It’s that time of year again. My fourth grade students have learned “syncopa” or “ta-di–di” and we’re practicing it every which way. It’s a good idea to have students read it from flashcards, posters, or displayed on a projector, and I highly encourage you to use the highlighting feature if you have a SMART board or other interactive white board.
The next stage is writing, but this is where it gets tricky. Writing with laminated rhythm cards is a good place to start, but eventually the students need to put pen to paper, or finger to screen, and write. Do you find that the quarters and eighths are all over the place and not spaced correctly? If so, try using the Syncopa fill-in-the-blank worksheet under Resources for Teachers. The boxes give the students parameters for their first pencil to paper practice. While you’re there, you may be interested in a Syncopa Song Match. All of the resources are free, but please contact me if you wish to use them outside your elementary music classroom.