Submitted by Sharon Maes, Wisconsin
Idea posted July 5, 2005
Each month during the school year, my fifth and sixth grade classes focus on a composer born in that month. We display all the information gathered on a "Composers Through The Year" wall.
At the end of the year, students break into groups of three and are assigned a color. These colors are listed on the board as their "Team Color" under which we will keep tally scores.
The groups sit around the gathering drum. Questions of the composers are asked, but no team may answer until each question is ended with "Who Am I?"
The first team to pick up the mallet and hit the gathering drum may guess the answer. If it is a correct answer, the team receives a point. If it is a wrong answer, a point is deducted from the team. (This helps the students use the information provided and not just guess each answer.)
Teams may use their notes, draw from information gathered throughout the year, and send team members to "The Wall" to find answers to the questions.
I have used six to eight questions about each composer studied as well as incorporated listening examples and pictures. These questions are asked randomly.
Keeping the groups small ensures that each student plays a part in locating answers.