th

5 Grade Unit
Clark Elford
9 May 2021
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Pre-Assessment............................................................................................................................4
Post-Assessment..........................................................................................................................4
Unit Outline.....................................................................................................................................6
Prepare.........................................................................................................................................6
Present..........................................................................................................................................6
Practice........................................................................................................................................6
Lessons............................................................................................................................................7
Lesson 1: Prepare.........................................................................................................................7
Lesson 2: Prepare.........................................................................................................................9
Lesson 3: Prepare.......................................................................................................................12
Lesson 4: Present.......................................................................................................................16
Lesson 5: Practice......................................................................................................................19
Lesson 6: Practice......................................................................................................................21
Lesson 7: Practice......................................................................................................................23
Lesson 8: Practice......................................................................................................................27
Lesson 9: Practice......................................................................................................................31
Lesson 10: Practice....................................................................................................................34
Songs..............................................................................................................................................37
Song 1: Go In and Out the Window..........................................................................................37
Song 2: The Bell-Cow...............................................................................................................37
Song 3: Cairo.............................................................................................................................38
Song 4: Shady Grove.................................................................................................................39
Song 5: Simple Gifts..................................................................................................................40
Song 6: El Zapatero...................................................................................................................41
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Introduction
The focus of this unit is the rhythm of “dotted eighth-sixteenth” as well as “sixteenth-
dotted eighth”. This rhythm is the first introduction to more complex syncopation figures present
in a lot of music and will require students to subdivide the beat to accurately sing, beat, or play
the rhythm. The unit is based off of the Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 scope and sequence for K-6
music. The unit is designed for early 5th graders as they transition in from 4th grade. Students will
be at the age of 10-11 at this point.

Students will already be proficient reading some music on the treble clef staff, including
locating key signature; identifying sharp, flat, and natural notes; and reading GABEDC’D’ on
the treble clef staff. They should also be familiar with how meters function in 2/4, 3/4, and 4/4;
other sixteenth note rhythms such as four sixteenth notes, eighth-two sixteenths, two sixteenth-
eighths, and light syncopated eighth notes. They can also sing all notes of a major scale on
solfege, including low so and low la.

All of the songs selected are age-appropriate and are focused on developing the rhythmic
motif of dotted eighth-sixteenth or sixteenth-dotted eighth. Alongside the focused rhythmic
figure, students will also be learning more about reading notation on the treble clef staff,
expanding their knowledge to include F, middle C, F-sharp, and B-flat along with the other
previously mentioned notes. Fifth graders will also begin incorporating expressive elements in
creative projects, so when composing or improvising, students will begin to incorporate elements
beyond notes and rhythms. Students will work with instruments such as hand drums, xylophones,
and body percussion, and will continue work on the recorder. Activities in the unit will tie, at one
point or another, to historical/cultural knowledge through learning about songs from other
cultures, math through likening rhythm and meter to fractions, and physical education through
movement activities such as dance and body percussion. Most of the music from this unit
originates outside of Western Europe, including a song rooted in Mexican folk that is written in
Spanish entitled “El Zapatero”. Much of the other music contains folk traditions from various
regions of North America.
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Pre-Assessment

Students will be given a brief excerpt that includes some of the notes from the previously
established literacy concepts: G, A, B, D, E, and C’ in a 2/4 meter and asked to sing it after a
brief activity to get students familiar with the song.

This assessment should check if students can still read 2/4 meter, count dotted quarter
notes, and read the areas in the treble clef that they need to know. It will also serve as an
assessment of singing skill, which will be utilized often throughout the unit. If students are
having difficulty with any of these areas, some time will be spent before the start of the unit
(optimally 1-2 catch-up activities with songs and playing selected from the end of their last year)
to get them re-familiarized with the content.

Post-Assessment

At the end of the unit, students will work collaboratively in groups of around 6 to 8
people to compose a backbeat to one of the songs present in the unit using hand drums, and an
accompaniment figure on xylophone or other keyboard instruments. The melody will be sung.
The dotted-eighth sixteenth and/or the sixteenth dotted-eighth figure must be present in both the
beat and accompaniment and is already present in the melody. During the process of
composition, the teacher will assess each group for understanding of the rhythm. The groups will
then perform with backbeat, accompaniment, and melody before switching to a different part and
doing it again. This should give the teacher enough time and substance for assessment of the
rhythm for each student in the group. In addition, students will be given a brief self-assessment
question as an exit ticket after the activity. “How comfortable are you with playing, singing, or
creating with dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms? Rate yourself from 1 (Not comfortable at all) to 5
(Completely comfortable) and write 2-3 sentences why you say that.” The reflection will be
graded on a completion basis and the rubric will primarily be used to inform future lessons and
instruction.
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1 (Poor) 2 (Approaching) 3 (Meeting) 4 (Exceeding)

Student Student displays Student displays Student Student
little to no limited knowledge demonstrates demonstrates an
knowledge of the of the dotted some understanding of
dotted eighth- eighth-sixteenth understanding of the dotted eighth-
sixteenth rhythm rhythm and has the dotted eighth- sixteenth rhythm
and has serious issues in 2 areas of sixteenth rhythm, and is able to play,
issues in several consideration. but has issues in 1 sing, read, and
areas of area of compose it with
consideration. consideration. accurate
subdivision,
consistent tempo,
and characteristic
style.
Student
Student
Student
Etc.
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Unit Outline
Prepare

During the prepare portion of the unit, students will learn the songs “Go In and Out the
Window”, “The Bell-Cow”, and “Cairo” by rote. The dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm is present
in all of these songs, but students will not yet learn what it is called or what it looks like on the
staff. During these lessons, students will learn the chants/text on correct rhythm via modeling
and other strategies, sing the songs with and without accompaniment, collaboratively create
dance to go along with a song, do body percussion accompaniment, use hand drums for rhythm,
and sing and do accompaniment patterns at the same time. All of this is designed to get students
comfortable with the dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm in several different contexts.

Present

During this lesson, students will return to the song “Go In and Out the Window”.
Students will aurally distinguish the dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm from other rhythms they are
familiar with and collaboratively discuss the rhythm in comparison to those familiar rhythms.
Students will then do an activity involving printouts of quarters where they, in groups, will figure
out the correct rhythm in a symbolic form. Only then will students see “Go In and Out the
Window” written out in notation and visually distinguish dotted eighth-sixteenths from the other
rhythms. Finally, students will clap and then sing the song with teacher assistance to make
students fully conscious of the concept.

