YELLOW BRICK ROAD MUSIC

It was about this time each year that I started to plan for Tideo in second grade. The accompanying dance is perfect for introducing students to barred sixteenth notes. And the rest of the rhythms in the song are great for reviewing barred eighth and quarter notes. Be sure to read to the end to grab a free set of rhythm cards for Tideo.

DANCE

I honestly can’t remember where I first learned this dance, but I used it every year with great success. The directions are as follows:

Students form an inner and outer circle facing each other.

Skip one window, Tideo,
Skip two windows, Tideo,
Skip three windows, Tideo,

The outer circle sidesteps clockwise to the beat. Students step out on the first beat. Then, draw their other leg in on the second beat. To help them with this, I would often model while saying “step, together, step, together…” So, they should be facing a new person on every other beat.

Jingle at the windows, Tideo.
Facing their new partners, students pat the sixteenth notes on their legs. They clap the eighth notes. And finally, the partners pat their hands together for the quarter note.

*You will likely need to save the clapping/patting part till after they’ve mastered the other dance moves. For many of my classes, this was the final step, which I dubbed an “extra challenge”. If they were ready to move on, they were excited about the challenge, even begging for it. If they weren’t excited about it, that was my cue that I should save it for another day or work on the basic dance moves some more.

Tideo, Tideo
Partners swing their right arms, landing in the opposite circle they started in.

Jingle at the windows, Tideo
With the same partners as before, they pat and clap the rhythms. Then, the song begins again.

The dance part of this lesson, usually took up two class periods. After which, students really had a feel for the sixteenth notes.

RHYTHM PUZZLE

Pass out a set of rhythm cards to each student and have them scatter the cards on the floor. I printed mine on cardstock and stuck some magnetic tape on the back of each card.

You can stick your DIY magnets on your chalkboard or dry-erase board. Or take a cue from Elizabeth over at Organized Chaos, and buy some cheap cooking pans so that every student can play with the magnets.

Once all students have scattered their cards, they can begin arranging them in the right order.

RHYTHM CARD DOWNLOAD & DIFFERENTIATION

I have three sets that you can download for free by clicking on the image below. Each set represents a different mastery level, which can be used for differentiation.

Click HERE to download the rhythm cards.

The first set contains rhythms and lyrics. The second set contains only rhythms. And the third set contains rhythms, plus an extra page of rhythms that don’t belong. You can pass out each set according to the skill level of each student. If they finish arranging their cards, then you can choose to give them a more advanced set. Or you might ask them to quietly pat the rhythms as they sing the song in their “mind’s ear”.

12 Responses

  1. Great blog!!! I use Tideo a LOT when I sub! The students ALWAYS love it! This is the dance that I use also. It is so easy to teach–even when you are a sub. Thank you so much for the free cards for Tideo!!!

    1. Thanks for commenting Debbie! I always look forward to hearing your thoughts 🙂 I'm glad that the cards will come in handy for you!

  2. Thanks!! Jennifer. It saves my time tremendously. I am going to use the rhythm cards with my 3rd graders tomorrow. Thanks for being nice to share your resources.