MIDTERM PROJECT

Curriculum Writing Project Unit Plan

Unit Plan Narrative

The following unit segment is designed for a 7th grade, General Music class. This is the first unit they will be learning in the school year. This is a general introduction to music class, and therefore there is no prerequisit knowledge needed. One of the goals in this segment is to get to know the students, their musical instincts and classroom behavior.

This learning segment will introducethe terms “Beat” and “Tempo” to the students. In the end of the unit, students will be able to descriminate between a steady beat and an unsteady beat, they will use academic language to describe different tempi in a diverse repertoire of music, and identify different features in tempo like “Accelerando” and “Ritardando”.

The students’ learning level in the class is averege. There are 2 students who are struggling with reading and are getting services. One student is an English Language Learner (came from Israel 3 months ago and speaks Hebrew and basic English). Differentiation in class will be done by giving 2 different choices of readings, multiple learning components like Tactile, Aural, Kinesthetic and visual.Further individual support will be given throughout the class. Every class will contain an aural component.

Lesson Plan Day One

Target Audience- 7th Grade General Music Class

Aim- Students will be able to discriminate between a steady beat and an unsteady beat.

Standards-

Standard 2: Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources. Students will use traditional instruments to create and perform music. They will use various resources to expand their knowledge of listening experiences, and/or information about music.

Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art. Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic, structural, and psychological qualities.

Prerequisit knowledge: None

Do Now:

Students will answer in their notebooks:

  • List a makeup of a typical rock band. (Guitars/ Percussion/ Keyboards/ Singres)
  • Of “Melody”, “Harmony” and “Rhythm”- which musical element is played by the drums?(Rhythm)

Mini Lesson

  1. The teacher will play an excerpt of Guns N Roses- “Sweet Child Of Mine” and will ask the students to show the beat by lightly tapping it on their knees.

Class discussion: Was the beat steasy, or did it change (become faster/ slower) during the song? (Steady beat)

  1. The teacher will play an excerpt of Carlos Chavez “Toccatta for percussion, Movement 3” (0:30-2:30) and ask the students to lightly tap the beat on their knees.

Class discussion: Was the beat steady, or did it change (become faster/ slower) during the piece? (Unsteady beat- the feeling of steady beat is sometimes obscured by other sounds or by a change of speed)

  1. The teacher will play a recording of Richard Strauss –“Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30” and will ask the students lightly tap the beat on their knees. (Approximately 0:17- 1:50)

Class discussion: Was the beat steady, or did it change (become faster/ slower) during the piece? (Unsteady beat, changed frequently)

In comparison to the first song, how did the lack-of-steady-beat make you feel like/ what mood did you get when you were listening to the piece? (Instability, Agitation, Distance, not knowing what is going to happen next…)

  1. The teacher will show a video of an Israeli group performing in singing and dancing. Students will answer- what are they showing in their movements? (The meaning of the words, and a steady beat).

.

  1. The teacher will pick a volunteer student and will model the group activity. The student will create a sequence of 3 movements (movement performer) and the teacher will play a steady beat on a non pitched percussion (percussionist).

First, the student will follow the teacher’s steady beat and respond in movements (using his planned sequence). Then, the student will lead and the teacher will respond in playing. Then, they will switch- the student will play and the teacher will respond in movements.

The students will be asked to answer the first part of the handout.

Group Work

Every student will have a handout (See “Handout No. 1”).

In pairs, students will follow the teacher’s and the volunteer student’s activity. They will have around 7 minutes to complete the activity and 3 minutes to fill the first part of the handout.

Then, the students will be asked to do exactly the same activity, but this time use an unsteady beat. (7’ activity, 3’ writing). Then they will complete the last part of the handout.

Group Share

The teacher will ask who would like to share their experience, and ask:

  • What was easier- to lead or to follow? Why?
  • What was easier to lead- a steady beat or an unsteady beat? Why?
  • What was easier to follow- a steady beat or an unsteady beat? Why?

Final Summary

In every piece of music there is a beat. It can be steady or unsteady. A steady beat is predictable, therefore it is easier to follow. There is something more natural about it because it is similar to a heart beat. An unsteady beat can make the listener feel agitated, unstable, create distance from the music or a feeling of uncertainty. It is more difficult to follow an unsteady beat, especially as a group.

Homework

Students will get 3differentlinks to music videos. They will have to answer which of them have a steady beat, and which of them have an unsteady beat.