Practice

During the rest of the unit, students will learn the new songs “Shady Grove”, “Simple
Gifts”, and “El Zapatero” and return to “Cairo” and “The Bell-Cow” in the context of being
conscious of dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms. Students will be reading from notation at some
point in all of the lessons in this portion of the unit. Within these lessons, students will improvise
in a variety of situations, including accompaniment on xylophones, backbeat on instruments, and
body percussion. They will also continue to learn the chant/text to each song and sing them on
text, but reading from notation. Students will also aurally discern dotted-eighth sixteenth notes in
recorded listenings and visually represent the songs via drawing. Two different cultures from the
songs being covered will have time dedicated to them in this portion of the unit, including
chanting and singing in a different language. As a capstone activity, students will collaboratively
compose both a backbeat and accompaniment pattern to “Cairo” in groups and perform them for
the rest of the class.
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Lessons
Lesson 1: Prepare

Standards Being Addressed:

 MU:Pr5.1.5a Apply teacher-provided and established criteria and feedback to evaluate
the accuracy and expressiveness of ensemble and personal performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.5a Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy,
and appropriate interpretation.

Materials of Instruction:
 Go In and Out the Window

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: As this lesson will likely be one of the first in 5th grade, students will
be welcomed back after they sit down and then asked if they recognize the tune T is about so
sing. Sing the first verse of Window. Assuming many students raise their hands, transition into
learning.

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will recite the rhythmic text “Go In and Out
the Window” with accurate beat and rhythm in 2/4 meter.

1. T asks Ss to pat a steady rhythm on their laps before saying the text of all of the
verses in rhythm but not on pitch.
2. T asks Ss what they will be going underneath. If there is no answer, repeat chant
again. If there is, ask what an arch is, and, as a follow-up, if anyone has been to the
St. Louis Arch. Transition into telling Ss that this song is older than the Arch (Arch
was started in 1963, current text for the song originates from as early as 1898. The
melody is older than 250 years old.)
3. T begins teaching chant using modeling, with emphasis on correct rhythm. If there
are issues with words or rhythm when students repeat it back, repeat the section once
or twice until it is better.
4. “Go in and out the windows” x2 or 3
5. “As we have done before”
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6. “Go forth and choose your partner” x3

7. “As we have done before”
8. “Go underneath the arches” x3
9. “As we have done before”
10. Brief fill-in-the-blank section, bringing pats back in. T will do first repetition of line,
Ss second, together for third and all “As we have done before”. Do this for verses.
11. Have Ss recite full chant by themselves while patting. If there are rhythmic errors,
isolate them in modeling

Assessment: T will monitor class for rhythmic or word errors and repeat sections
where necessary.

Transition: “Good job learning the words! What do you say we learn how to sing it?
Let’s go ahead and stand up.”

Activity #2 Objective: Students in 5th grade will sing “Go In and Out the Window” on text
with accurate beat, pitch, words, and rhythm in 2/4 meter.

1. T will teach melody by rote, starting on a neutral syllable such as “dah” and going
slightly slower than normal. Phrases will be broken down into 2-bar segments. If
students falter on pitch, repeat the phrase, emphasizing the correct pitch.
2. Combine “dahs” into 4-bar segments, correcting as necessary. Further combine into
the full song if there are no issues. Ensure dotted eighth-sixteenth stays loyal.
3. Speed song back up to full speed, still on “dah”. Students should pat along with the
beat.
4. T puts words back into the song. Attempt full run of all 3 verses on text. If a verse has
issues, isolate it.
Assessment: T will listen for correct pitch and rhythm from Ss and continue checking
for correct words.

Transition: “Great! Now we can sing the whole song. What do you say we do some
dancing?”

Activity #3 Objective: Students in 5th grade will sing “Go In and Out the Window” on text
with accurate beat, pitch, words, and rhythm in 2/4 meter while dancing or doing
movements that fit with the text.

1. T asks Ss some things that we can do for the “Go in and out the window” verse. Ideas
will likely end up being something like jumping forward and back. Practice this once,
ensuring the movement is in time, and when class gets to “As we have done before”
transition to next step.
2. “Uh oh. We haven’t come up with anything for this yet. What should we do?” Take a
few hands and pick out a good option that can be done quickly in 2 bars. Practice full
first verse. If any areas develop issues, give feedback.
3. Repeat step 1 (movement should be the same for “as we have done before” every
time. for verse 2 and 3, “go forth and choose your partner” and “go underneath the
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arches” respectively. These movements should be relatively straightforward.

4. Sing and dance the full piece a few times, encouraging Ss to find new partners and
arches every repetition.
Assessment: T will monitor student responses and movements along with the rhythm
of the singing. T will also ask if there was anything weird or hard with the rhythm to
gauge if students aurally identified something unfamiliar.

Closure: “Great job today! We will learn a new song next time!”

Lesson 2: Prepare
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr5.1.5a Apply teacher-provided and established criteria and feedback to evaluate
the accuracy and expressiveness of ensemble and personal performances.
 MU:Pr6.1.5a Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy,
and appropriate interpretation.

Materials of Instruction:
 The Bell-Cow (note that the last line “Call the little gal to” can be changed to “oh, the
bell cow”) (rhythm for “pickin’ up the peas” and “little gal to” can also be changed to
dotted eighth-sixteenth.)
 Hand drums or shakers (when out of hand drums)

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: T will sing the song as students start to settle in. Once the song is
finished and Ss are paying attention, ask what the cow did to the partridge.
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Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will recite the rhythmic text “The Bell-Cow”
with accurate beat and rhythm in 2/2 meter.

1. T will repeat the song and ask again what the cow did to the partridge. T will then ask
what a partridge is. “It’s a bird, isn’t it?” Tell students that the bird lives in Europe
and Asia.
2. T will ask Ss what to catch the cow by. If they do not know the answer, repeat one
more time. If they do, tell them not to actually do that because “cows are really big
and heavy and you don’t want to be mean to them because they are actually pretty
strong.”
3. Teach text and rhythm by rote, going one measure at a time. Accuracy of the dotted
eighth-sixteenth is important and should be repeated if incorrect, even with correct
words. Any measure Ss have trouble with should also be repeated.
4. Link together mm. 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, spot-checking issues.
5. Fill in the blank. Point to Ss when their turn to say the word comes up. Text for T
should be “Partridge in the ______, pickin’ up the ______, long comes the ______,
kickin’ up her _______, oh, the _________, ketch er by the _________, call the little
gal to milk er in the ______.”
6. Extended fill-in-the-blank, T does mm. 1, 3, 5, 7, Ss do 2, 4, 6, 8.
7. Have Ss run the full text, going back and modeling any problem areas.

