Here is a short, dramatic vignette.
The characters are Jeanine, an energetic young kindergarten teacher who plays the guitar, and a small group of kindergarten children who are sitting around her for a "special activity.
" The children are Anne, Jacob, Samantha, and Jose.
Jeanine is strumming her guitar as she says, "Today, we're going to play some games with rhythm.
" (See Commentary below for explanation of numbers.
) (1) Anne says quickly, "Teacher, I don't know what "rhythm" is.
" Jeanine answers, "That's OK.
We're all going to find out.
" Samantha says, "I know what it is.
" Jeanine: "Why don't you tell us?" Samantha: Well, it's like "Boom Boom Boom.
" Jose says, "That a big drum.
" Jeanine continues, "And when you play a drum, you hear a rhythm.
Listen.
" Jeanine plays three identical cords on the guitar.
"Is that a rhythm?" Samantha: Yes! It's like "Boom Boom Boom" on the drum, only it's "Boom Boom Boom on the guitar.
" Jacob adds, "You can have rhythm on the piano too.
Boom Boom Boom.
" (2) Jeanine answers, "Very good, Jacob.
What else has rhythm?" Jacob: "If someone is hammering a nail, that has rhythm.
" Jeanine: "All kinds of work you do with your body has rhythm.
(3) Anne, can you give another example of rhythm? Anne says slowly, "I don't know.
Maybe scrubbing a potato?" Jeanine, "Excellent! Let's pretend we have a potato and we're scrubbing it.
" The group holds an imaginary potato and a kitchen brush, and pretends to scrub it.
Jose gets faster and faster as he scrubs.
Jeanine asks, "Is that Boom Boom Boom?" Jose: No.
it's more like Boom Boom boomboomboomboom.
" Jeanine says, "Yes.
When it gets faster, you hear the rhythm is a different way.
Let's all clap with Jose.
Do it again, Jose.
" The children imitate Jose's actions, as Jeanine follows the pattern on the guitar.
(4) Jeanine says, "Now let's all clap some words.
Why don't we clap our name? I'll start.
" She says, "Ja-NEEN"as she claps the rhythm.
"Jacob?" Jacob claps and says, "JA-cob.
" Samantha says and claps "Sa-MAN-tha.
" Anne says sadly, "But I can't do it with my name.
" Jeanine hugs her.
"Sure you can.
Let's all do it.
" The others give a single clap as they say, "Anne.
Anne.
Anne.
" Anne follows along.
(5) Jeanine says, "Terrific! The next thing I want to do today is to say and clap some other words you know.
Who wants to start?" Each child claps the rhythm as he or she speaks: " Jose: " PerMIso.
"; Jacob: "ShaLOM"; Anne: "Clap.
Clap.
Clap"; Samanatha: "SANta Claus.
" Jeanine says, "OK.
The last thing we're going to do is look around the room and find something to clap and say.
We can do it all together.
" The children clap and say, "LOTS of BLOCKS" (Samantha) "Chair.
Chair.
Chair.
" (Anne) "Computer" (Jacob) "COATandHAT" (Jose.
) Jeanine says, "Wonderful! The next time, we'll practice some more rhythms when I read you a story.
" (6) COMMENTARY (1) Awareness of rhythm is a wonderful aide to reading readiness and reading.
According to Snow, Burns, and Griffin, 1998, such phonological recognition gives a child a sense of the sounds that compose words.
(2) Samantha and Jacob discover that different objects can create the same rhythm.
Later on, they can relate this to language - two words that have the same rhythm and sound but mean something different, as in the homonym, "Beet - the vegetable" and "Beat - as in beat your opponent in a game.
" (3) Jacob has made a jump from rhythm in musical sound to the rhythm of human work.
(4) Jeanine will finish by applying the rhythm of familiar words to the child's name.
(5) And finally to other familiar words, chosen by the child.
(6) Next time, Jeanine will integrate the children's study of rhythm with a connection to the printed word in a book.
The overlap between phonological awareness and print awareness is another plus for reading.
(Storch & Whitehurst, 2002.
) Copyright 2010