Music Math

$Music Math book cover$

Grade 4
5 skill lessons · 4 math-through-reading

Math

Skill lessons

The mathematics the book carries, taught directly. Printable workbook pages and teacher keys are not available for this book yet.

1Making Three Beats Out of a Measure
2What a Dot Adds
3Filling a Measure That Must Come to Four
4The Two Numbers Do Two Different Jobs
5The Measure That Is Split Across the Song

Math + reading

Math through the reading

The same book, entered through a sentence it prints. Change one word in the reading and the numbers change with it.

6The Word That Tells You to Add Something
7The Measure the Book Never Adds Up
8Is a Time Signature a Fraction or Not?
9One Beat and Three Beats, Said Both Ways

Reading

Reading and language lessons

The same book read as a text. What a word means in its sentence, how a character is shown, how the writing is put together - no mathematics.

10It is like a clock, and then it is like a recipe
11The words this book stops to define
12What would happen without it
13The same rule, printed twice
14The writer knows what you are about to think

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Skill lessons

5 lessons on the mathematics the book carries. Printable workbook pages and teacher keys are not available for this book yet.

1. Making Three Beats Out of a Measure Concept · Adding halves and whole beats to a stated total

The book counts one measure out loud in complete sentences and never hides the arithmetic: a dotted quarter note is one and a half beats, an eighth note is one half of a beat, a quarter note is one beat, and the three of them come to three. Students lay a card for each note into a measure box, count the halves into whole beats by pairing them, and say the total. A measure is a fixed total that its parts have to reach, so a half beat is a real amount that has to be joined to another half before it becomes a beat a hand can clap.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read what each note is worth (5 min)
In pairs, read the three lines that give the beats for a dotted quarter note, an eighth note and a quarter note. Say each value aloud to your partner while pointing at the line it comes from. Then say which of the three is worth less than one whole beat, and how you know from the line rather than from the picture.
Word preview: beat, half
A dotted quarter note equals one and a half beats.
An eighth note is one half of a beat.
A quarter note is one beat.
2. Lay the cards into the measure (6 min)
Take the three beat cards that match the three notes and lay them left to right in one measure box on your strip. Slide the two halves together until they touch, so the pair of halves fills the space of one whole card. Do not write anything yet. Tell your partner how many whole beats you can see once the halves are pushed together.
Let's see how the notes add up to three beats.
A dotted quarter note, an eighth note, and a quarter note.
3. Count the total onto the line (5 min)
Touch each card in your measure from left to right and count up on your counting line, saying a number word only when a whole beat is finished. A half card on its own gets a touch but no number word; the number word comes when its partner half arrives. Mark where you stop and say the total.
One and a half plus one half plus one equals three.
A measure with these notes has a total of three beats.
4. Say the sentence that ends the count (4 min)
Say one sentence to another pair that names all three notes in the order you laid them and ends with the total, in the frame one and a half plus one half plus one equals three. Then write that sentence on the report line. The other pair checks it by pushing your two half cards together and counting your line themselves before agreeing.
Now add them together.
One and a half plus one half plus one equals three.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Lay the cards into the measure (5 min)
Your teacher reads the three value lines aloud. Take the three beat cards that match and lay them left to right in one measure box, then slide the two halves together until they touch. Tell your partner how many whole beats you can see.
A dotted quarter note, an eighth note, and a quarter note.
2. Count the total onto the line (4 min)
Touch each card from left to right and count up on your counting line, saying a number word only when a whole beat is finished. Mark where you stop and say the total aloud.
One and a half plus one half plus one equals three.

Three levels

Support: Work with a measure box in which the two half cards are already pushed together and taped as one, so the counting is three whole touches and three number words. Everything else stands: count along the line, mark where you stop, and say the total in the same frame. Once that total is secure, untape the pair and count the same measure again.
At Grade: Lay all three cards yourself, push the halves together, count the line touching every card, and say and write the sentence that names the three notes in order and ends with three.
Extension: Build a second measure that also comes to three beats using cards that are not the three you started with, then say what your two measures share and what they do not. Say whether a measure could hold five cards and still come to three, and show it with cards if it can.

English learners

The counting action transfers whole: a student with little English can push two halves together and watch one beat appear. The English that gets in the way is the word half doing two jobs in one lesson, naming a piece of a beat in one and a half and naming a whole card in one half, and the phrase adds up to, which is idiomatic and does not translate part by part. Rehearse one frame all lesson: One and a half plus one half plus one equals three. Students may argue about where a number word belongs in their strongest language and give the report sentence in English while touching each card. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

The three value lines printed on one card, one card per pair
Beat cards for each pair: eight cards reading one beat, four reading one half beat, four reading one and a half beats
A strip of paper ruled into four equal boxes, one measure per strip, four strips per pair
A blank counting line marked 1, 2, 3, 4, one per student
A report line, one per student
A measure box with the two half cards already taped together as one, for the Support
A second strip and a spare set of beat cards, for the Extension
Word cards: beat, half beat, measure, equals

