Tired of worksheets and written tests? This is a great, fun game for assessing knowledge of basic note values after you've introduced them! For my lower level classes, I leave the note values up on the white board to see if they are making the connections. My higher level classes play the game without access to the answers.OBJECTIVE:
Assess student knowledge of eighth, quarter, half, dotted half, and whole notes.PROCEDURE:
Divide students into four teams. You'll need some room to play this game.
Set up a starting line with one chair for each team. Each chair has a cup of dried beans, a sporky or spoon, and a pile of note cards. Set up a finish line about 15 feet away (or whatever works for your space) with another four chairs and a paper plate or bowl on each.The note cards for each team should contain the same number of whole notes, half notes, dotted halves, quarters, and eighths written on them. (I use 20 cards, 4 of each note.)
The game: This is a relay game. The most accurate team wins. The first student on each team picks up the first card on the pile. If it's a quarter note, the student places one bean on his/her spoon. If it's an eighth, she looks for a split bean. If it's a whole note, 4 beans. . .etc. The student must then pick up the card and the spoon and walk all the way down to the finish line without dropping the beans. You are standing behind the finish line. Each student must tell you the name of the note on the card and the number of beats it receives before putting the beans onto the plate or into the bowl. (I use a roster to record the accuracy of each student.) The student leaves the card next to the plate and goes back to hand the spoon off to the next person. If one or more beans are dropped, they cannot be picked up, but the student must still continue to the finish line, show you the note card and give the answers. The game continues until all teams are done with their cards. The team with the most beans on the plate or in the bowl wins!
The kids love this, and it's a much more entertaining way to assess note values!
MATERIALS:
Dried beans, sporkys or spoons, chairs, cups for the beans, plates or bowls for the finish line, class roster.I always play some rousing music while the game is going on, usually using compositions by the latest composer we recently studied.
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