4th Recorder Unit Lesson Plans

Recorders Lesson 1
Introduction and First Note - B

4th Grade General Music
Rolling Ridge Elementary School
Objectives:
Students in 4th grade will demonstrate proper carriage and hand position with recorders.
Students in 4th grade will play the note B on recorder with proper hand position, fingering, and
characteristic tone using their airstream.
Students in 4th grade will demonstrate skills in reading rhythm and pitch using standard notation
on their recorders with the note B.
Standards Being Addressed:

MU:Pr4.2.4a Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, and form) in music selected for performance.
MU:Pr4.2.4b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using iconic and/or standard
notation.
MU:Pr5.1.4b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities, and address
performance challenges.
MU:Pr6.1.4a Perform music, alone or with others, with expression and technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation.
Materials of Instruction:
● Audio/Visual Technology - laptop with slides, projector and screen, speakers, remote
● Recorders - one per student (labeled with names in cases by class) and personal recorder
for teacher modeling
● Plastic bucket for “recorder rest stop” - able to hold mouthpiece of recorders
Lesson Sequence:
Entry Activity/Transition: As students enter the room, the known procedure is to quietly come
in, place their belongings by the column in the center of the room, stand on their assigned dot on
the ground, and begin practicing the challenge rhythm on the board quietly. Once all students are
in their spots, T leads S through saying and clapping the challenge rhythm together. All students
are then instructed to sit on their dots.
Activity #1: Students will demonstrate proper care for their recorders and compliance with
expectations.
1. T Introduces new unit: Recorders!
a. T explains expectations for the unit as follows:
i. Maintain a positive attitude – “I can’t do it . . . yet!”
ii. Try your best! – Mistakes are going to happen, and that is alright.
iii. Respect yourself, your teacher, and your classmates – be safe, do not talk
over one another, listen closely, and follow instructions.
iv. If you play before I say, the recorder’s head goes away. – if S make any
sound on their recorder out of turn, the “head” (mouthpiece) will be
removed and placed in the recorder rest stop. If they show they can be
respectful and responsible, they may earn it back later in class.
v. Be prepared! – some students purchased recorders they are allowed to take
home, but they must remember to bring them back to school for class!
2. T: “I know you are very excited to play, so I will step out of the room for 7 seconds, and
during that time you are allowed to make any noise you would like on your recorders
safely and in your spots. Once I open the door again, the noise must stop.”
a. T exits the room and provides a countdown on fingers for 7 seconds.
b. S explore making sounds on their recorders.
c. When time is up, T opens the door to enter and the sound stops.
3. T: “Those were some crazy sounds! Now let’s learn how to make some nice sounding
music.”
a. T explains airstream used for proper recorder tone–soft, warm air
i. Have S hold up “finger candles,” and practice making it wiggle with warm
air rather than blow it out with cold air
b. T explains carriage with left hand on top and right hand on button
c. T explains common issues that create squeaks or incorrect sounds
i. Blowing too hard, not covering holes all the way, or covering/uncovering
the wrong holes
d. T and S practice making their first proper sounds on the recorder–T plays first,
then S echo short phrases
Assessment: T walks around the room and observes S carriage, hand placement, and first
sounds. Watching and listening, T makes individual or group corrections, repeating instructions
or tasks as necessary for S proficiency.
Transition: T: “Those are much nicer sounds! Now, let’s learn our very first real note: B!”
Activity #2: Students will play the note B on recorder with correct hand placement,
fingering, pitch, and characteristic tone.
4. T shows slide 6 on screen with note B on staff as well as graphic of fingering
a. T explains fingering of left thumb on back hole and pointer finger on first hole
b. T models sound of B, then invites S to try
5. T plays a 1-measure phrase in 4/4 time using quarter notes, eighth notes, and half notes
with the pitch B, then asks S to echo
a. T repeats several times with different rhythms, listening to S and
correcting/reviewing as necessary
6. T plays videos on slide 7 (“B Funky” and “B Note Boogie”), asking students to follow
along with the video first listening and then playing the rhythms provided on the note B.
Assessment: As students follow along with the videos on the screen, T walks around the room
observing, listening, and providing one-on-one feedback to students regarding hand position,
fingering, pitch, and producing characteristic tone. If S are still struggling to produce the pitch
with the above considerations, T reviews the note as a group in between or after the videos as
necessary considering common mistakes observed.
Transition: T: “Great work everyone, you have learned your first real note on recorder! Let’s
hear you each play it in a little game called Recorder Telephone.”
Activity #3: Students will demonstrate ability to individually produce the note B by
performing a provided rhythm alone on recorder.
7. T shows slide 8 to S, which has a 2-measure phrase of rhythm using the note B.
8. T asks students to clap and say the rhythm with the syllables used in completing the daily
challenge rhythm (ta, titi, ta-a, sh)
9. T models the rhythm, playing on the note B on recorder
10. T asks S to play the rhythm all together on B.
11. T explains how Recorder Telephone will work:
a. Beginning in the front corner of the room, one student will play the rhythm on the
board. They will turn to the person next to them, who will then play the rhythm on
their recorder. This continues around the room until all students have had a turn to
play the rhythm by themselves.
b. T leads S in playing Recorder Telephone.
Assessment: As students take turns playing the rhythm on the board in Recorder Telephone, T
marks each student’s level of proficiency using a short checklist of necessary skills at this point.
After all have played, T addresses any frequently heard or seen issues with the group to correct
technique on recorder.
(1=Demonstrated, 0=Not Demonstrated)