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

2. What a Dot Adds Concept · Halving a stated value and adding the half back on

The book states one rule and then works it three times with different starting values: a dot increases a note's value by half of the original value, so 4 becomes 6, 2 becomes 3, and 1 becomes one and a half. Students halve a strip of the stated length, join the half to the original and read the new length, then do the same for the other two values. The concept is that the amount a dot adds is not fixed; it depends on what it sits beside, which is why the rule names the original value rather than a number.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read the rule and find what it depends on (4 min)
Read the dot rule aloud with your partner. Then read the worked line for a note that is 4 beats long. Say what number the dot added there, and say whether that same number would be added to a note that is 2 beats long. Point at the words in the rule that decide the answer.
Word preview: dot, half of
A dot beside any note or rest increases its value by half, the original value.
Half of 4 beats is 2 beats, so in this case, a dotted whole note is 6 beats long.
2. Build the dotted note that is 3 beats long (6 min)
Take the 2-beat strip. Fold it end to end so the ends sit level and crease it, then cut on the crease to make the half. Lay the half against the end of the whole 2-beat strip and count the beat marks along the joined length. Say the number you land on and say which part of it the dot put there.
If a half note is 2 beats long, a dot adds 1 beat to it, so a half note with a dot next to it is 3 beats long.
3. Run the rule on the other two lengths (6 min)
Do the same fold, cut and join for the 4-beat strip and then for the 1-beat strip. For each one say the starting length, the length of the half you cut, and the length after joining. When the 1-beat strip gives you a piece that is not a whole beat, say what that piece is worth instead of rounding it to a beat.
Half of 4 beats is 2 beats, so in this case, a dotted whole note is 6 beats long.
If a quarter note is 1 beat long, a dotted quarter note is 1 and a half beats long.
4. Say why the dot is not worth one number (4 min)
Tell another pair one sentence naming a starting length, the half you cut from it, and the length you finished with. Then answer their question: how much does a dot add? A sentence that names a single number is wrong here, and they should say so. Write the sentence that is right on the report line.
Remember that a dot beside any note increases its value by half of the original value.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build the dotted note that is 3 beats long (5 min)
Your teacher reads the dot rule aloud. Fold the 2-beat strip end to end, crease it and cut on the crease. Lay the half against the end of the whole strip and count the beat marks along the joined length. Say the number you land on.
If a half note is 2 beats long, a dot adds 1 beat to it, so a half note with a dot next to it is 3 beats long.
2. Run the rule on the other two lengths (4 min)
Fold, cut and join the 4-beat strip the same way, then the 1-beat strip. Say the starting length, the half, and the finished length for each. Say what the leftover piece from the 1-beat strip is worth rather than calling it a beat.
If a quarter note is 1 beat long, a dotted quarter note is 1 and a half beats long.

Three levels

Support: Work only with the 4-beat and 2-beat strips, both of which give a whole number of beats when halved, and use strips that already carry a fold line at the halfway mark so the cut is a single action. Say the starting length, the half and the finished length for each, in the same words as the rule.
At Grade: Fold, cut and join all three strips with no fold lines given, name the half at each step, and say and write the sentence that explains why the dot does not add a fixed number.
Extension: Take a strip you were not given, of 6 beats, and say before cutting what the dotted length will be. Then cut and check. Say what you would have to know about any note before you could give its dotted length, and whether the rule ever gives back a length shorter than the one you started with.

English learners

Folding and joining carries the meaning without English, and a student can show the finished length by pointing along it. The English that gets in the way is the possessive chain half of the original value, in which three nouns stack before the thing they describe arrives, and the word value, which sounds like worth in money. Rehearse one frame all lesson: Half of this is that, so the dotted note is this many beats. Students may work out the halves in their strongest language and give the report sentence in English while holding the two joined pieces. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

The dot rule and its first worked example on a card, one per pair
An envelope per pair holding a 4-beat strip, a 2-beat strip and a 1-beat strip, each marked in equal beats
Scissors
The strips and cut halves from the previous step
A report line, one per student
Strips pre-creased at the halfway mark, for the Support
A 6-beat strip marked in equal beats, for the Extension
Word cards: dot, half of, original, value

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

3. Filling a Measure That Must Come to Four Application · Choosing parts that add to a required total

The book gives two measures from the same song and adds each one up to four in a complete sentence: one and one half plus one half plus one plus one, and one and one half plus one half plus one plus one half plus one half. The two lists are different lengths and reach the same total. Students take a required total and build a measure that reaches it, then build a second one that reaches it a different way. The application is that the total is fixed by the signature and the composer chooses the parts, which is the book's own point about a measure holding whatever notes the composer decides.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Check the book's two measures (5 min)
In pairs, read the two lines that add up the second measure and the third measure of the New Year's song. Lay cards for one of them and count the total yourself. Say whether the two lines use the same number of notes, and say whether they reach the same total.
Word preview: total
One and one half plus one half plus one plus one equals four beats.
One and one half plus one half plus one plus one half plus one half equals four beats.
2. Build a measure of your own that comes to four (6 min)
Fill an empty measure box with cards so that the beats come to exactly four. You may use any cards you have and any number of them. Count your measure aloud from left to right, pairing the halves as you go. If you land past four, take a card out and count again rather than starting over.
That means that there are four beats in every measure and each quarter note gets one beat.
All together, these notes add up to four beats.
3. Build a second one that gets there differently (5 min)
Build a second measure that also comes to four using a different set of cards from your first. Lay the two measures one above the other and count both aloud. Say one thing that is the same about them and one thing that is different, naming the cards rather than pointing.
Measures 3, 7, and 15 all have the same arrangement of notes.
Do those notes add up to four beats?
4. Have your measure checked and say the total sentence (4 min)
Swap one of your measures with another pair. Count theirs from left to right, saying a number word only when a whole beat finishes, and tell them the total you reached. If the two of you disagree, count it again together touching the same card at the same time. Write the sentence that names your own cards in order and ends with four beats.
All together, these notes add up to four beats.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build a measure of your own that comes to four (5 min)
Your teacher reads one of the book's adding-up lines aloud. Fill an empty measure box with cards so the beats come to exactly four, using any cards and any number of them. Count aloud from left to right, pairing the halves as you go.
All together, these notes add up to four beats.
2. Build a second one that gets there differently (4 min)
Build a second measure that also comes to four using a different set of cards. Lay the two one above the other, count both aloud, and say one thing that is the same and one thing that is different.
Do those notes add up to four beats?

Three levels

Support: Work toward a total of three rather than four, with two of the three cards already placed in the box so the choosing is a single card. Count aloud from left to right as before and say the total. When that is secure, empty the box and fill it yourself.
At Grade: Build two different measures that each come to exactly four, count each aloud, name what the two share, and write the sentence that lists your cards in order and ends with the total.
Extension: Build a measure that comes to four using the largest number of cards you can, and then one using the fewest. Say what the fewest was and why no smaller number of cards would do, using the card values rather than the picture.