Assessment: T will listen for correct rhythm and text from Ss and introduce extra
repetitions to rectify issues.

Transition: “Awesome, now that we have the words and rhythms down, let’s go ahead
and get out our hand drums.”

Activity #2 Objective: Students in 5th grade will play the rhythm of “The Bell-Cow” with
accurate beat and rhythm in 2/2 meter on hand-drums.

1. Have Ss play just beats while chanting the text on rhythm. Dotted eighth-sixteenths
should not influence the beat. If there are struggles, isolate just “partridge in the” and
repeat it continuously. If there are still issues, take drum away for a few repetitions
before modeling as well for students.
2. Have Ss just do the drum as T chants the text. Listen intently for correct dotted
eighth-sixteenths and their relation to eighth notes and beat. If there are issues, isolate
song in chunks of 2 measures before putting it all back together.
3. Put the text back with the drumming. Repeat text if any students have forgotten.

Assessment: T will watch and listen to S to check for correct rhythm and tempo while
drumming.

Transition: “Let’s put our drums aside for a little bit and learn the notes of the song.”

Activity #3 Objective: Students in 5th grade will sing “The Bell-Cow” on text with
accurate beat, pitch, words, and rhythm in 2/2 meter while doing the rhythm on hand
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drum.

1. T will sing the song once entirely before starting teaching by modeling. As before, the
song will be broken down by measure and then by two bar chunks.
2. Fill in the blank. Point to Ss when their turn to sing the note comes up. Text for T
should be “Partridge in the ______, pickin’ up the ______, long comes the ______,
kickin’ up her _______, oh, the _________, ketch er by the _________, call the little
gal to milk er in the ______.”
3. Extended fill-in-the-blank, T does mm. 1, 3, 5, 7, Ss do 2, 4, 6, 8.
4. Ss sing full song once with T before T tells them to get their drums back out.
5. Ss will play and sing the full song. Spot check and isolate any measures where there
are rhythmic or note issues before doing one more full run through.

Assessment: T evaluates students’ ability to play dotted eighth-sixteenth on drum

while doing other activities. T should watch for signs of students subdividing beat or
getting the feel of the rhythm.

Closure: “Please quietly line up and put your drum away before lining up. Wonderful job
learning a new song today!”
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Lesson 3: Prepare
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr6.1.5a Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy,
and appropriate interpretation.
 MU:Pr5.1.5a Apply teacher-provided and established criteria and feedback to evaluate
the accuracy and expressiveness of ensemble and personal performances.

Materials of Instruction:
 Cairo (“black them boots” can be changed to “mop that deck and make it shine”)
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Body Percussion:

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: T will sing and do body percussion as students enter the room (note,
Cairo rhymes with “arrow” in this song) before inviting students to stand up.

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will recite the rhythmic text “Cairo” with
accurate beat and rhythm in 2/4 meter.
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1. T will sing the song one more time without BP and ask S what is being mopped.
2. Ask what type of deck this might be (a boat). Give some background on the piece
(Cairo is the on the very south of Illinois and it lies on the junction of the Mississippi
and Ohio rivers. It is a song about this river town and has strong ties to frontier days
when it was first being settled and traveling by river was the best way to transport
people and goods).
3. Teach text by rote, modeling 2 measures at a time. The rhythm should “groove”
because of the syncopation. If students struggle, provide on-beats by stomping or by
using a hand drum. There are really only 4 sections to teach, so even though it is
intimidating at first Ss should pick it up quickly.
4. Combine measures into groups of 4 for modeling. Correct any issues as they arise or
break it back down to 2 measures for more repetition.
5. Move on to fill in the blank (“goin’ down to ______, goodbye and a _______,
goodbye Liza ______, mop that deck and make it ______,) for all of the sections. Go
2 measures at a time.
6. Alternate sections with students. T does 1, 3, 5, 7 while S does 2, 4, 6, 8, then flip.
7. Have students recite the entire chant with T. Give feedback as necessary.
8. Do a full run through of the text.

Assessment: T will listen to students for correct rhythm and syncopation and isolate
and correct areas that they struggle with.

Transition: “Ok now everyone stand up and we will do some body percussion.”

Activity #2 Objective: 5th grade students will perform body percussion to accompany
“Cairo” with steady beat and accurate rhythm in 2/4 meter.
1. T will begin doing the body percussion from phrase 1 on a loop, inviting Ss to join.
After a few correct repetitions, T recites the text from phrase 1 in time along with the
BP.
2. Invite Ss to join in reciting the text while doing BP. If they struggle, have them pair
up quickly and have one S do Phrase 1 BP while the other recites poem, then switch.
3. Repeat the process for Phrase 2. If at any point students start to struggle, do a few
repetitions isolating either the BP or the poem.
4. After a few correct repetitions of BP and poem together, put together Phrase 1 and
Phrase 2 with both BP and poem.
5. Quickly do the process with Phrase 3 as BP is the same as Phrase 1.
6. Teach Phrase 4, which students should pick up quickly pick up as it is similar to
Phrase 2.
7. Do the same process with Phrase 5, which is the last new material. Do repetitions of
phrases 1, 2, 4, and 5 before putting them back in context. If there are issues, have
students pair up.
8. Put together the entire BP and chant.
9. Ask Ss to audiate the text while doing the entire BP. If it is clean, move on. If not, T
recites text as Ss do BP.
10. Add poem back in and stop modeling to assess student learning.
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Assessment: T will watch Ss for mistakes in body percussion or poem and isolate either
until both are correct. T will also listen for inconsistencies in the body percussion and
rhythm.

Transition: “Great job! Keep that body percussion in the back of your head as we learn
the notes”.

Activity #3 Objective: Students in 5th grade will sing “Cairo” on text with accurate beat,
pitch, words, and rhythm in 2/4 meter while doing body percussion.
1. T will launch immediately into modeling for Ss. Modeling will go phrase-by-phrase
as with text and BP. Rhythm may suffer, though, and if it does, take away pitches
and just do chant for a few repetitions. Once all 4 different phrases have been sung
with correct pitches and rhythms, put them in context (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8).
2. M ove on to fill in the blank (“goin’ down to ______, goodbye and a _______,
goodbye Liza ______, mop that deck and make it ______,) for all of the sections. Go
2 measures at a time.
3. Alternate sections with students. T does 1, 3, 5, 7 while S does 2, 4, 6, 8, then flip.
4. Have students put singing together with BP for each unique phrase. Give feedback as
necessary or isolate components that are suffering from all the different skills going
at once. As they begin to get each phrase to a good place, put them in context.
5. Have students do the entire piece with body percussion and singing.

