7/25/15, 11:27 AM

6th Grade - Thursday, March 26th - Day 28

Essential Question (Main Concept/Big Idea):
How do we read music?
What is harmony?
How do we play instruments?
How can we work together as an ensemble?
Learning Outcomes (Objectives):
Ss will learn how to play the tone chimes with proper technique (ongoing assessment)
Ss will learn how to assemble a chromatic scale using naturals and sharps
Ss will learn how to play the tone chimes as part of a chord progression as a class ensemble.
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies (Procedure)(Higher level thinking, student choice, and planned learning
groups):
Entrance - 6min
Ss walk in, move their magnets, set down belongings and read the projector for instructions
T projects the following information on the projector:
Do Now: What are the steps for playing the tone chimes?
Today I will learn how to play chords on the tone chimes.
*Pat S. came to class crying. I asked if he wanted to go to the nurse or Mrs. Giordano - he
requested to see Mrs. Giordano. I went into class and gave Ss an additional question to talk to a
neighbor to answer: "What are you afraid of?" Ss proceeded to talk to a neighbor about the Do
Now, in addition to the question. I called Mrs. Giordano to let her know Pat was on his way.
T calls on several Ss to review the three main steps for playing the tone chimes - down, circle,
dampen
T calls on several Ss to share what their fears were. T acknolwedges that we share some fears,
and that sometimes our fears can be silly or serious - spiders, creepy clowns, scary dolls (a movie
is coming out), homework!
Octave Talk - 5min
T presents visual aid of the notes in octave 4 continuing to octave 5. There are misconceptions
about where the notes change from 4 to 5, which led to confusion yesterday in assembling the
chromatic scale.
T explains that after B4, we move to C5. T asks several Ss where the notes change from 4 to 5. T
asks several Ss where it might change from 5 to 6. *formative assessment*
T acknowledges that some Ss think that it changes from G to A because it's the beginning of the
alphabet - T asks S why this is not the case
Technique - 6min
T calls Ss up one at a time to get a tone chime and then sit down in your seat, carefully setting
down the tone chime
*At this point, Mrs. Giordano called to explain the situation, and asked me to talk to the Ss after
class about how they were not going to talk about the situation as it had been resolved (Pat was
worried he had lost friends and that rumors would be spread)
Ss stand up and are invited to carefully play their chimes for fun for 20 seconds
T counts down from 5, at which point Ss are to dampen their chimes
Ss are invited to practice their proper chime playing technique for 30 seconds
*differentiation* - T walks around and helps Ss as necessary with the technique. Check in with
Maeve (she has struggled in the past), Jared (absent the other day), and Robbie (struggled in the
past).
Ss practice their technique for 30 seconds - T counts down from 5, at which points Ss are to
dampen their chimes
Chromatic Scale - 7min
T provides instructions for assembling the chromatic scale - T acknolwedges two rules: Be kind to
each other, you may only play your bell 5 times
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T invites Ss to stand up and carefully walk around to assembly the chromatic sclae
*differentiation* - T helps Ss find their place as necessary (Amelia, Kris, Robbie, John) - T asks
Ss what note they are and ask which note they should be by. T helps these Ss find one person
they should be next to. T helps additional Ss that look lost.
After Ss are assembled, T invites Ss to play their note one at a time from lowest to highest
T asks Ss to raise their hand if they know they are in the wrong spot, or if something is slightly off
where they are standing
T invites some Ss to sit down if they are in the correct spot
T helps Ss that are standing to find their correct spot
T asks the class for help in finding the correct spot for "lost chimes"
Ss help each other to assemble the chromatic scale
Ss play chromatic scale again
If it is correct, Ss may play their chimes "happily" (quickly and repeatedly) for several seconds until
T counts down from 5, at which point Ss will dampen their chimes
Bell Exchange - 5min
T invites Ss that have silver chimes to sit down on the risers and carefully set down their chimes
T informs Ss with sharp keys that are black, that they will need new, silver chimes
T invites these Ss to return their chimes and get silver chimes - Ss then sit down carefully on the
risers and set down their chimes
T reminds Ss that if their chime accidentally makes a sound to quickly dampen it and move on
T tells Ss that they are to find people that are in their note family, meaning if they have a C they
need to find all of the other Cs. T acknowledges that they may only have one note partner, and to
sit down once they have found one partner - note stragglers will eventually find where they need
to be
After Ss are seated, T asks each note family to raise their hand at a time to make sure everyone is
in the correct spot
Chord Playing - 6min
T displays chords on the projector
T reads each chord and the notes in the chord - T invites Ss to raise their hand with each chord if
they are part of it
T goes through the chords again, this time inviting Ss to stand up if they are part of the chord
Ss stand up, play chord for four beats, dampen for four, play for four
Ss then sit down when it is not their turn anymore
T proceeds to do this with all of the chords
T displays chord progression
T goes through chord progression with a steady beat, and Ss raise their hand when it is their turn
to play
All Ss stand up and prepare to play the chord progression as a class ensemble
