Mary Binder

3-Minute Lesson [Revised plan I used to teach]

Objective: Students will be able to read in alto clef at a rapid pace and play the notes
on their instruments

Procedure:
1. Teacher will show image of alto clef situated on the grand staff and explain how
they relate
2. (Chat feature open) Students will look at note on staff and have 10 seconds to
respond with the note name in the chat
3. (instruments out) students will look at note on staff, and have 10 seconds to
figure it out and then everyone will unmute and play it in concert pitch [randomly
call on to unmute] [I had everyone unmute and play, since time was short and I
wanted to make sure everyone was participating]

Assessment (Informal)
1. Teacher will mentally note who makes mistakes during the two activities and if
students improve from the beginning of the lesson to the end

Materials
1. Slideshow of grand staff image and note examples on alto clef staff
2. Working internet
3. Instruments
 3-Minute Lesson [plan I submitted at the assigned time]

Objective: Students will be able to read in alto clef at a rapid pace and play the notes
on their instruments

Procedure:
1. Teacher will show image of alto clef situated on the grand staff and explain how
they relate
2. (Annotate on) volunteer students will place notes from bass and treble staffs onto
the alto staff -- multiple available at once [I took this out after reflecting on
Lenny’s comment that I might be pushing Zoom to its limits]
3. (Chat feature open) Students will look at note on staff and have 10 seconds to
respond with the note name in the chat
4. (instruments out) students will look at note on staff, and have 10 seconds to
figure it out and then play it [This seemed like a better activity since it provides a
chance to apply their new knowledge and connect it to their own instruments]

Assessment (Informal)
1. Teacher will mentally note who makes mistakes during the two activities and if
students improve from the beginning of the lesson to the end

Materials
1. Slideshow of grand staff image and note examples on alto clef staff
2. Worksheet for annotation (so it’s large enough and doesn’t change slides by
accident)
2. Working internet
3. Instruments
 Reflection

I am pretty pleased with how this lesson worked out. I was unsure of how it would be received,
since teaching alto clef seemed like an overly obvious topic for me to choose. I liked my idea of
sharing the graphic which places the alto clef on the grand staff because, having started on
piano, this was how I taught myself to read alto clef. I wish I could have received more individual
feedback from class members to fully gauge their personal level of understanding. However,
having everyone type the response in the chat and everyone unmute did ensure participation.