Assessment: T will listen for correct pitch and rhythm from Ss and watch for correct
BP at the end of the lesson.

Closure: “Great job today, I know it was a lot to do. We will learn a new rhythm next time and
start to read notes again.”
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Lesson 4: Present
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr4.2.5a Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music(such
as rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance.
 MU:Pr4.2.5b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation.
 MU:Pr5.1.5b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities to address
challenges, and show improvement over time.

Materials of Instruction:
 Go in and out the Windows
 Projector
 Print outs of quarters, four for each group of 4 (approx. 1 per student)

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: T asks students if they remember “In and out the window” from a few
class periods ago. Sing through it with them with Ss beating time through patting.
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Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will aurally distinguish dotted eighth-sixteenth
note rhythms in “Go in and out the Window” and draw connections between it and
known material.
1. “What happens rhythmically in there that feels a little weird?” Take a few answers
from raised hands and some description of the dotted-eighth sixteenth will likely
come up. Pick it out and specify that it
2. “Okay, I am going to sing through it and you raise your hands whenever that comes
up.” Sing through Window again and watch for student hands whenever d.8-16 comes
up.
3. “Okay, now do it if I am only giving rhythm.” Do Window again on a neutral syllable
without pitch so that students have to isolate the rhythm. If some students do not pick
it out, repeat it a few times.

Assessment: T will watch students for aural recognition of d.8-16 rhythm.

Transition: “Let’s do a little activity to help visualize and get it in our ear better.”

Activity #2 Objective: Students will aurally identify dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm

compared to previously learned rhythms and do an activity with printouts of quarters to
visualize the concept.

1. “So what do we think that rhythm might be? First let’s say some things that it’s not.”
Take a few hands and briefly demonstrate the rhythm of whatever they say. If they
bring up d.Q-8 say that it kind of feels the same, but it isn’t. If students bring up
triplets, say that it sounds pretty close but it’s even different from that.
2. Hand out quarter cards and ask Ss to get into groups of 3 or 4 with 4 quarters per
group. Tell Ss that each quarter represents a sixteenth note and by making the
quarters touch it can make a longer note. All four quarters together make a quarter
note.
3. Have students experiment with the quarters to see if they can recreate the rhythm they
heard in Window via quarters.
4. Patrol the room and give students a few pointers or guiding questions if they are stuck
(i.e., “well the first note is longer than an eighth note, and putting the four quarters
into two groups of two makes two eighth notes. How can we make the first group
longer?”
5. Eventually all groups should have three quarters stuck together and then one floating
quarter after it. T will then say that every clap is a sixteenth note and instruct students
to clap what they have. T will clap every note, Ss will clap 1-2-3-4-1~
6. Ask students what that three-sixteenth note rhythm could be called. If they do not get
it, tell them it is a dotted eighth note.

Assessment: T will monitor students as they do the activity and gauge students’
answers in discussion for understanding of previous content.

Transition: “Let’s take a look at what that looks like on the staff.”
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Activity #3 Objective: Students will visually identify dotted eighth-sixteenth note rhythms
in “Go in and out the window” while singing and/or clapping the rhythm from notation.

1. T projects Window on the screen and asks students to point to where the d.8-16 is.
2. T asks students to clap the rhythm that they see on screen (be careful of the pickup!).
If students have trouble, isolate the first full bar or first full phrase. If some still
struggle, shutter the projector and have them sing the first phrase of Window. “Guess
what? It’s the same rhythm.” Un-shutter the projector and have them try clapping
again.
3. T asks students to sing the song from the music. If things go well, move on to the
second and third verses.

Assessment: Teacher will watch and listen to students clapping/singing for rhythmic
accuracy to ensure they are correctly reading the rhythm.

Closure: “Now we know how to read dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms! Great job listening and
thinking through it before we read it. We will continue to read more songs that have that rhythm
in upcoming lessons.”
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Lesson 5: Practice
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr4.2.5a Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such
as rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance.
 MU:Pr4.2.5b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation.
 MU:Cr1.1.5b Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment
patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.

Materials of Instruction:
 The Bell-Cow
 Hand drums/shakers

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Have students listen to the teacher sing and play The Bell-Cow (with
optional d.8-16 taken) and raise their hands when they hear a d.8-16. Then, ask students to get
out hand drums as the teacher projects the piece.

Activity #1 Objective: Students will chant play the rhythm of “The Bell-Cow” on hand
drums while reading the notation with accurate rhythm and beat in cut time.
1. T asks Ss to play just the rhythm of Bell-Cow on hand drums, paying extra attention
to the d.8-16 patterns. If students struggle, slow it down and isolate the d.8-16
patterns, beating sixteenth notes if it continues to be an issue.
2. T instructs Ss to say the chant along with the drum beat, without singing on notes. If
students struggle, isolate those sections or remove the hand drumming until the chant
is solid.
3. Have Ss run through the song chanting and playing hand drum without assistance
from T.
Assessment: T will observe students as they read, chant, and play the rhythm in Bell-
Cow to ensure the d.8-16 concept is getting more familiar.
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Transition: “Now let’s try to add the pitches to that”.

Activity #2 Objective: Students will sing “The Bell-Cow” on text while playing hand drum
in rhythm and beat while reading from notation.

1. T asks Ss to put down their hand drums and sing Bell-Cow on a neutral syllable while
reading from the board. If students struggle, give them a brief model or note or two
on piano/voice as they are singing.
2. Have Ss sing on text. Give feedback where necessary or do the same protocol as
before for giving students pitch.
3. T asks Ss to pick their hand drums back up. Have students sing and play Bell-Cow
while reading from the notation. Start students off reading 1-2 measures at a time.
Once Ss can get through the piece without too much rhythmic or pitch trouble, have
them play and sing it all the way through.

Assessment: T listens to pitch and rhythm from Ss and isolates parts/concepts that Ss
are struggling with until they can play and sing the entire song.

Transition: “Now that we can play and sing the song all the way through, let’s do some
rhythmic improvisation.”

