Lesson Plans for the Month of January, 2003

REVISED, UPDATED VERSION 1/4/03

4^th GRADE: MONTH'S THEME: AROUND THE WORLD IN 20 DAYS!

To Travel Around the World Musically, "Experiencing Ourselves as World Citizens" (This is in Trumbull handbook and CT State and National Standards Guidelines).

Objective: To Help the 4^th Grade Identify important basic elements of that are specific and endemic to the various cultures explored, and to identify which of these elements are shared in common among the different cultures.

Supplementary Material: Full, interactive, multi-media website designed especially for this curriculum, with Gulliver & Maya's travel letters, (our virtual tour guide students), hints for the teams, and progress reports. This will be updated weekly.

Process: Students will see and hear examples of video and audio of the various cultures, and be invited to participate actively in comparing and contrasting examples given, by way of worksheets for active listening, identification of nations on world maps and contributing to our discussions which use Venn diagrams and other visual cues for graphic representation of concepts.

My Goal for active performance will be in the teaching of the concepts discussed: rhythm, melody, and texture (instrumentation) not just through listening, but also through the learning of at least two songs from different cultures, during the month of January.

Class 1. Thursday, January 3^rd & Friday, January 4^th.

Coughlin, Altieri, Armistead:

1. Introduce My Five Rules of Music Conduct and my commitment letter to the students. Invite and Encourage Discussion of each rule. Hand these out to each student.

2. Explain the incentive: Excellent Music Conduct Award Certificate for the Class for two weeks straight Excellent Music Class Behavior (Observing all Five Rules).

Behavior Chips Awarded to Teams:

Red= Rule 1 Blue= Rule 2, Yellow = Rule 3 Orange = Rule 4

Green = Rule 5.

Chips are awarded for tea work and behavior (character), for the day, corresponding to how well they observed the Music Rules.

The most points awarded for the day per class are 10 points/5 for behavior, and 5 for 5 listening, contributions and participation.

Show the students how I will keep a record of their behavior in my roll book: If a student violates rule 1, he or she will have #1 listed for that day near his/her name in pencil. If he/she corrects the behavior in the same class, the pencil mark will be erased. If the poor behavior persists for one week, then the student's behavior note will be written up and discussed with the principal. If this poor behavior persists for two weeks, parents will be notified.

3. Introduce My Theme For the Month. For the Active Listening, Assign Teams of 4 students per team with a spokesperson for each team.

4. Open Discussion What the Elements of Music that we will be using to describe our listening examples with:

Having viewed the wealth of material at my disposal, and having field-tested two subsequent 4^th Grade classes (Jessica Altieri's), and consulted with my mentor, Sylvia Lemoine, I realize I need to spread this curricula out to a full semester, or at least 60 days. This allows for greater comprehension of concepts discussed, and allows teaching time for students to learn songs during part of my class time with them. I have songs planned representing 4 different nations. Each class will break down as follows:

First Two Classes: Class One: Behavior Chart with Rules, Rewards, and Consequences. Demonstration with associated Colors (Chips). Statement of Objectives for our class. Assignment of learning groups and team leaders.

Class Two: Review of Rules (Quick), Introduction of 5 Music Criterion that will be used for Analysis: (melody, harmony, instruments [texture], rhythm, and dynamics). Examples of music we analyze as a class together for comprehension of how to apply these terms and concepts.

(These two classes have already been implemented on Thursday

And Friday, January 2 and 3^rd, 2003, in Altieri's class). We still need to cover 2 music concepts not gotten to on Friday, (rhythm and dynamics).

• Approximately 10 minutes (minus a few for set up and breakdown),

For Teaching the first song

• Approximately 10 minutes for the reading of the Travel Letter with the 3 clues (read aloud by group chiefs already assigned) and viewing the VIDEO CLIP of 1 Country, WITH WORKSHEET.

• Approximately 10 minutes for Classroom discussion of what we just saw and heard. This part of the class will use the white/black boards, and gather information from each learning group in the class. This time is also designated for ASSESSMENT of behavior and points earned for comprehension and participation.

According to the Trumbull Guidelines for 4^th Grade Curriculum,

We will be covering standard 1, 2 and 5 in our song lessons, and standards 6, 7, 8, and 9 in our world journey part. Standards 4 and 10 will be covered in our last month of school, and as we add instrumental parts to our songs.

