lesson plan

Lesson Plan Overview: Little Fingers First Grade - Lesson 4A

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First Grade - Lesson 4A

If your class does not complete this lesson in one day, do your best to cover as much as you can. When necessary, resume from where you stopped at the start of the next lesson.

Objectives: 
  • I can use my singing voice
  • I can make patterns using my voice and xylophone
Directions
  • Prompts for the instructor to say will be in bold.
  • Students’ expected answer will be in normal font.
Materials Needed
  • Music playlist for rhythm play-along and freeze dance (located in the presentation)
  • Classroom space with enough room for movement
  • "Rhythm Echoes" music sheet (for instructor use only)
  • "Hopping Through the Snow" music sheet (for instructor use only)
  • "Seesaw" music sheet (for instructor use only)
  • "High and Low Patterns" (for instructor use only)
Resources
  • See the attached below.
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Lesson Outline

Little Fingers Title Slide (Slide 1)
  • Welcome students
  • Have students take their places
Class Expectations (Slide 2)
  • Go over class expecations for the first class. After the first class you can remind the students of the expectations.
Movement Activity (Slide 3-6)
  • Movement activities at the beginning of class helps with:
  • Physical de-escalation if needed
  • Mental preparation for student’s engagement at the start of class
Vocal Explorations (Slide 7)
OBJ: Students are demonstrating that they can change their voice to different types.

Teacher Script
  • Ask students "What kind of shapes do you see?"
  • *You will need to guide students to identify a line up, a line down, and a squiggle*
  • Ask students to use their pointer finger and draw each line with you.
  • "Now you will use your finger and your voice when you follow the line. "
  • Demonstrate the first line using a siren tone start low and slide up using your pointer finger and your voice. Exaggerate the siren as much as possible.
  • Do the same for all three lines having the voice follow the direction of each line
Preparing La
Rhythm Echoes (Slide 10)

*Instructor will stop sharing screen*

Teacher Script
  • Invite students to pick a place to show a steady beat on their lap or shoulders. Instructor chooses one example. 
  • "Keep your steady beat and echo me."
  • Instructor reads rhythms four beats at a time using neutral syllable "bah."
  • Students echo.
Rhythm Echoes continued (Slide 11)
  • Once all rhythms are read, read using rhythm syllables (quarter note = ta, eighth notes = ta-ti; cover mouths for quarter note rest; refer to rhythm syllable cheat sheet if needed)
  • Students echo. 
  • Instructor reads each rhythm on neutral syllable "bah."
  • Students echo.
  • Instructor reads each rhythm with rhythm syllables "ta" and "ta-ti."
  • Students echo.
  • "Now it's challenge time! Remember, I am going to say 'bah.' What do you say?"
  • Ta and ta-ti
  • Instructor reads rhythms a third time, 4 beats at a time using neutral syllable "bah" while students echo using rhythm syllables "ta" and "ta-ti".

Presenting rhythms aurally (Slide 11)

*Instructor may share screen here*

OBJ: Students are building fluency by aurally matching rhythms to a steady beat icon.

Teacher Script
  • "Now I would like for you to think about how many sounds each note makes. For example, how many sounds (or syllables) does 'ta' have?"
  • 1
  • "Now I want you to point at the hearts and say 1 ta."
  • Students point and say "ta"
  • "How many beats was one ta?"
  • 1
  • "Try again and make sure you were correct."
  • Students point and say ta again, ensuring ta is 1 beat.
  • "Ok. Let's move to ta-ti. How many sounds (or syllables) is ta-ti?"
  • 2
  • "Now point at your hearts and say one ta-ti."
  • Students point and say "ta-ti"
  • "How many beats was ta-ti?"
  • 1
  • "One beat! But how many sounds is ta-ti again?"
  • 2
  • "Interesting...we will talk more about this another time!"
Icon Practice (Slide 12)
Play video students follow along

Body Piano Matching (Slide 14-15) 

*Instructors will not share screen here; *

Teacher Script
  • "Stand up, use your body piano, and echo me."
  • Instructor uses body piano and sings each measure, one at a time, on neutral syllable "bum." Students echo each measure
See the next slide for the continuation of this activity.

Tonal Echoes Continued (Slide 16)
Teacher Script 
  • Instructor uses body piano and sings each measure one-by-one using solfege and body piano
  • Students echo
  • "Time for our challenge! Remember, I am going to sing 'bum.' You sing sol and mi."
  • Instructor uses body piano and sings each measure using neutral syllable 'bum.'
  • Students echo using solfege.
Sol and Mi Understanding (Slide 17) 

Teacher Script
  • "Now I have a challenge for you. First, I want you to sing Seesaw."
  • Instructor gives starting pitch. Students sing song.
  • "Now your challenge is to sing the song using solfege and your body piano."
  • Instructor gives students some time to practice, give starting pitch, class sings together. 
  • sol mi, sol sol mi,
  • sol sol mi mi, sol sol mi
Introduction to Hand Signs (Slide 18) 

Teacher Script
  • "Now I am going to show you our secret musician hand signs!"
  • Instructor shows hand sign for sol using both hands.
  • "Can you make this hand sign with both hands for me?"
  • Students show hand sign. Remind students to use both hands if they only use one hand.
  • "This one is called sol. Echo me."
  • Instructor sings "sol, sol, sol..." on G
  • Students echo.
  • The instructor shows the hand sign for mi using both hands. Make sure hand sign for mi is slightly lower than hand sign for sol.
  • "Now make this hand sign."
  • Students make hand sign for mi using both hands. 
  • "What do you think this one is going to be called?"
  • Mi
  • Instructor sings, "mi, mi, mi..." on E
  • Students echo.
  • "Now let's practice using our hand signs. Sing 'Seesaw' using your solfege and hand signs."
  • Guide students to sing ‘Seesaw’ while using handsigns. Instructor may need to remind students the positions of their hands is consistent. You may also need to slow the tempo down so students can solidify Sol and Mi with their hand sign.
Rhythm Explorations on Xylophones (Slide 19) 

Teacher Script
  • "Time to take our xylophones out. Remember, when you carry your xylophones, you use how many hands to carry?"
  • 2
  • "Do we hold on the top or bottom?"
  • Bottom
  • "Who do we get if a bar falls off?"
  • A grown up
  • Once students have their xylophones:
  • "Which side does the big red bar go on?"
  • Left
  • "And the small green bar goes on the...?"
  • Right
  • "Sing 'Seesaw' for me again using sol and mi."
  • Instructor give starting pitch, students sing using body piano/hand signs
  • "Look on your xylophones. What color is sol?"
  • Dark green
  • "What color is mi?"
  • Yellow
  • "Put one finger on sol. Use a finger on your other hand and put it on mi. Now sing 'Seesaw' using solfege while playing the bars on your xylophone."
  • Extra challenge:
  • Divide class in half. Half of class sings and plays melody. Other half of class plays steady beat on C. Switch parts.
Movement Activity (Slide 20 - 23) 
OBJ: Students are being prepped to transition to a new class

End class with a brain break