Activity #3 Objective: Students will improvise 4 bars of stylistically appropriate rhythm on

hand drums containing dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms using “The Bell-Cow” as a basis.

1. Have students put down their hand drums and just sing through Bell-Cow as T plays
hand drum. At m. 5, improvise a beat on hand drum that contains d.8-16 at least once
per measure. The rest of the rhythms should be eighth notes/rests or quarter
notes/rests.
2. Ask students what T did in the last 4 bars. They will likely answer improvise.
3. “Exactly. We are going to improvise on our hand drums in the last four measures of
Bell-Cow. However, these should be soft enough that we can hear everyone and you
have to put in at least two d.8-16.”
4. Sing through the song with Ss on hand drums, with them improvising for the last 4
bars.
5. “Great work! Make sure that the improvisation still feels like the song that we are
playing. Turn to a partner or two and take turns singing and improvising. Everyone
should get to improvise at least twice. Make sure we are not too loud while doing this
so that other groups can hear what they are doing.”
6. As they are paired up, go around the room and monitor the activity going on. Give
individual comments/praise and specific feedback to students as you go by.

Assessment: Teacher will monitor student work in a group to see if they are grasping
the use of dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms in an improvisatory context.
 21

Closure: “Fantastic job, I absolutely loved hearing you all improvise and sing Bell-Cow. We will
continue to work with reading dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms, so keep up the great work!”

Lesson 6: Practice
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr4.2.5b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation.
 MU:Cr1.1.5b Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment
patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.
Materials of Instruction:
 Cairo
 Xylophones
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiGjGxhZ2_w

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: As students are entering the room, tell them to get out a xylophone
have the recording playing in the background. Instruct students to listen for dotted eighth-
sixteenth rhythms throughout and keep a mental note of them. Start a discussion as a transition
into the first activity.
 22

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will sing “Cairo” on text with accurate beat,
pitch, words, and rhythm while reading notation.

1. “What words did you hear that had d.8-16?” If students do not get it, start the
recording again from approx. 1:00. Once they get it, ask “does the d.8-16 make this
song groove or make you want to dance? What about the other places where notes
don’t happen on a beat?”
2. Project Cairo notation and have students look through it.
3. “Now, let’s try to sing this on a neutral syllable.”
4. Have students go through the melody in Cairo through modeling, going 2 measures at
a time. If students remember the song and are picking it up quickly then combine the
sections without running through all of the phrases. If students are having trouble
reading the rhythm, repeat modeling on whatever 2-bar phrase needs work.
5. T requests that Ss add lyrics this time around. This should go pretty quickly, but if
students struggle then do the same thing as before and model then fill-in-the-blank
(“goin’ down to ______, goodbye and a _______, goodbye Liza ______, mop that
deck and make it ______,/black those boots and make them ______.)
6. Have students do a full run through of the song on text.

Assessment: T will listen to pitch and rhythm of Ss singing and repeat/model where
necessary.

Transition: “Let’s get out our xylophones and come up with an accompaniment that
we can play under the melody.”

Activity #2 Objective: Students will improvise an accompaniment for Cairo given notes
and chords to use during improvising.

1. T tells Ss to sing the melody as T plays a basic accompaniment on xylophone. Verses

1, 3, 5, and 7 can use quarter notes on F and C, Verses 2, 4, 6, and 8 can be on C and
G, except for on “Jane”, which will return to F and C.
2. Tell students the pattern used and walk through it phrase by phrase. If students
struggle with playing the chords and singing at the same time, have half the class sing
and half the class play the accompaniment. Go through each phrase and ensure that
students can play and sing it before moving on.
3. Go line by line playing xylophone and singing, isolating any measure/phrase that
students are struggling with. Slowing down the piece slightly is also a possibility.
Model a few improvised lines to give students ideas for rhythms and grooves.
4. Play and sing the entire song.
5. “Now we are going to do something similar to what we did last week. We are going
to improvise under the melody. We will start improvising at m. 9 and the
improvisation has to have at least two d.8-16. Just like with what we were just doing,
you can play rhythms on F and C or C and G. If you just want to do chords, you can
still improvise rhythm. And if you ever get lost, just jam out on C, it is in both
chords.”
6. Do a run of the song with students improvising from mm. 9-16.
 23

7. “Good first run! Now that we have done it a little, get with a partner or two and
alternate improvising and singing. Do this two times each.”
8. As students are improvising, go around the room, give specific feedback, and
encourage students to try new things if they are doing well. Also check for d.8-16 in
improvisation.
9. “Now that we all have tried improvising for a while, we are all going to do it one
more time each. We will play Cairo through twice, once with half the class playing
xylophone and the other singing, and then you will switch. We will film it and you
can watch it at home with your parents once it gets uploaded!”
10. Do the two runs with accompaniment, filming it and watching for students who are
struggling or doing well.

Assessment: Teacher will monitor student improvisation for successful use of chords
and d.8-16. Teacher will also review the recording for successful singing/playing.

Closure: “Great improvisations everyone! I will give you the link to the recording next time.
Make sure to put your xylophones back carefully and have a wonderful rest of your day.”

Lesson 7: Practice
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr6.1.5a Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy,
and appropriate interpretation.
 MU:Pr5.1.5b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities to address
challenges, and show improvement over time.
 MU:Cr1.1.5b Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment
patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.

Materials of Instruction:
 Shady Grove
Chant:
 24

Body Percussion:
 25

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Introduce chant by saying it once while patting the beat along on body
percussion. Ask if students could tell what the chant was about. Take answers from a few raised
hands.

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will recite the rhythmic text “Shady Grove”
with accurate beat and rhythm in 2/4 meter.

1. Ask students to lightly tap along with the rhythm for the next repetition and if they
can tell what color the eyes are. Recite poem again.
2. Repeat the step, but asking how long it says to stay. If students answer before reciting
poem, move on.
3. Begin teaching chant, pointing to student when it is their turn to repeat the chant. If at
any point there are incorrect words or rhythms, repeat it once and if the problem is
persistent, address it.
4. Phrase 1
5. Phrase 2
6. Phrase 3
7. Phrase 4
8. Phrase 1+2
9. Phrase 3+4
10. Start a section of fill-in-the-blank, first with just one word, then with a few words,
and finally with entire phrases.
11. Phrase 1, students fill in “rose”
12. Phrase 2, students fill in “brown”
13. Phrase 3, students fill in “heart”
14. Phrase 4, students fill in “down”
15. Phrase 1, students fill in “red” and “rose”
16. Phrase 3, students fill in “darlin’” and “heart”
17. Phrase 4, students fill in “sun” and “down”
18. Recite phrase 1, have students fill in phrase 2
19. Recite phrase 3, have students fill in phrase 4
20. Have Ss recite complete poem with finger taps, reviewing phrases where there are
mistakes

Assessment: T will observe and determine if all students can recite the poem with accurate beat
and rhythm.

