Feel the Beats | EL Education Curriculum

You are here

ELA GK:S2:C9:L49

Feel the Beats

You are here:

Daily Learning Targets

  • Opening A: I can identify the name and sound for the letters "u," "q," and "x." (RF.K.3)
    • I can identify the name of each uppercase and lowercase letter.
    • I can look at each consonant and say its sound.
  • Work Time A: I can feel and count the syllables (beats) in the words of a poem and can segment and blend the onset (beginning sound) and rime (ending chunk) in single-syllable words. (RF.K.2)
    • I can count the syllables in a spoken word.
    • I can segment (break apart) and pronounce separate syllables in a spoken word.
    • I can blend separate syllables to form a spoken word.
    • I can blend onset and rime in a single-syllable word.
    • I can segment onset and rime in a single-syllable word.

Ongoing Assessment

  • Observe students during Work Time A.
    • Determine whether they can identify the number of syllables in spoken words.
    • Also determine whether they can pronounce each individual syllable, blend it, and segment it.
  • Record students' progress on the Snapshot Assessment.

Agenda

Agenda

1. Opening (5 minutes)

A. Letter-Sound Chant: All Accumulated Letters

2. Work Time (10-15 minutes)

A. Feel the Beats

3. Closing and Assessment (2 minutes)

A. Reflecting on Learning

4. Differentiated Small Group Instruction and Rotations (40-45 minutes)

In Advance

  • Prepare the Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student).
  • Gather materials for differentiated small group instruction (see Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher).

Vocabulary

Key: Lesson-Specific Vocabulary (L); Text-Specific Vocabulary (T)

  • beat, blend, syllable (L)

Materials

  • Enlarged poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" (for teacher to display; from Lesson 47)
  • Large pointer (optional; for teacher to point to words in poem as the class recites)
  • Articulatory Gestures chart (from Lesson 46)
  • Poetry notebooks (one per student)
  • Poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" (one per student in their poetry notebooks)
  • Snapshot Assessment (optional; one per student)

Opening

OpeningMeeting Students' Needs

A. Letter-Sound Chant: All Accumulated Letters

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"):

"Now let's say the alphabet, letter by letter. Here is the letter, here is the sound. When we chant together, we sound great. Listen up to the sounds we make!"

  • Begin the Letter-Sound Chant instructional practice:

1. Teacher says: "Today we will do a Letter-Sound Chant with ALL the letters we have learned so far."

2. Teacher models the Letter-Sound Chant for "u": "'u,' umbrella, /u/," and repeats.

3. Teacher asks students to join in the Letter-Sound Chant for "u": "'u,' umbrella, /u/," and repeats.

4. Repeat steps 2-3 with "q," "x," and letters accumulated to this point.

5. Teacher says: "Great job! Knowing the sounds for letters helps us become better readers."

  • Invite students to feel how their mouths and tongues move and where the breath is released when pronouncing each sound. Refer to the Articulatory Gestures chart (see Lesson 46).

Work Time

Work TimeMeeting Students' Needs

A. Feel the Beats

  • (Suggested transition song, sung to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"):

"Let's count the syllables, beat by beat. Tap your fingers and drum in your seat. When we hear a syllable, we will tap. Try it out with a rat-a-tat-tat."

  • Begin the Feel the Beats instructional practice:

1. Teacher reads the Enlarged poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" once, pointing to each word as he or she reads it (with a finger or pointer) with expression.

2. While reading, teacher draws students' attention to the rhythm and syllables (beats) by tapping each beat under the word.

3. Students and teacher recite the poem aloud slowly.

4. Students and teacher tap each beat of the poem as they read, tapping the index and middle fingers of the right hand against the same two fingers of the left.

5. Teacher recites the first full sentence of the poem again while tapping as students listen: "A fox on a box and a quiet little quail sat under an umbrella in the rain."

