Ti Tika Unit Plan

Teacher Name: Alora Duran

Target Grade Level: 3rd
Spring 2023
Musical Concept of Focus:
Ti Tika

Standards Being Addressed:

MU:Pr4.2.3b When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases
using iconic and standard notation.
MU:Pr5.1.3a - Apply teacher provided and collaboratively developed criteria and feedback to evaluate
accuracy of ensemble performances.
MU:Pr5.1.3b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy, expressive qualities, and identified performance
challenges
MU:Pr6.1.3a Perform music with expression and technical accuracy.
Materials of Instruction:
Pre-Assessment:

Objective: Students will perform a tika tika rhythm song memorized with minimal teacher
assistance and at least 80% correct rhythms

1. Write the ghost song on the board (preferably before class)

2. Have students count and clap the first phrase along with the teacher and then on their
own
a. Use “Clap and count it ready go”
3. Have students count and clap the 2nd phrase along with the teacher and then on their
own
4. Have students and the teacher clap and count both phrases together
5. Erase one measure of the song but not the bar line
a. Make sure students remember what was just erased “What was written there?”
6. Have students clap and count the song with that portion memorized
a. Make corrections as needed
b. “Even though that portion is gone, we still have to clap and count it”
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6, each time erasing another measure of the music
a. Do not erase the beginning measure until the very end, if at all
8. At the very end, have students clap and count the song with as many potions
memorized as they have managed.
a. Have them clap and count it without the teacher

Assessment: Listen as students perform the song at the very end to hear if they have
 remembered the song correctly

Prepare:
Lesson 1: Hogs in the Cornfield Game

Lesson #1 Objective: Students will clap the rhythm to Hogs in The Cornfield with at least 80%
correct rhythm.

1. Begin with a student volunteer and demonstrate the hand clasp and hand moving
motion.
2. “You have ten seconds to get into partners and decide who is partner 1 and who is
partner 2”
a. Give them a count down
3. Have partner 1 stand on the purple and partner 2 stand on the blue
4. Have students clasp hands with their partners.
5. “As I sing the song, move your hands back and forth”
a. Model the motion for the students
6. “When the song is over, you SAFELEY play tug of war with your partner”
a. Ask students what safety would look like
7. Play through the game several times. The first 4 times the teacher sings and then
students join in
8. Once students start singing, play through a few more rounds so they can get practice
singing the song
9. Have students pause playing the game and clap the rhythm of the song
a. “In a minute I want you to clap the rhythm of the song like this”
i. Demonstrate the clapping of the song for the students
ii. “Now clap and say the words with me”
Assessment: Watch as students clap the song to see if they are performing the correct moves

Lesson 2: Fire in the Mountain Game

Lesson #2 Objective: Students will sing Fire in the Mountain with at least 80% correct words
and steady beat.

1. Have students silently get into partners and form a circle with one partner on the
inside and one on the outside. Have one person without a partner stand in the center
of the circle.
a. Then have the partner on the inside sit down to form a “house”
2. Explain the rules of the game to the students
a. When the teacher starts singing the song, the students standing have to find a
new “house” to stand by to avoid being caught in the middle
b. During the rounds, the students who are acting as houses pat the steady beat
3. Play through several rounds of the game with the teacher singing. After 4 or so
rounds, encourage students to start joining in the singing
 a. Every few rounds, switch which students are houses and not

Assessment: Watch as students perform the game, watch and listen to see if they pat a
steady beat and sing the correct words.