English learners

Filling the box and counting it is the part that transfers, and a student can show a correct measure without a word of English. The English that gets in the way is add up to, which does not translate piece by piece, and the two senses of measure in this lesson, the box on the page and the act of measuring. Rehearse one frame all lesson: These notes add up to four beats. Students may plan which cards to use in their strongest language and give the report sentence in English while touching each card in order. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

The two adding-up lines printed on one card, one card per pair
Beat cards for each pair: eight cards reading one beat, four reading one half beat, four reading one and a half beats
A strip of paper ruled into four equal boxes, one measure per strip, four strips per pair
An empty measure strip, one per student
A second empty measure strip, one per student
A report line, one per student
A measure box with two cards already placed and a total of three written above it, for the Support
A third empty measure strip, for the Extension
Word cards: total, add up to, measure, beat

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

4. The Two Numbers Do Two Different Jobs Representation · Reading a pair of numbers where each number answers a different question

The book gives the two numbers of a time signature one sentence each: the top one says how many beats are in a measure, the bottom one says which note gets a beat. Students take a pair of numbers, answer the two questions in order, and set out that many of the named card in a measure box. The representation work is that a stacked pair of numbers here is not a single amount to be read at once. The book says so itself, and it is the mistake the lesson exists to catch: read the top for a count, read the bottom for a name, and never combine them.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read one sentence for each number (5 min)
In pairs, read the sentence about the top number and then the sentence about the bottom number. Say back which one gives you a count of something and which one gives you the name of a note. Then read the two examples and say, for a signature with 4 on top and 4 on the bottom, what each number told you.
Word preview: top, bottom
The top number in the time signature shows how many beats there are in each measure.
The bottom number of a time signature shows which type of note will receive 1 beat.
For example, a time signature with a 4 on the bottom means that a quarter note is equal to 1 beat.
2. Set out the measure the numbers ask for (6 min)
Take the signature card that says 3 on top and 4 on the bottom. Answer the top question aloud, then the bottom, then fill one measure box with that many of that card. Count the beats you laid and check the count matches the top number before you stop. Do the same for the card that says 4 on top and 4 on the bottom.
A time signature with a 3 on top means there are 3 beats in each measure.
This means that this composition has three beats per measure and each quarter note gets one beat.
That means that there are four beats in every measure and each quarter note gets one beat.
3. Take apart the confusion the book names (5 min)
Read the two lines where the book compares a signature with a math fraction. With your partner, say what three quarters means in math and what the 3 and the 4 asked you to do a moment ago. Point at the measure you built and say which of the two readings it shows. Say the other reading aloud and say what you would have built if you had used it.
Notice that the time signature, 3, 4, is different from a math fraction.
In math, three quarter means three equal parts out of a total of four equal parts of a whole.
In this case, three four tells us that a single measure equals three quarter notes.
4. Give another pair a signature to build (4 min)
Hand another pair one of your signature cards and say two sentences about it, one for each number, without saying the word fraction. They build the measure from your two sentences alone. Check what they built against the card. Write the two sentences you gave on the report line.
The top number in the time signature shows how many beats there are in each measure.
The bottom number of a time signature shows which type of note will receive 1 beat.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Set out the measure the numbers ask for (5 min)
Your teacher reads the two number sentences aloud. Take the card that says 3 on top and 4 on the bottom, answer the top question and then the bottom one aloud, and fill one measure box with that many of that card. Count the beats you laid to check.
A time signature with a 3 on top means there are 3 beats in each measure.
This means that this composition has three beats per measure and each quarter note gets one beat.
2. Take apart the confusion the book names (4 min)
Read the line that says the signature is different from a math fraction. Say what three quarters means in math, then say what the 3 and the 4 just asked you to do. Point at your measure and say which of the two readings it shows.
Notice that the time signature, 3, 4, is different from a math fraction.
In math, three quarter means three equal parts out of a total of four equal parts of a whole.

Three levels

Support: Work with signature cards that carry the two questions printed beside them, how many and which note, so the reading is answering two written questions in order rather than remembering which number does which job. Build the measure and count the beats as before.
At Grade: Read both numbers from a bare card, build the measure, and say and write two sentences that let another pair build it without seeing the card.
Extension: Take the card that says 2 on top and 2 on the bottom and build its measure, then say how many beats it holds and how many of your one-beat cards would fill the same measure if the bottom number were 4 instead. Say which of the two numbers you changed and what it changed about the measure.

English learners

Building the measure is the part that carries the meaning, and a student can show a correct reading by filling the box. The English that gets in the way is top and bottom used as names for numbers rather than as places, and the phrase how many, which several languages express with a single word placed elsewhere in the sentence. Rehearse two frames all lesson: The top number says how many beats. The bottom number says which note gets one beat. Students may sort out which number is which in their strongest language and give the two sentences in English while pointing at each number in turn. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

The two number sentences printed on one card, one card per pair
Signature cards, one set per pair, each showing two numbers with no line between them
A strip of paper ruled into four equal boxes, one measure per strip, four strips per pair
Beat cards for each pair: eight cards reading one beat, four reading one half beat, four reading one and a half beats
The measure built in the previous step
A report line, one per student
Signature cards with the two questions printed beside the numbers, for the Support
A signature card showing 2 on top and 2 on the bottom, for the Extension
Word cards: top number, bottom number, measure, beat

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

5. The Measure That Is Split Across the Song Reasoning · Joining two incomplete parts to make one complete whole

The book ends the New Year's song with an oddity and explains it in four plain sentences: the first measure is one beat, the last is three, and together they equal four so the song can start again without a gap in the count. Students lay the two short measures end to end, count across the join, and argue about whether the pair should be called one measure or two. The reasoning is that a whole can be split into parts that are separated in time, and that the test for whether they belong together is whether the count runs unbroken across the join.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Find the two measures that are the wrong length (5 min)
In pairs, read the three lines about the first and last measures. Say how long each of the two is and how long every other measure in this song is. Then say what is odd about them, and find the sentence that says what happens when the two are put together.
Word preview: together
Notice that the first and last measures are not a full four beats long.
The first measure is only one beat long and works as a lead into the song.
The last measure is three beats long.
Together however, they equal four beats.
2. Lay the two short measures end to end (6 min)
Put one card in the first box and three cards in the last box. Now slide the last box round so it sits directly after the first box, the way it would if the song began again. Count straight across the join without stopping and say the number you land on. Say where in your count the join fell.
Together however, they equal four beats.
When the final measure ends, the musician can begin the song again without losing the beat.
3. Argue whether it is one measure or two (5 min)
One of you argues that the first and last boxes are two measures, and one argues they are one measure split apart. Each of you has to use the beats to argue, not the page. Then agree on the one thing that would settle it, and say what your count did at the join.
This is so the song can be played repeatedly as new verses are sung.
Notice that the first and last measures are not a full four beats long.
4. Say what the last measure has to be (4 min)
Another pair gives you a first measure of a different length. Say, before laying any cards, how long their last measure would have to be so the two make four together. Then lay the cards and check. Write one sentence giving their first length, your answer, and the total.
Together however, they equal four beats.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Lay the two short measures end to end (5 min)
Your teacher reads the lines about the first and last measures aloud. Put one card in the first box and three in the last, then slide the last box so it sits directly after the first. Count straight across the join and say the number you land on.
Together however, they equal four beats.
2. Say what the last measure has to be (4 min)
Another pair gives you a first measure of a different length. Before laying any cards, say how long their last measure has to be so the two make four together. Then lay the cards and check.
Together however, they equal four beats.