Criteria Score
Correct Hand Position
Correct Fingering
Pitch (B)
Closure: T applauds S for their quick progress in learning a new instrument, asks S to put away
their recorders, and leads students in the goodbye song as they line up to leave the classroom.
Reflection:
This lesson incorporates progress towards unit objectives as the foundation for all
learning which will occur in the unit. Here, students learn the basics of holding and playing
recorder including carriage, hand position, finger position, airstream characteristics, and their
first note, B. A formative assessment concludes the lesson, allowing the teacher to gain an early
understanding of which students may struggle with adding more complex fingerings and which
may excel with an added challenge in future lessons.
To adapt for ELL students and specific student IEP/504 plans, slides are used as a
means of providing visual aid and additional written instructions for all activities. These slides
also integrate technology, especially with the use of the instructional and practice videos for
students to follow along with including a more engaging visual of reading music as well as an
enjoyable backing track.
Early on in the lesson, Social-Emotional Learning is highlighted through establishing
expectations with students before recorders are even taken out of their cases. Here, a widespread
attitude of positivity and support through challenge is established and encouraged for all. As
students make their first sounds, they are engaged in critical thinking to problem solve the
squeaks and mistakes they make in playing in order to help them problem solve on their own
throughout future lessons in which they may face the same or very similar issues.
Recorders Lesson 2
Review B, New Note - A
Objectives:
Students in 4th grade will play the note A on recorder with proper hand position, fingering, and
on their recorders with the note A.
Students will differentiate between the notes A and B and play and repeat short phrases using the
two notes with characteristic tone and accurate pitch on recorders.

