lesson plan

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

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Second 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 demonstrate rhythmic patterns with my body.
  • I can demonstrate high and low with my voice and body. 
Directions
  • Prompts for instructor to say will be in bold.
  • Student 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)
  • "Snowflakes" 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 (Slides 3-6)
  • Movement activities at the beginning of class help with:
  • Physical de-escalation if needed
  • Mental preparation for students' engagement at the start of class
Vocal Explorations (Slides 7 - 8) 
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. You will also need to direct students to follow lines from left to right. Also use the colors so students know which line you are following.
  • "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. 
  • Have students sing with you and draw the line.
  • On slide 8 ask students to draw their own shapes to use for their singing voice. Ask about 3 students to give you a shape to sing.
Rhythm Echoes (Slide 9 - 11)
OBJ: Students are beginning to differentiate between different beats quarter and eighth note. 

*Instructor will stop sharing screen here.*

Teacher Script
  • Invite students to pick a place to show a steady beat on their body. Instructor chooses one student’s example to demonstrate a steady beat. 
  • "Keep your steady beat and echo me."
  • Instructor reads rhythms four beats at a time using neutral syllable "bah."
  • Students echo.
  • Once all rhythms are read, repeat using rhythm syllables (quarter note = ta, quarter rest = no sound, eighth notes = ta-ti; refer to rhythm syllable cheat sheet if needed)
  • Proceed to next slide for continuation of this activity. 
Rhythm Echoes continued (Slide 11) 
OBJ: Students are building fluency by echoing rhythmic patterns

Directions: 
  • Read rhythms using rhythm syllables (quarter note = ta, quarter rest = no sound, eighth notes = ta-ti; refer to rhythm syllable cheat sheet if needed)
  • Students echo. 
Teacher Script
  • "Challenge time! Remember, I say 'bah.' 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"
Rhythm Echoes Practice Video (Slide 12) 
OBJ: Students are building fluency by reading rhythmic patterns

*Instructor will share screen here*

Practicing Sol and Mi (Slides 14-15) 
OBJ: Student are building tonal fluency by practicing their known and recently learned tones. 
*Instructor will stop sharing screen here*

Teacher Script
  • "Stand up, use your body piano, and echo me."
  • Instructor sings each measure, one at a time, on neutral syllable "bum." Students echo each measure
  • Once all the patterns have been sung, repeat each measure but sing using solfege "sol and "mi"
  • "I just used two new words. What are they?"
  • Sol and mi
  • "Where did we put sol on our body?"
  • Forehead
  • "And where did we put mi on our body?"
  • Chin
  • "What word was on our forehead last time?"
  • High
  • "So that means sol is what?"
  • High
  • "And since low was on our chins, that means mi is going to be...?"
  • Low
  • "Challenge time. I am going to sing each pattern using 'bum.' Your job is to use your body piano and see if you can sing what I sang using 'sol and mi.'"
Instructor repeats each pattern using body piano and singing on neutral syllable "bum."
Students echo using body piano and singing solfege. 

High/Low Reading Activity (Slide 16) 
OBJ: Student are building tonal fluency by practicing their known and recently learned tones. 

*Instructor will share screen here*

Teacher Script
  • "Now let's review reading music. What goes on top of the line? High or low?"
  • High
  • Instructor drags the word high to above the line
  • "And what word goes under the line?"
  • Low
  • "Now I am going to change something."
  • Proceed to next slide for continuation of this activity. 
High/Low Reading Activity 2 (Slide 17) 
OBJ: Student are building tonal fluency by practicing their known and recently learned tones. 

*Instructor will share screen here*

Teacher Script
  • "This time, we have sol and mi. Remember, sol is a high sound or a low sound?"
  • High sound
  • "Which means sol will go on top of the line or underneath the line?"
  • On top
  • Instructor drags sol on top of the line
  • "And mi is a high sound or a low sound?"
  • Low sound
  • "So it goes...?"
  • Underneath the line
  • Instructor drags mi underneath the line
  • "Now I have a challenge for you."
  • Instructor drags dots to line to make melody using sol and mi (start on sol). Give students starting pitch and allow them to practice for a few seconds.
  • Give students starting pitch again and ask them to sing what instructor wrote using sol and mi and body piano. Assess if students are correct.
  • Instructor writes one more pattern (this time, write sol mi sol mi) for students to practice and sing. 
Snowflakes on Xylophone (Slide 18)
OBJ: Student are building fluency by playing learned song on the xylophone.

Teacher Script.
  • "Now we are going to get out our xylophones. Remember, when we carry our xylophones, we carry with how many hands?"
  • 2
  • "We carry on the top or bottom?"
  • Bottom
  • "The big red bar goes on the ...?"
  • Left
  • "And the little green bar goes on the...?"
  • Right
  • After students get their xylophones
  • "Let's review 'Snowflakes.' Without playing on your xylophones, sing the song with words."
  • Instructor gives starting pitch. Students sing Snowflake. Remind students to use their singing voice if needed.
  • "Now I want you to sing again, but this time, use your fingers to play the parts we learned last time."
  • Instructor gives starting pitch. Students sing and play measures 1-2 and 5-6 with fingers on xylos.
  • "Now listen to me sing this next phrase. I want you to tell me if the sound went higher or lower on the word 'drifting.'
  • Instructor sings measures 3-4.
  • Higher
  • "So if we start on sol and need a higher sound, do we move to the left of the xylophone or to the right?"
  • Right
  • "What color is next to sol?"
  • Purple
  • "Repeat after me."
  • Instructor sings and plays measure 3. Students echo.
  • "What about 'slowly?' Does the melody go higher or lower?"
  • Lower
  • "So if we start on sol again, what note do we know right now that is lower than sol?"
  • Mi
  • "Repeat after me."
  • Instructor sings and plays measure 4. Students echo. 
  • "Let's put all of that together. Me first."
  • Instructor sings and plays measures 1-6. Students echo and play with fingers on xylophones.
  • "Let's add the very last phrase."
  • Instructor sings and plays measures 7-8. Students echo.
  • Instructor demonstrates playing the whole song. Students echo with singing voices and fingers. 
Movement Activity (Slides 19 - 22)
OBJ: Students are being prepped to transition to new class.

End class with a brain break

Lesson Recap (Slide 23)
  • Review what you have learned with the students.