Submitted by Amy Regier, Newton, Kansas
Idea posted March 16, 2011
To teach rhythm in Grades 1 and 2, I use 10" poly spots borrowed from the PE teacher (available in general ed catalogues). I lay out 8 poly spots in a line and tell students that these spots are the steady beat. We sing a simple song with a rhythm pattern of quarter notes and paired eight notes (Lucy Locket) while I walk the line of spots, stepping on each spot to keep the steady beat. Then students take turns walking on the steady beat. To get everyone a turn more quickly, I lay out a second line of spots parallel to the first and have two students go at once, with me walking between them to keep everyone together.
Once students are comfortable with the steady beat, I pull out 3" spots (poly spots or die-cut circles) and we lay small dots on the 10" poly spots to notate quarter and eighth notes. We take one steady beat at a time and I ask them how many sounds are on the beat. Then we walk through the song as before, only this time step twice on a spot if there are two sounds on the beat. As we get comfortable with the ideas presented, we add other concepts: for a quarter rest, we jump with a foot on either side of the large spot - that way, the kids see that the steady beat is still there, but there are no sounds on the beat. They enjoyed when we notated a song with an accent as they got to stomp on that spot. (I drew an accent mark on a square of paper and placed it on that spot.)
Second graders enjoyed working with 4-beat rhythm practice cards (Denise Gagne). I put them in small groups, and each group had 4 large poly spots and a handful of small spots. I'd show a rhythm pattern that included quarter, paired eight, sixteenth, and quarter rests. The group worked together to notate the rhythm on their spots. Once I checked groups for accurate notation, all groups had one person ready to walk the rhythm. I'd get them started together and watch them do the pattern. This could be used as an assessment, as you can watch four kids or so at a time and have a good idea of how accurately they completed the pattern.