Tip-Toe Through the Tulips

Introduction

TINY

TIM

Who is Tiny TIM? What are his Methods and WHAT is his Madness?

This WebQuest is an introduction to the not-so-tiny entertainer who captured the imaginations of the world with his humorous songs and unusual vocals. In particular, we will study the song "Tip-toe Through the Tulips" from structural, semantic, aesthetic and prosodic perspectives. Afterwards, we will get to more weighty matters as we help Tim figure out how much tip-toeing he must do to lose a pound or two.


 

 

 

Task

MONDAY:

Read Tip-toe Through the Tulips

Analyze the song for literary devices

TUESDAY

Reread the lyrics

Analyze the song semantically from as many perspectives as possible

WEDNESDAY

Determine how many calories Tiny Tim burns tip-toeing through the tulips

Process

MONDAY

  • Get in groups of three
  • Read the lyrics a second time
  • Using the literary devices worksheet and WebQuest link located under Teacher's Page, find an example of each literary device in the song. How do the devices enrich the overall meaning or structure, in your opinion?
  •                                                      TUESDAY

  • Get in groups of three
  • Analyze the poem from as many perspectives as possible. Who is the narrator? To whom is the narrator speaking? What are some possible metaphors and what might they represent? Be imaginative. How might that change the meaning of the song?

                                                          WEDNESDAY

  • Get in groups of three
  • Using a weight of 225 pounds and a fast tip-toe through 10 miles of tulips in 1.5 hours, determine Tim's caloric expenditure

Evaluation

Monday: Socratic questioning; Homework: Applying literary terms and devices worksheet

Tuesday: Socratic questioning; Homework: Write lyrics using the same number of verses and lines as Tiny Tim does in “Tiptoe Through the Tulips.” Use tip-toeing with somebody as the theme. Who will you tip-toe with, and why?

Wednesday: Answers to group-question; Homework: Calculate your caloric expenditure for the day

Conclusion

THANK YOU for

TIP-TOEING through the




WITH

ME

Teacher Page

TINY TIM's BIOGRAPHY: http://www.biography.com/people/tiny-tim-251027

ESSENTIAL LITERARY TERMS: http://dictionary.reference.com/slideshows/literary-terms#metaphor

CALCULATING CALORIC EXPENDITURE: krupp.wcc.hawaii.edu/BIOL100L/nutrition/energy.pdf