THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY: INSTRUMENTAL
Standards:
Objectives:
This lesson has several important factors that my students will learn from it. First of all students will learn to work together to create of piece of music that sounds put together. They will be able to see that even though the piece may be made up of several different instruments/parts, it can all work together to become a whole (like our classroom). Second, my students will learn very important listening skills. They will have to pay close attention to where they are in the poem and follow along with the conductor to get the cue as to when to come in for their parts. Finally, this lesson will be connected to a unit on poetry. The students will discover that poetry has rhythm and timbre, and that instruments can help to add to the feel of the poem. They will also examine the poem to find the rhymes and structure of the poem and compare it to other poems they have read or written.
Materials:
The students have been working on a unit on poetry. They have been finding how rhyming is used in poetry and now will be working on the rhythm of poems.
Steps in the Lesson:
Introduction/Building Background Knowledge:
1. Read the poem “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” to the class.
a. Did you hear any rhyming in this poem?
b. Was there a rhythm?
Body:
Step-by-Step Scaffolding (including teacher modeling, guided work and independent work)
2. Find the steady beat in the poem by tapping fingers, clapping, or tapping foot on the floor
a. Teacher
i. clap the beats out so that the students can hear it
ii. encourage the students to tap along with you
iii. repeat it several times until it looks like all students have a feel for the steady beat of the poem (do not go through the entire poem at first, gradually add more as you repeat)
3. Talk about how there are 4 beats to a measure – 4/4 time
4. Introduce the instruments to the students
a. Teacher
i. Play each instrument so the students can hear the different sounds
5. Ask students which instruments would go best with the animal the old lady ate? And why?
a. Teacher
i. Write on the board which animal goes with what instrument
6. Have students pick an instrument they would like to play
a. Teacher
i. Remind students that they may not get their first pick of instruments
ii. Dismiss 3-5 students at a time to pick instruments to limit the fights over instruments
iii. Tell students that when they see my hand go up that means their instruments should be on their desks and quiet
7. Now we are going to play our own rhythms to the steady beat
a. Hand out already made rhythm sheets
b. Each instrument has its own rhythm
i. Have students practice rhythms on their own
ii. Have students practice rhythms alone
8. Now we will put your rhythms together with the poem
a. First of all we will play all together to get more practice with our rhythm
b. Then have students only play when talking about their corresponding animal – must pay close attention to the conductor for their cue to start
i. Start very slow so students can pay close attention to you
ii. Point to the instrument that is to play so they know when to start
9. Repeat several times until students seem to feel confident to play it without any words, just instruments
Closure:
You all did a great job! Could you tell when the old lady ate a different animal? How? Did the sounds make you visualize what she was eating?
Assessment (based on objectives):
I will be doing an informal assessment by observing if the students understood the rhythm of the poem and how to follow my directions as the conductor.
Adaptations/Extensions (for students with special needs):
Some of the students may find that just counting the four beats will be too easy. Encourage these students to come up with their own beat staying within the same 4/4 meter.
Next Steps/Connections to Other Subjects:
The students will continue looking for rhythms in poetry using different types of poems and eventually will write their own poems using what they have learned.
Standards:
- Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
- Students perform on pitch, in rhythm, with appropriate dynamics and timbre, and maintain a steady tempo
- Students perform easy rhythmic, melodic, and chordal patterns accurately and independently on rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic classroom instruments
- Students echo short rhythms and melodic patterns
- Students perform in groups, blending instrumental timbres, matching dynamic levels, and responding to the cues of a conductor
- Students perform independent instrumental parts while other students sing or play contrasting parts
Objectives:
- After reading the poem, SWBAT identify the rhythm of the poem by counting out the beats at their desks
- Using a variety of instruments, SWBAT connect the sound of an instrument with each of the objects eaten by the old lady in the poem by performing a rhythm for their section of the poem using the 4/4 meter.
- SWBAT monitor when they are supposed to play their instrument by following along with the conductors cues
This lesson has several important factors that my students will learn from it. First of all students will learn to work together to create of piece of music that sounds put together. They will be able to see that even though the piece may be made up of several different instruments/parts, it can all work together to become a whole (like our classroom). Second, my students will learn very important listening skills. They will have to pay close attention to where they are in the poem and follow along with the conductor to get the cue as to when to come in for their parts. Finally, this lesson will be connected to a unit on poetry. The students will discover that poetry has rhythm and timbre, and that instruments can help to add to the feel of the poem. They will also examine the poem to find the rhymes and structure of the poem and compare it to other poems they have read or written.
Materials:
- “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” – Pam Adams
- book
- overhead
- Instruments
- Hand drum
- Bells with mallets
- Cabasa
- Claves
- Shakers
- Gankogui
- Guiro
- Shekere
The students have been working on a unit on poetry. They have been finding how rhyming is used in poetry and now will be working on the rhythm of poems.
Steps in the Lesson:
Introduction/Building Background Knowledge:
1. Read the poem “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” to the class.
a. Did you hear any rhyming in this poem?
b. Was there a rhythm?
Body:
Step-by-Step Scaffolding (including teacher modeling, guided work and independent work)
2. Find the steady beat in the poem by tapping fingers, clapping, or tapping foot on the floor
a. Teacher
i. clap the beats out so that the students can hear it
ii. encourage the students to tap along with you
iii. repeat it several times until it looks like all students have a feel for the steady beat of the poem (do not go through the entire poem at first, gradually add more as you repeat)
3. Talk about how there are 4 beats to a measure – 4/4 time
4. Introduce the instruments to the students
a. Teacher
i. Play each instrument so the students can hear the different sounds
5. Ask students which instruments would go best with the animal the old lady ate? And why?
a. Teacher
i. Write on the board which animal goes with what instrument
6. Have students pick an instrument they would like to play
a. Teacher
i. Remind students that they may not get their first pick of instruments
ii. Dismiss 3-5 students at a time to pick instruments to limit the fights over instruments
iii. Tell students that when they see my hand go up that means their instruments should be on their desks and quiet
7. Now we are going to play our own rhythms to the steady beat
a. Hand out already made rhythm sheets
b. Each instrument has its own rhythm
i. Have students practice rhythms on their own
ii. Have students practice rhythms alone
8. Now we will put your rhythms together with the poem
a. First of all we will play all together to get more practice with our rhythm
b. Then have students only play when talking about their corresponding animal – must pay close attention to the conductor for their cue to start
i. Start very slow so students can pay close attention to you
ii. Point to the instrument that is to play so they know when to start
9. Repeat several times until students seem to feel confident to play it without any words, just instruments
Closure:
You all did a great job! Could you tell when the old lady ate a different animal? How? Did the sounds make you visualize what she was eating?
Assessment (based on objectives):
I will be doing an informal assessment by observing if the students understood the rhythm of the poem and how to follow my directions as the conductor.
Adaptations/Extensions (for students with special needs):
Some of the students may find that just counting the four beats will be too easy. Encourage these students to come up with their own beat staying within the same 4/4 meter.
Next Steps/Connections to Other Subjects:
The students will continue looking for rhythms in poetry using different types of poems and eventually will write their own poems using what they have learned.
