| LU Title: BRAVO!! |
Author: Laurie E. Spoon |
| Grade Level: 2 |
School Address: Ridge
Mills School |
| Subject Area: General Music |
School Phone: (315) 334-7380 |
WRITTEN OVERVIEW
Prior to this unit, students will need to know the letter names of the lines and spaces of the treble clef staff. They will need to know that melody is a pattern of the sound created by the up and down flow of the voice or an instrument that plays different pitches, and that we also call this melody the "song".
Students will have been working with rhythm and know that rhythm is the pattern of short and long sounds that are represented by a set of dedicated symbols called "notes". Exercises will have been done clapping simple rhythm patterns (employing eighth, quarter, half, and whole notes) notated on the board or on practice papers created by, and at the discretion of, the teacher.
This unit would best be done after the middle of the year.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
At the end of this unit students will know/understand that…
At the end of this unit students will have the ability to…
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
CONNECTIONS TO STANDARDS
Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in music and participate in various roles in music.
Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources
Students will be knowledgeable about and make use of the materials and resources available for participation in music in various roles.
Standard 1: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
Students will listen for data, facts, and ideas in small and large group discussions, student presentations, multimedia presentations, and oral readings.
Students will speak to share data, facts, and ideas in small group interactions, class discussions and meetings, conferences with teachers, classroom presentations, and read aloud situations.
Standard 2: Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking
Students will listen to comprehend, interpret, and respond to imaginative texts and performances such as poems and songs.
Standard2: Information Systems
Students will access, generate, process, and transfer information using appropriate technologies.
Standard 5: Technology
Students will apply technical knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs.
INITIATING ACTIVITY
(one class period)
"One Tone Tune"
Assign 2 students to each of twelve classroom keyed percussion instruments. Give the students 5 minutes for instrumental experimentation. Ask students to tell something they discovered about the instrument.
Have each student place a mallet over the key "C" on their instrument (Two can play at each one, there are two "C" keys on each instrument.). Either set the classroom keyboard to play an automatic rhythmic/chordal accompaniment or the teacher can improvise one on keyboard or piano. As the students steadily play the key "C" over and over on the beat together, the rhythmic/chordal accompaniment changes at the teacher’s discretion thus creating an interesting and fun piece of "music".
The "song" ends when the teacher decides to play a final cadence on the accompaniment instrument.
To wrap up the experience, have class members discuss how the changing accompaniment affected the repeated note they were playing, and why that made it feel like they were playing a song.
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
DETAILS
(one or two class periods)
Students will sing familiar songs as a class, then clap the words while singing them (rhythm), then clap the words while thinking them. Simple song sheets will be distributed. With teacher assistance, as well as answers provided by knowledgeable students, class members will fill in letter names of notes. Teacher will sing song using letter names for words as students track the song with their finger. This will be repeated until the students can correctly sing the melody with the letter names as words. Next, the students clap the words while singing them, then clap the words while thinking them. End with discussion : "What happens to the song if we change the notes we are singing? What happens to the song if we change the rhythm we are clapping?"
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
DETAILS
(four or five class periods, one for each song sheet)
Students will be given a song sheet and will fill in letter names of notes drawing on previous knowledge and teacher assistance. Teacher will demonstrate song with classroom instrument, explaining how to find the correct keys. Students will be seated at keyed percussion instruments with partners. While partner holds song sheet and points at notes, performing students will talk aloud through the song notated thereon, holding mallet provided over corresponding keys without striking them as they progress through the piece. They will then play from beginning to end of song sheet while partner helps them to track left to right and to keep their place in the music. Partners will solve rhythm problems by clapping the rhythm notated on the song sheet. The player will try to look ahead, with partner’s assistance, to anticipate the next note and find the corresponding key. When the first player finishes the song sheet, the partners trade places and repeat the process.
At conclusion of experience, hold discussion: In order to perform a song, what has to happen?
Assessment: After each class period, the teacher may take a few minutes to perform the song learned that day. This is done in a group-performance setting, all instruments being played at once in unison. One partner in each pair plays with assistance from the other, as stated above, then the other group of partners plays the song. Volunteers may be chosen to play solos if desired.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
DETAILS
(Integrate with song sheets in experience above.)
A discussion is held: How will adding a part played on the piano while the performer plays the song sheet make the song more interesting? This part will be called an "accompaniment".
