LESSON PLAN FOR TEACHING RHYTHM

My first two lessons of teaching rhythm at homeschool co-op.

Rhythm lesson #1

Pulse means steady beat, like the pulse in your body, the steady pumping of your heart.

Do a few songs – first time clap on the steady beat. Second time, clap to the rhythm of the word

* Zaccheus song


* Praise Him all ye Little Children

Rhythm lesson #2 

Look at flashcards of quarter note, half note, eighth notes.

Learn what these notes are called, and we are going to read them:
      * Quarter note – Ta
      * Eighth note – Ti Ti
      * Half note – Ta – a

Read a few rhythms that are written out on posterboard. Practice chanting them. Also practice clapping them, pulsing hands on silent beats.

Example: In the song London Bridges, each word is a beat. So if the words have two syllables, then each syllable is an eighth note. The words with one syllable are each quarter notes.

There are generally four beats in a measure. I made flashcards with four beats. We can rearrange them to play in different order. Chanting with ta and ti ti help get the concept of rhythm but it is also good to teach them to count beats within a measure. So, I have included both ways of chanting the beats.