Lesson TWO

Student Teacher Name: Elizabeth Axler

Corresponding Teacher: Ms. Kelsey Hurst
Lesson Topic and Grade: Pitch Exploration w/ Xylophones, Kindergarten
Date: 11/15/22
*= curriculum

PA Academic Standards (Benchmarks/Indicators) or National Standards of Music addressed

PA Standard:
9.1 Production, Performance and Exhibition of Dance, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts

NAFMEc:
MU:Pr4.2.Ka With guidance, explore and demonstrate awareness of music contrasts (such as
high/low, loud/soft, same/different) in a variety of music selected for performance.
MU:Re7.2.Ka With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept (such as beat or
melodic direction) is used in music.
MU:Pr4.2.Ka With guidance, explore and demonstrate awareness of music contrasts (such as
high/low, loud/soft, same/different) in a variety of music selected for performance.
MU:Re7.2.Ka With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept (such as beat or
melodic direction) is used in music

Instructional Objectives:

Students will explore their low voice and high voice using vocal exploration with leaves in the
wind.
Students will echo sing “Wise Old Owl” while using appropriate motions.
Students will be able to sing the song “Autumn Leaves” with their head voice, while keeping a
steady beat on their laps.
Students will use Orff Instruments to identify and demonstrate an understanding of pitch
direction of high vs low demonstrated on the bass Orff instrument.
Students will brainstorm ideas on how to build the body of the “Aiken Drum”.
Students will move with T to the song “I’m a Great Big Turkey”

Materials:

Vocal Exploration Powerpoint Presentation

Smartboard
The song “Autumn Leaves”
Xylophone(s)
Scarves
An open space to move around
-----
Wise Old Owl Song:

Aiken Drum Song

I’m a Great Big Turkey:
Opening/ Introduction Activity:

STUDENT ENTRANCE
S enter the classroom and sit on their assigned dot.

GREETING
Good morning Kindergarten, how are you doing today? Thumbs up for great thumbs in the
middle for meh thumbs down for not as good. We are going to start class with the same
warm-up today involving leaves.
Real quick go ahead and turn to someone near you and share one great thing that happened
today so far.
*VOCAL EXPLORATION with ST leaders:
T will demonstrate moving their voice in the direction of where the leaf is blowing in the wind.
T, “sing with me”, ST and T sing in the direction of the leaf
This time, students will lead the vocal exploration and draw their own leaf blowing direction.
ST will follow the ST leader in their chosen movement.

T will choose ST based on how they are patiently waiting/ respectful.

Example:

Learning Opportunities/ Procedure:

Transition:
Do we remember our friend hedwig the owl?
Everyone wake up hedwig with your gentle owl noises “whooo whoooo whooo”
“Hedwig is looking for gentle and confident singing voices.
“Everyone:”

*Echo Song- Wise Old Owl

-T will divide ST into two different groups
-First verse: whole group:
One of these days
Look up and see
A wise old owl
Sitting in a tree
-Second verse: red and yellow.
He’ll look at you
And he’ll look at me
Those two big eyes
They don’t scare me
-Third verse: orange and blue
One of these nights
When the raindrops fall
He’ll give a hoot
He’ll give a call
-T will sing the echo song with “hedwig puppet”, having small groups echo the owl song.
(this is preparing the kids for singing in solos the 3rd lesson)

Transition: “everyone say sleep well Hedwig”

Everyone stand up, turn yourself into a tree, we are going to shake the leaves off our bodies.
So follow me, shake your arms, shake your legs, shake your head, shake your whole body.

Review the song “Autumn Leaves”

T will sing “Autumn Leaves” while students tap the steady beat
ST will sing with teacher, tapping steady beat
Sing without teacher, tapping steady beat

Go over poem:
T: Teacher will say the lyrics of the poem, and after each lyric, ST will use gentle singing
voices to move from high to low.
The leaves blew high (ooo)
The leaves blew low (oooo)
The leaves blew everywhere (ooooo)
And floated to the ground (leaf)

Introduction to the Xylophones (to be used with autumn leaves next class)

Intro:
T: “What is this instrument called?” Raise your hand.
This is called a xylophone, it is a type of percussion instrument.

T: What are these: “mallets”, you play the bars of the xylophone with them.
SO, we are going to learn how to play the xylophone.

Review expectations:

Rest/ Ready position:

“When are are done playing the xylophone we go into rest position. Everyone show me rest
positon”
“Rest position is the same rest position we did with our monster mash rhythm sticks.”
“When you are ready to play the xylophone you go into ready position, everyone show me
ready position. You are floating your mallets in the air above the xylophone.”
T will go over how to use the Xylophone:
“Bicycle arms, elbows off your lap, bouncing the notes, unless you want to slide them on the
Xylophone”
“What happens if I play on the ends of the xylophone. The blocks fall off. So we want to plan
on playing in the middle.”
“Is this a pretty sound” (T stops sound) (No)
“That is why we want to bounce our notes on the xylophone.

Low vs High with xylophone:

T: “plays on the low bar” is this a low or high sound? Low.”
T: “Is this a “low or high sound”
T: look up here, if this side is low sound, and this side is a high sound, what is the difference
between the lowest bar.

Introduce Activity:
T will demonstrate how to follow the Leaf Flashcards on the board with the xylophone.
T will go slide by slide and demonstrate how each slide is going to sound/ how they will do
each slide.
T will ask students to mimic the sound with their voices, and imagine they have an xylophone
in front of them.

