3rd Grade Treble Clef Jigsaw

In case you're wondering, 2nd grade is working on their program, so not much to report there. We're learning our songs and the motions for our December performance.

3rd grade spent the beginning of the year working on rhythms (and the math side to them, since my school is very focused on passing the standardized tests!) using my version of the rhythm foldable I found on this blog through pinterest. I had the students do note values on one side of their first page and then the rest values on the other side of the same page, complete with names of each, the length and how we count them. Then I gave them a 2nd sheet and showed them how to combine the notes and rests to make rhythms, and had them complete the whole page with 4 beat rhythms. We spent the next few weeks practicing reading and writing rhythms, and then we did an assessment, which showed me they were ready to go on.

Now my 3rd graders are reviewing the notes on the Treble Clef staff. Although they learned them last year with "Freddie the Frog," 3rd grade is in a different building than K-2, so we get a lot of new students at that age. Instead of revisiting Freddie for a 3rd year, I explain to the kids that the method they used for remembering notes with Freddie still works, but we're going to come up with a new way to figure them out this year. I go through how to identify notes as lines or spaces, and then point out that the space notes spell FACE. I then go through the letters for the line notes. I ask if they spell anything, and I always have a few kids try to sound out EGBDF as a word... When we determine it is not a word, I introduce their next activity. I group the students into 5 groups, and challenge each group to come up with their own sentence to remember the letters in order. I try hard not to give them an example, because they become less creative. I just reinforce that the first word must start with E, next with G and so on. If groups are having trouble, I suggest a word that they might be able to use for one of the letters as a starting place, and that usually helps.
After each group comes up with a sentence, I regroup them so that their new groups have one person from each of the first groups. They are asked to share their sentence with the new group and write down every sentence that their new groupmates had down on their paper. They should all end up with 5 sentences on their papers at the end of this grouping, and the 5 sentences should be the same on everyone's paper.
Finally, we regroup as a class, and I show them how to use the sentence of their choosing from their sheet and the word FACE in combination to figure out the notes of the Treble Clef. I copy a practice sheet with notes onto the back of their paper from working in groups and have them name as many notes as they can in the remaining time of class. I love seeing the sentences they create, and they seem to remember the sentences better when they helped to write them.