Low Tech

Communication
Board
Designed by Kerri Jones
 Low Tech Communication Board
This is a low tech communication board designed to use
year round with a 5th Grade student in music class. This
board will be used for many activities on a daily basis and
not just one particular unit. Class meets 3 times/week for
25 minutes each time.
In 5th Grade, there are 20 music concepts that are
continuously taught through smaller units in their music
lesson books, preparation for concerts and music
knowledge in general. These concepts build from
Kindergarten throughout the students entire academic
career, K-12 should the student continue in music after
elementary.
These concepts center around the vocabulary needed to
understand and apply to the students understanding of
music basics and skills.
Lesson Example:
As we study and learn our music concepts, we will often
analyze songs in our lesson books. For this particular
activity, I will ask the students to become Music Detectives.
I will ask the students to look in the song for a particular
symbol(s) and point to them. I then come around and make
sure that they have found the correct one. They also will
share their findings with partners.
The low tech communication board will help my student
with disabilities be more engaged in learning. He will be
able to show myself, his para, and his classmates what he
has discovered. Even though the symbol he found might not
be in the music, he can still show his knowledge of identifying
the symbol.
Low Tech Communication Board cont.

Student Demographics:
5th grade student, age 10, with an intellectual disability that includes a
communication disorder in both articulation and language.
This student currently reads at the 1st grade level/beginning 2 nd grade
level.

Ways to communicate during class instruction:

The communication board will allow him the opportunity to identify
music symbols, words and notes outside of the actual music score
during class.
The communication board will also allow him to communicate on
music assessments.
The student will use the board during whole class instruction,
individual learning as well as partner work. This board will allow him
to communicate with the teacher, his para educator, and classmates.
Questions:
Questions will be chosen from the following:
1. What is steady pulse of the music? (Beat)
2. Identify changing patterns. (Rhythm)
3. What is a high or low sound? (Pitch)
4. What is another word for song or tune? (Melody)
5. What word means speed of music? (Tempo)
6. What symbol tells us to sing high notes? (Treble Clef)
7. What note gets 4 beats? (Whole Note) 2 Beats? (Half Note) 1 beat? (Quarter Note)
8. Which notes get two sounds to 1 beat? (Eighth Notes)
9. What symbol is a line that marks the end of a measure? (Barline)
10. What symbol is the space between two barlines? (Measure)
11. What symbol is where we put the music notes? (Staff)
12. What symbol means the end? (Double Bar)
13. What symbol means to repeat part of the music? (Repeat)
14. What part of the song tells the story using different words? (Verse)
15. What part of the song uses the same words every time? (Refrain)
16. What is it called when two or more notes are sung at the same time? (Harmony)
17. What does it mean to make up music as you go along? (Improvise)
18. What word means loudness and softness of music- ff,f,mf,mp,p,pp? (Dynamics)
 Music Words

Beat Rhythm Pitch

Melody Tempo
 Music Notes

Treble Clef Whole Note Half Note

Quarter Note Eighth Notes

 Music Symbols

Bar Line Measure Staff

Double Bar Repeat

 Music Words

Verse Refrain Improvise

Harmony Dynamics