EDSS 450N Elementary Unit Plan Template

Name: Justin Davis

Grade level: 6th

Number of Units for the School Year (please list below; adjust table as needed)
Please put the Unit you will plan below in bold type.
Assume that you will see students once a week for 40 minutes.

NUMBER OF WEEKS TOPIC/THEME

1 Social Contract
2 Posture and breathing
4 Staff
3 Solfege and Takadimi
3 Measure signatures
2 8th and 16th notes/rhythms
2 Balance
4 Diction
5 Melody and Harmony
2 Staccato vs. Lagato
6 Major vs. Minor

(should equal 34 weeks)

Chosen Unit Topic/Theme:

Try to balance the pillars of the National Core Arts Standards: Create/Perform/Respond/Connect
Adjust table as needed
DAY TOPIC OF THE DAY REPERTOIRE/ACTIVITIES SAMPLE ASSESEMENT
(INCLUDE SKILLS & CONCEPTS) STRATEGIES
1 Discovering Melody - Teacher will introduce melody as a Informal assessment during
- An exploration of the meaning new vocabulary word. Students will think/pair/share
of melody
EDSS 450N Elementary Unit Plan Template
- Students will recognize their
ability to pull out the melody of
a song.
2 Harmony, the other pitched element.
- Exploration of the meaning of
Harmony.
- Students will gain an
understanding of the
importance of harmony.
- Students will work on their
ability to tune to others in
harmonic intervals
discuss what they know about
melody.
- Students will write the definition
and/or draw a picture of Melody in
their personal glossary.
- Teacher will show and play
examples of melody (Mary Had a
Little Lamb, Row Row Row your
Boat, and Amazing Grace)
- Students will listen to pieces of
music and then think/pair/share
about what they thought the
melody was (Good Night a Russian
Song, Justin Timberlake’s Can’t
Stop the Feeling, and Handel’s
Hallelujah Chorus)
- Warm ups will include chordal Informal
singing (group 1 on Do, 2 on Mi, Check understanding through
and 3 on So [to start) Class discussion
- Introduce Harmony as a new Check ability to tune by walking
vocabulary word. Students will around during partner activity.
discuss what they know about
melody. Formal
- Students will write down the Check understanding through
definition and/or draw a picture of exit slip.
harmony in glossary.
- Students will sing Row Row Row
Your Boat as a round and will think
pair share about where they think
harmony occurred. (Will also do
EDSS 450N Elementary Unit Plan Template
3 Putting them together
- Students will learn about chord
and non-chord tones
- Students will explore the
sounds of chord and non-chord
tones
- Students will practice with
improvisation
with with their piece Good Night a
Russian Song)
- Students will partner up and sing
towards each other taking turns
changing notes. e.g. both will start
on ‘Do’ (middle C) and student 1
will move to another note (‘So’ for
instance) and then student 2 will
move to a new note (maybe ‘Re’).
- Ask for volunteers to share.
- Students will write exit slip with 2
things they learned about harmony
and one more thing of their choice
on the topic.
- Teacher will play an improvised Informal
melody over a I – V – I progression Check for understanding with
- Teacher will ask students to listen Think/pair/share
as they play a D or F with a C chord Formal
and compare it to a C E or G played Check for understanding with
with the C chord. whiteboard answers
- Ask students to think/pair/share Exit slips
about what they heard.
- Show the difference of a chord
tones and a non-chord tones on the
staff and on a picture of a
keyboard.
- Show a G chord on the staff and ask
students to write one of the 3
chord tones on their small
whiteboards and show it when they
have it.
EDSS 450N Elementary Unit Plan Template
4 Writing
- Students will solidify their
understanding of chord and
non-chord tones through
writing.
- Students will explore different
harmonic sounds.
- Students will practice
composition and teamwork.
- Have students explore the sounds
with a new partner at the keyboard
(1 person plays a C chord while the
tries out other notes)
- Exit slip: What was your favorite
key to play with C, or combination
of keys? (students can write or
draw a picture of a keyboard to
show their answer) What kind of
feeling did it give you?
- Teacher will share (without names) Informal
some of the exit slip combinations Teacher will check groups
(played on the piano) and how it understanding while walking
made people feel. around as they are working.
- Class will discuss if they feel the Formal
same or something different and Checking highlighted lines and
why those connections exist. spaces on staff.
- Teacher will display example of Checking melody (and any
written melody. changed harmonies).
- Using their knowledge from the
previous lesson, students be put in
groups of 4 and will have to create
their own 4 bar diatonic melody (1
bar each) over a I – IV – V – 1
progression (or they can create
their own harmony if they wish.
- Students will highlight the lines
and/or spaces with chord tones in
their specific measure.
- Teacher will assist groups with
writing process.
EDSS 450N Elementary Unit Plan Template

5 The Results - Students will sing through their Informal

- Students will reflect on their, written melody on solfege twice Through questions about
and others, work. (two chances) as the teacher plays interesting choices.
the harmony and the music is Through comments about the
projected. writing process.
- Students will also share 1 thing Through comments about other
they learned or observed in the group’s pieces.
process.
- Rest of Class will write 1 positive
thing they liked about the
performer’s composition (and be
specific with measure numbers
when applicable)