Three levels

Support: Work with the two boxes already sitting one after the other so the join needs no sliding, and count straight across from the first card to the last. Say the number you land on and say whether it matches the four beats every other measure in this song has.
At Grade: Lay both boxes, slide the last one round to the join yourself, count across without stopping, argue one side of whether it is one measure or two using the beats, and say and write what a given first measure forces the last one to be.
Extension: Take a first measure of two beats and say what the last must be, then take one of three and do the same. Say what happens to the last measure as the first one grows, and say what the first measure could never be in a song whose measures hold four beats.

English learners

Sliding the two boxes together and counting across the join carries the argument without English, and a student can show what they think by where they stop counting. The English that gets in the way is the adverb together carrying the whole claim, and the phrase without losing the beat, which is a figure of speech rather than a description. Rehearse one frame all lesson: One beat and three beats together make four beats. Students may hold the argument in their strongest language and give the report sentence in English while sliding the boxes to the join. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

The four lines about the first and last measures on a card, one per pair
Beat cards for each pair: eight cards reading one beat, four reading one half beat, four reading one and a half beats
Two loose measure boxes per pair, one marked first and one marked last
The joined boxes from the previous step
A report line, one per student
Two measure boxes fixed side by side in reading order, for the Support
Cards for a first measure of two beats and one of three beats, for the Extension
Word cards: together, first, last, measure

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

Math through the reading

The mathematics is reached through a sentence the book prints: change one word in the reading and the numbers change with it. These carry their own standards, matched against these lessons rather than inherited from the skill ones.

6. The Word That Tells You to Add Something Integrated · Students find the four words this book uses to turn a note into an amount, act each one out with beat cards, and then test a swapped sentence that keeps the note names and loses the arithmetic.

Students find the four words this book uses to turn a note into an amount, act each one out with beat cards, and then test a swapped sentence that keeps the note names and loses the arithmetic.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read the rule before you meet the word (5 min)
Students read the dot rule aloud as a rule, before any note is named, and say in their own words what it tells someone to do and to what. They agree on the two actions in it, halve and add, and on which amount each acts upon.
2. Lay the cards each phrase asks for (6 min)
Working in pairs, students hear a phrase read aloud and lay beat cards for it in a measure box, pairing halves as they go. They do this for a dotted whole note in a piece where a whole note is four beats, then for a dotted half note, then for a dotted quarter note, saying the starting value and the finished value each time.
3. Say what equals is doing here (4 min)
Students read the line saying a whole rest, two half rests and four quarter rests are all equal, lay the three rows one under another, and say what is the same about the three rows and what is plainly not. They finish the sentence: in this book, equals means the same amount of what?
4. Test the swap (5 min)
Students are given a sentence with one word changed, act on it with cards, and find that more than one row satisfies it. They say aloud which musicians would then disagree, and write one line naming a row the swapped sentence allows and the original forbids.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Lay the cards each phrase asks for (6 min)
Working in pairs, students hear a phrase read aloud and lay beat cards for it in a measure box, pairing halves as they go. They do this for a dotted whole note in a piece where a whole note is four beats, then for a dotted half note, then for a dotted quarter note, saying the starting value and the finished value each time.
2. Say what equals is doing here (4 min)
Students read the line saying a whole rest, two half rests and four quarter rests are all equal, lay the three rows one under another, and say what is the same about the three rows and what is plainly not. They finish the sentence: in this book, equals means the same amount of what?

Three levels

Support: Work only with the two starting values that halve into whole beats, 4 and 2, and with the dot rule printed beside the cards so the two actions can be pointed at while they are performed. Lay the cards, say the starting value and the finished value, and stop there.
At grade: Lay cards for all three dotted values including the one that finishes at one and a half, say what each of the four words instructs, and write the line about what the swapped sentence would allow.
Extension: Take a starting value the book never uses, six beats, and say the dotted value before laying any cards, then lay them and check. Then say which starting values give a dotted value that is a whole number of beats and which do not, and say how you could tell without laying a single card.

English learners

The card-laying carries the whole lesson and needs no English: a student who has understood dotted can show it by pairing halves. The English that gets in the way is the past participle used as an adjective, dotted, which many languages form quite differently and which children hear as a description of appearance rather than as a completed action, and the stacked possessive half of the original value. Rehearse two frames all lesson: Half of this is that. So the dotted note is this many beats. Students may reason about the swap in their strongest language and give the written line in English while pointing at the rows they laid. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

Beat cards, eight reading one beat and four reading one half beat, per pair
A measure strip ruled into equal boxes, per pair
The dot rule printed on a card, per pair
A report line, one per student
The three dotted phrases, read aloud one at a time
The swapped sentence, shown after the cards are laid
A row of four quarter cards beside a single whole card

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

7. The Measure the Book Never Adds Up Integrated · The book lists the notes in measures 3, 7 and 15, asks whether they add to four beats, answers only yes, and never shows the sum; students recover it from three value sentences elsewhere in the book and say which sentence funded each part.

