Build a Robot
Can we solve the mystery before our robot is complete?
Choose a letter to get started.
Correct letter? Fill it in. Not in the phrase? Add a robot part.
What's in your BAG?
index finger
index and middle fingers
index, middle, and ring fingers
Left hand on top. Cover the holes. Gentle air. Let's play B, A, G!
Read it aloud together. Great teamwork!
What's in your BAG?
A cooperative mystery-phrase starter leading into B, A, and G on soprano recorder.
Learning target
I can name and finger B, A, and G, echo a four-beat pattern, and improve one part of my playing after listening.
Prepare
Project the game with the Play the game tab selected. Keep the phrase and this teacher view hidden from students until the reveal. Have student recorders, a teacher recorder, and a B–A–G fingering reference ready.
Establish a silent “rest position” and a clear start/stop cue. Students use their own instruments. Invite everyone to think, then take one guess at a time; use partner talk or pointing to a letter as participation options.
Lesson sequence
Solve the mystery
Ask: “Can we solve the phrase before our robot is complete?” Choose letters by tapping the screen or typing A–Z. Correct guesses reveal every matching letter; each new incorrect guess adds one of eight robot parts. The apostrophe and spaces are already shown. Use Undo for an accidental selection.
At eight parts, celebrate the robot and read the revealed phrase together. If time runs short, use Reveal phrase. This is a cooperative warm-up, not a graded spelling task.
Make the musical connection
Read “What's in your BAG?” and ask: “Which three note names are hiding in that last word?” Have the class say B, A, G. Explain: “These are our three focus notes today.” Invite students to name any of these notes they already know.
Finger first, then play
Model left hand on top, left thumb covering the back hole, and right hand supporting below. B covers front hole 1 with the index finger; A adds the middle finger on hole 2; G adds the ring finger on hole 3. Keep the other front holes open. Students silently switch B–A–G before playing. These fingerings follow the Tomplay recorder guide.
Suggested cue: “Cover completely, use gentle air, and begin with a soft ‘doo.’” Model one note at a time; have students echo after your cue.
Echo, listen, improve
At a comfortable steady beat, play four quarter-note patterns: B B A A, B A G G, then G A B B. Students echo each pattern. Agree on three criteria: correct fingerings/pitches, an even beat, and a gentle, clear sound.
Ask: “Which criterion went well? Which needs one fix?” Try a strategy: slow the pattern, practice the finger change silently, reseal a hole, or use gentler air. Repeat and compare. Practice responding to your start/stop cues.
Share and check
Have a small group perform B A G G for classmates, with a calm, gentle character. The audience listens without playing. Rotate groups as time permits. Ask each student to show a requested fingering and name one improvement strategy.
Close together: “What's in your BAG? B, A, G!”
Quick assessment & access
- Look and listen: Can the student name all three notes, show each fingering, echo at least three of four pitches in a steady pattern, and identify one useful adjustment? Use “independent,” “with a cue,” or “needs practice” as an informal check.
- Support: Begin with B alone, then B–A. Model close up, slow down, allow silent fingering, and use partner support. Offer an accessible pitched instrument or a pointing/naming response when recorder playing is not currently accessible; check playing skills separately when appropriate.
- Extend: Students invent a four-beat B–A–G “robot wake-up call,” explain why it suits that purpose, and teach it to a partner. Add 3–5 minutes if using this extension.
New York State standards alignment
This lesson uses the Grade 3 General Music strand, not the older four-standard framework. The indicators below are quoted from NYSED’s Music At-a-Glance (2017); activity connections are lesson-specific interpretations.
MU:Pr5.1.3a · Evaluate
“Apply established criteria to judge the accuracy, expressiveness, and effectiveness of performances.”
Evidence: Students use the shared pitch, beat, and sound criteria to discuss an echo performance and its gentle character. NYSED, Anchor Standard 5.
MU:Pr5.1.3b–c · Rehearse and respond
b. “Identify and apply appropriate rehearsal strategies and show readiness to present.”
c. “Respond appropriately to aural and visual cues.”
Evidence: Students choose a practice strategy, retry the pattern, and follow teacher start/stop and echo cues. NYSED, Anchor Standard 5.
MU:Pr6.1.3a–b · Perform
a. “Perform music with expression and technical accuracy.”
b. “Perform appropriately for the audience and purpose.”
Evidence: Small groups present the B–A–G pattern with a gentle character and attentive performance behavior for classmates. This is introductory practice toward the standard, not evidence of full mastery. NYSED, Anchor Standard 6.
MU:Cr1.1.3a · Optional creating extension
“Generate rhythmic and melodic patterns and identify connection to specific purpose.”
Evidence, only if the extension is taught: Students create a B–A–G robot wake-up call and explain its purpose. The letter game alone does not address this indicator. NYSED, Anchor Standard 1.
Teacher notes
The robot game is an engagement hook. Standards evidence comes from the music-making, listening, reflection, and optional creating that follow. B, A, and G are this lesson’s focus notes, not the only important notes on the recorder.
Fingering reference: Tomplay interactive recorder fingering chart. You can print this lesson with your browser’s Print command while this tab is open.