Make your classroom a board game!

Remember that wonderful game that was colorful and candy was involved? Candy Land is what inspired me for this project. I’ve used this in my band classes and general music classes. Once it’s created, it’s very easy to use! *It’s not exactly like Candy Land, but I made it work for my classroom and what I wanted to achieve*

What you will need:

• Ginormous tarp (Big enough to fill the area of the room)

• 5-7 different colors of duct tape (Don’t buy the cheap brands…you’ll regret it!)

• Small square box (6-8″ on sides) for dice OR These are FANTASTIC

• Regular Print PaperLaminator (optional)

• Computer (optional)

• Spread the Tarp out and start taping away.

• Create tons of duct tape squares on the tarp in a fun, winding, pathway. Make sure you make the Start Square and Finish Square bigger than the others.

This took me a couple of hours by myself.On the computer, create question cards (one question per page…to make them like giant drawing cards). “How many beats does a whole note receive?” You do have the option of laminating them to make them more sturdy.On the small box, write in the numbers exactly like a rolling die.

Rules

1. Move all Chairs/Desks out-of-the-way and lay down tarp (or go outside if its nice!)

2. Break up the class into 4 different groups.The groups will sit together around the tarp (I have them sit on the floor).

3. The groups will create a “group order” (who’s going first, second, third, etc.).

4. Once done, the first person from each group will come up to the start line.

5. One at a time, each group representative (#1) will roll the die and choose a card. They will attempt to answer, with the help of their group members.If they get it right, they move how many spots they rolled. If it is wrong, they stay on the Tarp until they get a questions correct (which could go a couple rounds) and the same question is given to the next Team.

6. Once all representatives have gone (I call these “rounds”), they switch spots on the tarp so the next Representative (#2) can answer a question.

7. The winner can ONLY win if they roll the exact number of spaces in front of them. Ex. If they roll 2 spaces away from the finish…they have to roll a 2 in order to win (and get the question correct). This can prolong the game if need be.

One game can last approximately 30 minutes depending on how many spaces you put on the tarp and how hard the questions are. I’ve learned that having the kids in groups and allowing the group members to participate in answering, it gives the Representative confidence and keeps the other students engaged.

Here are some questions I’ve created:

“Clap this rhythm” ::insert any rhythm:: age appropriate“How many beats does ____ receive?”“What is this musical symbol?” ::insert picture of symbol:: ex. Treble Clef “What key signature is this?” ::insert scale or key signature::

I encourage you to use this in your classroom! I’ve used it in my 6th grade general music class and have received great feedback. The kids are constantly engaged and learn to work together (HELLO, COOPERATIVE GROUPS!).

I know every class is different and everyone has different classroom management styles. This project does create “controlled chaos”. I’m all about controlled chaos as long as the kids are involved in the lesson.

Candy Music Land ROCKS!

If you are looking for more resources for your music classroom or band classroom, please feel free to visit my other blog posts below!

• How to Create Band Lesson Plans to Engage Students on Multiple Levels

• 5 Incredibly Easy Middle School Music Games for the Classroom

• 3 Fantastic Music Activity for Kids in Middle School