Transition/Closure: “Great job learning the poem, now we are going to add some body
percussion to it.”
 26

Activity #2 Objective: 5th grade students will perform body percussion to accompany
“Shady Grove” with steady beat and accurate rhythm in 2/4 meter.

1. T will begin doing the body percussion from phrase 1 on a loop, inviting Ss to join.
After a few correct repetitions, recite the text from phrase 1 in time along with the
BP.
2. Invite Ss to join in reciting the text while doing BP. If they struggle, have them pair
up quickly and have one S do Phrase 1 BP while the other recites poem, then switch.
3. Repeat the process for Phrase 2. If at any point students start to struggle, do a few
repetitions isolating either the BP or the poem.
4. After a few correct repetitions of BP and poem together, put together Phrase 1 and
Phrase 2 with both BP and poem.
5. Quickly do the process with Phrase 3 as BP is the same as Phrase 1.
6. Put together Phrase 1-Phrase 3.
7. Finally, teach Phrase 4, which students should pick up quickly pick up as it is similar
to Phrase 2.
8. Put together the entire BP and chant.
9. Ask Ss to audiate the poem while doing the entire BP. If it is clean, move on.
10. Add poem back in and stop modeling to assess student learning.

Assessment: T will watch Ss for mistakes in body percussion or poem and isolate either until
both are correct. T will also listen for inconsistencies in the body percussion and rhythm.

Transition/Closure: “Great job today! Now if you meet someone with cheeks red as a bloomin’
rose and eyes of the deepest brown, you know exactly what you can do. Now let’s move on to
the melody.”

Activity #3 Objective: 5th grade students will improvise 8 bars of rhythm on body percussion
using “Shady Grove” in as a basis.

1. Have students go back to only BP and loop it as T models the full BP and chant before
improvising BP for 8 bars. Limit improv to pats and claps with the most complex rhythm
being repeated sixteenth notes. It should still generally stick with the phrase structure
outlined before.
2. Invite Ss to try, specifying improvisation should be on pats and claps and done quiet
enough to hear everyone. Recite poem and BP and then have students improvise for 8
bars. (Give specific feedback to Ss. If you notice Ss who stay on beat, in phrase, and are
creative in their improv, invite them to demonstrate for the class.)
3. “I wonder if we could add some snaps and stomps to that to make it more interesting.
Should we try it?”
4. Class does it all together again.
5. Pair students up and have one improvise for 8 bars, then the next improvise for 8 bars. Go
around room during this time and give students feedback, encouragement, or ideas
depending on their performance.
 27

Assessment: Are students improvising with a steady beat and varying types of body percussion?
If beat is compromised, simplify the improv by removing variations of body percussion or
suggesting rhythms students could use. If students are successful but are using limited types of
body percussion, encourage them to try one of the ones they are not using.

Transition/Closure: “I love the body percussion you all came up with! Next time, we will try
putting the words to a melody and making this into a full song.”

Lesson 8: Practice
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Cn11.0.5a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other
arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
 MU:Pr4.2.5b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation.
 MU:Pr5.1.5b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities to address
challenges, and show improvement over time.

Materials of Instruction:
 Simple Gifts
 Copeland- Simple Gifts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMtCh0VuoKg
 Cantus Vocal Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_g4rEPXkyI
 Drawing page
 Colored pencils

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: “Welcome class! Everyone please take one of these sheets and some
colored pencils and be ready for some listening!”
 28

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will draw pictures that are emblematic of two
recordings of “Simple Gifts” and explain their rationale based on musical contexts.

1. T asks students to draw a picture of the listening based on the mood and texture of the
song. It can be anything as long as it is appropriate and represents the music. T starts
Copeland recording.
2. After it is done, T asks for a few volunteers to show their drawing to the class and
explain why they drew it. T will give encouraging comments and expand on student
ideas.
3. Transition discussion into background of the song. “That song is called Simple Gifts
and it comes from the state of Maine in 1848. It was written by the Shaker
community. Shakers were a group of Christian believers that had a unique lifestyle
for the time. They shared everything with each other, from food to money to living
spaces, they were strictly against any type of fighting, and they treated boys and girls
as equal, which was not very common at the time. They were also known for living a
very simple lifestyle without a lot of entertainment, technology, or decorations.
Knowing that, I want us to draw another picture based off of another recording that
has the lyrics.”
4. T plays Cantus recording. When done, do the same discussion as before.

Assessment: T will observe S drawings and listen to their reasonings. Additionally,

drawings will be collected at the end of the class along with a brief reflection.

Transition: “Did anyone pick out any of the words that they were singing? What were
some of them?”

Activity #2 Objective: Students in will recite the rhythmic text “Simple Gifts” with
accurate beat and rhythm in 2/4 meter.

1. T will display the song on screen and tell students to ignore the notes for now and just
focus on the rhythm and the words.
2. T will teach the chant via modeling and breaking down the song into 2-measure
chunks (pickup notes belong to the next phrase). If students struggle with rhythm,
slow the phrase down and repeat it a few times before speeding it back up and
continuing.
3. Once all phrases have been covered, combine into 4-bar chunks. If students struggle,
briefly break them back down into 2-bar phrases before working transitions.
4. Fill-in-the-blank. T will do pickup notes and mm. 1, 3, 5, etc. and students will do the
alternate measures on chant. T will point to themselves or students to indicate who
should be chanting.
5. Chant through entire song. T starts with S but then stops chanting and has Ss
continue.

Assessment: T will listen to chant for correct words, rhythms, and beat and isolate and
repeat sections that are inconsistent or incorrect.
 29

Transition: “Great work! The words and rhythm are probably the trickiest part for this,
so adding the pitches shouldn’t be too bad, right? Should we do it?”

Activity #3 Objective: Students will sing “Simple Gifts” on text with accurate beat, pitch,
words, and rhythm in 2/4 meter.

