Ashley Meyers

Ed 302/303
4/24/16
Unit Plan Final Reflection
Sometimes the hardest part of lesson planning is just getting started. I found that once I
had some ideas of what kinds of activities I wanted to do or what I wanted my focus to be, then
the process of actually writing the lesson went relatively quickly. However, coming up with these
ideas and activities was often a lengthy process that required revision. Often, you learn as you
create the lesson, which sometimes forces you to shift what you originally thought your focus
was going to be. In the end, the final product is typically better than what you originally intended
though.
In creating my unit plan, I discovered that it evolved as I learned more about my topic.
Often, it was tricky to predict how the unit would shift since this was all part of the learning
process. For example, originally, I had planned to have the students write a short composition in
the style of an Appalachian folksong. I decided to abandon this idea for several reasons. First,
from a logistical standpoint, it takes a long time to teach students compositional techniques and
students will likely come in with varying degrees of music theory knowledge. There may not be
enough keyboards for students to use as well, or some students may struggle with notating their
composition. Also, it is more time efficient to have students perform in groups rather than
individually. Students may have also found it difficult to come up with lyrics appropriate to the
style of Appalachian folk music. Finally, there is value in having the students work in groups
since it builds problem-solving skills and allows students to learn from each other.
A few areas that took special thought and attention while writing this unit were
assessment and universal design. Assessment was difficult because I would often figure out how

to convey information, but did not always consider how I could practically see whether students
had absorbed this information. Sometimes, the material is just difficult to assess. This problem is
compounded by time constraints and the fact that students generally dislike the idea of tests or
outside work in choir. For these reasons, many of my assessments were simply in the moment
gauges of student progress (e.g. Did they sing that phrase correctly? Could they answer that
question?).
For similar reasons, universal design was sometimes difficult to incorporate into the
lesson. While I tried to make my lessons as interactive and accessible as possible, occasionally it
appeared that the most effective use of time would be to give a brief lecture and have students
answer questions and take notes. However, I tried to balance this by including alternative
learning modalities whenever possible. For example, in one of my lessons, the teacher is
supposed to bring in instruments used in Appalachian folk music, if possible, and allow the
students to try them. I also tried to give students an active role shaping the musical expression of
Banjo Pickin Girl by affording them ample opportunities to experiment with Appalachian
vocal style and to evaluate their own performance.
Along similar lines, feedback on performances is one of the most valuable things for
musicians, which is why I tried to include several rounds of this throughout the unit. For
example, students rate their own groups progress on their arrangement, they give each other peer
critiques, and they are given feedback on a rubric for their final performance. More informally,
the teacher should be willing to provide immediate feedback for students as he or she circulates
the room while students are working on their group projects.
In choosing to focus on Banjo Pickin Girl, one of the main factors was the message of
this piece. Especially as a young female teacher, I wanted to show students in womens chorale

an example of a strong, independent woman. Often, there are cultural biases about what a woman
should be implicit in the type of literature that is written for womens choirs soft, pretty,
ethereal. While it is not wrong to embrace this side of femininity as well, this can offer a onedimensional picture of how women can express themselves through music if that is their only
option. Therefore, as a choir director, I want to seek out pieces for my womens choirs that have
depth and sometimes more of an edge to them. This was one of the reasons why I chose Banjo
Pickin Girl as the topic for my unit because it broke the mold of what a womens choir is
supposed to be.
Another neat aspect about this piece is that the inclusion of Nobody Knows the Trouble
Ive Seen opens the possibility of discussing spirituals. Spirituals are an excellent example of
another influential American folk tradition. Often, music educators are amiss in that they neglect
the incredible contribution of African American musicians to the development of American
music as well as the many inequalities that they faced. Talking about spirituals could be a way to
help minority students feel that their voice is heard in the classroom and open a broader
discussion about racial reconciliation. Even though many people may not imagine these sorts of
issues would come up in choir, I believe that music can be a unique avenue for giving a voice to
injustices such as racism and other forms of oppression.
In general, I am pleased with how the unit turned out. If I had had time, I would have
liked to include more music theory and made more comparisons between popular music and folk
traditions. Also, the timeline of students creating their own arrangement in a few days is a little
unrealistic (though if they were given more time, this would be attainable). Since this unit would
leave little room for learning other repertoire for at least five class periods, it would probably
need to be spread out over more days if it were actually taught in the context of a high school

choir. It may be well suited to a middle school general music course as well. However, having
taught portions of this unit at my aiding placement, I think this could still work in a high school
choir. The students seemed interested in the material and the background information seemed to
help them connect to the music and fuel their drive to learn the piece.