The book lists the notes in measures 3, 7 and 15, asks whether they add to four beats, answers only yes, and never shows the sum; students recover it from three value sentences elsewhere in the book and say which sentence funded each part.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Find the question the book leaves open (4 min)
Students read the three lines about measures 3, 7 and 15, notice that the notes are listed and the sum is not, and say what the book gives them and what it withholds. They compare it with a nearby passage where the book does show the addition, and say what is missing from this one.
2. Hunt the four values and pin each to its sentence (7 min)
In pairs, students search the value sentences for each of the notes named and write beside each one the sentence that gives it. A value nobody can find a sentence for may not be used. They lay one labelled beat card for each note as they find it.
3. Add the measure and write the sentence the book left out (6 min)
Students count their labelled cards left to right, pairing halves into whole beats, and write the number sentence in the book's own frame, listing the values in the order the notes are listed and ending with the total. They check the total against what the signature of that song requires.
4. Answer the book's question with the evidence (3 min)
Each pair reads its written sentence to another pair, who check it against their own and say which value the two disagree on if they disagree. Both pairs then say aloud why the book's one-word answer is not enough to settle it.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Hunt the four values and pin each to its sentence (7 min)
In pairs, students search the value sentences for each of the notes named and write beside each one the sentence that gives it. A value nobody can find a sentence for may not be used. They lay one labelled beat card for each note as they find it.
2. Add the measure and write the sentence the book left out (6 min)
Students count their labelled cards left to right, pairing halves into whole beats, and write the number sentence in the book's own frame, listing the values in the order the notes are listed and ending with the total. They check the total against what the signature of that song requires.

Three levels

Support: Work with three of the four values already found and labelled, so the hunt is for a single value and the addition is the whole task. Count the cards left to right, pair the halves, and write the number sentence with the first two values already printed.
At grade: Hunt all four values, label each card with its funding sentence, count the measure, and write the full number sentence in the book's frame with every value in the order the notes are listed.
Extension: Do the same for the other arrangement the book names, the one in measures 2, 4, 6 and the rest, and then say what the two arrangements share. Say how many different arrangements of the cards you have could fill the same measure, and whether the book's yes would be true of all of them.

English learners

The card-laying and counting transfer whole, and a student can show a recovered value by laying the card for it. The English that gets in the way is the whole retrieval frame, since finding a value means reading four separated sentences for one number each, and the phrase add up to, which does not translate piece by piece. Rehearse one frame all lesson: This sentence says an eighth note is one half of a beat. Students may hunt and argue in their strongest language, and the written sentence is in English with the funding sentences allowed to be pointed at rather than read aloud. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

Beat cards, per pair
A measure strip ruled into equal boxes, per pair
Blank labels for the cards, per pair
The value sentences printed on separate slips, per pair
A number-sentence card, one per student
The three lines about measures 3, 7 and 15
A nearby passage where the book does show the addition

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

8. Is a Time Signature a Fraction or Not? Integrated · The book says a time signature is different from a math fraction and also that music and math fractions have similarities; students take a side, fund it with beats they have counted, and argue it to the musician the book keeps addressing.

The book says a time signature is different from a math fraction and also that music and math fractions have similarities; students take a side, fund it with beats they have counted, and argue it to the musician the book keeps addressing.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read the book contradicting itself (4 min)
Students read the opening line comparing notes to whole numbers and fractions, then the line saying the signature is different from a math fraction, then the closing line saying fractions are added up to a whole in both. They say which two lines disagree and what each would commit them to.
2. Build the two objects the question is about (6 min)
In pairs, students fill a measure box to what a stated signature requires and count the beats aloud. They then fold a whole strip into the number of equal parts the bottom number names and count the parts. Both objects stay on the desk.
3. Take a side and fund it with your two counts (6 min)
Each student states a position aloud and gives both numbers in support of it, saying what each number shows. A position given without both numbers is sent back. Partners on opposite sides exchange first.
4. Answer the strongest thing said against you (4 min)
Each student says aloud the best objection to their own position, taken from what their partner actually said or from the passage that contradicts them, and answers it using one of their two counts rather than repeating their position.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build the two objects the question is about (6 min)
In pairs, students fill a measure box to what a stated signature requires and count the beats aloud. They then fold a whole strip into the number of equal parts the bottom number names and count the parts. Both objects stay on the desk.
2. Take a side and fund it with your two counts (6 min)
Each student states a position aloud and gives both numbers in support of it, saying what each number shows. A position given without both numbers is sent back. Partners on opposite sides exchange first.

Three levels

Support: Work with the measure already filled and the strip already folded, so both counts are there to be made rather than produced, and take a side that is written on a card with one of the two numbers already placed in it. Say the second number yourself and say what it shows.
At grade: Fill the measure and fold the strip yourself, state a position aloud with both counts in it, and answer the strongest objection your partner makes using a count rather than a repetition.
Extension: Say what a signature would have to do before you would call it a fraction, and then say whether any signature in the book does it. Take the recipe the book offers, a cup of sugar that is always two half cups, and say which side of the argument it belongs on and why the book might have put it where it did.

English learners

Both counting actions transfer whole and a student can hold up a folded strip beside a filled measure and be understood. The English that gets in the way is the argument frame itself, since taking a position and then voicing an objection to your own position is a rhetorical move some children have never been asked for in any language, and the word different doing comparative work with the second term left implied. Rehearse two frames all lesson: I think a time signature is not a fraction, because my measure has this many beats. Someone might say that, but my strip shows this. Students may argue in their strongest language and give the position and the objection in English while holding both objects. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

Beat cards and a measure strip, per pair
A whole paper strip for folding, per student
A signature card, per pair
Position cards with one number placed, for the Support
The three contradicting lines, shown together
A folded strip beside a filled measure, held up once

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

9. One Beat and Three Beats, Said Both Ways Integrated · The book says the first and last measures together equal four beats and never says how the two compare to each other; students build both, say the comparison forward and then reversed, and supply the words the book does not.

The book says the first and last measures together equal four beats and never says how the two compare to each other; students build both, say the comparison forward and then reversed, and supply the words the book does not.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read what the book says about the two measures (4 min)
Students read the three lines giving the two lengths and joining them. They say which of the two measures is longer and then notice that the book never says so, and name the only relation the book does state between them.
2. Build both rows and line them up (6 min)
In pairs, students lay one card for the first measure and three for the last, in two rows with their left ends level. They say what they can see at the right-hand end and lay cards into the gap until the two rows finish level, counting the cards they added.
3. Say it forward and then backward (6 min)
Each student says one sentence comparing the last measure to the first, and then one comparing the first to the last, about the same two rows. Both sentences must carry the number they found in the gap. Partners check that the second sentence is not the first with the numbers swapped.
4. Join the rows and count what the book counted (4 min)
Students slide the two rows end to end, count straight across, and say the total. They then say which of their two sentences the book could have written and which it did write.

