Title: “Bell Horses” Grade 1 Music

Lesson #1 Approximately 30 minutes

Critical Learning Guiding Questions
Call and response is a form that is sometimes called How are the call and the
question and answer, where a leader sings or plays a response different?
song phrase or rhythmic pattern, the call, then the
student improvises a different song phrase or For what times of the day do
rhythmic pattern, the response. the rhythmic patterns sound the
same/different?
Rhythm patterns of words in a song can be played on
body percussion and non-pitched percussion How do you know when you
instruments. are singing in tune? How do
you match the pitches of the
When voices are singing the same pitches at the song?
same time, unison singing is created.

Curriculum Expectations
Learning Goals
C1. Creating and Performing: apply the creative By the end of the lesson
process to create and perform music for a variety of
purposes, using the elements and techniques of I can
music
C1.1 sing unison songs in tune and/or play  sing the song Bell Horses
simple melodies and accompaniments for music in tune
form a wide variety of cultures, styles, and
historical periods.  describe what the call and
C1.2 apply the elements of music when singing,
response form is
playing an instrument, and moving
 play response phrases
accurately on body
percussion and
instruments

Instructional Components
Prior Knowledge and Skills
-use of body percussion
-solfege (so, la, mi)
-playing a bordun on a bass
xylophone
(http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/en
g/curriculum/elementary/arts
18b09curr.pdf)
Terminology Materials
-call and response -song “Bell Horses”,
-so, la, mi Teacher Resource 1 Bell
-rhythm and beat Horses
-phrase -non-pitched percussion
 (http://www.edu.gov.on. instruments, e.g.,
ca/eng/curriculum/eleme woodblocks, maracas
ntary/arts18b09curr.pdf) -bass xylophone

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 Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 1 2
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Unit Title Bell Horses Grade 1 Music
Lesson 1
Minds On Approximately 10 minutes Pause and Ponder
Post examples of time around the room, e.g., one o’clock, two o’clock
Students sit in a circle.
Assessment for
Teacher asks questions about time, in 1. rhythmic speech, 2. Learning (AfL):
rhythmic speech with clapping the rhythmic pattern, e.g., Teacher observes
student’s creation of
Beats: a call or a response,
Rhythm and the accuracy of
clapping the
Call: What time is lunch time? Response: twelve o’clock rhythmic patterns

What is your favourite time of day? When is music time? (e.g., one
o’clock, two o’clock, three o’clock, four o’clock…)

Choose one student to ask a similar question about time, as modeled

by the teacher. Another student responds with an answer first with
speech, then with speech and clapping the rhythmic pattern, e.g.,

Student call/question: What time do you go to bed?

Student response/answer: eight o’clock

In partners, students practice creating a question/call or an

answer/response.
Share some of the students’ ideas. Reflect: Which times of the day
sound the same? Which times sound different? How are they
different? (rhythm pattern) Describe how we created examples of
the call and response form.
Action! Approximately 15 minutes

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Ontario Music Educators’ Association www.omea.on.ca
Teach the song “Bell Horses” by rote, using solfege (so, la, mi) and Assessment for
hand signs. How many different pitches are there in this song and Learning (AfL)
what are their names? (3-so, la, mi). Practice pitch matching with Teacher
the song. What is it called when we all sing the same melody at the Observation-
same time? (unison). How do you match my pitches? (echo the Can students match
same pitches I hear). the pitches and sing
Brainstorm a list of how to sing in tune. (e.g., using hand signs to in tune?
show how the pitches change, sing softly and listen to the teacher’s
pitches, make the voice go up and down just like the hands do with
the hand signs…)
Echo sing phrases of the song, practicing pitch matching and singing
in tune.

Sing the song with the text; ask students what they notice about how
the song goes (e.g., like a question and answer/call and response).

Teacher sings the question/call in the song, and the class sings the
responses. Switch roles.
Half the class sings the question/call and the other half of the class
sings the responses. Switch roles.

Distribute non-pitched percussion instruments, e.g., wood blocks, Assessment for

maracas, evenly around the circle to ensure that each student has a Learning (AfL) Can
turn. Teacher sings the call/question of the song, students respond the student play the
by singing and playing the rhythmic pattern on the instrument. After rhythm of the
each response, pass the instruments to a new player in the circle, responses
until all students have had a turn with several instruments. accurately on the
instruments?
Sing the song again, while the Teacher plays the bass xylophone
accompaniment, Teacher Resource 1 Bell Horses.

Consolidation Approximately 5 minutes

Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 1 4

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Repeat improvising calls/questions and responses/answers playing Assessment of
the non-pitched percussion instruments only on the ‘time words’, e.g., Learning (AoL)
Call (in speech)- What time is story time? Response: say the words Self, Peer, Teacher
and play the rhythm on the instrument: one o’clock! Assess student’s
ability to describe
Reflect on the call and response form: What is another name for the call and
‘call and response’? (question and answer) How do you know the response form.
pattern played is a ‘response’ and not an ‘echo’? (the ‘response’
pattern is different from the ‘call’)

Extension: Half of the class plays the question on instruments/body

percussion; the other half of the class plays the response on
instruments/body percussion.

Grade 1 Orff Bell Horses Lesson 1 5

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