Differentiation

In this class, the new material is presented in various modes. First the students are listening to 4 different examples of steady and unsteady beats (Aural component). Then, they are asked to respond, by leading and following a beat by movements (Kinesthetic component) and by playing (Tactile component). In the beginning of the class they are also tapping the beat on their bodies, another opportunity for tactile learning.

Assessment

In the last 5 minutes of the class, the teacher will play 3 different “pieces” (30 seconds each). 1 Piece in rhythm sticks, and 2 more in the piano. Students will write on an exit slip wheather the piece has a steady beat or an unsteady beat.

Materials

  • A smart board with a wifi connection
  • Class non- pitched percussion instruments
  • A piano

Handout

See “Handout No 1”. The students will keep the handout and will use it to do their homwork.

Commentary: Lesson 1

Central Focus:

The central focus for this lesson is to introduce the students to the idea of a steady and unsteady beat in a diverse selection of music. The activities in the lesson align with the standards and objectives in that they provide multiple means of aquiring the basic information about identifying a steady and an unsteady beat.

Selecting Support Activities:

As this is the first day of this unit, I thought it was important to get the students’ attention and interest by starting from a rock song, and asking them about the standard rock band setting. This way, they feel comfortable and knowledgable, and hopefully are ready to expand their knowledge. The activity/ explanation supports my desired outcomes and student learning objectives in that the students are really feeling the difference between the two concepts. They are using movements and playing, and they are learning to lead as well as to respond to the different beats.

Monitoring Student Learning:

The assessment will easily reveal whether the students grasped the idea of a steady and a non-steady beat. This assessment will help me to decide if the students are ready to move on, or they shold spend more time experiencing and experimenting.
Lesson Plan Day Two

Target Audience- 7th Grade General Music Class

Aim- Students will be able to use the tempo markings to identify listening selection.They willbe able to recite a poem in different tempi and identify the markings the poem is been read.

Standards-

Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art

Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic and psychological qualities. Students will use concepts based on the structure of music’s content and context to relate music to other broad areas of knowledge. They will use concepts from other disciplines to enhance their understanding of music.

Prerequisit knowledge:Students will be able to identify a steady beat.

Do Now

Students will observe the painting by Orozsco- “Zapatistas” and will read a handout. Struggling readers will get a shorter and easier text. See “Handout No. 2” and “Differentiated text”.

Mini Lesson

  1. Teacher will show a definition of “Tempo” on the smart board, and a student will read aloud (See attached Powerpoint presentation No 1.)
  2. The teacher will show the next slide and explain, and ask the students to repeat the tempo markings.
  3. The teacher will show the next slide, and will ask the students to match the pictures to the suitable “tempo marking”. (Turtle- Largo, Race car- Presto). The teacher will emphasize that suggesting a tempo marking is not an exact science, but rather an interpretation.
  4. The teacher will play “The Can-Can Dance” and ask the students to suggest the piece’s tempo.

Explain what is the general mood in the piece.

What is the occasion the piece was written for? (A dance, a background music, a show, a piece for a marching band?)

  1. The teacher will play a recording of C. Camille Saint-Saëns's“Les Tortoise”.
  • Is this the same piece of music? (No, but it is based on the same melody)
  • What is the difference between the pieces? (Tempo- Allegro and Largo)
  • The second piece is a part of a suite that is called “The carnival of the animals”- What animal do you think this piece represents? Why?
  • Why do you think the composer chose this theme to describe a turtle? (A musical joke)
  1. The teacher will read the poem by James Reeves “Slowly” in a very slow paste (see handout No 2). She will ask the students what do they think the tempo marking was. Was the paste of the reading appropriate for the text? What would happen if the reading wouldn’t match the meaning of the song? Can it change the meaning? Will it sound like a joke, like Saens Sans’ piece?

Group Work

Every student will get a handout and sit in groups of four. In the handout there will be a poem by James Reeves “Slowly”. Every student in the group will be asked to read the poem in a specific paste. The rest of the students will listen to his/her reading and suggest the tempo that was performed. Students will share their thoughts and will determine what was the suitable tempo marking.

Group Share

  • Students will share their experience in the group.
  • Did you allways agree on the tempo marking? (No, there might be some disagreemens because a tempo marking is not an exact science, it is an interpretation.)
  • How close to the permormer’s intent were the group member’s guesses?
  • Did the meaning of the poem changed because of the paste that it was written?