1. T will model the song once while students mouth the chant in rhythm and read along
in the notation.
2. T will teach the pitches mostly via giving students a starting pitch and setting up the
key. However, if students start to struggle then some modeling can be done. The
phrases will be broken up the same as for chanting, in 2-bar phrases ending before the
pickup to the next phrase. If students continue to struggle, do a few repetitions of
phrases on a neutral syllable or model it and have them repeat it back.
3. Fill-in-the-blank on pitch. “’Tis the gift to be simple ‘tis the gift to be _____, ‘tis the
gift to come down where we ought to ______, and when we find ourselves in the
place just ______, we’ll live in the valley of love and de-______. When true
simplicity is ______, to bow and to bend we won’t be _______, to turn, turn, will be
our de-______, til by turning, turning, we ___________.”
4. T and Ss will sing through the entire song together.
5. Spot check based on areas that had issues in the run done together. Focus in on 2-bar
then 4-bar phrases and give specific feedback/modeling based on student
performance.
6. Have students sing the entire song.

Assessment: T will listen for correct pitch and maintained rhythm as Ss are singing the
song and model, repeat sections, and give feedback where necessary.

Closure: “Fantastic job today everyone! Please hand in your sheets and colored pencils on the
way out and have a good rest of your day!”
 30

Draw your picture based on the listening below

______________________________________________________________________________

Why did you draw this? Write 1-2 sentences.

______________________________________________________________________________

Draw your second picture here.

Why did you draw this? What made it different from the first one? Write 1-2 sentences.

______________________________________________________________________________
 31

Lesson 9: Practice
Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Pr4.2.5cExplain how context (such as social, cultural, and historical) informs
performances.
 MU:Pr4.2.5b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using standard notation.

Materials of Instruction:
 El Zapatero (The Shoemaker)
 Recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytA8SOzz0qY OR
 El Zapatero – Arthur L. Campa – Spotify
 Text and translation

Text
Yo le dije al zapatero, que me hiciera unos zapatos
con el piquito redondo, como los tienen los patos.
A que zapatero, como me engañó!
Me hizo los zapatos, pero el piquito no!

Translation
I told a shoemaker, to make me a pair of shoes
with the toes rounded, like a duck’s bill
Oh, that old shoemaker, how he fooled me!
He made me the shoes, but not the little bill!
Not the little bill, not the little bill!
 32

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Have either the YouTube recording or the Spotify recording (preferred
Spotify) playing on loop as students enter the classroom. Stop recording once everyone is settled
in.

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will recite the rhythmic text “El Zapatero”
with accurate beat, rhythm, and pronunciation in 2/4 and 3/4 meter.

1. “Welcome everyone! How many of you liked the song that was just playing? What
language do you think it was in?” Students will likely recognize it as Spanish since
they are in Spanish classes. If not, tell them it is in Spanish.
2. If they recognize the language, ask “did anyone recognize any of the words in the
song?” If so, see if they know what the words mean.
3. “This song is actually called “El Zapatero”. Is there a Spanish word that sounds
similar to Zapatero?” Hopefully they will say zapato, which means shoe. If they do,
ask what it means. If not, bring up the word zapato then ask students what it means.
4. “So if zapato is shoe, what could zapatero be?” Have students wager a few guesses
via raised hands and tell them the answer if they get very close. “This is a folk song
that comes from New Mexico and is rooted in the Mexican style.
5. Project the Spanish text and read through it with students, paying special attention to
pronunciation. The read can be in a modeling format.
6. Project the song and begin to teach the chant primarily via modeling. Break the piece
down into two-bar phrases when teaching. Pay attention to pronunciation and rhythm
when teaching it. Each phrase may have to be repeated several times, especially the
first two phrases and the 3/4 section. Having multiple syllables on one note may trip
up students both in terms of text and rhythm. Slow sections down as needed, give
specific feedback, and ensure that there is loyalty to the written rhythm. Distinguish
between a d.8-16 and the triplet figure in m. 9. If students have too much trouble
with the multiple syllables in a small beat, have them just say the last syllable of the
note (e.g., just “un” in m. 1 rather than “je-a-un).
7. Fill-in-the-blank section “Yo le dije a un _______, que me hiciera unos _______, con
el piquito _______, como los tienen los ______. A que _______, como me _______!
Me hizo los _______, pero el piquito _______! El piquito ____! ________!”
8. Attempt a full run of the chant with T chanting along with Ss. Afterwards, T asks Ss
to hold up fingers 1-5 with how good they feel about it.
9. Spot check the chant and rhythm by phrase, focusing especially on mm. 1-4 and mm.
9-end. Give specific feedback, model, and slow down where necessary.
10. Attempt a full run of the chant, still with T assisting.

Assessment: T will ask students for self-reflection as well as listen for correct rhythm
and diction. Parts will be isolated, slowed down, modeled, or simplified until issues are
ironed out.

Transition: Project English translation of the text and read it to students. “So really this
 33

song is about someone who goes to a shoemaker and wants to get some shoes with
rounded toes like a duck’s bill, but is super upset and feels cheated by the shoemaker
because they don’t. As we learn the pitches, can we sing like we are super excited for
the new shoes in the 2/4 section and really upset in the 3/4 section?”

Activity #2 Objective: Students will sing “El Zapatero” on text with accurate beat, pitch,
words, and rhythm in 2/4 and 3/4 meter.

1. T will begin teaching the melody on a neutral syllable with correct rhythm. The
melody is actually rather simple, so this should not take long. As before, break the
melody down by two-bar phrases. If students have difficulties with rhythm, take away
pitch for a repetition or two before putting it back in.
2. Fill-in-the-blank on neutral syllable, having students fill in the last note of every two-
bar phrase.
3. Put text to the melody in two-bar segments, focusing in on a single bar if they are
tripping Ss up. More time will need to be spent in mm. 1, 3, and 9-end because of the
rhythm and syllabic difficulties.
4. Fill-in-the-blank on text, T takes mm. 1, 3, 5, 7, all in m. 9, 10, 11, all in for chant at
end. Ss will do 2, 4, 5, 8, all in m. 9, 12, and all in for chant.
5. Spot check if there were issues with the fill-in-the-blank.
6. Attempt a full run-through with both T and S.
7. Spot check one more time.
8. Full run of the song with just Ss.

Assessment: T will listen to students for correct pitch and rhythm and isolate pitch,
rhythm, and phrases to fix any issues that come up.

