670 Portfolio Essay 1-3

Cohesiveness is important for a classroom structured around social learning.

When students work well with each other, they get excited about learning

and are productive when they work together. Technology is becoming an integral

part of a teacher's arsenal of tools. Technology, like iPads, is helpful because

students are growing up with technology and so with these tools teachers can make

learning more personal. Another way to make learning more personal is to

encourage self-motivation. Self-motivation gets more accomplished than any

outside motivation. When someone does something because they are internally

motivated, the end product will be of higher quality than from any other kind of

motivation.

Lessons in my elementary unit include lessons meant to be completed

individually while others require a partner or group. This allows for differentiated

instruction and multiple learning methods. When the students work together,

whether in pairs of groups, it allows for positive social interaction and active

engagement in the classroom. When students are comfortable around each other,

they are more likely to be experiment with branching outside of their comfort zones.

When the students work individually, it allows me to check for learning and see

what needs to be covered more.

In another lesson plan I created, I had a process for the students to learn to

recognize who has the melody and who they pass it off to. This lesson also included

clapping and singing; the latter of which can be uncomfortable for some students.

However, because no-one person is ever singled out to sing in front of the class, the
activity is group based and allows students to be more comfortable with doing a

task they might not be used to doing.

Throughout my unit, I would constantly call on individuals to answer

questions or come up to the board to write answers as well as explain the process to

find the correct answer. At the end of the unit, I had the students get in groups to

work together to figure out the correct answer. To ensure engagement, instead of

having the same student write down the answers on the board, I had the students

switch after each question. This kept everyone engaged and also got everyone more

involved in the decision-making process. Creating this collaborative classroom

environment was important because it allowed all students to have a say and voice

their opinions.

Artifacts are on the next page

 Artifact 1:

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

Standard: MU:Cr1.1.5a Improvise rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic ideas, and

explain connection to specific purpose and context (such as social, cultural, and
historical).

MU:Cn11.0.5a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the

other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Objective: By the end of the lesson, the students will have improvised by
themselves during the 4 chord parts of the song.

By the end of the lesson the students will create a body percussion pattern with a
partner during the parts of the song that have the 4 chord.

Materials:
Computer/ipad
Historical context: http://performingsongwriter.com/lion-sleeps-tonight/
Piano
Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwy5uqemp6c
Checklist:
The students can match pitch with minimal errors
The students can sing rhythmically accurate with minimal errors
The students participate in the activity

Sequence:

- The teacher will have the students lineup in a circle

- The teacher will tell the instructions of the game
- “When you hear the one chord, you will walk clockwise. Don’t start moving at the
very beginning; instead wait for the percussion to come in before you start. When
you hear the five chord, you will skip (while paying attention to spacing). When you
hear the four chord, you will improvise using body percussion. This can include
dancing by yourself or pairing up with a classmate who is next to you
- The teacher will go to the piano and play the first chord of the song and the
students will listen to the pitch without vocalizing
- The teacher will play the chord again and will have the students vocalize the
pitch.
- The teacher will start the recording, and the students will begin singing and
moving when the percussion comes in
- The teacher will have the students pair up with one of their classmates to work on
their own sequence of physical actions (clapping, patting, stomping, etc.) to the beat
of the song that will occur during the 4 chord parts of the song. The teacher will
walk around the room making sure students stay on task and offer any help the
students might need
- The teacher will play the recording again. The students will still be walking in the
circle with the same instructions as earlier, and will now add in the sequence during
the 4 chord parts of the song
- The teacher will have the students sing the song without the recording, and the
teacher will ask for any groups to volunteer to show off their sequence.

Assessment: The teacher will be evaluating pitch and rhythmic accuracy using the
checklist.

Artifact 2:

3. Passing the Melody

Standards:

Pr.2.Ac Document and demonstrate, using music reading skills where appropriate,
how compositional devices employed and theoretical and structural aspects of
musical works may impact and inform prepared and improvised performances.

Pr.4.Ac Develop and apply appropriate rehearsal strategies to address individual

and ensemble challenges in a varied repertoire of music, and evaluate their success.

Objectives:

By the end of the warm-up, the students will have sung the recurring melodic line of
First Suite in Eb rhythmically and aurally accurate with minimal errors, passing the
melody to the next section in a seamless transition.

By the end of the lesson, the students will have played the recurring melodic line of
First Suite in Eb rhythmically and aurally accurate with minimal errors, passing the
melody to the next section in a seamless transition.

Activity: The teacher will lead a warm-up having the students sing (and later in the
lesson play on their instruments) the chaconne/passacaglia on pitch and work on a
seamless transition from each section in the order the melody appears throughout
the ensemble.

Process: Warm-up

- The teacher will go up to the board with a marker (or chalk) and ask the students
who has the main melodic line first, and write the answer on the board
- The teacher will repeat this process until the entire first movement has been gone
through
- The teacher will have the students with the melody first be ready to sing. The
teacher will instruct the students who have the melody next to raise their hands and
be ready to continue the melody, and when they begin singing the next group to
receive the melody will raise their hands
- The teacher will not stop until the whole first movement has been completed
- The teacher will then ask the students for feedback for what they observed
throughout the activity
- The teacher will offer their own comments
- The teacher will begin the exercise again, and will expect the students to make
adjustments based on the comments

Process: The Lesson

- The teacher will tune the band in the tuning sequence (F on trumpet, Bb on tuba, A
on oboe)
- Once the band is in tune, the teacher will move on in the lesson
- The teacher will conduct the same lesson as the warm-up, except now the students
will be playing their instruments. The students who will receive the melody do not
need to raise their hands as the “givers” of the melody know who they are passing
the melody to, and the “receivers” of the melody know that they are next to have the
melody
- At the conclusion of the first movement, the teacher will offer comments
- The teacher will have the students perform the exercise one more time (unless
more is necessary later)
- The teacher will play the metronome at the desired tempo of the first movement
and will turn the metronome off at the end of the first melodic line. The goal is for
the students to be responsible for the pulse. The teacher will only stop the ensemble
if there are severe rhythmic or note/pitch issues
- The teacher will run the exercise one more time if necessary
- The teacher will now put the exercise in context and play through the first
movement from top to bottom. The focus is on note and rhythmic accuracy of the
chaconne/passacaglia and the seamless transitions of the melodic line
- The teacher will offer comments from the run-through, and will then ask if any
students have questions or comments

Assessment: The teacher will evaluate student performance based on note and
rhythmic accuracy, as well as how well the seamless transition of the melodic line
worked

Artifact 3:
- The teacher will show the key of E Major (but not tell them), and will repeat the
same process as with A Major
- The teacher will call students up to the board to show the process of finding the
answer of constructing/identifying the key signature
- The teacher will answer questions as necessary
- The teacher will continue this process until C# Major has been learned (the last
sharp that’s not double sharp)
- The teacher will call students up to the board to show the process of finding the
answer of constructing/identifying the key signature

- The teacher will draw the Key of Eb Major, but won’t tell the students what key it
is
- The teacher will do the same process as with Bb Major above
- The teacher will ask if anyone has any questions
- The teacher will offer comments as necessary
- The teacher will call students up to the board to show the process of finding the
answer of constructing/identifying the key signature
- The teacher will draw the Key of Ab Major
- The teacher will repeat the process of Eb Major
- The teacher will repeat the process until Cb Major has been reached
- The teacher will provide comments as often as necessary
- The teacher will call students up to the board to show the process of finding the
answer of constructing/identifying the key signature