SEMESTER OVERVIEW: FROM JAN. 2^ND TO JUNE 18^th/19^{th ,} 2003

This Lesson Plan projection may change depending on student performance, adjustments, and any other Administrative changes that need to be inserted or upheld. This is pending review.

Week One: Introduction of Rules of Conduct for Music Classes with consequences and rewards

Introduction and Demonstration of Music Concepts we will use for analysis

Week Two North America & South America (Cuba & Ecuador). Introuction of New Song/(Cuban, In Spanish), "Uno Dos Y Tres".

Plan: Begin teaching melody only, phrase by phrase on a neutral syllable, then in solfege. Rhythm: Go over dotted rhythms and tied notes first. 2^nd Part of the week, review Melody in rhythm, and introduce the Spanish words into the phrase by phrase teaching. Listen and assess comprehension and performance of the work by small groups (already determined in the first week of January).

Week Three: Africa & Spain. Begin Work on African Song "Nkosi Sikelel'I Afrika" (Prayer for Africa). Continue to work on first song, "Uno Dos Y Tres". 1^st Part of Week: Melody on neutral syllable, phrase by phrase, then using solfege. 2^nd Part of Week: Rhythm and sound of words in zulu, using the pronunciation guide.

Week Four: British Isles: (Ireland and Britain). Continue working on African and Cuban Songs. Depending on how well the two songs are going, introduce the third song, in English, ("One Candle, One Flame"), a song for world peace, written for World Music Press – Elementary School repertoire.

Week Five: Germany and Italy. Review of three songs. Analysis of their form (i.e. ABA, Rondo, etc) and assigning of rhythm parts.

Have group by group clap the various rhythm ostinatos, and assess which groups have the best command of these. Do these rhythm ostinatos alone, and then with all of us singing the songs. Assign percussion instruments to those groups with the best rhythmic command, and simpler rhythm, with maracas, etc. for those groups who can only handle simpler rhythmic patterns. Practice the rhythm parts.

Week Six: Italy & Greece. Review of Three songs. Add rhythm parts one layer at a time. Practice carefully with each layer separately before putting the layers together.

Week Seven: Middle East & India: Hand out Music staff paper to the 4^th Graders. Using Elements from one of the songs, (i.e. "N'kosi Sikelel'I" first phrase only), ask them to compose a different set of notes to the 2^nd phrase than the one that is written. Model an example of something I did, on the spot, for them. I.e. What could the composer have done differently? Let the class work in their groups. Give them 10 minutes for this. Sing examples of student work with the groups themselves. Discuss. (National Standard 4.) 2^nd Part of Week, do the same for phrase 4, leaving 3 the same.

Week Eight: Tibet and China. Choose, by vote, which group's "B" phrase goes with the original "A" phrase. Choose, by vote, which group's "D" phrase goes with the original "C" phrase. We have now re-arranged and composed a new song, based on a pre-written song, with very specific guidelines! Sing and teach the new version.

Review the other Two Songs.

Week Nine: Japan and Back to America/Negro Spiritual. Need percussion instruments for this class.

Learn New Song: "I Feel Good" (Gospel Chorus). Review 2 Old and 1 modified (recomposed) song. Incorporate the percussion parts for the Spanish Song.

Week Ten: Ask if we can have music in the cafeteria. Teaching and composing in Rondo Form. (National Standards 2.) Have each group, one at a time, get one instrument, 1 metallophone or marimba, per group, with mallets. (6-8 instruments).

Show, on the Blackboard, what RONDO FORM is: use apples, oranges, pears, whatever is necessary, to show that we keep coming back to the "apple', or our main theme.

Demonstrate a "THEME". Make sure the class team leaders know it, in call and response. Give everyone in each group, a chance to play the "theme' back to me.

Then assign a quiet volunteer from one of the groups to help his or her group come up with a short phrase to "answer' the THEME I just taught. Give an example or two of what is possible. Tell them to make it simple enough for all of us to learn it. Assign it a name or a picture.

Ask them to "TEACH' it to all of us. The captain or leader of the group either plays it himself/herself or asks someone else in the group to play it. We all (1 person from each group) plays it back. The people who don't have instruments sing it. Do this 4 times---but keep returning to the THEME. This way, everyone in each group gets to play the instruments once.

Write down the melodies on the black board that the class improvised, so that they can see a graphic representation of their creations.

Stress simplicity. Have them use "Ta's, ti-ti's and half-notes (TA-A's) or whole notes. They can also use quarter rests (ta rests), half rests (2 beats) or whole rests---4 beats). Show these on the board.