6. Teacher invites students to say the word "quiet" aloud, tapping out each beat.

7. Teacher asks:

"How many syllables are in the word 'quiet'?" (two)

8. Teacher asks:

"What is the first syllable in the word 'quiet'?" ("qui")

"What is the second syllable in the word 'quiet'?" ("et")

9. Repeat steps 6-8 with "umbrella" and "rain."

10. Repeat steps 5-8 with the remaining lines in the poem using "fix," "water," "golden," "together," "chat," and "until."

11. Teacher says: "Now let's play a game. I'll say each syllable in a word, and you blend them together to say the word they make."

12. Teacher says: "quar-ter."

13. Student(s) say: "quarter."

14. Repeat steps 11-13 with two or three more multisyllabic words from the poem.

15. Teacher says: "Now that we've listened for each syllable in words that have more than one syllable, let's go a little smaller. Let's play a game with words that have just one syllable."

16. Teacher asks:

"Who can give me a word from the poem that has one syllable?"

17. Teacher says: "Let's break that word into its beginning sound and ending chunk."

18. Teacher models with the word. Example: "'fox': /f/-/ox/."

19. Teacher invites students to do this with "rain" and "down."

20. Teacher reverses the process, saying: "Now I'll say the beginning sound and ending chunk, and you say the word."

21. Teacher says: /f/-/ix/.

22. Students say: "fix."

23. Teacher repeats steps 19-21 with "quick" and "chat."

  • It can be challenging for young students to differentiate the number of beats in a spoken word from the number of printed words on a page. Many expect that the finger will move on after each beat when pointing to words in a text. In this lesson, tapping each beat in a word with two or more syllables directly under the word lays the groundwork for understanding the difference between "beats" (syllables) and words.
  • For students who have difficulty managing the timing and coordination involved in physically marking each beat in spoken words: Allow them to recite it slowly instead.
  • Consider substituting the tapping of the fingers with marching in place or gently slapping a knee with one hand for students who need a more gross motor method.

Closing & Assessments

ClosingMeeting Students' Needs

A. Reflecting on Learning

  • Emphasize that successful learners think about what they've learned and why it's important. Consider using a metaphor, such as a baseball player learning to keep his or her eye on the ball to know exactly when to hit it.
  • Ask:

"When we listen to or say a word like 'umbrella,' how can we figure out how many syllables it has?" (Say it, listen for each "beat," and hold up a finger each time a new beat is heard.)

"How might that help us with reading or writing?" (Responses will vary.)

  • For students who need additional support organizing their ideas: Provide sentence frames. Example:
    • "When I said the word _____, I _____."

Differentiated Small Groups: Work with Teacher

Suggested Plan: Teacher works with the Pre-Alphabetic and Early Partial Alphabetic groups. Teacher may meet briefly with the Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic groups to get them started on independent work.

Note: Groups not working with the teacher at a given time should be engaged in purposeful independent rotation work. Refer to the Independent and Small Group Work guidance document (see K-2 Skills Resource Manual) for more details.

Pre-Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher guides students as they tap out each beat in the first two lines of the poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" as they recite it. Students work with the teacher to determine the number of syllables (beats) in a specific word. They continue the process with the remaining lines, if time allows.

OR:

  • Suggested Activity Bank activity:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable (S) category

Early Partial Alphabetic:

  • Practice activity: Teacher guides students as they tap out each beat in the first two lines of the poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" as they recite it. Students work with the teacher to determine the number of syllables (beats) in a specific word. They continue the process with the remaining lines, if time allows.

OR:

  • Suggested Activity Bank activity:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable (S) category

Late Partial and Early Full Alphabetic:

  • Independent practice activity: Students practice reciting the poem: "A Fox and a Quail in the Rain" and tapping the beats with their fingers a few times. Then they whisper-read the poem aloud in their poetry notebooks and indicate the number of syllables under each word. Example: Under the word "fox," they will make one line, while under the word "umbrella," they will make two.

OR:

  • Suggested Activity Bank activity:
    • An Activity Bank activity from the Syllable (S) category
  • Additional Supporting Materials:
    • Poetry notebooks (from Lesson 47; one per student)

Get updates about our new K-5 curriculum as new materials and tools debut.

Sign Up