Students will work with song sheets they have been practicing in previous lessons. With teacher assistance a tempo will be established to play the song. As partner holds song sheet and points to notes to help performer track left to right, teacher will play a simple piano accompaniment emphasizing the melody and rhythm on the song sheet. Teacher will say letter names of melody notes while playing accompaniment in order to assist student performer in staying on track. At the end of the performance partners will trade places and repeat the process.
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
DETAILS
In each consecutive learning experience in this unit, student partners will rotate to a different keyed classroom percussion instrument in each new class period.
Periodic Discussion: Discuss with your partner how the instrument you played today is different from the one you played during the last class period. How is the sound different? What about the instrument do you think causes the sound to be different? (Occasionally pose these questions to the entire class.)
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
DETAILS
Students will work with a simple portable tape recorder with a built-in condenser microphone.
Teacher will demonstrate:
At each step, teacher will pause so that students can copy/practice skill just demonstrated. A chart will be displayed with these steps for student referral. They may use it when preparing for and executing the culminating performance.
CULMINATING PERFORMANCE
DIRECTIONS TO STUDENTS : Select one song from the group of pieces you learned to play in this unit, and select an instrument from those available on which to perform the song. Practice the song on the instrument, and, remembering what you have learned about the tape recorder, record yourself performing it. Play back your performance for the class, and explain to the class why you chose your song and instrument.
RUBRIC
| Elements Scale |
Music Reading |
Playing the Instrument |
Performance |
Recording |
| 4 |
Students know all notes without writing letter names under them, and play the correct rhythms all the time. |
Students strike the correct keys, using the mallet in the correct way, on any instrument, consistently. |
Students play the piece at a moderate speed from start to finish alone without hesitation, playing the song with the correct melody and rhythm. There are few errors. |
Students operate the tape recorder from start to finish independently. |
| 3 |
Students know most of the notes without writing the letter names under them, and play the correct rhythms most of the time. |
Students strike the correct keys, using the mallet in the correct way, on any instrument, frequently. |
Students play the piece at a slow speed from start to finish alone with some hesitation. Occasionally there are some errors in the melody and/or rhythm. |
Students operate the tape recorder from start to finish with minimal assistance. |
| 2 |
Students know some of the notes but need some teacher assistance to write the letter names under most of them. They play correct rhythm some of the time. |
Students strike the correct keys, using the mallet in the correct way, on any instrument, sometimes. |
Students are inconsistent in playing the piece from start to finish. The rhythm is sketchy and the melody extremely slow. There are many errors. |
Students operate the tape recorder from start to finish with moderate assistance. |
| 1 |
Students need to be told all the note letter names and need to write the letter name under every note in the music. They seldom play the correct rhythm. |
Students rarely strike the correct keys, and often do not use the mallet in the correct way on any instrument. |
Students work very slowly key by key. They hesitate in their playing to find the correct keys, continually re-striking them. The rhythm of the song is totally lost. Melody is at a standstill. |
Students operate the tape recorder from start to finish only with considerable assistance. |
CONSIDERATIONS
ASSESSMENT MODIFICATIONS
In the event that a class has members in attendance requiring assistance, these students may be paired with a student who has a good understanding of the unit and is able to assist them in playing/reading the music. Song sheets can be adjusted to simplify the project that incorporate fewer notes, easier rhythms, and/or have the note names already written on them. If there is a Teacher Assistant assigned to a student, the TA may modify the activity at their discretion as modeled in the regular classroom of which the student is a member. The Music Teacher must okay any modified activity. The Rubric will be adjusted to fit the individual who requires assistance at the discretion of the Music Teacher.
If gifted/talented students are present and clearly understand the material, then the teacher can give them song sheets containing more challenging material to play on the instruments. These students may also be given the opportunity to create/write/perform/record their own song on the instrument of their choice as an added option. The Rubric will remain the same under these circumstances.
UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN
Each activity must progress at the best speed an individual class is capable of. The total time period for this unit is, ideally, about twelve 30-minute class periods, but there is flexibility. All song sheets are teacher-generated, and the number of sheets used will determine the duration of time needed to complete the unit. Each song sheet should be approximately 8 measures, more for gifted/talented students.
The first learning experience takes one or two classes. The second takes as many classes as there are song sheets. Learning experience 3 is done after the students know one or two song sheets well enough to play them as the piano accompaniment is played. Experience 4 can be worked in as students move from instrument to instrument. The tape recording takes at least three class periods.