I would like to teach them dances rhythms like: 9/8 quarter, dotted quarter, quarter, quarter and like: 7/8 dotted quarter, quarter, quarter. But I must certainly first teach them rhythm because most of the students do know about music. And yes I would have to go through dotted and syncopated rhythms. Help!!! how can I teach them this??? Here's what I came out of all this. Thank you all for your advice:

1) Dots on the board and they clap eight times to the dots all together.

2) Music can be divided into equal measures. Make the eight dots quarter and divide the eight notes into two measures.

3) When we clap ONCE for each note, we call it clapping the RHYTHM.

4) I call out a student. I play quarter notes on a drum and the student walks and claps to the rhythm of the drum.

5) Another student walks twice as fast with smaller steps to the rhythm of eighth notes which I play on the drum.

6) I explain that when the second student walks with smaller and faster steps we symbolize that with |-|and we say Ti-Ti.

7) Explain the concept of time signature

8) When we are at a 4/4 tim signature then one beat of the pulse equals with 1 quarter (show a quarter note). Like a quarter of a pie. 4 pieces of pie make a whole pie. Likewise we need to have 4 quarters in a measure, the upper number of the time signature tells us, so that we can have a whole measure, a whole pie.

9) When 4/8 the 8, the lower number of the time signature, then the eighth note is a quarter of a pie. 4 eighth notes makes us a whole measure or 4 quarters of a pie make us a whole pie.

9) When 9/8 we neef 9 eighth notes to make us a whole measure the pie.

10) When we habe 7/8 we need 7 eighth notes to make a whole measure, a whole pie.

11) Show quarter and say it equals with 2 eighth notes. The dotted quarter equals with three eighth notes.

12) Everybody then claps the four dance rhythms A)

12) Then hand out the papers with the dance rhythyms. A) 9/8 quarter, dotted quarter, quarter, quarter B) 7/8 dotted quarter, quarter, quarter C) 2/4 Quarter quarter, eighth eighth eighth eighth D) 9/8 Quarter quarter quarter dotted quarter

13) Divide class in four groups to practice their own group rhythm.

14) Perform their rhythms and record. Playback. Discuss performance.

15) Listen 4 different dances. Find which music suitable for their group's rhythmic pattern.

16) Play rhythms each group with the suitable for their group music as an ostinato rhythm over and over again

17) Have them notate the rhythms of the music they hear.

CAN ANYONE GIVE SOME FEEDBACK FOR THE ABOVE LESSON PLAN PLEASE? Is it too complicated?

Many Thanks!!!