Rhythm Tic-Tac-Toe | Free Elementary Music Lesson Plan - MakingMusicFun.net

Big Idea

Turn rhythm review into a game! Students read and perform rhythms to win squares in this musical twist on the classic game of Tic-Tac-Toe. This free no-prep music lesson plan is perfect for grades 1-6.

Grade Level: 1-6
Activity: Music Game
Skill: Reading and Performing Simple Rhythms

Students will demonstrate an understanding of simple rhythms by reading and performing rhythms to win tic-tac-toe squares.

This lesson is designed to fulfill the 2014 National Standard for Music:
Read and identify rhythmic patterns using standard notation. (Creating/Performing - MU:Pr4.2.2b)

White Board
Dry Erase Marker

Music Lesson Plan

Step 1
Draw a nine-box game board on the white board.

Step 2
Write a four-beat rhythm in each of the nine boxes appropriate to the skill level of the class. Quarter notes, eighth notes, and quarter rests work well with primary-age classes.

Step 3
Practice each rhythm. Give a few students the opportunity to demonstrate the rhythm for the class before you model it.

Step 4
Divide the class into two teams and then ask them to find a partner. Boys team vs. girls team is an option.

Step 5
Assign the "X" to one team and the "O" to the other. Then select the team who will begin the game.

Step 6
From the starting team, invite the first pair to the white board. Ask them to select a rhythm from the tic-tac-toe game board. Tell them they’ll have an opportunity to practice the rhythm before they perform it for the class.

Step 7
When they are ready, count off 1-2-3-4. If they clap the rhythm correctly, their team receives an "X" or "O" in the square. If they clap it incorrectly, the square remains open.

Step 8
Teams alternate turns whether the rhythm is clapped correctly or not. Repeat by inviting pair after pair to the board until a team achieves three-in-a-row or the game ends in a draw.