Music Lesson Plan Ideas

Grade Level: K/1

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing Game

Title: Sally Go Round the Sun

Source: https://singtokids.com/3-singing-games-for-kindergarten-music/

Description:

Students stand in a circle form holding hands, and one student stands in the middle.
Students walk counterclockwise and sing the song. The music is included on the site. At
the end of the song, the students say ka- boom, and at ka students release hands, and
boom they all fall down.

Curriculum Connection: Movement, singing, rhythm

Literacy Connection: Sally Go Round the Sun
Music Standards utilized: K.MU:Cr1

Grade Level: 2/3

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing Game

Title: Bluebird
Source: https://www.elementaryartsintegration.com/bluebird.html

Description:

Students stand in a circle, with their hands together creating windows. A student is it, and
they fly around through the windows during the song. Then, when the song ends, they ask
another student to be the bluebird. Students can also research different birds to be, and fly
like those birds.
Curriculum Connection: Movement, science, singing, dance, create
Literacy Connection: Skip to my Lou
Music Standards utilized: 2.MU:Cr1

Grade Level: 4/5

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing Game

Title: Sarasponda
Source: https://singtokids.com/three-singing-games-for-fourth-grade-music/

Description:

Students stand in a circle, with a ball, and pass it around along to the beat of the song.
The student on the final beat with the ball is out. They continue until there is one student
left. The song is included on the site.

Curriculum Connection: Movement, rhythm, singing.

Literacy Connection: Sarasponda
Music Standards utilized: 5.MU:Cr1

Grade Level: K/1

Type of Lesson: Movement Listening Instrument Singing game

Title: A Hunting We Will Go

Source:
https://prodigies.com/blogs/music-teachers/singing-games-you-can-play-wit
h-students

Description: The song begins with everyone in a circle, closing their eyes.
Some of the children are hunters, and they stand outside of the circle singing
the song with the other students. When they arrive at the line “We’ll catch a
fox”, each hunter “catches” a student in front of them and pushes them into
the center of the circle. With the line, “and then we’ll let it go”, the child is
released back to the circle.

Materials needed: None

Curriculum connection: Body movement, singing, listening

Literacy connection: We’re Going on a Nature Hunt by Steve Metzger
Music standards utilized: K.MU:Cr1

Grade Level: ⅔

Type of Lesson: Movement Listening Instrument Singing Game

Title: Wolf Singing Game (We Are Dancing)

Source: http://beccasmusicroom.com/wolf-singing-game/

Description: Can be used to practice quarter and eighth notes. The students
are in a circle while they sing a song. At the end of the song, the students
say, “Wolf are you there?” If the wolf says something silly, the students
repeat the question. If the wolf says “I’m here” then the wolf tries to tag as
many students as possible. Then the tagged students become the wolf.

Materials Needed: None, just open space.

Curriculum connection: Body movement, singing, listening

Literacy connection: The Way Home For Wolf by Rachel Bright and Jim
Field
Music standards utilized: 2.MU:Cr1

Grade Level: ⅘

Type of Lesson: Movement Listening Instrument Singing Game

Title: Circle Round the Zero

Source: https://singtokids.com/three-singing-games-for-fourth-grade-music/

Description: Students stand in circle formation. One student is outside the

circle. As the students sing the song, the student standing outside skips
around the circle. One the first, “find your lovin’ zero,” the student stops and
does a motion with their partner. On the last “find your lovin’ zero” the two
students switch places and the new student begins skipping around the
circle.

Materials needed: None

Curriculum connection: movement, singing, listening

Literacy connection: Zero by Kathryn Otoshi
Music Standards: 5.MU:Cr1

Grade Level: K/1

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing

Game

Title: The Old Gray Cat

Source: Sing to Kids -

https://singtokids.com/3-singing-games-for-kindergarten-music/

Description: This singing game begins with the students sitting in a circle.
One child is chosen to be the mouse, and another is the cat. The cat sits
inside the circle and the mouse sits outside. The student who is the cat
pretends to sleep inside the circle as the student who is the mouse, creeps
and crawls around the outside of the circle. The cat begins to crawl around to
find the mouse and the mouse tries to escape from the cat. During this
portion of the game, the other students will be singing, “The Old Gray Cat”
and making hand movements that are aligned with what the cat and mouse
are doing.

Curriculum Connection: The students could learn about the features of a cat
or a mouse to understand what makes them different and why they often
have a relationship with each other.

Literacy Connection: There’s a Mouse Hiding in This Book, by Benjamin

Bird

Music Standards utilized: K.MU:Cr1b

Grade Level: 2/3

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing

Game

Title: Black Snake

Source: Sing to Kids -

https://singtokids.com/three-singing-games-second-grade-music/

Description: This game is very similar to duck-duck-goose. The teacher

should run through the song once or twice to allow students to become
familiar with the beat and words. The students will form a circle and label
one student the snake. Once the snake is chosen, the student is then allowed
to change their color from black to any other color of their choice. Then, the
game begins. The students will begin to sing the song as the “snake” will
walk or skip around the circle. When the final word of the song is sung, the
“snake” will then tap another student on the shoulder. That student will then
be chased around the circle by the snake until they reach the open spot. If
however, they get tagged by the snake, then they are the new snake.

Curriculum Connection: This can help students to work together and to learn
about different colors. It can also be a great preface to a lesson about snakes,
why they shed, what they eat, what species they are and so much more.

Literacy Connection: There’s a Snake in My School, by David Walliams

Music Standards utilized: 2.MU:Cr1b

Grade Level: 4/5

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing

Game

Title: Boom Chicka Boom

Source: Theatre Life Academy -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmkkItK4blY

Description: The teacher will shout out chunks of the song and the students
will repeat them. This will occur a few times before the game begins so the
students can understand what they need to sing. This is more of a chant than
a song, but it’s still a great way for students to release energy and have fun.
After the initial round, the teacher will ask a student to sing it in a different
style or ask a student to pick a style. This could be opera, whisper, really
loud, like a cowboy, in a British accent, or anything else. The options are
endless. The cue for the style change is when the teacher says, “Say it
again.” This can go on for however long or short the teacher decides it to be.

Curriculum Connection: This is a great repeat after-me game. The students

can complete other repeat-after-me speaking activities or drawing activities.
This game improves their listening skills and allows them to be silly and
have fun. This activity can also be used to learn about patience, respect,
listening skills, and authenticity because the students are supposed to be
silly.

Literacy Connection: The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister

Music Standards utilized: 4.MU:Cr1b

Grade Level: K/1

Type of Lesson (choose one): Movement Listening Instrument Singing

Game

Title: The Old Gray Cat

Source: Sing to Kids -

https://singtokids.com/3-singing-games-for-kindergarten-music/

Description: This singing game begins with the students sitting in a circle.
One child is chosen to be the mouse, and another is the cat. The cat sits
inside the circle and the mouse sits outside. The student who is the cat
pretends to sleep inside the circle as the student who is the mouse, creeps
and crawls around the outside of the circle. The cat begins to crawl around to
find the mouse and the mouse tries to escape from the cat. During this
portion of the game, the other students will be singing, “The Old Gray Cat”
and making hand movements that are aligned with what the cat and mouse
are doing.

Curriculum Connection: The students could learn about the features of a cat
or a mouse to understand what makes them different and why they often
have a relationship with each other.
Literacy Connection: There’s a Mouse Hiding in This Book, by Benjamin
Bird

Music Standards utilized: K.MU:Cr1b