Lesson 3: Drunken Sailor Boat Game

Lesson #3 Objective: Students will sing Drunken Sailor with at least 80% correct rhythms

1. “Can I get a volunteer to help me demonstrate the game?”

a. Students get into groups of 4. The person at the back of the boat is the captain
and steers the boat by pressing on the shoulders of the person in front of them.
All members of the boat have their eyes closed except for the captain. No
methods of communication are allowed besides pressing on shoulders,
especially talking.
b. If two boats crash into each other they both sink (sit down)
2. Start playing through the game. For the first few rounds of the game, have only the
teacher sing.
3. After two rounds, pause the game to ask students guiding questions about the lyrics.
a. “What do we do with a drunken ____?”
b. “Ear-lye in the ____?”
4. Continue playing through the game
5. After a few more rounds, pause the game
a. Have students clap and say the rhythms along with the teacher focusing on the
“what would you do with a drunken sailor” portion
6. Play through a few more rounds of the game

Assessment: Listen to students as they play the game to hear if they are singing Drunken
Sailor with the correct rhythms

Lesson 4: Drunken Sailor Rhythm Comparison

Lesson #4 Objective: Students will identify the rhythm at the beginning of Drunken Sailor as
long short short.

1. Remind students of the boat labeling activity from last class and have students re-
identify what words are in the first two boats
2. “How many words are in those boats?” “Do we know the names of any rhythms that
have three pieces in one beat?”
3. “Listen to how I sing Drunken Sailor” “Are all three of those words the same
length?”
a. Sing drunken sailor with the triplet rhythm
b. “Does that sound like how the song normally sounds?”
 4. “Not all three of the words are the same length. Which one do we think is the longest,
the first, second, or third?”
5. Work through comparing those three versions to how the song is normally sung
a. When the students suggest one of the versions, draw the notation on the board,
sing and clap the version, and then sing and clap the original.
b. “Do those two versions sound the same?” / “Does that sound correct?”

Assessment: When asking students if the different versions of Drunken Sailor sound
correct, listen to see if they are able to hear the

Transition: Have students get into partners with one partner inside the rug and the other
standing behind them

Part 2: Fire in the Mountain

Lesson #4 Part 2 Objective: Students will identify that the same long short short rhythm found
in Drunken Sailor is also in Fire in the Mountain with minimal teacher assistance

1. Play through a few rounds of Fire in the Mountain (4ish)

a. Students are familiar with the song and game so encourage them to sing along
b. Have the “campfires/houses” pat the steady beat the first round, then sing and
clap the rhythm the second round
c. After two rounds have the campfires and hikers switch places
2. Draw students’ attention to “Fire in the” being three claps not 4
3. “Does that rhythm sound familiar?” “Does it sound like what we hear in Drunken
Sailor?”
a. “Repeat after me” Have students repeat after you singing and clapping “What
would you” “do with a”, and “Fire in the” then “long short short”
b. “That’s the same rhythm isn’t it?”

Assessment: Ask students if the rhythm for Drunken Sailor and Fire in the Mountain sound
the same. Have students call their answers out so you can hear a wider array of responses

Present:

Lesson 5: Frayer Model

Lesson #5 Objective: Given written notation, students will identify Ti Tika with at least
80% accuracy

1. Have students form a lunch line and each grab a Frayer model (shown in Materials)
and pencil off of the table and then sit down on the center rug
 2. “Remember that long short short sound that we’ve been working with? Today we get
to learn the name of that rhythm”
3. Beginning in the center of the model have students draw the notation for ti tika and
then give it its name
a. Have the teacher fill out the model on the board along with the students
4. Work through the other four squares of the model going from top left, top right,
bottom left, and bottom right
a. Call on students to give answers for what to fill in the boxes
b. Have some pre-created ideas for what to put in each box. Ex: It feels like a
long short short, it is not a tika tika

Practice:
Lesson 6: Fire in the Mountain Rhythm Ostinatos Activity

Lesson #6 Objective: Students will perform a rhythm canon in two parts by clapping and
counting with least 80% correct rhythm and a steady pulse

