WOW! I am so impressed with the composers in First Grade! This week we worked on writing rhythms that use quarter notes, barred eighth notes and quarter rests. These amazing composers created interesting patterns on paper using quarter notes and rests. We also created patterns together on the SMARTBoard to review how to draw notes and rests. The next day in class we used a delicious way to represent notes-Fruit Loops!
First we used our SMARTBoard to make "virtual" Fruit Loop patterns. Using a composing grid with 16 boxes representing 16 beats we placed one or two Fruit Loops in each box. If we heard one sound on the beat we knew that the cereal represented a "ta" note or quarter note. If there were two sounds per beat that was a "titi" or barred eighth notes. After experimenting with making their own patterns First Graders listened to a rhythm clapped by Mrs. King and then notated what they heard using the cereal. WAY TO GO First Graders! You are so smart!