T helps Ss as necessary, although they will help each other as they are sitting in note families
*assessment*
Cleanup and Dismissal - 3min
Ss sit down and put their chimes in rest position
T invites several Ss at a time to put their chimes away and return to the risers
*At this point, I had a talk with the class regarding the situation in gym class. I informed Ss that
apologies were made, and that the people involved are moving forward. It's important for us all to
move on, and if you need to talk about the situation you can talk to me, Mr. Shanklin, or Mr.
Waldron.
T dismisses a row that is ready to go
Ss that are dismissed will grab their belongings, move their magnet, and line up
When Ss are lining up, T will have them echo a song. T distributes hand stamps as Ss exit quietly
Assessment Tasks (Evaluation of Learning).
Technique - T is looking for correct hand position, downward motion, circular motion, and correct dampening
Chromatic scale - T is looking for correct assembly of chromatic scale and proper technique
Chord playing - T is looking for proper technique, active participation, steady beat playing, and playing at the
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correct time.
Reflection:
Did you get through the entire lesson? Was there too much or too little in the lesson?
I got through the entire lesson with both classes. I originally thought that maybe there was too much in the lesson with the
chord progression. However, the students seemed to move quickly through the chord progression part of the lesson.
Overall, how did the lesson go?
Overall, the lesson went really well. The students were engaged and having fun, practicing their tone chime playing
technique, were able to work well as a class to complete the chromatic assembly task, learned a little bit about chords,
and were able to successfully play a chord progression together.
What went well?
I made sure to remind Ss to be kind to each other when they were problem-solving. In our previous class, Ss were getting
a little bossy and not very helpful. Their language was not very kind (mostly their tone). They were not able to complete
the task yesterday, and I think maybe it was because they weren't being kindly productive. I told Ss today that they needed
to be kind to each other, and really watch the way they were speaking to each other. I monitored this as it happened.
What would you change for next time?
There seemed to be a little confusion with the chromatic scale assembly. I think maybe if I gave the Ss clear landmarks it
would have helped - "Here are the 4s! Here is C5, Here is C6 and the rest of the 6s"
Also, the Ss had been practicing playing for four beats, dampening for four beats, playing for four, etc. This caused some
confusion when we were playing the chords in the chord progression. I think it would have been beneficial to model this. I
could have demonstrated playing as part of the C chord, and played the note two times in a row without dampening in
between. This would have cleared up the confusion before it began.
How did the students respond?
The Ss responded really well. They were more easily able to assemble the chromatic scale, due to their practice yesterday
and the reminder of positive class problem-solving. The Ss love playing the tone chimes. I love doing work with the tone
chimes, because they all get to play an instrument for a lot of class. They also have to work together to know when to play
and when to rest, which is really good practice for them (knowing when, and also being able to practice self-control). They
really have to be responsible for themselves, and know what note they are and when to play. Because of these
challenges, this really is a great activity for fifth and sixth graders.
What were the results of the assessment of the learning outcomes?
Ss mostly met the objectives. Robbie is still working on his technique - next time we play in class, I will make sure to help
him with the tone chime technique. Amelia seemed really confused about where she belonged in the chromatic scale.
Luke was really out of place, and I think it may be because he was more interested in standing next to Kris rather than
being in the correct place - I could have checked both of their chimes from the beginning and asked them if they were
supposed to be standing together (they are becoming good friends, and it seemed a little strange that their chimes were
conveniently right next to each other). I think Luke's incorrect placement confused Amelia a little bit. I should check in with
both of them next class, and ask them about sharp keys and what they do. It's interesting how if only one chime is out of
place, it can confuse a lot of other students. It really is such a class effort, and I'm proud of them for accomplishing the
challenging task.
Other notes:
I am concerned about the situation for gym class. I hope that when we see Pat again in music class, that Ss will help him
feel welcomed and cared for. I know how it feels when you feel like you messed up and upset other people. I hope that Pat
has since recovered, and that we can all move on together. It was slightly uncomfortable for me to talk with the class about
the situation; it felt scary for me to be so upfront about an important situation like that. I knew that I had to choose my
words carefully, so as to not make the situation any worse. I think I handled it appropriately, and that the message was
received. I find that I am getting better about having these "real talks" with my students, regarding their behavior, their
choices, mistakes that I sometimes make, other situations... The good news is that I saw Pat in chorus the next day, and
he seemed to be enjoying class and having a good time!
* See flag for standards, differentiation, accommodations, and 21st Century Skills.

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