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Build both rows and line them up (6 min)
In pairs, students lay one card for the first measure and three for the last, in two rows with their left ends level. They say what they can see at the right-hand end and lay cards into the gap until the two rows finish level, counting the cards they added.
2. Say it forward and then backward (6 min)
Each student says one sentence comparing the last measure to the first, and then one comparing the first to the last, about the same two rows. Both sentences must carry the number they found in the gap. Partners check that the second sentence is not the first with the numbers swapped.

Three levels

Support: Work with the two rows already laid and their left ends already level, so the task begins at the gap. Fill the gap, count the cards you added, and say one comparison sentence in the direction printed on your card.
At grade: Lay both rows, level the left ends yourself, fill and count the gap, and say both comparison sentences about the same two rows with the number in each.
Extension: Take a first measure of two beats instead of one and say both comparison sentences again before laying any cards, then lay them and check. Say what happens to the gap as the first measure grows, and what the two sentences would be if the two measures were the same length.

English learners

Lining the rows up and seeing the overhang carries the comparison without English, and a student can answer by pointing at the gap. The English that gets in the way is the comparative frame, longer than and shorter than, in which the compared thing arrives last and the two sentences differ only in an order many languages mark differently or not at all. Rehearse two frames all lesson: The last measure is this many beats longer than the first. The first measure is this many beats shorter than the last. Students may work out the gap in their strongest language and give both sentences in English while pointing along each row. Nobody is asked to say anything about themselves.

Materials

Beat cards, per pair
Two measure strips, per pair
A direction card, for the Support
The three lines about the first and last measures
Two rows laid with their left ends level, once

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

Reading and language lessons

5 lessons on the reading and language the book carries - what a word means in its sentence, how a character is shown, how a text is built. No mathematics: these are matched against the English language arts curricula, which are a different and smaller set than the mathematics ones.

10. It is like a clock, and then it is like a recipe Comprehension · Following an extended comparison a writer uses to explain an unfamiliar subject

This writer never explains music on its own terms for long. Every hard idea arrives attached to something a reader already knows: notation is like letters, musical time is like clock time, a measure is like a cup in a recipe. Students trace three of these comparisons through the printed passages, name what is being matched to what in each, and then test where a comparison stops working. The last step is the real skill: an analogy is a tool that has a limit, and a careful reader finds it. No beats are counted; the work is following how an explanation is built.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Name the two sides of the first comparison (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Draw a two-column chart headed Music and Something we already know. Find the sentence that compares one to the other and fill in both columns from it. Say aloud what the writer assumes you already understand.
Word preview: analogy, compare, familiar
People who write music are called composers. Composers use a special language called musical notation to write music. The notes used in musical notation are like the letters and numbers we use when we write.
2. Follow a comparison the writer sustains (6 min)
Read the printed passage. This comparison runs across several sentences instead of one. Add a row to your chart for each pair the passage matches up. Then underline the two words that open the sentence carrying the comparison, and say aloud what those two words signal to a reader.
Word preview: compare, familiar
In music, time means the way a composition is divided into smaller units. A song is divided into lines, measures and notes. Just as hours, minutes and seconds are the units of measurement we use when we talk about time. Lines, measures and notes are the units of measurement we use when we talk about music.
3. Find where a comparison is brought in to fix a confusion (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Here the writer reaches for a new comparison because the earlier ones have led a reader astray. Underline the sentence that introduces it. Say aloud what confusion the writer is trying to clear up, and say whether a recipe is a good thing to compare a measure to.
Word preview: analogy, limit
Just remember that while 2 half notes equal 1 whole note, a measure can have whatever number of notes the composer decides they wanted to have. Think of it like a recipe.
4. Say where a comparison runs out (4 min)
Look over your completed chart. Choose one comparison from it and tell your partner one way the two sides are alike and one way they are not. Use the frame: The writer says ___ is like ___, but unlike ___ it ___. Your partner says whether your difference is a fair one.
Word preview: analogy, compare, familiar, limit

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Name the two sides of the first comparison (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Draw a two-column chart headed Music and Something we already know, and fill both columns from the sentence that compares them. Say what the writer assumes you already understand.
Word preview: analogy, compare
People who write music are called composers. Composers use a special language called musical notation to write music. The notes used in musical notation are like the letters and numbers we use when we write.
2. Follow a comparison the writer sustains (4 min)
Read the printed passage. Add a chart row for each pair it matches up, then underline the two words that open the comparing sentence and say what they signal.
Word preview: compare, familiar
In music, time means the way a composition is divided into smaller units. A song is divided into lines, measures and notes. Just as hours, minutes and seconds are the units of measurement we use when we talk about time. Lines, measures and notes are the units of measurement we use when we talk about music.

Three levels

Support: Work only the first printed passage. Read it with a partner and answer two questions aloud: what is musical notation being compared to, and what is the one word in the sentence that tells you a comparison is happening?
At Grade: Fill the chart from all three printed passages, name what each comparison matches to what, and say one way one of them runs out.
Extension: The third printed passage brings in a recipe only after correcting a reader's likely mistake. Write three sentences about why a writer might introduce a new comparison at the exact point an earlier one has misled someone, quoting the printed sentences on both sides of that turn.

English learners

English signals comparison with several different structures that a learner meets as unrelated forms: are like, Just as, and Think of it like. Collect the three from the printed passages on one card so they are seen as one family. The Just as sentence is also long and front-loaded, so read its two halves separately before joining them. Rehearsable frame: Just as ___, so ___. / ___ is like ___ because ___.

Materials

Music Math, the passage printed in this step
Two-column chart
Pencils
Sentence frame on the board
Word cards: analogy, compare, familiar, limit

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

11. The words this book stops to define Vocabulary · Using a text's own defining sentences to fix the meaning of a technical word

