Narrative

Prompt: You have been contacted by a school or community organization to create a unit for help
learners use ukuleles to make music and explore music to develop empathy and cultural competence. The
organization has asked you to create a unit curricula that can be used by multiple teachers (including you) that will
be clear enough to allow for unity in the learning/activities of each class/group, but allow for adaptability for
specifics of each group of learners and each teacher.

Use the setting of your practicum placement (if you are JMUke, pick on setting) as the basis for this curricula. You
will turn in a completed and well-thought-out curriculum plan using the UbD template below. You may work alone
or in groups of no more than four. Feel welcome to use and adapt the songs/goals you have begun to generate
already in your leadership assignments. Also, you may want to draw on the readings you have done for your
Scholarship project to shape how you frame learning and teaching here.

Please copy and paste this guide into your own google document. Replace all text that is written in italics. There
are multiple steps:
• 4/17 by 4:00PM: Context Statement and Stage 1
• 4/24 by 4:00PM: Stage 2 and begin Stage 3
• 5/3 by 11:59PM: All (complete Stage 3 and craft end assessment rubric)
•

The full project will be due May 2 by 11:59. To submit, create a leadership blog post and include the following:
• A textbox that describes what this is and what you have learned through the process of creating this
curricula.
• A link to the google document set with share settings as “Anyone with Link can Comment.”
• A PDF of the document embedded in the post using the Scribd tool.

Unit Name: Community Setting

Context Statement: The learners in which we will be engaging with are middle school aged students
at a co-op for homeschooled children. The students have a basic knowledge of the ukulele and can
play a few select chords. They are interested in learning new songs and overall improving. Their
knowledge of popular music is quite limited as they come from a sheltered christian lifestyle. They
might need individual help as the class is a good size which could lead to some students being left in
the dust if not careful. The setting of the class only slightly impacts the design. As these children are
still young, we wouldn’t want to bring up much that couldn’t be done in a church anyway. The only
real challenge it offers is it’s meeting schedule, which is only once a week.

Stage 1 - Desired Results

Standards: Goals:
5.8 The student will exhibit
acceptable performance 5.8 I can perform and listen as appropriate according to the style and
behavior as a participant context of the music. (S)
and/or listener in relation
to the context and style of 5.9 I can discern the similarities and differences between music and
music performed. other fields of knowledge. (T)
5.9 The student will
compare and contrast the 6.2 I can appropriately play music with proper detail and musicality. (S)
relationships between
music and other fields of 6.6 I can adequately improvise and create my own melodies. (S)
knowledge.
6.2 The student will 6.10 I can appreciate the various reasons that people have for liking
perform a varied certain music regardless of my personal preferences. (K)
repertoire of music,
including 1. demonstrating 7.3 I can continuously challenge myself to continuously (improve instead
acceptable performance of better) better. (S)
behaviors; 2. following
dynamic and tempo 7.5 I can relate music to movement to help illustrate the feeling of what
markings; and 3. singing or I am playing. (T)
playing music in unison
and simple harmony. 7.7 I can tell the differences between various genres and eras of music
6.6 The student will create and describe what makes them different. (M)
music through a variety of
sound and notational
sources by 1. improvising
four-measure melodic and
rhythmic phrases; and 2.
composing four-measure
melodies and rhythms
6.10 The student will
investigate aesthetic
concepts related to music
by 1. identifying reasons
for preferences among
works o/*-f music; 2.
identifying ways in which
music evokes sensory,
emotional, and intellectual
responses, including ways
in which music can be
persuasive; and 3.
explaining the
value of musical
performance to the school
community.
7.3 The student will play
music of increasing levels
of difficulty on a variety of
pitched and nonpitched
instruments.
7.5 The student will
respond to music with
movement by 1. using
movement to illustrate
musical styles; and 2. using
choreography to interpret
aspects of musical
expression.
7.7 The student will
explore historical and
cultural aspects of music
by 1. identifying and
describing the cultures,
musical styles, composers,
and historical periods
associated with the music
literature being studied; 2.
comparing and contrasting
musical periods and styles;
3. comparing and
contrasting the functions
of music in a variety of
cultures; 4. describing how
musicians, consumers of
music, and music
advocates impact the
community; 5. comparing
and contrasting career
options in music; 6.
examining the relationship
of music to the other fine
arts and other fields of
knowledge; 7. explaining
ethical standards as
applied to the use of social
media and copyrighted
materials; and 8.
consistently demonstrating
concert etiquette as an
active listener or
participant.

Generative (Essential) Questions:

What motivates one to become a musician?
How would one define being a musician?
How can knowledge of music making be applied to other activities in life?

Stage 2 - Evidence
 Evidences:
• The Learners will demonstrate the skills that they have learned by performing songs.
• The learners will be able to apply their knowledge to various assessments listed below.

