Lesson Plan
Dec 13th, 2015 by kims23
Lesson Plan (20 minutes total)
- use the Processing program to have students each make a rhythm
- Objective: have students begin to see what a timeline is and how it is a visual representation of time
- 5 minutes
- move to the Scratch program to have students make the same rhythm (or a new one if the old one was too difficult)
- Objective: add fractions; students will use actual fractional representations of the length of time a particular note takes up to fill up one whole measure (the entire timeline)
- 5 minutes: teaching and tinkering with program
- 5 minutes: students play with program, creating new rhythms
- using Scratch program, ask challenge questions
- Objective: reinforce math concepts learned in class
- 5 minutes
Sample challenge questions:
- How many whole/half/quarter/eighth/sixteenth notes can you fit?
- (if student is using notes that are eighth notes or larger) can you make your rhythm twice as fast?
- Alternatively: can you make it repeat twice?
- Can you make your rhythm slower?
- What is the least amount of notes you can use to make that rhythm?
- Try to figure out a way to use X number of notes. (this is possible because of the silent notes)
Another possible challenge that is more appealing to grade-school students is to have them figure out the rhythm of popular songs using the Scratch program. This challenge may take more time.