Closure: “Was that fun? I think you all did a fantastic job, especially because the song is in
another language! You might be able to surprise (Spanish teacher) with this next time you have
them. Have a wonderful rest of your day.”
 34

Lesson 10: Practice

Standards Being Addressed:
 MU:Cr1.1.5b Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment
patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.
 MU:Cr2.1.5a Demonstrate selected and developed musical ideas for improvisations,
arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain connection to purpose and
context.

Materials of Instruction:
 Cairo and accompaniment
 Xylophones
 Hand Drums
 Note cards
 Pencils
 35

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: T will have “Cairo” up on the screen. T and Ss will sing through it
once before beginning to split Ss into groups.

Activity #1 Objective: Students in 5th grade will compose a backbeat and accompaniment
pattern on hand drums and xylophones for the song “Cairo”, with correct style, pitches,
and tempo.

1. “Okay, we are going to calmly get into groups of 6-8 people. Once you choose, each
group will get two hand drums and two xylophones.” The students will do it and
separate to different areas in the room.
2. “What we are going to do is compose a beat for hand drums and an accompaniment
for xylophones that fit with the melody Cairo. The notes you can use on xylophone
for each measure are up on the board. Both the beat and the accompaniment must
have a dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythm used somewhere in it. At the end every group
will play twice, switching parts after the first time so everyone has a chance to play
an instrument. Make sure everyone in the group learns at least one instrument part so
they can sing once and play once. I will come around and help out or will be available
if you have questions. Make sure that you compose quietly enough that everyone can
hear each other! And… go!”
3. T will walk around room observing and offering help, advice, and encouragement to
groups. T will also make sure no students are being left out. When Ss are composing
on xylophones, they can play on both sides of one xylophone for 2 students per,
though for the performance it will just be one. T will give warnings when time is
halfway done and should finish up their first part and when groups should be
wrapping up.

Assessment: T will monitor groups for appropriate use of rhythm while composing
and offer help and advice to groups.

Transition: “And… time! Instruments or sticks down please. We are going to roll right
into performing!”

Activity #2 Objective: Students will perform “Cairo” with a sung melody and composed
beat and accompaniment with appropriate style and rhythm, correct pitch, and consistent
tempo.

1. T will ask for groups to volunteer to go first. After their first performance, ask them
to switch to a different part and do it again. After the second time, offer praise and
specific feedback about the composed parts and take a few positive comments from
the class.
2. Repeat the process for the rest of the groups, trimming the comments from the class if
there are time constraints.
3. “Wonderfully done everyone! Could the people who played your group’s instruments
 36

last please quickly and quietly go put it away and sit back down?” As students are
doing that, hand out notecards and pencils to seated group members so that everyone
can get one.

Assessment: T will listen to group’s compositions and offer positive feedback as well
as listening for correct usage of dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms. Additionally, T will
compile exit ticket responses and gauge for student understanding of the concept of
dotted eighth-sixteenth rhythms.

Closure: “How comfortable are you with playing, singing, or creating with dotted eighth-
sixteenth rhythms? Rate yourself from 1 (Not comfortable at all) to 5 (Completely comfortable)
and write 2-3 sentences why you say that. Write on your notecard and hand it and the pencil to
me on your way out.” Give students praise, thanks, and good-byes on the way out.

Rubric for Student Performances and Responses:

1 (Poor) 2 (Approaching) 3 (Meeting) 4 (Exceeding)

Student Student displays Student displays Student Student
little to no limited knowledge demonstrates demonstrates an
knowledge of the of the dotted some understanding of
dotted eighth- eighth-sixteenth understanding of the dotted eighth-
sixteenth rhythm rhythm and has the dotted eighth- sixteenth rhythm
and has serious issues in 2 areas of sixteenth rhythm, and is able to play,
issues in several consideration. but has issues in 1 sing, read, and
areas of area of compose it with
consideration. consideration. accurate
subdivision,
consistent tempo,
and characteristic
style.
Student
Student
Student
Etc.
 37

Songs
Song 1: Go In and Out the Window

Tone/Pitch Set: F major (So, Ti, Do-So)

Range: C-B-flat, m7
Rhythm Set: Eighth notes, eighth rest, dotted eighth sixteenth, dotted quarter
Form: AA’
Pedagogical Use: Dotted eighth sixteenth, reading B-flat and F, body percussion accompaniment
Citation: The Kodaly Center, Eleanor Locke, 1978

Song 2: The Bell-Cow

Tone/Pitch Set: D major, (La, Do-La)

Range: B-B, P8
Rhythm Set: Dotted eighth sixteenth, quarter, eighth, half, dotted quarter
Form: AA’BB’
Pedagogical Use: Dotted eighth sixteenth, form, reading F#
Citation: Kodaly Center, Ethel Park Richardson, 1927
 38

Song 3: Cairo

Tone/Pitch Set: F major, (So, Do-So)

Range: C-C, P8
Rhythm Set: Dotted eighth sixteenth, eighth, dotted quarter, sixteenth, half
Form: AA’BB’
Pedagogical Use: Dotted eighth sixteenth, syncopation, movement, reading B-flat, C, and F
Citation: Sail Away: 155 American Folk Songs to Sing, Read, and Play, Komlos, Boosey and
Hawkes, 1988
 39

Song 4: Shady Grove

Tone/Pitch Set: C Pentatonic, (Do, Re, Mi, So, La, Do’)

Range: C-C, P8
Rhythm Set: Dotted eighth sixteenth, eighth, sixteenths, quarter, dotted quarter, half
Form: Verse Chorus
Pedagogical Use: Dotted eighth sixteenth, form, pentatonic, re tonal center
Citation: Kodaly Center, Marching Across the Green Grass, 1978
 40

Song 5: Simple Gifts

Tone/Pitch Set: G major, (So, Ti, Do-So)

Range: D-D, P8
Rhythm Set: Dotted eighth sixteenth, eighth, sixteenth
Form: AA’BA’’
Pedagogical Use: Dotted eighth sixteenth, repeated sixteenth, form, reading F#
Citation: Kodaly Center, Edward D. Andrews, 1962
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Song 6: El Zapatero

Tone/Pitch Set: F major, (La, Ti, Do, Re, Mi, So)

Range: D-C, m7
Rhythm Set: Dotted eighth sixteenth, eighth, sixteenth dotted eighth, triplet, sixteenth
Form: AABC
Pedagogical Use: Dotted eighth sixteenth, sixteenth dotted eighth, triplet, triple vs
eighth/sixteenth, meter change, world music
Citation: Kodaly Center, Ruben Cobos Collection