notation.
Lesson Sequence:
in, place their belongings by the column in the center of the room, grab their recorder from the
container at the front of the room, stand on their assigned dot on the ground, and begin practicing
the challenge rhythm on the board quietly. Once all students are in their spots, T leads S through
saying and clapping the challenge rhythm together. All students are then instructed to take their
recorders out of their bags to begin the lesson.
A quick review of expectations as well as how to hold and play from the previous lesson is led
by the teacher before learning new material.
Activity #1: Students will demonstrate memory of fundamental playing technique on
recorder and perform the note B with correct fingering and airstream.
1. T reviews slide 12 on Expectations
2. T reviews slide 13 on How to Hold and Play
3. T asks students to cover the appropriate holes to play the note B, observing S hands
before playing.
a. T cues all S to play the note as a group, reviewing fingering, airstream, and
correction of squeaks/airy sound (not covering tone holes completely or blowing
too hard) as necessary.
4. T plays “Heavy Metal B” video, instructing S to play along with the video as the
directions say (listening to a phrase, then playing it as an echo).
Assessment: T walks around the room observing hand and finger placement as well as tone
quality for the pitch B. Individual feedback is provided as necessary.
Transition: T: “Now, we have a new note to learn today. The new note is on the second space of
the staff. Who can tell me what that note is?” S: “A!”
Activity #2: Students will play the note A on recorder with correct hand placement,
5. T shows slide 16 on screen with note A on staff as well as graphic of fingering
a. T explains fingering of left thumb on back hole, pointer finger on first hole, and
middle finger on the second hole.
b. T models sound of A, then invites S to try
with the pitch A, then asks S to echo
7. T plays videos on slide 17 (“A is for Africa” and “Medieval A Play-Along”), asking
students to follow along with the video first listening and then playing the rhythms
provided on the note A.
Transition: T: “Great work! Now let’s practice moving between our two notes B and A.”
Activity #3: Students will differentiate between the notes A and B on the recorder by
performing several provided excerpts and rhythms using the two notes both aurally and
using standard notation.
8. T: “Repeat after me”
a. T plays a 4-beat phrase on the recorder using both notes A and B, making sure to
tell students which note they are beginning on for reference.
b. S echo the phrase
c. T listens and reviews/repeats as necessary until S seem to comfortable move
between the two notes.
9. T shows slide 21 on the screen, and asks S to clap/say the rhythm like the challenge
rhythm at the beginning of class.
a. S: “Ta, ta, ta, shh”
10. T asks S to identify each of the three notes on the staff
a. S: “B, A, B”
11. T models the phrase on recorder, then invites S to try playing along, cuing them to play
together.
12. T repeats steps 9-11 with the phrases on slides 19 and 20.
13. T moves on to slide 21, playing both of the videos for S to follow along with playing on
their recorders.
14. (If time) - T leads S in a game of “Poison”
a. T projects the slide with the “poison” phrase on the board (slides 22/23). T will
play a 4-beat phrase using the known notes, and S will echo. If S hear T play the
“poison” phrase, they must not echo or else T receives a point. If no S play the
poison phrase, S receive a point. The first to 3 points wins the game.
Assessment:T observes S finger/hand placement and listens for errors in pitch throughout the
activity and corrects/reviews/repeats as necessary for accurate performance meeting the
objective.
Closure: T: “Great work today, now you know two notes you can play on the recorder! Next
time we will learn one more and be able to play all kinds of different songs!”
T asks S to place their recorders into their bags and back into the container at the front of the
room. Once all recorders are collected, T leads S in the goodbye song as they line up at the door
to leave the classroom.
Reflection:
This lesson incorporates progress towards objectives as students learn the second of the
three notes to be learned within the unit and the aspects of hand/finger position and tone quality
continue to be reinforced throughout each activity. To adapt for ELL students and specific
student IEP/504 plans, slides are used as a means of providing visual aid and additional written
instructions for all activities. These slides also integrate technology, especially with the use of
the instructional and practice videos for students to follow along with including a more engaging
visual of reading music as well as an enjoyable backing track. Since two notes are now present
on the staff as students play,music reading strategies are introduced to differentiate between the
notes B and A on the treble clef staff. As students clap/speak and identify through the rhythms,
they experience the integration of content through addition (math) in the musical context of
basic known rhythms.
Recorders Lesson 3
Review B, A, New Note - G
Objectives:
Students in 4th grade will play the note G on recorder with proper hand position, fingering, and
on their recorders with the notes B, A, and G.
Students will perform the song “Hot Cross Buns” with characteristic tone and accurate pitch on
recorder using the notes B, A, and G.

