5th Grade Lessons 1-7

Each lesson is 30 minutes long.

Lesson 1 – Introduction

• Welcome Song
• School Song (or American patriotic song) patsch steady beat while singing
• Rules/Announcements (See first day of school)
• Friendship Song / Song with Positive Message

Lesson 2 – Rhythm

• Welcome Song / School Song / Friendship or Positive Song
• Seating chart
• 1-2 minutes of echo patterns. (I do 4/4 rhythm, they echo.) I vary body percussion.
• Hoop Rhythms – add body percussion (snap, clap, pat, stamp)
  • Use 8-beat patterns
  • Play shuffle blues beat on keyboard
  • Student “conductors” take turns by standing in one hoop at a time while students do the appropriate body percussion: 8 beats in each hoop. I say, “switch” at about beat 6 to help the “conductor” know when to go to a different hoop.
• BOOK: Frank was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance
• Introduce Fooba Wooba    (more silly songs)
  • I sing, teach students how to add motions (then I tell them it’s easier to do the motions if they sing along!)

Lesson 3 – Rhythm

• Welcome Song / School Song / Friendship or Positive Song
• 1-2 minutes of echo patterns. (I do 4/4 rhythm, they echo.) I vary body percussion.
• 4 colored note cards on board I demonstrate a quarter note by patting the steady beat along with the shuffle blues beat on the keyboard.
  • Ask, “Which note am I doing?”
  • Demonstrate (and they do also) all of the notes on the colored cards (whole, half, quarter, eighth). Do hoops again with note durations this time  – a few conductors
  • Someone to front to put 4 hoops in order. (See hoops page “Variations.”)
• Frank was Monster review
  • Hoops with improvisation
  • Bubbles: “Body percussion: stamp” becomes “walk around room”
• Fooba Wooba – sing
  • Look at PowerPoint slide with rhythms. “Ta” and figure out which rhythm pattern is which line of the song.

Lesson 4 – Rhythm

• Welcome Song / Friendship or Positive Song
• Fooba Wooba – sing
  • Look at Fooba rhythm cards on the board.  Put them in order of song.  “Ta” the rhythms
  • Before passing out instruments, tell students the instrument rule: play only when you are supposed to – or you lose the chance to play the instrument. As instruments are passed out, I take the time the first few lessons to name and demonstrate each instrument.
  • Instruments: Group 1 (4-6 students) = hand drums; 2 = claves; 3 = maracas; 4 = guiros; 5 = triangles; 6 = cabasas
  • Put Fooba rhythms on board with colored magnet next to rhythms and let the groups know which group plays which rhythm pattern.
• Show Check Yourself PowerPoint.
  • Students encouraged to check their knowledge of the notes and rests. Have them write the notes and rests down on pieces of paper they can use to study from.

Lesson 5 – Rhythm

• Welcome Song / Friendship or Positive Song
• Start Hole in the Middle of the Sea    (more songs with sixteenth notes)
  • I sing all the way through. I even made up a story that I was sitting on the beach one day when I saw… (have fun!) I have practiced it so many times that I can now sing it super-fast! Impress them with your speed and tell them you don’t think they can sing that fast (and then they will want to try to beat you – even the boys!)
• Check Yourself – rhythms first
  • Pass out instruments
  • Each riser play in order: 1,2,3,4
  • Switch instruments until 5 mins left in class
• Students look at their Check Yourself notes – or check their knowledge in other ways

Lesson 6 – Rhythm

• Welcome Song / Friendship or Positive Song
• Hole in the Middle of the Sea
  • Sing
  • Hole handout. Find time signature, barlines, quarter notes, eighth rests
  • Use colored notes on board. Show all notes & rests – students use the chart on the handout to figure out which is which.
  • Back of handout: give students about 30 seconds to figure out how to say each rhythm. Chant rhythms (with repeats).
  • Each riser gets assigned a rhythm. They have a minute to practice, then perform for the class, and the class echoes.

Lesson 7 – Rhythm

• Welcome Song / Friendship or Positive Song
• Hole in the Middle of the Sea
  • Sing
  • Hole handout – Students figure out how to remember the differences between all notes & rests.
  • Review rhythms on back.  Add instruments. Switch until 5 mins left.
• Check Yourself

See also

• 5th Grade Rhythm Lessons 8-13
• 5th Grade Rhythm/Patriotic Lessons 14-18
• 5th Grade Rhythm Assessments
• 5th Grade Rhythm Lessons & Resources
• lesson plans