Meet the Keyboard Family

Before the bell

Assumes students can already: Students have previously met the keyboard family and can identify at least one group of accidental bars. If they cannot separate naturals from accidentals, use the first-teach plan instead.

• The Meet the Keyboard Family poster
• Mallet Board or one keyboard instrument
• One worksheet per student

The period

1. 3 minIndependent baseline probe

   Three silent points

   Without discussion, students point to a higher bar, any C and any F. Sort the room by the first incorrect move; that misconception determines the five-minute repair.

   the poster

2. 5 minTargeted instructional re-entry

   Name the pattern before the note

   Model only the broken rule: player-side direction, C left of two, or F left of three. Students echo the route in words before pointing again.

   the lesson

3. 7 minIndependent evidence probe

   New octave, same map

   Use Mallet Board to move the prompts into a different octave. Mix C, F, higher, lower and matching-letter requests so recall of one location cannot masquerade as geography.

   Mallet Board

4. 5 minImmediate evidence and next move

   One route in writing

   Students complete the direction and landmark items on the worksheet and explain one answer with the two-and-three pattern. Collect before returning to rehearsal.

   the worksheet

How you will know

Evidence: The final direction-and-landmark responses with one written route.

What the current evidence supports

• Answers at least four of five mixed prompts correctly
• Explains either C or F with the correct accidental-group landmark

Why this measures the objective: Moving the prompts to a fresh octave shows whether the student owns the repeating map, and the written route exposes whether a correct point came from the landmark or from remembered position.

Boundary: Evidence collected in this period describes immediate performance under the stated conditions. It does not establish durable retention or broad mastery.

Check later

Delayed check: In a later rehearsal, move the prompts to a new octave before any review. The same-period comparison records immediate change only; record whether the repaired route is available later with reduced support.

Reaching everybody

If they are not there yet

• Keep one correct two-bar group and one correct three-bar group marked as anchors
• Let students say the route with a partner before recording it

If they are ready for a changed condition

• Ask for the same letter one octave higher and one octave lower
• Have students generate a landmark prompt for a classmate

Getting at the work

• Accept verbal, pointed or eye-gaze responses during the projected check
• Use the print keyboard map for students who cannot see the full instrument

If the room is not ready: If the second-octave prompts collapse, remove letter names and review only the repeating groups; return to C and F in the next rehearsal rather than compressing the first-teach sequence.

What to look for

• The repaired answer stays correct when the octave changes
• Students use left and right from the player side