notation.
Lesson Sequence:
Activity #1: Students will demonstrate memory of the technique required to play the notes
A and B on recorder by performing review phrases using the two notes.
1. T quickly reviews slide 26 about How to Hold and Play
2. T asks for a volunteer to tell and demonstrate to the class how to play the note B on
recorder. Volunteer describes fingering and plays note B.
a. T then cues all S to play B together
b. T reviews/corrects pitch, fingering, and tone quality as necessary
3. T asks for a volunteer to tell and demonstrate to the class how to play the note A on
recorder. Volunteer describes fingering and plays note A.
a. T then cues all S to play A together
b. T reviews/corrects pitch, fingering, and tone quality as necessary
Assessment: T observes S finger/hand placement and listens for errors in pitch throughout the
objective.
Transition: T: “Now, let’s learn one more note! This note is on the second line on the staff. Who
can tell me what note it is?” S: “G!”
Activity #2: Students will play the note G on recorder with correct hand placement,
4. T shows slide 30 on screen with note G on staff as well as graphic of fingering
a. T explains fingering of left thumb on back hole, pointer finger on first hole,
middle finger on the second hole, and the added ring finger on the third hole.
b. T models sound of G, then invites S to try
with the pitch G, then asks S to echo
6. T plays videos on slide 31 (“Get Down G” and “Jamin’ G”), asking students to follow
along with the video first listening and then playing the rhythms provided on the note G.
Transition: T: “You now know and can play three notes on your recorders! Let’s try playing
using all three of our notes B, A, and G.”
Activity #3: Students will differentiate between the notes B, A and G on the recorder by
performing several provided excerpts and rhythms using the two notes both aurally and
using standard notation.
a. T plays a 4-beat phrase on the recorder using the notes B, A, and G, making sure
to tell students which note they are beginning on for reference.
c. T listens and reviews/repeats as necessary until S seem to comfortable move
between the three notes.
a. S: “Ti-ti, ti-ti, ta, shh”
a. S: “BB, AA, G”
together.
11. T repeats steps 8-10 with the phrases on slides 34 and 35
12. T: “Now we are going to learn our very first song called ‘Hot Cross Buns.’ Follow along
to this video to prepare, listening first and then playing what you see and hear.”
a. T plays the video “Preparing for Hot Cross Buns” on slide 36, walking around the
room to informally assess and give individual feedback as the students play along
objective.
Transition: T: “Amazing job, you sound great! You now know all of the notes and rhythms to
our first song, ‘Hot Cross Buns.’ Let’s look at how it will look in your music and play it all the
way through!”
Activity #4: Students will perform the song “Hot Cross Buns” with characteristic tone and
accurate pitch on recorder using the notes B, A, and G.
13. T shows slide 37 with the music for “Hot Cross Buns” as well as the fingering charts for
each of the notes B, A, and G.
14. T asks S to clap/say the rhythm of the song like the challenge rhythm at the beginning of
class.
a. S clap/say the rhythm - “ta-a, ta-a, ta-a, shh-h, . . .)
15. T asks students to say the names of the notes together, cuing S to begin speaking names
and tracking the music with the laser pointer on the clicker.
a. T clicks to reveal the note names above the notes on the music as identified by S
16. T models playing the first line (m. 1-4) on recorder
a. T asks S to play along this time, counting them off to play
b. T asks S where they see theses same 3 half notes somewhere else in the piece
i. S: “at the end! (m. 7-8)
17. T models playing the second line (m. 5-8)
18. T counts off S to play the entire song together
19. T calls out a color group to play the song together (Ex: “If you are standing on a blue dot,
let me hear you play the song together!”)
a. S play together, and T takes note of individual S progress using the Formative
Assessment 2 checklist below.
b. T repeats step 19 until each color group/students plays “Hot Cross Buns” and is
assessed with the checklist.
Assessment: As each color group performs, T marks each student’s progress with the objectives
on the checklist below. If the skill is accurately demonstrated, T will mark that criteria with a
“1,” while a “0” is marked if it is not demonstrated. The points will then be totaled out of 5
possible and input into the assessment data spreadsheet.
Formative 2 – Hot Cross Buns
Correct Hand Position
Fingering – B
Fingering – A
Fingering – G
Characteristic
Tone/Pitch
Total: __/5
Closure: T: “Very nice job, musicians! You all have played your very first song on the recorder.
Next time we will learn another song for you to play using our notes B, A, and G!”
T asks S to place their recorders into their bags and back into the container at the front of the
room. Once all recorders are collected, T leads S in the goodbye song as they line up at the door
to leave the classroom.
Reflection:
This lesson incorporates progress towards objectives as students learn the third of the
visual of reading music as well as an enjoyable backing track.
Reading strategies for sight reading a new piece of music are introduced as students are
led through the process of first clapping/saying the rhythm, then saying the note names, and then
breaking down the song into chunks and identifying patterns before playing in its entirety. As
students clap/speak and identify through the rhythms, they experience the integration of content
through addition (math) in the musical context of basic known rhythms.
Recorders Lesson 4
First Songs with B, A, and G
Objectives:
Students will perform the song “Gently Sleep” with characteristic tone and accurate pitch on

