Read a short poem out loud to the students. After you read it once or twice, ask the students to clap along to the rhythm of the poem. It may take a few tries for them to do it correctly, so have them practice until they are on the right page. Then instead of asking them to clap, ask them to play a small percussion instrument to the rhythm of the poem. Explain the connection between poetry and music.
While students need to learn the sound of percussion, they also have to be aware of vocabulary associated with the group of instruments. Provide pictures of various percussion instruments and have the students write down the name of the instrument. Include a word search, where students have to find percussion vocabulary words or a crossword puzzle, where they must use clues to figure out the appropriate word to write in each spot.
Bring in a recording of several different percussion instruments. Play the tape and ask the students to guess which instrument they hear. Add in some instruments that are not of the percussion variety to see if the students know the difference. Another option is to ask all of the students to close their eyes and have one student come to the front and play an instrument. The others will have to guess what that student is playing.
Have the students put on a performance where they only use percussion instruments, or simply incorporate the new percussion instruments that the students learned into the rest of the orchestra. For younger students, ask the parents to come into the classroom. Each child will share his favorite percussion instrument with the class and parents, and demonstrate how to play it. Have the youngsters parade around the classroom with their percussion instruments.