DJ Bounce: Beat Lab | Iconic Games Year 4

ENGLISH · THE ARTS

Sound & Beat Word Lab

01 · Sound Console

Let’s investigate the words for DJ Bounce: Beat Lab. Look for what changes, then explain what you notice.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Decode and use music and sound vocabulary, including multi-syllable words, in meaningful sentences.

YOUR MISSION

Say, split and use: rhythm, tempo, volume, vibration, pattern, repeat. Match each word to its job in the Beat Lab.

Need help? See the steps

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Start with the steps below. They show you what to look for and what to do.

STEP 1Read or tap each word.
STEP 2Look closely at the word part the mission is teaching.
STEP 3Sort, build or compare the words.
STEP 4Explain the pattern in your own words.

Four Year 4 learners exploring tempo, rhythm, volume, vibration, pattern and repeat at an interactive Beat Lab console.

LEARN ITSound words describe what a beat is doing.

Tempo is speed. Volume is loudness. Vibration is back-and-forth movement that can make sound. Rhythm is the arrangement of sounds and silences. A pattern follows a rule. Repeat means do it again.

Tap a studio control to see what that sound word changes.

NOW YOU TRYMatch each word to its job.

Tap a word, then tap the matching clue.

ENGLISH · THE ARTS

Read the DJ Set List

02 · Set List Deck

Read the DJ Bounce: Beat Lab information first. Talk the idea through, then answer one small question at a time.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Identify purpose, sequence and key details in a short performance plan.

YOUR MISSION

Which track starts the set? Which track is fastest? What change is planned before the final track, and why might a DJ plan the order instead of choosing randomly?

Need help? See the steps

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Your purpose is why you are writing.

STEP 1Read once to understand what it is mostly about.
STEP 2Read the question again and find the part that helps.
STEP 3Say your answer aloud using because, then check it against the text.
STEP 4Record a useful clue from the source.
STEP 5Explain what that clue tells you.

Four Year 4 learners sequencing a DJ set at a professional mixing desk.

READ THE PLANA DJ set list is organised for a reason.

Look for sequence words, track details and changes in tempo or volume. Evidence is the exact detail in the plan that proves your answer.

DJ BOUNCE SET

Sunrise Beat — 90 BPM, medium volume.

City Jump — 110 BPM, louder chorus.

Sky Run — 125 BPM, fastest track.

Before Sky Run, lower the volume for 8 beats, then build it back up. The set begins steadily and finishes with the highest-energy track.

Which track is fastest?

What happens just before Sky Run?

Why is the set ordered this way?

ENGLISH · THE ARTS

Write the DJ Brief

03 · Producer Desk

YOUR WRITING JOB: Write 2 short paragraphs for your DJ set. Name the mood you want, describe the order of three sounds/tracks and explain at least two choices using because, so or for example.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Write for an audience by describing a short music set with clear choices and reasons.

YOUR MISSION

Write 2 short paragraphs for your DJ set. Name the mood you want, describe the order of three sounds/tracks and explain at least two choices using because, so or for example.

Need help? See the steps

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

A cause is why something happens. An effect is what happens because of it. Your audience is the person or group who will read your writing. First get your ideas ready. Then build the writing one part at a time.

STEP 1Introduce what you are writing about.
STEP 2Give your first important idea.
STEP 3Add another useful detail, reason or example.
STEP 4Finish so the reader understands your message.

Four Year 4 learners planning a DJ brief inside a recording studio.

PLAN BEFORE YOU WRITEA useful brief tells the reader what you want and why.

Choose an audience, venue, mood and sound. Then write two short paragraphs. Use because, so or for example to explain at least two choices.

Audience

Venue

Mood

Main sound

Choose one option from each studio station.

YOUR DJ BRIEFTwo short paragraphs. Describe the order of three sounds or tracks and explain at least two choices.

4 choices2 paragraphs2 reasons

MATHS · THE ARTS

Beat Pattern Maths

04 · Rhythm Table

Work through one maths question at a time. Your answers will be checked before the next mission unlocks.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Use fractions, multiplication and repeated patterns to reason about beats and bars.

YOUR MISSION

1) A bar has 4 beats. How many beats in 6 bars? 2) Clap on 2 of 4 beats. What fraction is that? 3) An 8-beat pattern repeats 3 times. Total beats? 4) Which is greater: 3/4 of a bar or 2/4?

Need help? See the steps

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

A fraction shows equal parts of a whole.

STEP 1Read the question and decide what you need to find.
STEP 2Notice the important numbers and units.
STEP 3Choose a strategy and work it out.
STEP 4Type the answer, then check that it makes sense.

Four Year 4 learners modelling fractions and repeating patterns on an eight-beat rhythm table.

WE DO ONE TOGETHERFractions tell us how many beats out of the whole bar are active.

If 4 of 8 equal beats are active, the fraction is 4/8. That is the same amount as 1/2.

0 / 8 beats activeTap 4 pads to build one half.

6 bars × 4 beats = ? An 8-beat pattern repeats 3 times. Total beats?

Which is greater?

THE ARTS

Build an 8-Beat Mix

05 · Mix Station

This is your real-world DJ Bounce: Beat Lab challenge. Work out what the problem asks you to find or make.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Create, describe and test a repeating rhythm pattern using beat, tempo and dynamics vocabulary.

YOUR MISSION

Create an 8-beat pattern using two or more sounds or actions. Repeat it twice. Mark where the pattern gets louder or quieter, then explain one change you made after testing it.

Need help? See the steps

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Start with the steps below. They show you what to look for and what to do.

STEP 1Read the whole challenge once.
STEP 2Find the numbers, facts or rules you need.
STEP 3Choose a useful strategy.
STEP 4Show your solution clearly enough that someone else could follow it.

Four Year 4 learners building and testing an eight-beat mix on a step sequencer.

CREATE + TESTBuild an eight-beat pattern, play it, change it, then play it again.

Use at least two sound rows. Tap once for a normal beat, tap again for a stronger beat, and tap a third time to turn it off.

kick

snare

percussion

synth

Tempo 100 BPM

What did you change after testing?

MATHS · THE ARTS

Beat Match

06 · Neon Arcade

BEAT MATCH BRIEFING

Match equivalent fractions that light the same amount of an eight-beat bar. Wrong matches are safe — compare the amounts, reconnect the cards and keep going.

Four Year 4 learners matching rhythm cards in the neon Beat Lab arcade.

ARCADE BRIEFINGEquivalent fractions show the same amount.

Match the fractions that would light the same amount of an eight-beat bar. Wrong matches are safe — compare the parts and try again.

0 / 3 matches connectedChoose two cards that show the same amount.

Week 3 Check In

07 · Clubhouse

This part is about your own learning. There are no right or wrong feelings.

WHAT AM I LEARNING?

Reflect on rhythm, pattern, sound and mathematical thinking.

YOUR MISSION

Choose: Mostly by myself / Some help / Another go. Finish: 'One thing I understand better about sound or patterns is…'

Need help? See the steps

TEACH · LEARN THE IDEA

Choose what feels true for you, then write one thing you understand better now.

STEP 1Choose how the week felt.
STEP 2Write one thing you understand better now.

How did this week feel?

There are no right or wrong answers. Choose what feels true for you.

One thing I understand better now is…