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Out of the Dust 4
Eighth graders read the novel, "Out of the Dust," and create a free-verse poem about a treasure of their own. They use the attached checklist to evaluate their own poem.
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The Composer's Blueprint
Students recognize AB and ABA form in music and distinguish between these two forms. They explore meaning of tempo and how to perform accents in written music.
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Music's Speed Zone
First graders read the story of the Tortoise and the Hare and relate it to tempo in music.
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Meter Readers Turned Composers
Students compose eight measures of music after they practice interpreting time/signature meter.
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Chasing Peter's Wolf
First graders listen to Prokoviev's Peter and the Wolf, relate the story to the music and identify instruments and their representative characters. They examine how music communicates events and images that help the listener to better...
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Goldilocks and the Bears Make Their Pitch
First graders listen to the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears and identify the pitch of the bears' voices as high, medium, and low. They improvise on xylophones a melody to accompany the bears in the telling of the story.
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Rock the Rocky Road
Second graders keep a steady beat, pay attention to tempo and watch the conductor.
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Penguin Palace
Fourth graders design a model to scale of the basement in Mr. Popper's Penquins. The model includes 5 modifications made to the basement by Mr. Popper and identifies the area and perimeter of each modification.
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Grouping Musical Instruments
Students study about musical instruments and group them into these categories: percussion, strings, woodwinds, and brass. After discussing these instruments, they independently complete the worksheet.
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Draw Me the Music
Learners explore and investigate the foundation and history of jazz music. They listen to various pieces of music while creating drawings, develop a timeline of jazz history, and read and discuss biographies of famous jazz musicians.
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Keyboard centers with Music You Can Read
Pupils play the letters provided in the format "Keyboard/Xylophone/Tone Bells" with the intention of using the "Music Only" format as skills progress. They study fingerings and chords when appropriate to skills.
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Creating a Song
Students work cooperatively to compose a twenty measure song using the computer program GarageBand. Guidelines for the student compositions are available and include instrumentation and specific length.
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
Young scholars listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and repeat what they have heard. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They observe a map of areas in...
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Sing that Tune
Young scholars sing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star without accompaniment, and maintain the tonal center.
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You Can Play It
Students listen to a piece of music on the bells, recorder, and rhythm sticks, comparing and contrasting the different instruments. They play the song, Row Row Row Your Boat, rotating groups to play the bells, recorder, and rhythm sticks.
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Quit Playing Games on My Chart
Learners listen to tapes of musical instruments and correctly identify them. They play a game as they do the activity.
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"Mambo" from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
Students encounter and study "Mambo" from "West Side Story," by Leonard Bernstein. They practice utilizing musical elements (instrumentation, tempo, and dynamics) to create a certain mood for a scene with music. Each student interprets...
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This Land is Your Land - Travel Posters
Eleventh graders compile a list of places in the United States where they have either traveled or where their relatives or friends live. They collect travel posters, brochures, postcards, and maps from their region of the United States.
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The Branding of America (And Your State)
Students investigate about the origins of some major U.S. brands. They explore local products that stimulate the economy. Students create a map showing where those products originate. Students discover the products that their local area...
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Swing Your Partner!
This was written for ESOL learners, but could work for any elementary class. Learners read about the American dance style known as Square Dancing. They explore its use in literature, write a friendly letter about it, and then use their...
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Music History - The Romantic Period
High schoolers chose one topic about the music of the Romantic Period to write an essay about. They research this era, take notes on the important facts, and write an essay about the topic.
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Parts of Speech
In this grammar instructional activity, students focus on the various parts of speech. Students respond to 10 multiple choice questions in this online interactive instructional activity.
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Unscramble the Letters - Music Terms
Students receive a worksheet on music terms. As a class, they unscramble a couple before attempt them on their own. They then write the meaning of each to research the meaning of the musical terms.