T: “In order to go high, we have to start low. So we start on the lowest bar. Everyone take their
imaginary mallets. Put them on the lowest bar, which is the biggest bar. When I say go,
Bounce your mallets from the biggest bar to the smallest bar. Ready go “T: mimics with the
voice”
Teacher repeats with going high to low.

Practicing
Doing the Activity:
T will split class in half, one half does Orff, and others use their hands/ voices.
Make expectations clear:
T: If you are out in the audience, my expectation is that you are sitting on your dot, and you
are paying attention to the xylophones.
T” When you head over to xylophones, go into rest position until I give you more directions.”

T: “When I say go, you are going to play your instrument any way your would like, bouncing in
the middle of the instrument. Ready go.”
T: “And rest position.”
T: “alright, go ahead and play the lowest bar, now try playing all the way up.” Now do it again”
(dring this time, T walks around and correct students
T: “Now let’s try it all together. So ready position. When I say go. Ready set go!”
(T repeats this with all steps)

T: “before we do everything together, audience, do we remember what we did at the beginning

with the “oooo” “oooo”.
Go ahead and stand up. You are going to do that while they play.

Students not in front of the orff instrument will use motions/ hands to imitate direction the leaf
is going/ the articulation

---
PRACTICING PERFORMANCE:
T: T will say the poem:
The leaves blew high
The leaves blew low
The leaves blew everywhere
And floated to the ground

“When I say go, xylophones, play your instrument any way you would like bouncing in the
middle on last time. Ready set go!
And rest position”

After one side goes, T will ask students to switch groups.

---------
TURKEY ACTIVITY:

OPTION 1:
I’m A Great Big Turkey Movement Activity:
T will sing the song as students are at their spots, and include the movements with the song.
I’m a great big Turkey (flap wings)
Listen to my sound (point to ears)
I just love to gobble (hands on hips)
As I strut around (walk in a circle)
When I get all puffed up I gobble night and day (puff up chest)
I’m a great big Turkey and this is what I say, (Flap wings, point)
“Gobble gobble gobble” (move around like a turkey)

Next:
T will sing/ play song, while students move around the room like a turkey, and move around to
the beat of the song
--------------
OPTION TWO:
Hear Him Gobble: (STEADY BEAT/ IMPROVISATION)
Teacher sings:
Great Big Turkey Great Big Turkey
Hear Him Gobble, Hear Him Gobble
(sung to first verse of Frere Jacques)

Have entire class repeat

“Great Big Turkey Great Big Turkey Hear Him Gobble Hear Him Gobble” as an ostinato.
Then, students will get into a circle.

An instrument will be in the middle of the circle. As students are tapping the steady beat for 8
seconds, a student will improv on the instrument for eight beats, and then the circle moves
over so that a new student is in front of the instrument.
--------
OPTION THREE:
I love this Turkey
(to the tune of this land is your land)

I love this Turkey

I love this stuffing
I love the gravy
I love the corn muffins
I love my family
Gathered all together
I’m glad Thanksgiving time is here
----------
Steady beat: Aiken Drum:
Draw on the Board, ST pick

----------
Turley Freeze Dance (If time left over):
“Turkey Lurky” Dance (to the tune of Hokey Pokey)
https://youtu.be/DnIywQRysuo

Closing Activity:

T will look for which dot is ready to line up/ receive marks on their cards.
While each dot is being called up to the line, ST sings “Autumn Leaves” while walking into
line. After every ST is in line, T will cue for the song to stop.
While waiting for the class teacher, T will do short rhythm exercises with fall and autumn
themes. For example:
T: clapping and saying “Tur-key” (ST repeat)
T: clapping and saying “Stuffing” (ST repeat)
----
When the teacher comes, T announces what the class’s score was for that day.

Specific DIfferentiation Strategies:

Greeting: I will allow a few students to share how they are feeling with the class at the
beginning so that I can help them feel welcome/ not thinking about something that is on their
mind for the whole class.

Voice Exploration:
I added motions of students tracing the leave path in the air with their finger so that they do
not just use their voice.

Wise Old Owl:

I added motions to this activity so that students will not just be sitting and singing (and so they
can learn the song easier)

Orff Instruments:
ST who are not sing orff instruments will be using their hands to keep the beat.

Turkey:
Every student will get a turn
Movement included for students not getting a turn.

Aiken Drum:
Students will be able to input their own ideas and thoughts into creating the “Aiken Drum”
man.
Student choice opportunity for where we should keep the beat

------------------------------
SPECIFIC:

Students will disabilities:

For my students with ODD, I allow them to move around the room if they need to, but if it gets
too dangerous, I will give the student a job. For example, invite the student to do the orff
instrument, or to use the scarves.
Other special jobs next to me could be “marker holder”, or head beat keeper, so they can
demonstrate to the class how to keep the beat while sitting near me.

For students in wheelchairs, they can still use scarves with high low arms. And I can have
their aids move them around the room with the other kids. I can also bring the orff instrument
to them for them to play/ I can play for them.

Assessment:

T wil listen to ST sing with their head voice.

T will listen for ST singing/ moving back echo to “Wise Old Owl”
T will observe ST move appropriately to the song “Autumn Leaves”
T will observe ST keep the beat of “Autumn Leaves”.
 T will observe ST use Orff instruments correctly.
-------
RUBRICS: will be for the following classes for performances with orff instruments

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------