1,2,3, O'Leary

What?
This is a game called 1, 2, 3 O'Leary. Students learned the song in a circle first, keeping a steady beat on their laps. I then showed them a pattern with a basketball (bounce, bounce, pass, catch). They repeated this pattern with each line. As students became more comfortable with the pattern, we added another ball, and another. Students were instructed to use a certain kind of pass (bounce pass, chest pass, overhead pass) depending on what color ball they had in order to prevent balls colliding in the air.

So What?
This activity took a simple song and added a high level of kinesthetic activity in order to demonstrate an understanding of the beat. It was a simple assessment for me to see which students were able to bounce a ball on the beat. I used basketballs because I was working with 5th graders in this particular lesson- if I had done this with younger grades, I would've used a softer ball. The basketballs also created some curiosity and interest- they were confused when their music teacher had basketballs in her room, and my student athletes were excited to show off their skills.

Now What?
This was used as a filler when our internet went down for a day and my lesson plans were derailed. It happened on a day that was an early out, so we had shortened class periods, and I needed something that could engage students, but was quick to put together. I did have a few students who opted to help me with a bulletin board display instead. They worked on compiling quotes from staff members about the impact of music in their lives- and I felt that it was just as fulfilling an activity as the passing game. Now we will be back to our regularly scheduled lesson plans.


(My videos and pictures aren't uploading for some reason. As soon as I figure out the technical difficulties, I will update).

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