Planning and Preparation for Instruction:

Class Description and Introduction to Series of Lessons

Student Teacher: Elizabeth Axler

Placement: Mifflinburg Elementary
Corresponding Teacher: Kelsey Hurst

Class Description

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Setting: Elementary General Music

Frequency of Meetings: Once every six days (six day cycle)

Required or elective class: N/A

Other Relevant Background Information:

N/A

Introduction to the Series of Lessons

My selected class is a Kindergarten General Music class, not selected or auditioned.

Prior to my lessons, students had experience with previous high vs. low activities and
experiences. For example, students would identify as a group if a sound was high or low. IN
addition, this group of students had prior experience with using scarves to create low and high
sounds with low/high motions. But, this group of Kindergarteners did not have any prior
experience with using Orff instruments. Students also had prior experience to demonstrating
solo voices via echo songs.

My main learning objectives across all three lessons were tied to goals of learning how to
identify the difference between high/low notes/sounds, and creating low/high notes/ sounds with
this understanding. The final goal for my students was to perform an ABA performance
demonstrating understanding of high/low using vocal exploration, scarves, and Orff instruments.
In addition, I wanted to follow the current curriculum of Mifflinburg Elementary Kindergarten
General Music. So, the learning goals tied to the curriculum includes: Using group and solo
voices to perform an echo song, and exploring their low/high voices using vocal exploration.

I will briefly describe how I planned for students to engage in creating, performing, and
assessing music. Across lessons, I used a vocal exploration activity using a leaf path on a
powerpoint screen. I started out by using group participation, in which I lead students through
leaf paths moving low/high or high/low or both. For the second and third lessons, I had student
volunteers draw their own leaf paths and lead the class through their own path. A curriculum
based activity was students using group/ student voices to echo back the song “Wise Old Owl”.
Across the lesson, I transitioned the class from performing as a whole group, to performing as
two groups, and then finally performing in solos. Next, I taught the class the song “Autumn
Leaves are Falling Down”. Over the course of the three lessons, students echoed back the song
to me, and then were able to perform the song with minimal help as a group. After learning
“Autumn Leaves”, I introduced the “Blowing Leaves” poem, in which students used vocal
exploration and scarves to physically show direction.Finally, I introduced Orff instruments into
the second lesson, where I had students group assess if I was playing a low or high notes. I
gave student volunteers an opportunity to demonstrate low/high notes to the “Blowing Leaves”
poem as students followed along. Then, I gave students the opportunity to perform low/high
notes on the Orff instruments, as well as practice the poem on their own. FOr my final
performance during the last lesson, students performed an ABA performance including the
“blowing leaves” poem, singing “Autumn Leaves”, and the “blowing leaves” poem again. One
group of students performed on Orff instruments, as the others performed with scarves, and
then the groups would switch.
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