Clip It Clothespin Activities for Music Class

I have a confession.  As a teacher who only sees her students once a week for 50 minutes I struggle with assessment.  When 500 students file in and out of your classroom each week it is hard to plan and carryout meaningful assessments.  I would much rather be joyfully making music than testing.  

What I've discovered is so stinkin' easy that I wish I would have known about it twenty years ago!  My secret assessment weapon?  Clothespins.

Yep.  Clothespins.  I usually place these Clip It sets in my workstations rotation.  I include a sheet for students to use and check themselves.  The Clip It sets are quite easy to put together.

I laminate each sheet as a whole on my personal laminator.  Then I cut then out.  This saves me lots of extra cutting time and gives them a sturdy finish.

I keep a basket (or two) of clothespins for activities like this.  I used to buy pretty colored ones, but have discovered that no one fights over the ugly, wooden ones.  

Students take a card and say the name of the object or person pictured.  Then they identify the rhythm pattern that most closely matches the syllables in the word and clip it.  Students can use the enclosed answer sheet to check their answers.  

If I am using this as an assessment activity, I'll walk around the room and take notes.  I usually use a 4 point scale for this kind of activity.  The scoring guide looks something like this:

4-consistently displays evidence of mastering the skill

3-displays evidence that the skill is mastered most of the time

2-displays evidence that the skill is still being learned and practiced

1-displays evidence that the skill is not mastered

It is also possible for a student to get a zero for this activity.  If they refuse to do anything, there is no evidence so there are no points awarded.

The cards in these sets are about a fourth of a page.  They fit PERFECTLY into photo boxes!  I printed out a little label for mine and then sorted the cards into individual boxes.  Each themed set is in a different box.

I keep the answer sheets in a folder near this box.  Sometimes I don't include the answer sheet and ask students to check each other.  These boxes are inexpensive.  You can find them HERE.  (Not an affiliate link.)

I printed the cover page of each set at 25% and used it to label the individual boxes.  I can pull out one set to use as a station during our workstation rotations or I can pull them all out and have students work in small groups.

Here are some sets that you might find handy.  Click each picture to learn more.  The Presidents Edition includes sixteenth notes and eighth note/16th note combinations.  The others are mostly quarter notes, barred eighth notes and quarter rests.

  

         

I hope that you'll enjoy these activities as much as I do!  I love the simplicity and I love the way a simple clothespin can keep students SO engaged.  It's almost like magic!

This picture is from Clip It Animals Edition.

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