Lesson Plan #1

Teacher Name: Mr. Tinkler Target Grade Level: Fifth Grade

Standards Being Addressed:

● MU: Cr1.1.5a ​Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and explain the
connection to specific purpose and context(such as social, cultural, and historical).
● MU: Cr2.1.5a​ Demonstrateselected and developed musical ideas for improvisations,
arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain the connection to purpose
and context.

Materials of Instruction:

● “Lava” by John Murphy -

● Acapella app (for teacher use)

● Ukulele
Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or fewer activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition:

1. Welcome the students (add a warmup here)

a. “Hello everyone, thank you very much for joining me today for this fun learning
experience, today we are going to learn to sing a favorite song of mine. Will you
take a moment to watch this special video I prepared for you?”
i. Present Acapella video
b. “Have you heard this song before?”
i. This comes from a short Pixar called “Lava” and you can check out the
entire song at this link -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh4dTLJ9q9o​”
c. “Let’s go ahead and learn it!”

Activity #1 Objective: Students Will sing “Lava” with accurate rhythm (in 4/4) and
pitch (C diatonic) over the I, IV, V chords in C major.

1. “Pat along with me and listen while I sing”

a. The teacher sings through the song
2. “Now, keep patting and now I want you to repeat after me” (Echo Technique)
a. do so for each bar
i. T: “I have a dream”
S: “I have a dream”
etc...
b. Then extend the Echo - two-bar phrases
T: “I have a dream, I hope will come true”
S: “I have a dream, I hope will come true”
etc...
3. “Next, you are going to fill in the word that I leave out. So I’ll sing ‘I have a’ and then
you would say? (“dream”)
a. T: “I have a ____”
S: “Dream”
T: “I hope will come ____”
S: “True”
etc…
4. The teacher will now have the class listen and use their magic lips (audiate) as the teacher
plays and sings through the entire song once more.
5. Students will then sing the entire song with Teacher accompaniment.

Assessment:
Are students able to sing “Lava” with both rhythmic accuracy (in a 4/4 meter) and
correct pitches (within the key of C Major)?
 Transition: “Let’s move on and keep adding to the fun we are having!”

(Ukulele instruction part - you can show chords) (students have already been taught
how to play C, F, & G chords)

Activity #2 Objective: ​Students will learn to play I, IV, V chords, using the ukulele
accompaniment and sing to the song “Lava” in C major

1. Teacher will have students grab ukulele’s

2. Each student will turn to the student next to them and remind/share what a C, F, and G
chord is on the ukulele.
3. Teacher will then help with tuning the ukulele’s
4. Teacher will then warm up the playing by having the students repeat after them.
a. C (DDDD) ; F (DDDD); G (DDDD), C (DDDD)
b. F (DDDD); C (DDDD); G (DDDD); C (DDDD)
c. switch to D DU UDU - F ; C ; G; C
5. Teacher will then demonstrate entire song with playing ukulele and singing.
6. Students will first be asked to play down strokes on the big beats (1 & 3) and sing the
first full phrase (mm. 1 - 4).
a. Students will then do the same process with mm. 5 - 8.
7. Once class is comfortable with this step, half the class will play the full ukulele pattern
and the other half will just sing the full song.
a. Switch
8. Teacher will then have full class play ukulele accompaniment and sing

Assessment: Assess if students are able to play I, IV, V chords on the ukulele as an
accompaniment to themselves singing “Lava” in C Major.

Activity #3 Objective: ​Students will improvise melodically using their voice within the
parameters of the meter (4/4) and scale (C Major) and harmony

1. “Listen in as I play the accompaniment with my ukulele and pay special attention to how
I use my voice.”
a. The teacher will play accompaniment but improvise on “la”
b. “What did you notice?”
2. Have the students try to improvise with their voices with the teacher now.
a. The teacher will play the accompaniment on the Ukulele (you can invite students
to continue to do the body movements OR play on the ukulele if they have one)
3. “Do you think you can try that on your own now?” “I will go ahead and count you off
and play along on my uke” (full groups → smaller groups → individual volunteers)
a. Students will now improvise freely within the key and meter while the teacher
plays the accompaniment.
4. “Let’s go ahead and put everything together that we have learned today!”
a. Students and Teacher will sing together through the entire song (give a reason)
Assessment:
Students will successfully improvise within the given meter and melodic structure
 and will successfully synthesize all that has been learned today.

Closure:
“Next class we will continue our journey throughout America by returning to the mainland!”