I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Languages

Essential Question:

How can musical notation be a language?

Bridge:

Acting Out Melodies

Content:

Tonal Reading in Music

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To motivate students interest in written melodic notation.

Activity: Teacher directs musical game, "Mystery Tune." Children pull four 3-note melodic patterns from a deck. Patterns are placed on the chalkboard or overhead projector in a melodic sequence. Teacher sings melody. Child rearranges patterns or draws new cards and teacher sings the new melody.

Assessment: Students active involvement and enjoyment of the game.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To enable children to connect pitch changes in the teacher's voice to written notation and to see that musical notation is a written form of a special language.

Activity: Teacher-led discussion focusing on musical notation experience. Can they see differences in the written notes on the staff? How did the notation on the cards cause the teacher's voice to change? Can the children describe the pitch changes?

Assessment: Teacher evaluation of student discussion.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: To become aware of pitch variations in familiar songs.

Activity: 1. Give children large music staff paper and crayons. 2. Sing or play favorite simple tunes which children easily recognize. Have children respond kinesthetically to the melodic phrases by moving their arms in upward or downward motions. 3. While they listen and sing their favorite simple tunes again, have them create line drawings with crayons to represent the melodic phrases on the staff paper.

Assessment: Student participation in the movement activity and observation of the line drawings.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To introduce written tonal notation.

Activity: 1. Using music staff cards and poker chips (to represent notes), students are shown the correct way to place individual notes (poker chips) on lines and in spaces of the staff cards. 2. The teacher sings familiar 3-note patterns. The students echo these patterns and then, with teacher assistance, place poker chips on the staff cards to notate the patterns sung. Special attention is given to see that the patterns are formed in sequence from left to right.

Assessment: Teacher observation of placement of poker chips on music staff cards. Teacher verbal questioning and checking for understanding of the concept.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Objective: To practice what has been learned.

Activity: 1. Three-note patterns of "A", "G", and "F" (Mi, Re, Do) are sung by teacher and echoed by the students. Possible patterns include DRM, MRD, DRD, RMD, etc. 2. Students use music staff cards in F Major and again use chips for notes. Student leader takes turns singing patterns for classmates to represent with staff cards and chips.

Assessment: Ability of students to represent 3-note patterns accurately with chips.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Objective: To create individual melodies based on 3-note patterns.

Activity: Using large music staff paper and #1 pencils, students write their own 4-measure melodies based on 3-note patterns. With teacher guidance, tunes are sung and edited by children with changes that feel good to them.

Assessment: Student enthusiasm and use of their own musical intuition to create pleasurable melodies.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To evaluate student "compositions" and express preferences.

Activity: Teacher projects student "compositions" on overhead projector screen. Class performs by singing with tonal syllables. Teacher encourages comparisons based on balance, form, and cadential effects.

Assessment: Student ability to read tonal patterns and understand the system of tonal notation.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To celebrate the students new skills with tonal notation.

Activity: Play "Mystery Tunes" game as was done in Quadrant One Right Mode, with the children reading and singing the melodies. The favorite student tunes are displayed on the hallway bulletin board under the heading, "We Can Read and Sing These Tunes."

Assessment: Student participation and enthusiasm.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: