Clapping the beats in instrument names

Say: “Every word has beats, like music. One beat is one clap. When we clap words, we make a rhythm, just like musicians do. Listen.”

Do: say and clap these example names slowly. “Ce-rys” (2 claps). “Tom” (1 clap). “Os-i-an” (3 claps). Pupils copy you each time.

Ask: “How many claps for Tom?” (1) “How many for Osian?” (3) Point to the 1, 2 or 3 on the board.

Do: go round the class. Each pupil says their name and everyone claps it back. Help with a trick: put a hand flat under your chin and say the name. Each time your chin drops is one beat.

Say: “Places have beats too. Caerdydd is the Welsh name for Cardiff. Clap it with me: Caer-dydd.” (2 claps) “Now Rhyl.” (1 clap)

Say: “Now let’s clap the names of musical instruments. I say it, you say it back and clap.” Say each one clearly, beat by beat: drum, harp, bell, horn (1 clap each); trum-pet, gui-tar, cym-bals, ban-jo (2 claps each); pi-a-no, vi-o-lin, re-cor-der, ma-ra-cas (3 claps each).

Show: Task 1. Say: “Under each picture there are 3 boxes. Clap the word. Colour one box for each clap. Leave the other boxes white.”

Do: do the first two together. “Drum.” (1 clap) “Colour 1 box.” “Trum-pet.” (2 claps) “Colour 2 boxes.” Then read each picture name aloud in order and let pupils clap and colour on their own: piano, harp, guitar, violin, bell, cymbals, recorder, horn, banjo, maracas.

Walk round. Some pupils count letters instead of beats. Ask them to put a hand under their chin and say the word again.

Say: “Task 2. There are 3 big drums. One drum is for 1 beat words, one is for 2 beat words and one is for 3 beat words. Look at the number on each drum.”

Say: “Clap each instrument. Then draw a line from the dot under the picture to the dot on the right drum.” Read the 6 names aloud slowly, one at a time: trumpet, harp, maracas, banjo, piano, bell. Give pupils time to clap and draw after each one.

Ask: “Which drum has the longest words?” (the 3 beat drum)

Say: “Words that rhyme sound the same at the end. Cat, hat. Do they rhyme?” (yes) “Cat, dog?” (no)

Say: “Task 3. On the left are 3 instruments: drum, bell, horn. On the right are 4 pictures: corn, shell, fish, thumb. Draw a line from each instrument to the picture that rhymes with it. One picture has no rhyming partner.” Read the names again, slowly.

Say: “Task 4 is about the very first sound. Listen: p, p, piano. Piano starts with p.” Say each instrument, stretching the first sound: “d, d, drum.” “b, b, bell.” “h, h, harp.” “g, g, guitar.” Say: “Circle the letter it starts with.”

Say: “Now trace the word drum with your pencil.”

Say: “Now you are the composer. A composer makes music. Choose 4 instruments. Draw one in each box, or copy a picture from Task 1. Write how many beats it has in the small box underneath.”

Do: show an example on the board: drum, drum, pi-a-no, drum. Clap it: 1 clap, 1 clap, 3 quick claps, 1 clap. Pupils clap it with you twice.

Do: pairs swap sheets. One pupil points to each box while the partner says and claps the rhythm. Then they swap. Ask: “Did your partner clap the right number of beats for each picture? If they did, put a tick in the box at the bottom.”

Ask 2 or 3 pairs to clap their rhythm for the class. Everyone joins in the second time.

Ask: “Which instruments have 3 beats?” · “What rhymes with bell?” · “What sound does drum start with?” Say: “Da iawn, everyone! (Well done!)”