In this lesson, designed for middle school/secondary school, students learn about simple time, time signatures, and dotted notes. Packet includes a powerpoint presentation with concepts clearly laid out, and quick quizzes to check for understanding (answer key provided). Use this as an introduction to time signature, or as a precursor for composition.

Students should have the opportunity to experience simple time signatures both before and after this lesson in practical playing, singing, or composing.

This can be a self -graded activity as formative assessment, or teachers can skip those parts and grade them as summative assessments.

Students will be able to:

- identify the purpose of the top and bottom numbers in a time signature

- label simple rhythms with a time signature

- identify the purpose of a dot when added to a note

- draw and explain significance of the rhythm pyramid and its role in understanding note values and rhythms

- label rhythms in simple time using American terminology (eg "quarter note", "half note")