3rd Grade Rhythm Lessons 1-6

Each lesson is 30 minutes long.

LESSON 1 - Introduction
- Steady Beat
- Singing Voice
1. Sing School Song - patsching steady beat while singing
2. Music Room Rules / Announcements
3. Sing Character Counts

In reality, I do these lessons after my November 3rd grade program, which will explain the Thanksgiving and Hanukkah-themed songs.

LESSON 2 - Rhythm
- Steady Beat
- Singing voice / Talking voice
- Melody: high, low
- Movement
1. Sing School Song & Character Counts

2. 3rd grade rhythm activity

3. Old King Cole
   - Teach chant and hand clapping
   - See rhythm cards on board - rearrange
   - Figure out a form (ABA?) and perform

4. Long Legged Sailor

   - I sing it to them and demonstrate the hand jive.

LESSON 3 - Rhythm
- Steady Beat
- Singing voice / Talking voice
- Melody: high, low
- Movement
1. Sing School Song & Character Counts

2. Old King Cole
   - Review chant and hand clapping
   - See rhythm cards on board - Review half note, quarter note, eighth notes, time sig, measure
   - As we chant “A,” I pick a student to rearrange notes into a 4-beat pattern.  Then we chant pattern.

3. Echoing Rhythms
   - Pass out instruments (I name and demonstrate each one and explain the rule of instruments: if anyone plays when they are not supposed to, they lose the chance to play.)

             Membranes: Hand drums  / tambourines 

             Woods: Woodblocks  / claves

             Metals: Triangles  / Finger cymbals

In front, I have tubano (membrane), temple blocks (wood), suspended cymbal (metal). I do a 4-beat rhythm pattern on one, whoever has the same “family” of percussion echos.

4. Long Legged Sailor

   - Students learn to sing and try to do hand jive in the air.
   - As time permits, students do hand jive in partners.

LESSON 4 - Rhythm
- Steady Beat
- Singing voice / Talking voice
- Melody: high, low
- Movement
1. Sing School Song & Character Counts

2. Old King Cole
   - Same as last lesson. Choose different students to rearrange cards.

3. Put cards (turkey, mashed potatoes, Don’t forget the stuffing, Pumpkin pie) on board.  Make 4-ms. pattern. Barline, measure, t.s.

    - Back to seats, pass out instruments – pick up where we left off

    - Perform 4-ms pattern with me putting colored dots above each ms. to indicate which risers play (all blues play together)

4. Long Legged Sailor + hand clapping

    - Add xylophone on FC - if time

LESSON 5 - Rhythm
- Steady Beat
- Singing voice / Talking voice
- Melody: high, low
- Movement
1. Sing School Song & Character Counts

2. Look at Long Legged Sailor rhythm cards: 
   - Put "Long" "Legged" "Sailor" cards up on the board. Ask students, "Would these measures fit into my t.s. of 4?" (Answer: “NO” – Lead them to understand that we need to add quarter rests)

   - Sing song + hand clapping – students find partners
   - Add xylophones on FC - some students with partners, some on xylophones

3. BOOK: Rumble in the Jungle

   - I read a few of the pages (the ones that have corresponding rhythm cards)
   - Show rhythm cards - "ta" through each rhythm card.
   - Introduce whole note* with the snake card.
4. O Hanukkah
   - Put cards with “hints” for Hanukkah on the board - students say rhythms "Festival of lights," etc. Ask students if they know what holiday is referred to.

   - Intro O Hanukah PowerPoint.  Explain words.

   - Show dreidel.

   - Sing through song.

   - Roll dreidel to find out which notes to play, class sings.

   - Put together with “B” (board “hints”) – tambourines.

LESSON 6 - Rhythm
- Steady Beat
- Singing voice / Talking voice
- Melody: high, low
- Movement
1. Sing School Song & Character Counts

2. Rumble in the Jungle

   - Review rhythm cards

   - Review whole note*

          Group 1 - Rumble in the jungle (drums)
          Group 2 - Chimpanzee (guiros)
          Group 3  - Zebra  (triangles)
          Group 4 - Snake (cabasas)
          Group 5 - Elephant  (maracas)
          Group 6 - Rhinoceros (woodblocks)
   - Students switch instruments as time permits

List of songs with whole notes