1. Split the class into two halves, one sitting on the green rug and one sitting on the
gray.
2. “Repeat after me”
a. Say the first phrase of the rhythm
b. Clap the first phrase
c. Say and clap the first phrase
d. “Now clap and count it without me”
e. Use hand motions to show when it’s their turn
f. Repeat this process with the 2nd phrase
3. Have students clap and count the full rhythm as one group
4. Have students clap and count the rhythm as group A while the teacher claps and
counts as group B
5. Have the students clap and count the rhythm in groups A and B. Have one teacher
lead each group (if two are available). Cue each group with hand signals

Assessment: Listen and watch as students perform the rhythm canon to see and hear if they
clap and count correctly without getting thrown off by the other group

Lesson 7: Drunken Sailor Barline Writing Game

Lesson #7 Objective: Students will write in the barlines for Drunken Sailor with at least 80%
correct placement

1. Have two copies of the rhythm for Drunken Sailor up on the board (white board and
touch screen?)
2. Sing through Drunken Sailor with the students
a. The first time, have the students listen to the teacher
 b. Have students fill in the blank for the song lyrics. “What do you do with
a____” “Early in the ____” etc.
c. Call and Response individual phrases
d. Sing the whole song together as a group
3. Explain the rules of the game for the students
a. “In two teams, you will take writing in a single barline for the music. Each
person will go from the starting line, up to the board, and then back to the line
to tag the person who is next. Then go to the back of the line.
If you place a barline incorrectly, you’ll have to come back again to correct it.
Now, make sure as we’re playing the game we don’t get too violent, or we’ll
have to stop playing the game”
4. Have students get into lines in their teams and remind them to be careful
5. “Ready set go”
a. Check barline placement as students go and have students redo them if
necessary

Assessment: As students are writing, check their barline placement to make sure they are
placed correctly

Lesson 8: Drunken Sailor Rhythm Writing

Lesson #8 Objective: Students will write ti tika rhythms with clear handwriting

1. Have one person in each group grab a white board, expo marker, and sock eraser
2. Explain the rules of the game
a. “At the start of each round, each group will send up one sailor. As I sing the
song the sailors will spin around as fast as they can. Then on their boards,
they’ll have 10 seconds to write the rhythm from up on the screen as neatly as
they can. Each time you write the rhythm correctly and neatly, you’ll get a
point. Whichever group has the most points at the end wins”
3. Review what neat writing will look like. “strait lines, evenly spaced” and draw the
first rhythm on the screen
4. Play through several rounds of the game. Each time that time is up, have students
hold up their whiteboards and quickly tell each if they get a point.
5. Repeat this process with various rhythms from Drunken Sailor and then other ti tika
rhythms as needed
Assessment: After students write the rhythms on their boards, have them hold them up and
check to see if they have written the correct rhythm with strait lines and even spacing

Post-Assessment: Modified Drunken Sailor Rhythm Writing

Objective: Students will write ti tika rhythms with clear handwriting and sing and clap ti tikas
within a musical context with at least 80% accuracy
6. Have one person in each group grab a white board, expo marker, and sock eraser
7. Reveiw the rules of the game
a. “At the start of each round, each group will send up one sailor. As we sing the
song the sailors will spin around as fast as they can. Then on their boards,
they’ll have 10 seconds to write the rhythm from up on the screen as neatly as
they can. Each time you write the rhythm correctly and neatly, you’ll get a
point. Whichever group has the most points at the end wins”
b. “Those of you who are not actively singing will be singing the song while
clapping the rhythms”
8. Review what neat writing will look like. “strait lines, evenly spaced” and draw the
first rhythm on the screen
9. Play through several rounds of the game. Each time that time is up, have students
hold up their whiteboards and quickly tell each if they get a point.
a. If rhythms are not neat because students were dizzy from spinning, give them
a chance to re-write them
10. Repeat this process with various rhythms from Drunken Sailor and then other ti tika
rhythms as needed

Assessment: After students write the rhythms on their boards, have them hold them up and
check to see if they have written the correct rhythm with strait lines and even spacing. As
students are playing the game, watch and listen to the students not spinning to see and hear
if they are clapping and singing with accurate rhythm at least 80% of the time.