Kai Smith

MUED 273

Practicum Observation Lesson Plan and Reflection

Objectives

TSW be able to visually represent 4 beat rhythms that they hear aurally.

TSW be able to clap simple 4 beat rhythms and speak it back using ta ti.

Standards

MU:Re7.2.Ka — With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept (such as beat or melodic

direction) is used in music.

MU:Cr1.1.Ka With guidance, explore and experience music concepts (such as beat and melodic contour).

MU:Cr1.1.Kb With guidance, generate musical ideas (such as movements or motives).

Materials

popsicle sticks

pipe cleaners

Detailed Process

1. TTW welcome the students into the station and have the students sit in a circle.

2. TTW then hand out 8 popsicle sticks and 4 pipe cleaners to each of the students.

3. TTW then explain to the students the rules to the “game” and how the popsicle sticks represent notes/

rhythms while the pipe cleaner represents rests.

4. TTW reinforce the rules by having a practice round where the teacher will speak an easy rhythm (4 quarter

notes or 3 quarter notes with a rest) and the students will represent the rhythms on the floor using the

popsicle sticks. After all the students have gotten the correct rhythm on the floor, the students will speak and

clap it back with the teacher.

5. TTW will then repeat this process a number of times until either the rotation ends or until the students feel

like they would like to be the ones creating the rhythm.

6. If the students have surpassed expectations and are ready for the next level, TTW have individual students

come up with rhythms for the rest of the class to dictate.

Assessment

For this activity, the students will mostly be assessed informally while they create the rhythms on the floor.
Adaptions

For this activity, there are numerous ways to make adaptions for students. The popsicle sticks and pipe

cleaners can be swapped out for something bigger. If the popsicle sticks and pipe are confusing, we can

coordinate the colors so that a specific color represents either a beat or a rest. If the student isn’t comfortable

with sitting on the floor, the teacher can adapt by having the student do the activity on a desk or a chair.

Lastly, if clapping and speaking the rhythm presents a challenge to a student, the teacher can present the

option to only clap along with the rhythm.

Reflection

For this practicum, there were a number of things that surprised me. First, I was not expecting to have to

teach my lesson to an entire class of kindergarteners. Because there were going to be 2 other students from

my class teaching the same class, I thought we would break up into stations and rotate throughout the

duration of the class. Because I was working with 15-20 kindergarteners instead of just 5, it took a lot longer

to hand out the pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks. Once the materials were handed out and I began to teach

the instructions to the game, I realized that I wasn’t exactly sure how to explain the rules to the students. I

wasn’t exactly sure how to say that a pipe cleaner would represent a quarter rest and popsicle stick would

represent a note because I didn’t know if they would understand how an object could embody another

abstract idea. Surprisingly, the students knew exactly what I was talking about were easily able to “dictate”

my rhythms with the pipe cleaners and popsicle sticks. While I was teaching, I also noticed that the class’

paraprofessional had already made adaptions to my lesson to accommodate for the student with a disability.

Because the student could not get out of the wheelchair, the paraprofessional got the student a clipboard so

that he could participate in the activity along with the rest of the class.