Lesson Plan #2

Name Kelly Rock

Lesson #, Lesson Title Lesson 2/4, The Structure of Major Keys
Date (including day of week) Wednesday
Grade Level & Class Title Grade four general music
Period or Block (# of minutes) 25 minutes

Instructional Context
o What do I know about my students that will inform this lesson? Are there any
particular student strengths, interests, background, needs related to the
lesson?

Things to think about:

· Major keys will be unknowingly very familiar to all students, but if a student
does come from a different cultural background, the keys they use in their
music could be totally different. This is very hypothetical, but major/minor
keys are very western in nature so it could be difficult for a student of Indian
background, for example, to grasp major keys as quickly as other students.
Just a thought!
· Some students may understand how major keys sound, but could get
confused when it comes to the construction of keys.Using different learning
styles can help with this.

o How does this lesson connect with and build on the previous lessons?

Things to think about:

· This lesson will be in the middle of this unit.
· It builds on the previous lesson because we are discussing major keys
construction using whole and half steps

Central Focus
o What is the central focus or “big idea” for the content in this lesson?

Things to think about:

· The big idea of this lesson is what are whole and half steps, and how do we
use these to build a major scale.
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Standards
o List state, national, and/or Common Core standards addressed in the lesson.

VA SOLs

4.3 The student will analyze and evaluate music.

b) Distinguish between major and minor tonality.
4.13 The student will develop skills for individual and ensemble singing
performance. a) Sing with a clear tone quality and correct intonation.
b) Sing diatonic melodies.

MU:Pr4.2.4a Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of

music(such as rhythm, pitch, and form)in music selected for performance

Learning Objectives and Assessments

List the specific content learning objectives for the lesson. What do I want my
students to know, understand and do? How will I assess these objectives?
Learning Objectives Assessment Plan

· Students will be able to point out · I will give each student a picture
on a piano/keyboard percussion of middle C to the next octave C
what the difference between a and ask them to color two
whole and half step is. separate half steps in one color,
· Students will say a major scale and two separate whole steps in a
with whole/half, and also sing on different color.
a neutral syllable. · The second objective will be
performed as a group. I will take
notes if I see anyone excelling or
struggling with saying the steps or
singing the scale.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks (Procedures & Timelines)

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o Launch/Hook—How will you start the lesson to engage and motivate

students in learning?

· I will utilize the opening song we used last class again, “Hello everybody,
how are you?”

Time Instructional Rationale/Research & Theory

Strategies/Learning
Tasks/Questions to Ask
~5 • I will start by singing the I chose this song to start with because it is
minutes
question part of the song one they are familiar with, again, but with a
and establishing the beat different way of keeping steady beat.
by marching in place.
• I will then call on a student Making sure students keep the steady beat
to answer how they are, by marching or moving their arms up and
and they will pass it on to down relies on Kodaly and the importance
the next student. of always keeping the steady beat.

• Again, students should

mostly know this song, Again, keeping a routine and making sure
but I will aide in lyrics or the opening song is easy is vital when
melody as needed learning so much new and difficult material.

o Middle of the lesson—What will you do to engage students in developing

understanding of the lesson objectives?
Time Instructional Rationale/Research & Theory
Strategies/Learning
Tasks/Questions to Ask

· Song #1: “You are My · I want to start with singing “You

Sunshine” are My Sunshine" again to remind
· We will sing through students of what we talked about
this song, then I will last class, was that a major key is
ask one student what general upbeat and happy, but
we learned last class does not have to be.
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• Song #2: Half Step Whole • This is a song that I made up to aid
Step Song students in hearing the difference
• This will be learned in a between a whole and a half step, but
call and response style also understand what those words
with me starting and mean (whole step:note in between, half
students repeating. step:no note in between)
• Solfege (in CM): DRD,
DRDRD, DRRDRRDRRDRD,
MFM,MFMFM,MFFMFFMF
FMFM
• Words: “We are pals, we
are called whole (half)
steps, there is (not) a note
in-between us two.”
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Saying/Singing Major Scale • Providing reminders of the vocab we

• Reminder: keys are already used is important to make sure
basically the rules of what all students remember
notes you are able to play. • Memorizing the pattern and then
• The notes you are able to hearing it allows students to connect
use are also called a what they know to what they are
“Scale” and a scale is built hearing.
off of the words we just • Using kinesthetic reminders can be
sang—whole and half really helpful for the students to
steps in different patterns remember, but also for me to look
• The pattern for Major around and assess how everyone is
scales is WWHWWWH doing.
• We will say that all • When I am playing small sections and
together a couple of times having students audiate and then echo
• Then I will go to the piano the piano, this utilizes Gordon’s Music
and play DRM and ask Learning Theory. I want to try and
students to sing the notes incorporate audiation as much as
in their head first, then possible because it is a very valuable
aloud all together on “DU”, skill in music and I can completely see
then I will play FSLTD and the benefits of it.
students will repeat the
steps above.
• After we go through that
once, students will sing all
the way through and make
a W with their arms when
its a whole step, and an H
when it is a half step

o Closing the lesson—How will you end the lesson?

Time Instructional Strategies/Learning Rationale/Research
Tasks/Questions to Ask & Theory
~10
minutes · I will give students a paper with middle C · I want to use
to the next octave C. They will color two formative
separate half steps in one color, and two assessment
separate whole steps in a different color. for this
Once they turn it in to me, they can line up lesson since
at the door. we are
• Once everyone is lined up, we will sing our “finishing”
major key
goodbye song (On sol-mi, echoed after me in
ideas. I will
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quarter notes) “Goodbye fourth grade” “Goodbye grade this for

completion,
Miss Rock” “Have a good day” “Have a good
but making
day.” corrections
on their
work so they
know what
they missed.
· Similarly to
the opening
song, the
closing song
is simple and
easy.
· Closing song
utilizes
Kodaly and
MLT because
of the use of
just two
notes in the
song.

Materials and Resources

o Attach the handouts, notes, books, and other materials you will need for the
lesson.

· Printed sheets of one octave picture of piano keys and crayons if they do
not have their own, piano/keyboard percussion instrument.

Differentiation/Planned Support For Students

Modifications:
Color: I could utilize color on the piano while I am playing by using sticky
notes and putting them on the whole/half steps. A difficult with this could
be making sure all students can see my hands and the colors.
Size: Project me playing to the board so it is easier for everyone to see the
notes I am playing, as well as the colors.