notation.
Lesson Sequence:
B, A, and G on recorder by performing review phrases and the warm-up, “Eye of the
Tiger.”
c. T listens and reviews/repeats as necessary until S seem to comfortably move
a. S: “Ti-ti, ti-ti, ta, shh”
a. S: “BB, AA, G”
together.
5. T repeats steps 8-10 with the phrases on slides 44 and 45
6. T shows slide 46 with the video of the new warm-up song, “Eye of the Tiger”
a. T quickly models the phrase that is repeated throughout the warm-up
b. T asks S to follow along watching the video to play the warm-up themselves
c. T walks around the room assessing and giving individual feedback as the video
plays, and leads S through fun choreography during the break for the verse
objective.
Transition: T: “Nice job rockstars! Now let’s take a look at our first song we learned last class,
‘Hot Cross Buns.’”
Activity #2: Students will perform the song “Hot Cross Buns” with characteristic tone and
7. T asks S to clap/say the rhythm of the song like the challenge rhythm at the beginning of
class.
a. S clap/say the rhythm - “ta-a, ta-a, ta-a, shh-h, . . .)
8. T asks students to say the names of the notes together, cuing S to begin speaking names
and tracking the music with the laser pointer on the clicker.
a. T clicks to reveal the note names above the notes on the music as identified by S
9. T models playing the first line (m. 1-4) on recorder
b. T asks S where they see theses same 3 half notes somewhere else in the piece
i. S: “at the end! (m. 7-8)
10. T models playing the second line (m. 5-8)
11. T counts off S to play the entire song together
objective.
Transition: T: “Very nice! We have a new song to learn today called ‘Gently Sleep,’ let’s take a
look!”
Activity #3: Students will use music reading strategies to break down and perform the song
“Gently Sleep” with characteristic tone and accurate pitch on recorder using the notes B,
A, and G.
12. T plays the two videos (“Preparing for Gently Sleep” and “Gently Sleep”) on slide 48 for
S to watch, listen, and play along to.
13. T: “Last time we learned a song, do you remember how we broke it down and learned it
piece by piece? The way we did that is called sight reading, and we are going to talk
about some strategies you can use to sight read new music all by yourself!”
14. T shows slide 50 with step-by-step instructions for sight reading new music
a. T explains each step to S
i. Pick a chunk
ii. Rhythm first
iii. Say the notes
iv. Finger along
v. Play
vi. Next chunk!
15. T: “Now let’s try it with our new song ‘Gently Sleep!’”
16. T shows slide 51 with the music for “Gently Sleep”
a. T walks S through each step of the sight reading steps learned
i. Pick a chunk - T tells S to look at the first two measures (circle with laser
pointer)
ii. Rhythm first - T leads S in clapping/saying the rhythm on syllables
iii. Say the notes - T leads S in saying each note name
iv. Finger along - T says the note names while S finger along
v. Play - All play the two measures together
vi. Next chunk - T leads S in repeating all previous steps with the next two
measures
b. T: “Now look at the music in the second line. What do you notice about those
notes and rhythms? Are they the same or different than the first line?”
i. S: “The same!”
c. T: “That’s right, they’re the exact same! So we have already played all of the
notes and rhythms in the song! Let’s try to put bigger chunks together.”
d. T leads S in playing the entire first line
e. T leads S in playing the entire second line
f. T leads S in playing the entire song as a whole
17. T passes out S’s packets of music and a pencil for each student. Time is given for
students to write their name, class, and (optional) the note names for “Gently Sleep”
Assessment: T walks around the room and observes S finger/hand placement and listens for
errors in pitch throughout the activity and corrects/reviews/repeats as necessary for accurate
performance meeting the objective.
Transition: “Now you know how to break down a new song all on your own so that you can
learn to play it using what you know about reading music and playing recorder!”
Closure: T asks S to place their recorders into their bags and back into the container at the front
of the room. Once all recorders are collected, T leads S in the goodbye song as they line up at the
door to leave the classroom.
Reflection:
visual of reading music as well as an enjoyable backing track.
Reading strategies for sight reading a new piece of music are heavily emphasized and
explained in detail as students are led through the steps for breaking down a piece and learning it
in chunks using rhythm first, then note names, and finally adding it onto the instrument. This
process also induces critical thinking for students as they analyze the notation of rhythms and
pitches notated in the music, then translating them directly into fingerings to be performed on the
instrument. This requires a deep level of understanding and clear connection between music
notation and the fine motor skills to play the notes seen on the recorder.
Recorders Lesson 5
Al Citron
Objectives:
Students will perform the song “Gently Sleep” with characteristic tone and accurate pitch on
Students will perform independent parts singing or playing a recorder accompaniment to “Al
Citron” with accurate rhythm, pitch, and tone quality.