A studernt will share his “interpretation” to the song and the class will discuss the tempo marking.

Final Summary

The teacher will ask the class to repeat what are specific tempo marking.

How can we determine the piece’s tempo? (According to the beat, not the pattern).

Homework

The teacher will give the students 3 links to listen to and they will determine in what tempo marking the piece is performed in. (See detailed explanation in handout No 2.)

Differentiation

In this class, the new material is presented in various modes. First the students are reading the new material and listening to their friend read aloud. They are implementing the new terms in response to a visual (pictures). The reading in the handout had two versions. The second version is shorter and contains an easier vocabulary, to support the students who are struggling with reading and ELL.

In addition, the students are also strengthening their understanding of the material from the last class by interpreting a painting- interdiciplinary method.

Assessment

In the last 7 minutes of the class, the teacher will play three short pieces (improvised) and the students will write the tempo markings of the pieces in an exit slip.

Materials-

Smartboard with wifi connection and access to Microsoft PowerPoint

Piano

Handout- See handout No. 2

Commentary: Lesson 2

Central Focus:

The central focus for this lesson is to introduce the students to the tempo marking and use it to describe diverse selection of music. The activities in the lesson align with the standards and objectives in that they provide multiple means of aquiring the basic information about suggesting a suitable tempo marking.

Selecting Support Activities:

This class is rich in visual component. First, the students are asked to make an interdiciplinary connection between music and painting. Some of them might be confused by the idea, but the teacher will leave room for discussion. The activity/ explanation supports my desired outcomes and student learning objectives in that the students are using photos and reciting a poem using different tempi and tempo markings. I used visuals so they will have a more concrete example before we go to music (abstract).

Monitoring Student Learning:

The assessment will easily reveal whether the students grasped the idea of using the right terminology to describe tempo. This assessment will help me to decide if the students are ready to move on, or they should spend more time experiencing and experimenting with the subject.

Lesson Plan Day Three

Target Audience- 7th Grade General Music Class

Aim- Students will be able to determine a piece’s tempo marking and identify special features like Accelerando and Ritardando.

Standards-

Standard 3: Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art

Students will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and comment on music. They will relate their critical assertions about music to its aesthetic, structural, acoustic, and psychological qualities. Students will use concepts based on the structure of music’s content and context to relate music to other broad areas of knowledge.

Prerequisit knowledge: Students will know how to differentiate between a steady beat and an unsteady beat. They will be able to use tempo markings terms to describe the music’s tempo.

Do Now: Students will get a handout with tempo markings, and will be asked to draw an item that will reflect the tempo. (See Handout No. 3). Teacher will take the handouts and will assess their understanding.

Mini Lesson-

  1. A student will read aloud the first slide of Presentation No 2.
  2. Students will repeat the terms “Accelerando” and “Ritardando”.
  3. A student will read aloud the second slide “About the composer”.
  4. Teacher will play a recording of Villa- Lobus’s “Bachianes Brasileiras No 2 – The Little Train of the Caipira” and ask the students to show with their hands when the tempo is steady (Palm down), when there is an Accelerando (thumbs up) and when it is Ritardando (thumbs down).
  5. Class discourse:
  • What in the music sounded like a train?
  • What instruments did you recognize in the piece? (Brasses- train whistles, shakers- steam, various Brazilian instruments that are similar to the tambourine, maracas, ratchet, metal plate and guiro (the movement of the train.
  • Why do you think the composer chose to tamper with the tempo to describe the train? What happens to the train when the music is slowing down or accelerating?
  1. Changing the tempo in a piece of music can often suggest a change in the “story” or a change in the mood. In the next activity, the students will create a “change of moods” or tell a story by playing, acting, and changing the tempi in their piece.

Group Work

Students will work in groups of four: A recorder, A reporter, A percussionist, and a director. Every group will get a card with a description of a series of three actions. For every action in the story, the group will decide what is the most suitable tempo marking, or if there should be an Accelerando or Ritardando. The “Recorder” will write the tempi on the card. The percussionist will use a class’ non pitched instrument to play the beat according to the group’s decision. The group will act out the events (while the percussionist is playing) and the “director” will lead the act. (See Handout 3 “Activity Cards”)

Group Share

Every group will share their piece (probably two groups this class and two in the next). The rest of the class will discuss what “tempi changes” were in the piece, and what they thought the story was about. The students will compare their thoughts and assumptions with the group’s intent.