and then it began to rain.") Have the students use the rainstick to make it rain softly and in a downpour as appropriate. Eventually bring all students into the skit. I finished adlibbing the story while the students hid from the rain. They reappeared once the rain stopped.

After discussing the differences in sounds from large and small hand drums, large and small maracas, and a set of bongos with two different sized heads, listen to high and low sounds on the bass drum. Use a mallet on the bass drum (set sideways on a stand) to hear the high and low sounds on it.

Line the students up and give them a steady beat from the bass drum while everyone sings, "The Ants Go Marching" from Music K-8, Vol. 6, No. 1. In our version, each verse had a different child leader. The only rule we had was that you couldn't march into the desk or the wall. We sang all ten verses.

We still had time for "Freeze!" from Music K-8, Vol. 14, No. 2 We play music on a tape, CD, or instrument, and the students run around and try to stop when the music stops.