Pr.2.4.a Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as rhythm,
pitch, and form) in music selected for performance.
Pr.2.4.b When analyzing selected music, read and perform using iconic and/or standard notation.
Pr.4.4.b Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive qualities, and address performance
challenges.
Pr.5.4.a Perform music, alone or with others, with expression and technical accuracy, and
Cr.2.4.b Use standard and/or iconic notation and/or recording technology to document personal
rhythmic, melodic, and simple harmonic musical ideas.
● Tennis balls (at least 2, preferably enough for about half of class size)
Lesson Sequence:
B, A, and G on recorder by performing review phrases and the warm-up, “Eye of the
Tiger.”
c. T listens and reviews/repeats as necessary until S seem to comfortably move
2. T shows slide 55 with the video of the new warm-up song, “Eye of the Tiger”
a. T quickly models the phrase that is repeated throughout the warm-up
b. T asks S to follow along watching the video to play the warm-up themselves
c. T walks around the room assessing and giving individual feedback as the video
plays, and leads S through fun choreography during the break for the verse
objective.
Transition: T: “Great job, rockstars! Now let’s review our newest song ‘Gently Sleep.’”
Activity #2: Students will perform the song “Gently Sleep” with characteristic tone and
3. T shows slide 51 with the music for “Gently Sleep”
a. T walks S through each step of the sight reading steps learned
i. Pick a chunk - T tells S to look at the first two measures (circle with laser
pointer)
ii. Rhythm first - T leads S in clapping/saying the rhythm on syllables
iii. Say the notes - T leads S in saying each note name
iv. Finger along - T says the note names while S finger along
v. Play - All play the two measures together
vi. Next chunk - T leads S in repeating all previous steps with the next two
measures
b. T: “Remember from last class, the two lines are the exact same! So we have
already played all of the notes and rhythms in the song! Let’s try to put bigger
chunks together.”
c. T leads S in playing the entire first line
d. T leads S in playing the entire second line
e. T leads S in playing the entire song as a whole
Transition: T: “Awesome work! I have a very fun new song for us to learn today that also
includes some singing and a game! It’s called Al Citron.”
Activity #3: Students will perform independent parts singing or playing a recorder
accompaniment to “Al Citron” with accurate rhythm, pitch, and tone quality.
4. T shows slide 57 with the music (singing part) for Al Citron
5. T introduces the piece’s cultural context
a. Al Citron is a Mexican folk song which has an associated Latin American
children’s game
b. The song is mostly made up of nonsense words, but has a few real ones embedded
(citron = lemon, fandango = a type of dance)
6. T: “repeat after me!”
a. T sings the first phrase of Al Citron. S echo.
b. T repeats with each phrase of the song. S echo.
c. T sings the first two phrases together of Al Citron. S echo.
d. T sings the third and fourth phrases together. S echo.
7. T: “Let’s sing it all together!”
a. T leads S in singing Al Citron together, repeating and reviewing as necessary
8. T shows slide 58 with the recorder accompaniment music