Assessment:

The final rubric (displayed at the bottom of this document) is developed to analyze an original
composition that the students have written as well as the performance of the work.

Chord Progression Checklist:

C-F-G7-C
C-G-Am-F
G-C-Am-D
Demonstrate these chords:
C, C7, G, G7, D, Em, Am, F

Informal Assessments for Cover Assignment:

To be judged at the conclusion of their cover assignment (where they will be tasked with finding a
song and a ukulele arrangement to play for the class). The small groups that created the covers will
perform in front of the class. Give individualized feedback to the groups, and ask for peer review as
well. If something is seriously out of place, guide the performers through this step of the next
cover/composition.

Stage 3 – Learning Plan

Throughout these plans, it will be assumed that the plans will be written in a place where all of the
students will be able to see them. This way, there will be little confusion from the students about
what the schedule is.
Day 1 Plan:
Introductions of teachers
Name Game (10 mins)
• Keeps engaged
• Keeps interested
• Familiarizes everyone with everyone’s names
Review what’s on the board (5 minutes)
• Familiarizes students with tasks to achieve
• Prevents confusion with schedule
• Inherently gets everyone on the same page
Tune (5 minutes)
• Prepares students to play together
• Begins students’ familiarization of intonation
Teach and explain pentatonic scale (10 minutes)
 • Students learn that any of these pitches played together sound good
• Intro to improv techniques
Review C, F, G major chords (5 minutes)
• Provides a foundation on which to compose/improvise
Jam session (5 minutes [2.5 each side])
• Half on pentatonic, half on C-F-G progression
• Application of improvisation
Pass the Shoe game (10 minutes)
• Break and attention grabber that keeps focus on music
Brainstorm song to cover as a class (10 minutes)
• Allows students to play song that they’d be interested in
• Prepares for individual/small group covers

Day 2 Plan:
Tune (5 minutes)
Name Game (5 minutes)
• Sing name with the choice of C, F, and G chords
Review pentatonic scale (5 minutes)
For the purposes of this plan, we will imagine that the students chose Somewhere Over the Rainbow
for the sake of simplifying and clarifying the process which we will use.
Pass out lead sheets for song and display tab charts on board. Explain song (5 minutes)
Play through song, singing and strumming only when chord changes (5 minutes)
• Prepares students to sing and play as an ensemble
Practice in small groups, teachers roam to help (10 minutes)
Play through as an ensemble again (5 minutes)
Pass the Shoe (5 minutes)
Experiment with various chord progressions and strum patterns unrelated to any particular song (10
minutes)
• Prepares for covers and compositions of the future
Assign independent/small group cover homework (5 minutes)
• Prepares people to jam out in the real world

Day 3 Plan:
Tune before class
Write up 4 blank tab charts to use for student composition
CLASS BEGINS:
Students perform their covers (10 minutes)
• Introduces students to performing
Explain the procedure for the day (2.5 minutes)
• Ensures that instructions aren’t confusing
Explain how some chords sound better before others (2.5 minutes)
• Intro to dominant resolution while avoiding standard theory jargon
Brainstorm and choose a chord progression and strumming using tab charts on board (10 minutes)
Brainstorm and choose lyrics for a chorus (10 minutes)
Brainstorm and choose lyrics for one verse (10 minutes)
Rehearse Chorus-Verse-Chorus form (5 minutes)
Perform whole song (5 minutes)
Reflections and goodbyes (5 minutes)

Final Assessment Rubric

Goal/Quality No Minimal Meet Exceeds

Evidence Evidence Expectations Expectations
1. Rhyme Scheme No evidence Rhyme Rhyme scheme Rhyme scheme
of rhyme scheme follows a follows a consistent
pattern follows a consistent pattern within the
consistent pattern for most verse/chorus for
pattern for of the song. the duration of the
some of the song
song.

2. Lyrics Lyrics are Lyrics make Lyrics make sense Lyrics make sense
confusing sense to the to the listener, to the listener, and
and listener and and appear to appear to have
unstructured have decent have been been thought out
structure. thought out and and well-crafted.
well-crafted. Symbolic ideas may
also be present.

3. Chords The chords The chords The chords The chords chosen
chosen seem seem related, chosen combine combine into a
unrelated. and combine into a strong strong chord
into a decent chord progression, and
chord progression. feature some form
progression of dissonant to
consonant motion.

4. Strum Pattern No strum The strum The strum The strum pattern
pattern pattern was pattern was was consistent, and
appeared. consistent. consistent, and made sense in
made sense in relation to the
relation to the verse/chorus, the
verse/chorus. metric feel of the
song, and to the
lyrics.

5. Performance The The The performance The performance

performers performers was well- was well-rehearsed,
rarely were played rehearsed, and and the performers
together. together for the performers played together for
most of the played together the duration of the
piece. piece, as well as
 for the duration maintaining
of the piece. togetherness in
playing technique.