This book cannot be read without a stack of technical words, and it defines nearly all of them itself, in a sentence that follows a recognisable shape. Students collect three of those definitions, notice the shape they share, and then find a word the book uses without ever defining it. The point is that a reader of informational writing should expect definitions and should notice when one is missing. No note values are added; the work is finding and using a text's own definitions.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Collect a definition and mark its shape (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Find the sentence that tells you what a rest is. Underline the word being defined once and the part that gives the meaning twice. Copy it onto your glossary sheet.
Word preview: define, term, rest
A rest in a musical composition is a period of time when no note is played. Rests last for the same number of beats as the notes they replace. Even though musicians don't actually play music during rests, rests are still an important part of the composition.
2. Collect two more and check the shape holds (6 min)
Read the printed passage. Two things are defined here. Underline each defined word once and its meaning twice, and copy both onto your glossary sheet. Then say aloud whether both sentences are built the same way as the one about rests, and name any difference.
Word preview: staff, term
The staff is the five lines and the four spaces between them on which music is written. The lines of the staff are divided into measures that are separated by bars.
3. Find a definition that arrives after the word is used (5 min)
Read the printed passage. A word is named here and then explained in the sentence after. Underline the naming sentence and the explaining sentence in different colours. Say aloud which order you find easier to read, and why a writer might name a thing first.
Word preview: define, term
The figure at the beginning of each line of music is called a clef. A clef tells musicians what each note should sound like.
4. Use your glossary on a partner (4 min)
Cover the meaning column of your glossary sheet. Your partner reads out one of your collected words and you give its meaning from memory, then uncover and check. Swap over. Mark any word you could not give a meaning for.
Word preview: define, term, rest, staff

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Collect a definition and mark its shape (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Find the sentence that says what a rest is. Underline the word being defined once and its meaning twice, and copy it onto your glossary sheet.
Word preview: define, rest
A rest in a musical composition is a period of time when no note is played. Rests last for the same number of beats as the notes they replace. Even though musicians don't actually play music during rests, rests are still an important part of the composition.
2. Find a definition that arrives after the word is used (4 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline the sentence that names the thing and the sentence that explains it, in different colours. Say which order is easier to read.
Word preview: define, term
The figure at the beginning of each line of music is called a clef. A clef tells musicians what each note should sound like.

Three levels

Support: Work only the first printed passage. Read the first sentence with a partner and finish this aloud: a rest is a time when ___. Copy that one word and its meaning onto your glossary sheet.
At Grade: Collect all the definitions from the three printed passages and say what shape the book's defining sentences usually take.
Extension: In the second printed passage, staff is defined but measures and bars are introduced without a definition. Write three sentences about what a reader should do when a text uses a term it has not defined, quoting the printed sentence where that happens.

English learners

The book's definitions use two different frames, X is Y and X is called Y, and the second reverses which half is the new word. Read one of each and ask which word is the new one each time. Every term here is also a common English word carrying a special sense, rest, staff, bar, measure, so name the everyday meaning first and then the musical one. Rehearsable frame: A ___ is ___. The ___ is called a ___.

Materials

Music Math, the passage printed in this step
Glossary sheet
Coloured pencils
Word cards: define, term, rest, staff

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

12. What would happen without it Reasoning · Explaining why something matters by reading what a text says would happen without it

Rather than assert that time signatures are important, this writer shows a reader what a song would be like if one were missing, and lets the consequence make the case. Students read the printed passage, separate what the writer says would happen from the conclusion a reader is meant to draw, and then find a second place where the same move is used. They finish by making the argument themselves for a different element. No beats are counted; the work is reading an argument built out of a consequence.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Separate what would happen from what it proves (6 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline every sentence that says what would happen if there were no time signature. Then, in your own words, write one sentence saying what the writer wants you to conclude from all of that. Notice that the writer never actually writes that conclusion down.
Word preview: without, consequence
Without a Time Signature at the beginning of a composition, a musician playing the song would have no way of telling how many beats were supposed to be in each measure. The song could be played dozens of different ways. All of which would sound different, but only one of them would be the way the composer meant for it to be played.
2. Find the same move made about rests (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline the sentence that states outright why rests matter. Then say aloud how this passage makes its case differently from the time signature passage: which one tells you the conclusion, and which one leaves you to reach it?
Word preview: matter, because
Even though musicians don't actually play music during rests, rests are still an important part of the composition.
3. Find the reason a clef is needed (5 min)
Read the printed passage. It gives a job rather than a consequence. Underline the sentence that says what a clef does for a musician. Now say aloud, in one sentence, what a musician would not be able to do if the clef were missing. That sentence is yours, not the book's, so say so.
Word preview: without, because
A clef tells musicians what each note should sound like. The most common clefs are the treble, or G clef, and the bass or F clef.
4. Argue for one of them yourself (4 min)
Choose one thing you have read about and make the case for it to your partner in two sentences: one saying what would happen without it, and one saying what that shows. Your partner names which of your two sentences is the consequence and which is the conclusion.
Word preview: without, consequence, matter, because

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Separate what would happen from what it proves (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline every sentence saying what would happen without a time signature, then write one sentence of your own saying what the writer wants you to conclude.
Word preview: without, consequence
Without a Time Signature at the beginning of a composition, a musician playing the song would have no way of telling how many beats were supposed to be in each measure. The song could be played dozens of different ways. All of which would sound different, but only one of them would be the way the composer meant for it to be played.
2. Find the same move made about rests (4 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline the part that states why rests matter. Say which passage tells you its conclusion and which leaves you to reach it.
Word preview: matter, because
Even though musicians don't actually play music during rests, rests are still an important part of the composition.

Three levels

Support: Work only the first printed passage. The teacher reads it. Answer two questions aloud: without a time signature, what would a musician not know? And would every player play the song the same way?
At Grade: Separate consequence from conclusion in the first printed passage, compare it with the second, and supply the missing consequence for the third.
Extension: One printed passage argues by consequence and one states its conclusion outright. Write three sentences about which is more convincing to a reader who does not already agree, quoting a sentence from each.

English learners

The first printed passage runs on would throughout, the English form for something imagined rather than real, and learners often read it as past tense. Read one sentence twice, once as printed and once with really happens substituted, so the difference in meaning is audible. Even though in the second passage concedes a point before contradicting it, which is worth naming as a move. Rehearsable frame: Without ___, a musician would ___. This shows that ___.

