This is a great song to teach SLS and quarter note/rest and eighth note pairs. Here’s my process.
After learning the song by echo singing with a pat/clap steady beat pattern, I told the Ss the history of the song from the info I found HERE. That info led me to have the students get in groups of 3 with two horses and a driver. I cut lengths of rope for the reins that went around the torso area of the two horses in front, with the driver holding the ends behind. We trotted around the room after singing the song, with the idea that the horses had done their work for the day and were heading home. We switched until everyone had been the driver. Lots of giggles and fun!
- The next music class we sang and clapped the rhythm, then partners got bells or other non-pitched metal percussion and played the rhythm as they sang.
- The third music class, as a group, we sat at my large rhythm chart, and together determined the rhythm of the song. How I made my chart is located HERE!
- The fourth music class, partners got a 16 beat template, an envelope with the necessary rhythmic icons, and then wrote the rhythm. After a few minutes of them working on it, I clapped the first line, let them look at what they had, then I put it on my large chart for them to check and see if they were correct. I continued this method until all 4 lines were complete. Then one partner touched the answers as the other partner clapped and sang the song. They switched roles.
Here’s the version of Bell Horses that I use!
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I needed a big chart for K-2 so that we could write song/rhyme rhythms. I wanted something cheap! 🙂 I bought a black foam board (20×30″) at Dollar Tree, then added strips of thick paper such as card stock to form the pockets. The actual rhythms are written on blank 4×6 note cards. I laminated them but that isn’t completely necessary.
The glued bottom edge serves as a stop for the note card. The red lines on the photo to the right show where I used glue.
