Connect students directly to the concept in a personal way. Capture students' attention by initiating a group problem-solving activity before delivery of instruction. Begin with a situation that is familiar to students and builds on what they already know. Construct a learning experience that allows diverse and personal student responses. Facilitate the work of cooperative teams of students.

Body experience of 4/4 meter.

Objective: To help students experience note value (counts) with their bodies (4/4 meter, 4 beats in a measure, and a quarter note gets one count.)

Activity: Use of aural and kinetic senses. 1. Students stand at their desks. 2. Teacher shows large visual icons representing whole note, half note, quarter note and eighth note. Teacher shows each of these icons, one at a time, while demonstrating teacher-created body movements for each. (try these: arms open w-i-i-i-d-e for whole note, while saying "tra-a-a-in"; right arm up and down, left arm up and down for two half notes, while saying "ho-ot, ho-ot!"; arms folded in front of tummy and pressing inward four times for four repeated quarter notes, while saying "chug, chug, chug, chug"; and hands slapping tops of legs in time for eight repeated eighth notes, while saying, "click-clack, click-clack, click-clack, click-clack".) 3. Teacher keeps steady beat with hand drum while calling out the icons for all children to do. 4. Have the class remain standing. Divide the children into two sections. 5. Assign group one a note value. Assign group two a different note value. 6. Bring the groups in one at a time with the hand drum keeping a steady beat. 7. When both groups are going, give one group a new note value. 8. After they are established again, give the second group a new note value. 9. Now divide the class into three sections and repeat the above procedure. 10. When the three sections have been mastered, divide the class into four parts. The group in the first section = whole notes The group in the second section = half notes The group in the third section = quarter notes The group in the fourth section = eighth notes 11. Begin with group one, bringing in groups two, three, and four one at a time. 12. After they master this, have students switch to the note value of the group to their left. Whole notes switch to half notes. Half notes switch to quarter notes. Quarter notes switch to eighth notes. Eighth notes switch to whole notes. 13. Switch until groups return to original parts. This is a difficult concept. It must be approached in the above progression in order to succeed.

Assessment: Ability of the groups to master the switching