a. T asks S to say/clap the rhythm of the first line
b. T asks S to say/clap the rhythm of the second line
c. T asks S to say the notes of the first line
d. T models the first line on recorder
i. T cues S to play the first line on recorder together
e. T models the second line on recorder
i. T cues S to play the second line on recorder together
f. T cues all to play the entire accompaniment part together on recorder
9. T shows slide 59 with both the singing part and recorder part for Al Citron
a. T asks S to sing Al Citron
b. As S sing, T plays the accompaniment part on recorder
c. T asks S to play the recorder part, while T sings
10. T splits the class in half down the middle of the room, telling one side they will sing the
song and the other they will play the recorder part
a. T cues S to begin with their parts at the same time
b. T switches the roles of the sides between singing and playing
11. T: “Now for the most fun part, the game!”
a. T asks one side of the room to be the singers and instructs them to sit in a circle.
They are given tennis balls to act as the “lemons” (citron).
b. T demonstrates how to pass the ball around the circle to the steady beat, singing
the song while modeling
c. T invites S to try passing the tennis balls around on the steady beat as they sing
the folk song.
d. T asks the other half of the room to join in, playing the recorder part
12. T repeats steps 11a-d with the other side of the room so that all S get a chance to sing and
play the game, and play the recorder part.
Transition: T: “Great work everyone! You have learned so much and are such amazing
musicians!
Summative Assessment: While T teaches activity #3, S will be pulled into the hallway in
groups of 2-3 to perform “Gently Sleep” on their recorders. They will be recorded on an ipad to
be assessed and scored using a rubric to gauge their progress towards learning objectives
throughout the unit.
Closure: T asks S to place their recorders into their bags and back into the container at the front
of the room. Once all recorders are collected, T leads S in the goodbye song as they line up at the
door to leave the classroom.
Reflection:
A major focus of this lesson is to incorporate community resources through the Mexican
folk song Al Citron. Many students within each 4th grade class come from Hispanic cultural
backgrounds, and I hope to celebrate their culture and introduce all students to music from
cultures all around the world.
visual of reading music as well as an enjoyable backing track.Reading strategies as well as
critical thinking for sight reading a new piece of music are heavily emphasized and explained in
detail as students are led through the steps for breaking down a piece and learning it in chunks
using rhythm first, then note names, and finally adding it onto the instrument.

4th Recorder Unit Lesson Plans

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4th Recorder Unit Lesson Plans

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Recorders Lesson 1

Introduction and First Note - B

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(1=Demonstrated, 0=Not Demonstrated)

Correct Hand Position

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Formative 2 – Hot Cross Buns

Correct Hand Position

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