edTPA Lesson Plan #1

Central Focus Rhythmic reading

Grade Level 6th grade
Class Size 25 students
Time 25-30 minutes
Class Demographics Male, female. Black, white, Asian. Ages 11-12.

National Core Arts Standards in Music

MU:Pr4.1.E.8a: Select a varied repertoire to study based on music reading skills (where appropriate), an
understanding of formal design in the music, context, and the technical skill of the individual and ensemble.

Common Core State Standards Addressed

N/A

LESSON OVERVIEW
For this lesson, students will be introduced to rhythmic reading through a presentation consisting of
notes/rests, duration of the notes/rests, and how to count them in a meter of 4/4. The lesson will begin with a
PowerPoint presentation, which will consist of defining different types of notes, 4/4 meter, rests, and how
many beats each note gets. After the presentation, the teacher will present simple, rhythmic phrases from the
PowerPoint for the ensemble to perform through clapping, vocalizing and instrument playing, which will be
assessed through an informal checklist.

Student Prior Knowledge and Conceptions

 Reading simple rhythms

Common Errors or Misunderstandings

 How many beats a note/rest would get

 How many beats in a measure of 4/4
 How many beats multiple notes/rests would get
Interdisciplinary Connections
N/A

LESSON LEARNING OBJECTIVES

As a result of this lesson, students will be able to:
 1. Count different note/rest durations in 4/4 time

THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES AND/OR RESEARCH-BASED BEST PRACTICES

Why are the learning tasks for this
lesson appropriate for your students?
(Cite specific, theoretical principles
and/or research-based best practices in
your answer.)
“Although audiation of meter is subjective, effective music instruction
requires an objective basis for establishing metric levels…because
people experience rhythm through movement…” (Dalby, 2005). Having
students using their body as a tool to keep time, such a clapping, can
both establish an internal time and develop a way to interpret rhythms
without having to take time and physically count.

STUDENT INTERACTIONS
How will you structure opportunities  Group discussion for PowerPoint questions
for students to work with partners or in
groups?
What criteria will you use when forming  Students who are in the same instrumental section
groups?

TEACHER MATERIALS STUDENT MATERIALS

 PowerPoint presentation  Instruments

MUSIC IN CONTEXT
Key Critical Questions What is the duration of a music note? How do you count in a 4/4 meter?

VOCABULARY AND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

Vocabulary Whole note/rest, half note/rest, quarter note/rest, eighth note/rest
Language Functions Identify, define
Language Modes Talking, clapping, vocalizing, instrument playing
Language Demands Discourse, reading comprehension
Language Tasks and Defining, discussion
Activities
Language Supports Take time to answer questions

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR SPECIFIC DIVERSE LEARNERS

Students with IEPs or 504s
  Breaking down assignments
 Provide both verbal and written directions
 Spend extra time answering questions
Adaptations and Accommodations

 Preferential seating
 Communication with home
Enrichment and Extensions

 If students do well, introduce eighth notes into the lesson

Activity for Early Finishers

 The teacher will write more rhythms for students to clap and vocalize together on the board
 Have ensemble perform the measures as one whole phrase

OBJECTIVE-DRIVEN ASSESSMENTS
Describe the tools/procedures that will be used in this lesson to monitor students’ learning of the lesson objectives.
Attach/paste a copy of the assessment and evaluation criteria/rubric at the end of the lesson where the assessment will take
place.

Objective Informal or Description of Modifications to Evaluation Criteria

# Formal? Assessment Accommodate All Students
1. Informal The teacher will Students can choose to either Alignment with Objectives:
present simple, vocalize, perform on their
1. Students get to apply
rhythmic phrases instrument, or just clap their knowledge of
from the PowerPoint note/rest duration through
for the ensemble to performing the simple
perform through rhythms.
clapping, vocalizing,
and instrument Evidence of Student
playing Understanding:

1. By having students
clapping/perfomorming/v
ocalizing the presented
rhythms, students
demonstrate their
knowledge of note/rest
duration.

Student Feedback:
1. In-class verbal feedback
2. Informal checklist of
participation
 INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES AND LEARNING TASKS
Opening Instruction Methods
Students will come into class and gather their instruments. After the Guided inquiry
class is settled, the teacher will introduce themselves. The teacher
will ask students how familiar they are with reading music.
Instruction Procedures Instruction Methods
1. Start with the first slide Modeling
2. Introduce the slide. Ask students what they think the information means.
Write their answers on the power point around the circle.
3. After writing student answers on the PowerPoint, present the actual
Engagement
answer on the slide and connect the students answers to the actual answer
4. Repeat step 2 and 3 for the three main questions on the slides. Lecture
5. After the questions, continue onto the “how many beats” slide.
6. Ask students what the name of the notes are then present the answer Guided Inquiry
7. After note names, ask students how many beats each note gets. Present the
answers afterwards
8. After introducing note names/duration, start the reading activity. On the Performing
first slide of the activity, present one measure of a rhythmic phrase one at
a time. Have the ensemble look at the measure for 10-30 seconds, then
have the ensemble vocalize it, then clap it. Make sure to give students a
tempo. Make sure to spend more time and explain the measure if students
struggle with performing it.
9. After the first slide of the activity, have students take out their
instruments. Have them warm up for 1 minute.
10. For the next slides of the activity, repeat step 8, but have them vocalize,
clap, and perform the rhythm on a Bb concert note on their instruments
11. If students do well with the phrases, have students try the eighth note part
of the lesson

Structured Practice and Application

How will you give students the Through multiple examples of rhythms
opportunity to practice so you can
provide feedback?
How will students apply what they Through clapping/vocalizing/performing each example of the rhythmic
have learned? phrases
How will you determine if students Informal assessment of student participation
are meeting your intended learning
objectives?
Closure
After finishing the presentation, recap with the beginning presentation questions.

REFERENCES
Dalby, B. (2005). Toward an Effective Pedagogy for Teaching Rhythm: Gordon and Beyond. Music
Educators Journal, 92(1), 54–60. https://doi.org/10.2307/3400228
Informal checklist for ensemble performance of clapping:

1. Did the ensemble engage through clapping? _x__

2. Did the ensemble engage through vocalizing? __x_
3. Did the ensemble engage through playing their instruments? _x__
4. Did the ensemble show understanding of reading the rhythms? _x__
5. Did the ensemble reach the eighth note/rest part of the lesson? _x__