Unit Plan 4 (Grade 3 Music): Beat vs. Rhythm

Focus: Differentiate beat and rhythm using body percussion, movement, and notation, and describe how musical structure and elements shape our responses.

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Music (Beat • Rhythm • Listening • Reading)

Total Unit Duration: 1–3 sessions (3+ weeks), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students dig into the difference between the steady beat and rhythm. They explore how the beat is like the heartbeat of the music that stays steady, while rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds that rides on top of the beat. Through body percussion, movement, and simple notation, students practice feeling the beat in their bodies while clapping or speaking rhythm patterns. They also listen to short musical excerpts and describe how the structure (beat vs. rhythm, repetition, accents) and context (march, lullaby, dance, game) influence how they want to move and how the music makes them feel.

Essential Questions

• What is the difference between beat and rhythm in music?
• How can I show the beat and the rhythm at the same time using body percussion and movement?
• How can notation (icons and notes) help me read and perform rhythms while keeping a steady beat?
• How do the structure and elements of music (like beat, rhythm, repetition, accents) affect how I respond to what I hear?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a steady beat using body percussion or simple movement while contrasting it with rhythm patterns.
2. Read and perform simple rhythmic patterns from iconic and standard notation while maintaining an internal or external beat.
3. Explain in their own words how beat and rhythm are different and how they work together in a piece of music.
4. Listen to short musical excerpts and describe how their responses (movement, mood, images) are influenced by beat, rhythm, and repeated patterns.
5. Create short beat vs. rhythm demonstrations (e.g., one student group keeps beat, another claps rhythm) and talk about how this shows the structure of the music.

Standards Alignment — Grade 3 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Pr4.2.3b — When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns and melodic phrases using iconic and standard notation.
  • Example: Reading and performing a notated melody on a recorder.
• MU:Re7.2.3a — Demonstrate and describe how responses to music are informed by structure, musical elements, and context.
  • Example: Noticing how a repeated rhythm helps define a style.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can show the beat with my body (like a steady heartbeat) and the rhythm with my hands or voice.
• I can read and perform simple rhythm patterns from pictures and from music notes.
• I can explain how beat and rhythm are different and how they work together in a song.
• I can talk about how the rhythm patterns I hear make me want to move and what kind of context (march, dance, lullaby) they might fit.
• I can create and perform a short beat vs. rhythm pattern and explain what I did.