Teacher(s)Vanessa Thompson & Erin Koerselman Beginning Date________

Subject Fine Arts & Science Grade Level(s)_1_ Day(s)/Time(s) ____________

Lesson/Unit Plan Title or Theme: Music Through the Seasons

Essential Question:
How can music evoke sensations of weather?
How does weather change throughout the year?
What are weather characteristics of the seasons?
Objective(s):
• Students will be able to compose a musical selection that conveys the feeling of
weather characteristics, according to the seasons.
• Students will use simple instruments to keep a steady beat, make use of repeating
patterns, and use expressive elements to convey feelings when performing music
compositions.
Academic Core Subjects/Standards:

Fine Arts Core: Music

Strand: CREATE (1.M.CR.)
Students will conceptualize, generate, and organize artistic ideas and work. They will
complete and refine musical works
Strand: PERFORM (1.M.P.)
Students will analyze, interpret, and select artistic work for performance. They will develop
techniques and concepts to refine artistic work, and express meaning through the presentation
of musical works.
• Standard 1.M.P.2: Explore the effects of various timbres, dynamic levels and tempos,
using voice, movement, and simple instrument.
Academic Core: Science
Standard 2
Earth and Space Science. Students will gain an understanding of Earth and Space Science
through the study of earth materials, celestial movement, and weather.
Objective 3
Compare and contrast seasonal weather changes.
• a. Identify characteristics of the seasons of the year.
Vocabulary that is explicit in both areas of instruction (clear connections)
Fine Arts Vocabulary:
compose, express, steady beat, pattern, rondo, perform
Academic Core Vocabulary:
types of precipitation, sunny, windy, foggy, and cloudy

Art Core Integration/Connections:

Students will synthesize their learning of the seasons with music to compose and perform a
musical piece.
Procedures: Describe what students will do individually or in groups; what are the steps
involved?

Introduction:
• Have students gather on rug.
Who can tell me what the weather is today? Is it sunny? Is it cool?
Who can tell me what the seasons are? Today we are going to explore the seasons and the
types of weather in each season. Then we will create music with instruments to express what
the season and its weather might sound like. But, first, we are going to read a book called The
Story Orchestra: Four Seasons in One Day.
• Read The Story Orchestra. During the reading, ask students what they see: what is
going on with the weather, what characteristics they notice about each season.
• play the music in the book; ask students to describe how the music helps us feel the
weather.
What types of weather did you see in the book?

Lesson:
• Display large poster paper with four boxes, each labelled with one of the four seasons.
In front of the poster, put out pictures of different types of weather that the kids will
tape to the poster.
• Have students, one at a time by raising hands, describe the types of weather. Have the
child choose the correct picture representing that weather and place it in the
appropriate season.

• Explain to students that they will divide into groups to compose a musical piece that
conveys the feeling of the weather characteristics of a particular season (Have four
stations set-up for each group prior to beginning this activity).
• Before excusing them to the group activity, go over the fine arts vocabulary:
• The music we listened to when we read the book was composed by musicians.
Compose means to make or write music.
• And in music we are expressing, or communicating/showing, meaning. Like
today you will express or show through your music the particular weather of a
season.
• Music often has a steady beat and today when you compose music, you will use
a steady beat. Let’s practice together. It should sound like this (quietly clap
hands together). Together clap out beats of 4 while counting out loud.
• Music also follows a pattern, a repeated form. With your instruments today,
you will create a pattern. Let’s count out 4 beats again, then repeat them. This is
the pattern you will create with your instruments. Then, as a group, we will
create another pattern.
• We will create a rondo. A rondo is like a cake form: A= cake layer, B= frosting
layer, A=cake layer, C=different frosting layer, etc. The cake layer keeps
repeating between each frosting layer. When we come back together as a group,
we will create a rondo.
 • Then we will perform as a group. Perform is to present. We will perform or
present our compositions to each other in a rondo format.
• Divide students into groups of four, one group for each season.
• Walk the room and scaffold the composing process. Encourage students to incorporate
a steady beat or pattern into their compositions to help effectively express and convey
feelings.
• When students have had adequate time to compose an original piece, meet together
again as a group to perform each group’s piece.
• Use the rondo formula to assist with the performance of individual pieces as a group.
(Example: A piece, B piece, A piece, C piece, A piece, D piece, A piece, E piece, A
piece) The “A piece” will act as the chorus, and will be sung or chanted at the
beginning of the whole group performance, in between each group’s piece, and at the
end of the whole group performance.
• Let each group perform their composition.
• Next create a rondo as a group.
• Now let’s create a rondo. This is the cake layer that we will sing or chant
between each group’s composition. Let’s have it relate to the seasons. (We’re
learning about weather- winter, spring, summer, and fall)
• Perform as a group in the rondo format.

Closing:
After performing the rondo, assess as a group:
What did you like about this activity?
What do you wonder? Let’s use the sentence stem, I wonder….
Would you like to do anything differently with your composition?
Let’s take two minutes to meet with your group and make any changes you feel are needed.
• Roam room as students refine pieces.
• Count down time, giving them a final thirty second warning.
• Perform rondo one last time.
Do you feel better about your composition this time?
You all did amazing!

Medium/Resources/Materials/Technology/Prep:
• Book: The Story Orchestra: Four Seasons in One Day by Jessica Courtney-Tickle
• Pictures of types of weather and poster board
• Four season picture cards with weather characteristic descriptions
• Musical instruments

Closure/ Assessment/Reflection/ Critique:

After performing the rondo, assess as a group:
What did you like about this activity?
What do you wonder? Let’s use the sentence stem, I wonder….
Would you like to do anything differently with your composition?
Let’s take two minutes to meet with your group and make any changes you feel are needed.
• Roam room as students refine pieces.
• Count down time, giving them a final thirty second warning.
 • Perform rondo one last time.
Do you feel better about your composition this time?
Special Considerations/Differentiation/Extension: include how this lesson could be
adapted, improved, extended, layered, include student assessment of learning, engagement,
retention of concepts and skills in both academic areas of instruction etc.

• This lesson creates a safe environment for all learners. Small groups allow students to
support each other.
• Earphones could be provided for those sensitive to sensory stimulation