Title – The Swamp Beat: Rhythm in Verse

By – Kristyn Crow

Primary Subject – Language Arts

Secondary Subjects – Music

Grade Level – K-4

Time – 30 minutes

Introduction:

Your students can learn about rhythm in verse using Kristyn Crow’s picture book,

Bedtime at the Swamp

. Feel the Swamp Beat!

Purpose of the Activity:

In language, rhythm is a cadence produced by a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Rhythm occurs in all forms of language, but is particularly important in poetry and verse. This lesson could supplement a beginning poetry curriculum, but works well with any kind of language or reading instruction. A study was conducted in London which found that children with dyslexia and other reading delays often had difficulty perceiving rhythm in words and sounds. The “Swamp Beat” activity can help strengthen a child’s ability to hear rhythm patterns in written text. It’s fun and engaging, and it promotes interest in reading. Some children are hands-on active learners, and this suits their learning style.

Required Materials:

• 
  Bedtime at the Swamp
  
  , a picture book by Kristyn Crow, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan, published by HarperCollins, 2008. (
  
  Purchase/Order from Amazon.com, Borders, BookSense, Barnes and Noble, etc.
  
  )

• Children may use rhythm sticks, shakers, drums, tambourines, crow sounders, rain sticks, or just their hands and feet to make the rhythm sounds.

Lesson Activity:

Read

Bedtime at the Swamp

aloud to the students, having them “echo” the refrain in the book. Read it a second time, having the students clap a steady beat. Explain that the steady beat is like a heartbeat; it keeps on going at an even pace. Ask students to raise their hand if they play a musical instrument at home. Just as there is rhythm in music, language, especially poetry, also has rhythm. Then pass out the rhythm instruments (optional), guiding the children first in keeping a steady beat to the book’s text, and then breaking into “parts” for the refrain. For example:


BEDTIME AT THE SWAMP

:

(

Rhythm is


marked


in the first stanza

.)

I was


sit


tin’ by a


swamp


just


hum


min’ a


tune



With the


fire


flies


dan


cin’ ‘neath the


fat


gold


moon



When


off


in the


dist


ance was a


splash


in’


sound



So I


stood


on my


tip


py-toes and


looked


a


round


.

I heard:

Splish Splash		( Shakers, tambourines, or finger snaps )
Rumba-Rumba		( Crow sounders, sand blocks, noise makers, or feet stomping )
Bim-Bam slapping		( Hand drums, claves, triangles, rhythm sticks, or desk/thigh slapping )
BOOM!		( Tom Toms, Conga drums, cymbals, or claps )

(Repeat)

More Suggestions for Teachers:

For preparation or additional practice, read verse to the class and have them clap or snap to a steady beat. Start by singing the words as the children clap, then speak the same words

without

singing. Have the students keep the rhythm by clapping in regular intervals (not on every syllable).

Here are some examples (

the first stanzas show the


steady beat


with underlines below

). Next, have the children keep the rhythm of the words, by clapping or tapping to EVERY syllable. You could then have half the class keep the steady beat, and half the class keep the beat to the rhythm of the words, at the same time.


DING DONG! THE WITCH IS DEAD

:



Ding Dong


! The


Witch


is


dead


.



Which


old


Witch


?
The


Wick


ed


Witch


!


Ding Dong

!
The


Wick


ed


Witch


is


dead


.

Wake up –
sleepy head,

rub your eyes,
get out of bed.

Wake up,
the Wicked Witch is dead.


I WENT TO THE ANIMAL FAIR

:

I


went


to the


An


imal


Fair



The


birds


and the


beasts


were


there


.

The


big


ba


boon


by the


light


of the


moon



Was


comb


ing his


au


burn


hair


.

You should have seen the monk

He sat on the elephant’s trunk

The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees

And that was the end of the monk

The monk, the monk, the monk.


OLD DAN TUCKER

:



Old


Dan


Tuck


er was a


might


y


man


.

He


washed


his


face


in a


fry


ing


pan


.

He


combed


his


hair


with a


wag


on


wheel


, and he



Walked


with a


tooth


ache


in


his


heel


.

Get out the way, old Dan Tucker.

Get out the way, old Dan Tucker.

Get out the way, old Dan Tucker.

You’re too late to eat your supper.

Here’s verse from another rhythmic picture book by Margaret Mahy:


17 KINGS AND 42 ELEPHANTS

:



Sev


enteen


kings


on


for


ty-two


el


ephants



Going


on a


jour


ney through a


wild


wet


night


,



Bag


gy


ears


like


big


umbr


ell


aphants,



Lit


tle eyes a-


gleam


ing in the


jun


gle


light


.



Sev


enteen


kings


saw


white


-toothed


croc


odiles



Romp


ing in the


riv


er where the


reeds


grow


tall


,



Green


-eyed


drag


ons,


rough


as


rock


odiles,



Ly


ing in the


mud


where the


small


crabs


crawl


.

Supplemental Activities:

• For older students, write lines of verse on the board (or pass out handouts) and have the students draw an “X” over the words/syllables where they hear a beat, or emphasis. Explain that these are stressed syllables, and those without an “X” are unstressed. How many beats do they hear per line?
• You could also help them determine the stressed syllables in their spelling words or their names.
• Sometimes it helps to demonstrate how funny it sounds when the wrong syllables are stressed.
• Older students can also be asked to write a structured poem with two, three, or four stresses (beats) per line, or it may be easier to write a poem to the rhythm of a familiar song, like Old MacDonald.
• For very young students, just helping them find the beat in different samples of verse is a good exercise.

Advanced Students:

Have students write three examples of each rhythm unit below.

In the English language, the most common units of rhythm are:


The

iamb

– two syllables, only the second accented (as in “good-


bye


“)

The

trochee

– two syllables, only the first accented (as in “


win


dow”)

The

anapest

– three syllables, with only the third stressed (as in “Hallo


ween


“)

The

dactyl

– one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed (as in “


beau


tiful”)

The

spondee

– two consecutive syllables that are both stressed (as in “


not


now


“)

Website:

www.kristyncrow.com

E-Mail

Kristyn Crow

!