FRACTIONS AND BODY PERCUSSION

 

Georgia Standards

 

South Carolina Standards

 

Key Vocabulary

 

Materials

• Paper
• Pencils
• Teacher access to computer and Internet

 

 

Instructional Design

Opening/Activating Strategy

• Choose a fractions song (see materials) for students to engage in a “Hear, Think, Wonder” listening routine. This listening routine is a modification of Project Zero’s “See, Think, Wonder” Thinking Routine.
• Prepare students for the listening activity by telling students that they are going to listen to a song and answer three prompts about the song. Wait until the end of the listening activity before revealing the title and composer of the song.

• The first prompt is “I hear”. 
• Students should focus on the different musical sounds such as tempo (fast/slow), dynamics (loud/soft), instruments, pitch (high/low), and lyrics (words to song). They may use words or draw a quick picture to answer. 
• Play the song audio only one time while students are listening in order to answer the prompt, “I hear”. 
• Students turn and talk to a neighbor and share their answers.
• Students share out to the class. Validate the answers that students give.
• Repeat the process for “I think” and “I wonder”.
• For “I think”, the teacher can ask clarifying questions such as, “What did you hear in the music that made you think that?”.

• After the listening activity, encourage students to sing along with the recording. Provide a lyric sheet or turn on closed captions so that students can sing along with the video. (The font of the closed caption can be enlarged by clicking on settings, then English, finally options.)

• Start by singing the chorus. Tell students that the chorus is the main idea of the song with repeating lyrics.
• Lead students in finding the steady beat to the song during the verses by directing students to pat their legs or tap two fingers in a palm. 
• Demonstrate the four basic movements of body percussion (stomp, pat, clap, snap–or tap two fingers in palm if snapping is a challenge). Lead students in each of these movements doing them to the steady beat of the song.Transition into the lesson about fractions.

Work Session

• Introduce or review fractions. Use modeling, visual representations, and hands-on manipulatives to help students understand the concept of fractions.
• Transition to the concept of representing and comparing fractions through performing rhythmic movements called body percussion.
• Remind students of the four basic movements of body percussion used in the activator (stomp, pat, clap, snap–or tap two fingers in palm if snapping is a challenge).

• Students practice and perform body percussion to a steady beat using the Body Percussion Grid 1 by Crescendo as a guide. (*Any occurrence of the shoe can represent stomp.)

• Help students determine the fractions of the body movements in Body Percussion Grid 1 (ex: claps = 5/16 if using the entire board)
• Students will then compare the fractions using greater than, less than, and equal to.
• Divide students into small groups of three to four students and present the following group task:
• Tell students that as a group, they will create their own body percussion rhythm using the Create Your Own Beat Body Percussion Board.
• Predetermine how much of the board students should use (ex: the entire board, only 12 squares, only 8 squares, etc.).
• Provide time for students to:
• Compose their body percussion using the blank board.
• Practice performing the body percussion rhythm to a steady beat.
• Determine and write fractions based on the occurrence of body parts. 
• Compare the fractions using greater than, less than, and equal to.
• Students should repeat the process as time allows.

Closing Reflection

• After a predetermined amount of work time, students will share their body percussion rhythms with the class. 
• Remind performers to do their best. Remind audience members to give their attention to the performing group and applaud the group’s effort after the performance.
• Students who are listening should choose one body part to focus on and determine the fraction of that body part in the overall rhythm.
• Together, the teacher and students will review how students used body percussion to represent and compare fractions.
• Students will sing the beginning fractions song as a closing to the lesson.

 

 

Assessments

Formative

Teacher will assess student learning through:

• Observation of written responses during the listening activity.
• Observation of “turn and talk” and “sharing out” during the listening activity.
• Observation of students singing with a steady beat.
• Observation of students demonstrating the steady beat during the singing activity.
• Observation and questioning during group task.

 

Summative

CHECKLIST

• Students can perform the body percussion to a steady beat.
• Students can correctly identify fractions based on the body parts used to create the body percussion rhythms.
• Students can compare fractions using body percussion rhythms.
• Students can create a body percussion rhythm that represents fractions.

 

DIFFERENTIATION 

Acceleration:  Use the entire body percussion board.  Include two body percussion sounds per one square on the body percussion board. Remediation:  Reduce the number of total squares to complete on the body percussion board.

 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Project Zero’s “See, Think, Wonder” Thinking Routine Fractions Songs for Kids by NumberRock (chorus introduced at :30) The Fractions Song by Hopscotch (chorus introduced at :52) Fractions are Parts of a Whole by Jack Hartmann (chorus introduced at :15) Body Percussion Grid 1 by Crescendo Create Your Own Beat Body Percussion Board

*This integrated lesson provides differentiated ideas and activities for educators that are aligned to a sampling of standards. Standards referenced at the time of publishing may differ based on each state’s adoption of new standards.

Ideas contributed by: Rue Lee-Holmes. Updated by: Katy Betts.

Revised and copyright:  July 2024 @ ArtsNOW