Y3. Lesson 30. Revise rhythm
Prior learning: Rhythm
Duration: 30 minutes
Materials: None
Keywords: Beat, rhythm, singing, chanting, partners, rhymes, circle games.
Difficulty: 
Prepare
Present
Revise rhythm
Practise
This lesson revises prior learning of traditional time names, including the minim, dotted minim, and semibreve. It also revises the rhythm names tika-ti and ti-tika.
Traditional note values
Students revise traditional note values.
- At this juncture, it is advisable to refresh student's prior learning concerning solfa time names.
- The minim is known as too, the crotchet as ta, two quavers as ti-ti and a semiquaver as tika-tika.
- Project or print the chart showing the British and American equivalent note values.
- Explain that musicians have used traditional names for hundreds of years.
- Teach that the longest note in music is called a semibreve or whole note. In quadruple time, it lasts for four beats.
- The following note is half as long as a semibreve called the minim and lasts two beats.
- Half of a minim is called a crotchet, or quarter note and lasts for one beat.
- Half of a crotchet is called a quaver, or eighth note and lasts for half a beat.
- Finally, half of a quaver is called a semiquaver, or sixteenth note and lasts for a quarter beat.
Stems and flags
Students revise note stem and flags.
- Students should know that a note can consist of a notehead, a stem and one or more flags.
- Project the graphic showing the noteheads, stems and flags used in music.
- Discuss the different notes and their formal names with the class.
- The single quaver is now shown as separate from paired quavers (previously known as time names ti-ti) and having one flag.
- A single semiquaver is shown, but it is unlikely that students will be expected to use this at this grade level.
The minim
Students revise the minim.
- Lead the class in singing Here Comes A Magpie, with students keeping the beat on their laps.
- Sing phrase two and ask how many beats are on the word 'Hey' [2].
- Ask students to sing phrase two using time names - but the long sound on 'Hey' should be sung as 'too'.
- The pattern is too, ti-ti ti-ti, ta, ta, ta, za.
- Remind students that a sound lasting for two beats is a rhythm syllable called too.
- Write the stick notation and traditional for the second phrase on the board.
- The class should sing again. Draw attention to measure five, which contains the rhythm syllable, too.
The dotted minim
Students revise the dotted minim.
- Project the score of the song on the board. [Ignore the dotted crotchet and single quaver at the beginning of each line].
- Lead the class in singing the song.
- Draw attention to the last two measures containing two minims, a crotchet and a dotted minim.
- Ask the class to clap the rhythm of the last two measures. Each measure has four beats.
- Ask how many beats the final note lasts for [3].
- Explain that the last note looks like a minim but has a dot after it.
- Teach that adding a dot after a note means half of its original time value is added.
- In quadruple [4/4] time, or four-metre. a minim lasts for two beats. With the dot added, the minim is now called a dotted minim.
- In this example, a dotted minim lasts for 2 plus half of 2 (1), for a total of three beats.
- Using solfa, the dotted minim is referred to as too -m (or too -a).
- This concept may take more than one learning period to reinforce.
The semibreve
Students revise the semibreve.
- Project the score on the board.
- Lead the class in singing the song.
- When secure, ask the class to show where a minim is found and how many beats a minim lasts.
- Draw the student's attention to the note of the last measure.
- Sing the word 'snow' and clap four beats.
- Ask how many beats were on the last note [4].
- Teach that this note lasts for four beats and is called a semibreve. It has a hollow notehead like a minim but has no stem.
- Ask students to clap and sing the song, reminding them to clap for four beats on the last word.
- Project or print the score worksheet.
- Ask students to draw three semibreves in spaces and three semibreves on lines.
- Monitor for accuracy of drawing and correct positioning of the semibreves.
ti-tika
Students revise a quaver followed by two semiquavers [ti-tika].
- Lead the class in singing the song.
- The target phrase is the third measure with the words 'went to bed with his...'
- When secure, ask the class to sing and clap the rhythm to this measure. Repeat several times.
- Projecting the score or writing the third measure on the board may be helpful.
- Teach the time name of the three joined notes in the third measure [ti-tika].
- Explain that ti-ti-ka is an eighth note joined to two sixteenth notes or a quaver joined to two semiquavers.
tika-ti
Students revise a semiquaver followed by a quaver [tika-ti]
- Lead the class in singing Ida Red.
- When secure, use the third measure as the target phrase.
- Ask how many beats are in the measure [2]
- Ask how many sounds are in the words 'letter but' [3].
- The class should clap the words.
- Ask if the sounds are even or uneven [uneven]
- Ask if the first two sound longer or shorter than the first [shorter].
- Ask the time name [tika-ti].
- It may be helpful to project the score on the board and ask students to identify tika-ti [in red].
Assess
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV