Lesson Planning Form for Accessible Instruction Calvin College Education Program

Teacher Ashley Meyers

Date 4/14/16

Grade 9-12th

Subject/ Topic/ Theme Appalachian Folk Music Traditional Instruments

I. Objectives
How does this lesson connect to the unit plan?
In this lesson, students will deepen their understanding of Appalachian folk traditions by exploring ideally hand-on instruments commonly used Appalachian music.
Some of these instruments, such as the dulcimer, may be unfamiliar to the students, so hopefully hearing (and/or trying) these instruments will give the students a
better idea of Appalachian peoples musical experiences.
cognitiveR U Ap An E C*

Learners will be able to:

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their performance of Banjo Pickin Girl thus far and use this to shape
future performances.
Accurately and artistically sing through verses 4-5 of Banjo Pickin Girl
Identify instruments commonly used in Appalachian folk music as well as some of their defining characteristics
Continue to develop their small group arrangements

physical
development

An/E
Ap/C
R/U
Ap/C

socioemotional

X
X

X
X

Common Core standards (or GLCEs if not available in Common Core) addressed:
MU:Cr2.1.E.IIa Select and develop arrangements, sections, and short compositions for specific purposes that demonstrate
understanding of characteristic(s) of music from a variety of cultures studied in rehearsal.
MU:Pr4.3.E.IIa Demonstrate how understanding the style, genre, and context of a varied repertoire of music influences prepared and
improvised performances as well as performers technical skill to connect with the audience.
MU:Pr5.3.E.5a Use self-reflection and peer feedback to refine individual and ensemble performances of a varied repertoire of music.
(Note: Write as many as needed. Indicate taxonomy levels and connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to particular learners
write the name(s) of the learner(s) to whom it applies.)
*remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create

II. Before you start

Identify prerequisite
knowledge and skills.

Students should have learned the first three verses of Banjo Pickin Girl in previous lessons.
Pre-assessment (for learning):
Formative (for learning):

Outline assessment
activities
(applicable to this lesson)

Formative (as learning): Students self-evaluate their performance of the first few verses of Banjo Pickin Girl.
Their feedback should be descriptive and discuss both strengths and weaknesses of the performance.
Summative (of learning):

What barriers might this

lesson present?
What will it take
neurodevelopmentally,
experientially,
emotionally, etc., for your
students to do this lesson?

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Provide Multiple Means of

Representation
Provide options for perceptionmaking information perceptible

Provide Multiple Means of Action

and Expression
Provide options for physical actionincrease options for interaction

During the instrument portion of

the class, students will be able to
see pictures of the instruments,
(hopefully) touch or play the
instruments, and hear clips of the
instruments being played. This
incorporates visual,
tactile/kinesthetic, and aural
learning modalities.

If it is possible for instruments to

be brought to class, students will
have a chance to touch and play the
Appalachian instruments they are
learning about.

Provide Multiple Means of

Engagement
Provide options for recruiting
interest- choice, relevance, value,
authenticity, minimize threats
When critiquing their group
performance, students are asked to
mention positive comments first,
which hopefully makes the
classroom a less threatening
environment.
Students are able to choose which
folksong or spiritual they would
like to arrange and research. They
are also expected to perform their
piece in a way that is both authentic
to Appalachian culture and
authentic/relevant to their lives in
contemporary culture as well as
their personal aesthetic.

Provide options for language,

mathematical expressions, and
symbols- clarify & connect
language

Students are able to read music

notation and text when singing
Banjo Pickin Girl, which
include both symbols and
written language.

Provide options for expression and

communication- increase medium
of expression

Students are able to express

themselves by singing Banjo
Pickin Girl, critiquing their
performance, and incorporating
their peers suggestions for
improvement into their second
performance.

Provide options for sustaining effort

and persistence- optimize
challenge, collaboration, masteryoriented feedback

Students are able to collaborate

with each other to work on their
small group arrangement (as
well as the written component
of this assignment).

Each small group will also get

to express themselves by
choosing their own Appalachian
folk song or spiritual to arrange.
Provide options for comprehensionactivate, apply & highlight

Apply if students choose/are

able, they may use any of the
instruments described in the
presentation in their small group
arrangement.

Materials-what materials
(books, handouts, etc) do
you need for this lesson
and are they ready to
use?

How will your classroom

be set up for this lesson?

Provide options for executive

functions- coordinate short & long
term goals, monitor progress, and
modify strategies

Provide options for self-regulationexpectations, personal skills and

strategies, self-assessment &
reflection

Students are able to evaluate

Students must manage their
which parts of their first runown progress on their small
through of Banjo-Pickin Girl
group arrangements. They may
went well and which parts
also need to modify their
needed more work.
rehearsal strategies if they are
having difficulty working out
part of the music.
Folk music to be played as students enter the classroom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=KSGuBNopzBw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQnmQInRm_0
Clips of each type of instrument presented: In each slide of the PowerPoint
PowerPoint about the instruments: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CoAjeRaGbtlizMo40g6t9aPiBGnMGhDFiW4hmUZ6Ws/edit#slide=id.p
Outline of presentation for students notes.
Instruments for demonstration, if possible: violin, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, and jaw harp (borrow
instruments from instrumental music department or rent instruments for the week).
The classroom should be set up in rows for choir warm-ups and rehearsing Banjo Pickin Girl. If it is
possible to bring in some instruments for students to try, then students should be able to circulate the
room to try out each instrument (a table or chair or each instrument case to rest on would be helpful).
Students may also need to move into clusters to work on their small group arrangements together.

III. The Plan

Time
5-7
min

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Components
Motivation
(opening/
introduction/
engagement)

Describe teacher activities

AND
student activities
for each component of the lesson. Include important higher order thinking questions and/or
prompts.
Have Appalachian folk music (or blue grass music) Students hear the music playing as they find their
playing as students enter the room. There should be seats. They should get a pencil ready to fill in their
outlines of the instrument presentation on the
outlines later. Students warm-up.
students seats (include blanks for the students to
fill in). After the bell has rung, begin warm-up.
Include one of each of the following types of
exercises:
1. Relaxation/stretching
2. Breath support
3. Pure vowels
4. Extremes of range (usually lower then
upper)
5. Diction/articulation
6. Flexibility

2 min

3 min

2 min

10-15
min

15
min.

10-15
min.

Development
(the largest
component or
main body of
the lesson)

Run through the first three verses (mm. 1-30) of

Banjo Pickin Girl (or up to where the students
have learned). Make a quick note of any spots
where students struggled and the places where they
are doing well. Ask students to raise their hands
and describe a part where they personally and/or
the choir as a whole did well. Next, ask students
where they need improvement. If necessary, have
students mark places in their music where they
need to pay attention/fix something (e.g. where
they might need to carry through a phrase). Tell the
students that theyre going to run through the piece
again with those thoughts in mind.

Students run through the portion Banjo Pickin

Girl that they have learned thus far.

Continue to work through the 4th and 5th verses of

Banjo Pickin Girl (mm. 31-46). Depending on
the level of the group, the conductor may need to
work through each part individually, then put all
the parts together. If time, run the whole thing at
the end (including the new material).

Students sight-read/practice new parts of the song.

Each section may need some brief individual
attention. Sing through the whole thing, if time, at
the end.

Introduce students to instruments commonly used

in Appalachian folk music. Show students
PowerPoint with information, pictures, and sound
clips of each instrument. If possible, bring in some
of these instruments so that students can try them
out themselves.
Allow students to continue work on their group
arrangements. By the beginning of this work time,
the students should secure their song (if they have
not done so already) and get it approved by the
teacher. If possible, each group should have at least
one computer or tablet so that the group can look
up the lyrics of their song, listen to recordings, and
find chord charts (if necessary). Circulate the room
to answer questions and ensure that students are
working well (i.e. not getting stuck or distracted).

Students learn about instruments often used in

Appalachian music and take notes on the outlines
provided to them. They may ask questions as
needed. If there are instruments available, they may
also try to play these instruments.

Students respond to parts of the song that they

think went well and parts that they need to work
on.
Students mark their music according to teachers
directors.
Students run through the piece again and try to
focus on the areas that they identified that were
good or needed improvement.

Students to continue work on their small group

arrangements. By the beginning of this work time,
the students should secure their song (if they have
Closure
not done so already) and get it approved by the
(conclusion,
teacher. If possible, each group should have at least
culmination,
one computer or tablet so that the group can look
wrap-up)
up the lyrics of their song, listen to recordings, and
find chord charts (if necessary). This may be a
good time for students to look up background
information on their song and start writing their
paragraphs. Students may also begin to divide up
their song into who is singing/playing what part or
experiment with a few different ideas.
Your reflection about the lesson, including evidence(s) of student learning and engagement, as well as ideas for improvement
for next time. (Write this after teaching the lesson, if you had a chance to teach it. If you did not teach this lesson, focus on the
process of preparing the lesson.)
In this lesson, I tried to get students more involved in the creative process. That is why I chose to ask them to give some feedback
after their first run through of Banjo Pickin Girl. Since it is so easy to be critical as musicians, I wanted them to first talk about
strong points of the performance. What did they like? What moments did the choir shine? How can we bring out those shining
moments and spread them to the rest of the piece? This could also be an exercise in using specific language, rather than simply
saying something was good or bad. How was this performance good? How could it be improved? Of course I also would ask the
students what parts they struggled with or what parts could be better, but I do not want this to be their default thought. These
discussions are important for guiding the choir as they continue to learn and perform this piece.
I decided to include instruments used in Appalachian folk music as part of this unit because even in choir I believe it is helpful to
have a working knowledge of many different instruments. Also, some of these instruments may be new to students, which I think
could add to the interest level. I also included pictures and sound clips/videos of these instruments being played to include different
learning styles in the lesson (visual and aural). If there is any way to bring some of these instruments to class, so that the students can
try them, I think this is a very important part of the lesson. Not only does this provide, a kinesthetic, tactile way to learn, but it also
makes this a more memorable, personal experience for the students.
Finally, the class realistically would need some time at the end to work on their group arrangement. Since there is a writing
component to this final arrangement, I also wanted to dedicate some class time to working on this project so that students (hopefully)
do not have to do writing outside of class. Since this is a music class, I would rather have them practicing music outside of class that
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be working on a writing assignment (at least not a writing assignment from choir). I also put this right after the instruments section so
that hopefully the class is feeling inspired by the sounds of Appalachian instruments to create music of their own.

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