Introduction

Concept
- I will be teaching the students 6/8 meter. I will be doing this through teaching song
selections I have selected in the written meter. Other activities include body percussion,
playing the melody, and improvisation.

Prior Knowledge
- Prior to learning this unit, students should have experience in:
o Time signatures and how to read them.
o Simple meter
o Improvisation
o Body percussion

Grade Level
- This is a unit prepared for 5th grade students.

Pre-Assessment:
- I would give my students a worksheet to do as an in-class assignment to test the
knowledge of time signatures in simple meter. This worksheet would cover how time
signatures are written and filling in the blank to fill the measures with the appropriate
number of beats. I would use this tool to check the students’ prior knowledge in simple
meter. If the students are not successful, I will go back to these concepts in a lesson
through learning to sing a song, perform body percussion, and building an
accompaniment.

Pre-Assessment Worksheet:

1. In 4/4 meter, the top number four represents how many _____ are in a measure.
2. In 4/4 meter, the bottom number four represents the note that gets _________.
3. Fill in the Blank:
Meter Measure

4/4

________

3/4
 ___________

2/4

_________ _________

Post-Assessment:
- To test my students’ knowledge at the end of the unit, I will have the students perform
one of the 6 songs we learned over the course of the unit. While singing the melody,
students will pat or clap the down beat to feel the pulse. The rubric below will be used
to check students’ knowledge of the concepts.

Post-Assessment Rubric:

Student’s Name: ___________________________________

Song Selection: ____________________________________

3 2 1

Rhythm Accuracy Student Student Student does not

demonstrates demonstrates demonstrate
accurate rhythms for accurate rhythms accurate rhythms
most of the about half of the most of the
performance and performance and performance.
pats the downbeats doesn’t pat the Student doesn’t pat
accurately. downbeats the downbeats
accurately accurately.
sometimes.
Pitch Accuracy Student executes Student executes Student doesn’t
accurate pitches for accurate pitches for execute accurate
most of the piece. about half of the pitches for a majority
piece. of the piece.
 Performance X Student performs the Student stops during
assessment. the assessment and
doesn’t continue.

Total: ________ / 8 points

Other Musical Concepts:

- Instrumental Accompaniment: Students will utilize xylophones to create an
accompaniment.
- Improvisation: Students will improvise using the xylophone.
- Body Percussion: Students will create body percussion to keep the beat.

Cross-Curricular Connections:
- Math: The students will have to know how many beats can go into a measure. Students
will add the number of notes to make sure it is the correct amount.
- History: The songs selected will have historical context and connections.
- P.E.: Body Percussion and stretching in the warm-ups encourage movement and activity
in the classroom.