Lesson Plan – Music and Form

Grade Level: 5 Unit: Listening to Music Cognitive Skill: Students will be analyzing
Curriculum Expectations and communicating their thoughts
C2. Reflecting, Responding, and Analysing: apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas,
and understandings in response to a variety of music and musical experiences
C2.2 identify the elements used in the music they listen to and describe how they are used
Learning Goals Language Demands – Academic vocabulary
Students will be learning about the musical form “Rondo” based on the elements of music (melody, tempo, timbre, for Musical Elements listed here
texture). Students will learn to identify rondo form by listening to specific musical examples.
Success Criteria “I can…”
• Describe the rondo form
• Analyze recorded music and identify (A) section changes and (B) overall form
• Create a listening map to graphically represent the form of a piece of music
Cognitive Skill – Students need to describe
the Rondo form
Assessment
Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of rondo form through verbal explanation and visual
representation and determine whether or not a piece is in rondo form Language structure/Cognitive Skill:
Minds-On
“This melody reminds me of…” – students need to be
1. Listen to “Für Elise” – ask if students recognize the song? What melody do you remember the most from able to compare the music with another concept
the song? (A section) – what does this melody remind you of? How would you represent it in dance?
2. Every time the A section comes back, ask students to do the dance move, and when the melody goes
away, to sit down Language Demands/Cognitive Skill – Students will need to
Action listen to these instructions, understand what a “melody”
1. Listen to “Fossils” by Camille Saint-Saëns – discussion questions: is, and apply it to do this activity
a. This song is meant to represent fossils – What are fossils? What in the music reminds you about
fossils? What else does the music remind you of?
b. Can you sing the part that keeps coming back? Academic Vocabulary - Fossils
c. Let’s listen again and raise your hand or sing along when you hear the main melody come back –
how many times
2. Put the following letters on the board: A ? A ? A
a. Think Pair Share – How would you describe the melody of A? The tempo? The instruments? Is it Language Demands – Speaking and sharing with a
exciting? Boring? (Write down answers on the board) partner using academic vocabulary for musical
b. Let’s listen to these question mark sections, how many are there? Are they different from one
elements (instruments, tempo, etc.)
another? Or are they the same? (e.g. the instruments are different, the dynamics are louder, the
tempo is slower, etc.)
c. Explain to students that when music has a repeating theme that is alternated with contrasting
Academic Vocabulary/Language Demand – I have been
themes, that’s called a Rondo
3. Create a listening map to visually represent the form of the piece. Draw an image that represents each alternating the term “section”, “theme” and “melody”
section, and when a different idea is introduced, draw another image that represents that section
a. Listen to the piece again with the map – does it match the music? Do you need to make any
additions or changes? Cognitive Skill: Students are applying the concept
Consolidation of Rondo to analyze a musical piece
1. In small groups, pick a piece from the board (rondo and non-rondo songs)
a. Assign Roles – Writer, Drawer, Tech Person (operates the device), Leader (makes sure everyone
is on task and participating) Language Demand – Students will be working in a small
b. Listen to your piece and create a listening map – is it a Rondo Piece, why or why not? group, listening to each others’ ideas, and presenting
c. Present your findings to the class
(speaking)