Wordle in the Music Room

 

Are you obsessed with Wordle as much as I am? I first saw Wordle game stats on a friend’s Facebook page, and I was totally confused about all the colors and numbers that showed up. So, this online game piqued my curiosity, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Now I’ve got several family members of mine, competing each day. It’s left me wondering, why can’t I use Wordle in the music room?

 

Well, if you have no idea what I’m talking about, let me explain. Wordle is a daily online word game where players have to guess a 5-letter word correctly in six or less guesses. Once you place the 5 letters into the blanks, some tiles may turn colors, letting you know if you got any correct. Green means that you have the right letter in the right spot. Yellow means that you have the right letter in the wrong spot. If a letter is not in the word anywhere, it shows up gray.

 

With this Wordle fascination, I decided to try my own music version of it for older students. Using various music theory topics, elements of music, or genre, I came up with as many 5-letter words on the particular topic as I could. Sometimes, adding an -s to a 4-letter word worked well, and also, abbreviating or condensing words could be a clue (i.e. “solfa”). You could also decide to not limit your words to 5 letters. Any musical vocabulary word could count!

 

With what grades could I use Wordle? 

I would suggest using this type of guessing game with 3rd grade and above. Middle and high school students will find it easier to grasp, and may even play Wordle anyway. However, it really depends how you use it. I think it would work well with younger students.

How to simplify the Wordle game to use with Kindergarten to 3rd grade music:

• Make it easier by completing the Wordle in the music room with teacher assistance
• Use it in small groups working together
• Find simple, short words that you have already discussed or studied in music
• Use the Wordle throughout the class, gaining one letter with good behavior
• Change it to a simple 4-beat rhythm sequence for students to guess

 

How can I use Wordle in the music room? 

There are just so many different ways to use Wordle in the classroom. You could use it as a beginning review for an important music term, as an exit ticket question, and even have students work together to create their own. Additionally, using Wordle clues with a write the room or escape room would be so interactive and exciting for your students! If students have their own device, you could use vocabulary questions and QR codes around the room to take them to the online Wordle.

As an online music game, students have a chance to discover new musical words and their meanings. Using a music theory word that would eventually be discussed in class can be a great starter to the lesson. Similar to a “flipped classroom” approach, students would have to complete the Wordle puzzle, research the music term, composer, etc., and be ready to explain it in class the next day when the teacher begins the unit/lesson on this topic. 

 

Specific Examples of Wordle in Music

So, let’s look at a specific example. My students are learning about John Philip Sousa. The day before the introduction lesson, I tell my students that in our next class, we will be learning about a new composer. I post the Wordle game assignment in my Google Classroom (or another learning system) for them to solve – S O U S A. Students must figure out his name and find out at least 2 things about him by visiting the provided links.

Following the next day’s lesson, after learning about his life, family, education, etc., students must solve another 5-letter word related to Sousa – M A R C H. Students click on the link to listen to some of his most famous marches – “The Washington Post” or “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” This word kicked off the next lesson, all about Sousa’s amazing Marches and his nickname, “The March King.” 

Finally, as our composer unit was coming to an end, the Wordle answer was – B A T O N, which was a special item, recognizing him as a superb band director, especially with the United States Marine Band. The next day’s lesson explored more of his music and the legacy he left on American music, and I also showed a picture of his famous baton.

So, this is just one specific example! There’s lots more in music or in any subject. Think about how you could use this to get your students excited about learning.

 

How do I make these Wordle games?

Finally, let’s look at how you can make your own games. If you’ve ever heard of SlidesMania, you know they have wonderful templates, games, and ideas for using technology in your classroom. They have two different simple options for creating your own Wordle puzzles – either in Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel. Both can be sent to students electronically. 

I have explored and used both versions, and discovered pros and cons of both. Here are a few tips you may find helpful.

First, consider how you want to use it with your students, as homework or done together in class. Next, utilize your school’s system, whether it be Google Classroom, Schoology, Microsoft, etc. If you are giving students an assignment with it, that will help make it easier to decide which format you will use. Finally, do some playing around and practicing with it yourself before sending it out to your students.

The Google template has the ability to create multiple tabs with more than 1 Wordle in a document, unlike the Excel file. However, the Sheets version has the teacher hide the first row before showing students. So it is possible that they may figure out how to unhide the top row to see the answer. Click here to try them both out on your own.

I’d love to share my musical Wordle game with you. You can get it absolutely free by clicking here.

Well, I hope that you found these ideas on using Wordle helpful. If you have any others, I’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below or you can find me @bethsmusicclassroom on Instagram or email me at beth@bethsmusicclassroom.com.

 

Looking for some more music teacher tips and ideas? Check out this post on a musical parody project!