Materials

Music Math, the passage printed in this step
Pencils
Sentence frame on the board
Word cards: without, consequence, matter, because

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

13. The same rule, printed twice Reasoning · Comparing two statements of the same rule and judging which one a reader can use

This book states its rule about dotted notes twice, and the two statements do not read the same. One of them has come through the transcription damaged, so it says something a reader cannot act on; the other is clean. Students read both exactly as printed, put them side by side, and say precisely what the difference does to the meaning. This is a proofreading skill and an evidence skill at once: neither version is altered, and the judgement is made from what is on the page. No values are computed; the work is reading two sentences closely against each other.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Read the first statement of the rule (5 min)
Read the printed passage aloud exactly as it stands. Do not change any word. Underline the sentence that gives the rule. Read that sentence again slowly and say aloud whether you could follow it, and if not, say which part stops you.
Word preview: rule, version
A dot beside any note or rest increases its value by half, the original value.
2. Read the second statement of the same rule (6 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline the sentence giving the same rule as before. Now write the two versions one above the other on your comparison sheet and circle every place where the words differ. There is only one difference. Say aloud what that one word changes.
Word preview: wording, compare
Remember that a dot beside any note increases its value by half of the original value.
3. Test the two versions against an example (5 min)
Read the printed passage, which walks through the rule on an example. Say aloud which of your two versions the example agrees with, and point to the words in this passage that settle it. Neither version may be rewritten; you are choosing between them, not fixing them.
Word preview: compare
For example, imagine that a whole note is 4 beats long in a composition you are playing. If it has a dot next to it, you add half of the original value.
4. Say what you would tell the printer (4 min)
Working from your comparison sheet, tell your partner in two sentences which version of the rule a reader should follow and how you decided. Do not say which version is right because it sounds better; say what evidence you used.
Word preview: rule, version, wording, compare

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Read the first statement of the rule (5 min)
Read the printed passage aloud exactly as it stands, changing nothing. Say whether you could follow the rule as written, and if not, which part stops you.
Word preview: rule, version
A dot beside any note or rest increases its value by half, the original value.
2. Read the second statement of the same rule (4 min)
Read the printed passage. Write the two versions one above the other and circle the one place where the words differ. Say what that one word changes.
Word preview: wording, compare
Remember that a dot beside any note increases its value by half of the original value.

Three levels

Support: Work with the first two printed passages only. The teacher reads both aloud one after the other. Say which one you understood better, then point to the word of in the second one.
At Grade: Compare the two printed statements word by word, name the single difference, and use the third printed passage to decide which one to follow.
Extension: One printed version has a comma where the other has the word of. Write three sentences explaining exactly what the comma version says, taken literally, and why that is not something a reader could act on, quoting both printed sentences.

English learners

The whole lesson turns on the preposition of, which learners commonly omit, so this is a case where a very small English word carries all the meaning. Read half the original value and half of the original value aloud one after the other and name what changes. Say clearly that the comma version is a printing fault, not a form students should copy. Rehearsable frame: This version says ___. That version says ___. The difference is ___.

Materials

Music Math, the passage printed in this step
Pencils
Comparison sheet
Sentence frame on the board
Word cards: rule, version, wording, compare

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.

14. The writer knows what you are about to think Comprehension · Noticing where a writer stops to correct a mistake the reader has not made yet

Several times this writer pauses to head off a wrong idea before a reader has finished forming it, using phrases like except that, this may cause some confusion and you might think. Students find three of these moments, name the mistake being anticipated in each, and say how the writer signals the turn. They finish by writing a warning of their own. Nothing is calculated; the work is reading a writer's awareness of an audience.

Full lesson — 20 minutes

1. Find the correction hiding in one sentence (5 min)
Read the printed passage. The second sentence takes something back that the first sentence has just suggested. Underline the two words that begin it. Say aloud what a reader would have wrongly assumed if the writer had stopped after the first sentence.
Word preview: except, signal
At the beginning of most songs, you will see something that looks like a fraction written on the staff. Except that there is not a line between the top number and the bottom number. This is called the Time Signature.
2. Find the writer naming the confusion outright (6 min)
Read the printed passage. Here the writer says plainly that a reader is likely to be confused, and then says what the confusing thought will be. Underline the sentence that predicts the confusion and the sentence that spells out the wrong idea. Say aloud whether you had that thought yourself.
Word preview: confusion, expect
Time signatures look like fractions, and this may cause some confusion at first. It may seem strange that a time signature of 3, 2 means that there are 3 half notes in one measure. You might think that since 2 halves make 1 whole, a whole measure couldn't have more than 2 half notes.
3. Find the same warning given a second time (5 min)
Read the printed passage. The writer returns to the same warning later in the book, in shorter form. Underline the sentence that gives it. Say aloud why a writer might repeat a warning instead of trusting the first one, using what these sentences say.
Word preview: expect, signal
Notice that the time signature, 3, 4, is different from a math fraction. In math, three quarter means three equal parts out of a total of four equal parts of a whole. In this case, three four tells us that a single measure equals three quarter notes.
4. Write a warning of your own (4 min)
Think of something in this book that confused you. Write one sentence warning a future reader about it, beginning You might think. Read it to your partner, who says whether the warning would have helped them.
Word preview: except, confusion, expect, signal

Short version — 9 minutes

1. Find the correction hiding in one sentence (5 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline the two words that begin the sentence taking something back. Say what a reader would have wrongly assumed without it.
Word preview: except, signal
At the beginning of most songs, you will see something that looks like a fraction written on the staff. Except that there is not a line between the top number and the bottom number. This is called the Time Signature.
2. Find the writer naming the confusion outright (4 min)
Read the printed passage. Underline the sentence predicting the confusion and the sentence spelling out the wrong idea. Say whether you had that thought yourself.
Word preview: confusion, expect
Time signatures look like fractions, and this may cause some confusion at first. It may seem strange that a time signature of 3, 2 means that there are 3 half notes in one measure. You might think that since 2 halves make 1 whole, a whole measure couldn't have more than 2 half notes.

Three levels

Support: Work only the first printed passage. Read the first two sentences with a partner. Answer aloud: what does it look like, and what is missing from it that a real one would have?
At Grade: Find the anticipated mistake in all three printed passages and name the words that signal each turn.
Extension: The second printed passage puts the reader's likely wrong idea into the reader's own mouth with You might think. Write three sentences about the risk a writer takes in doing that, and what it gains, quoting the printed sentence.

English learners

Except that, may seem strange and You might think all mark an idea the writer is about to reject, but none of them contains a negative word, so a learner can read the rejected idea as the writer's own claim. Collect the three phrases on one card labelled what comes next is wrong. Rehearsable frame: You might think ___, but really ___.

Materials

Music Math, the passage printed in this step
Pencils
Sentence frame on the board
Word cards: except, confusion, expect, signal

Standards & curriculum

Choose your curriculum above to see the standards for this lesson.