In this unit plan, you will be able to "tune in" your students to the great sights and sounds of the instruments of the orchestra. Bring harmony into your elementary Music classroom through a combination of music and technology. You will surely "strike a chord" with your students using this one!
Rationale
This unit was designed for the intentions of providing my students with an opportunity to explore the musical instrument families through the use of technology. In the past, I have introduced musical instruments to my students through demonstration and worksheets alone. The idea of this modified instrument unit, however, is to create a learning environment that is more familiar to my students. Due to the fact that technology is so prominent in their everyday lives, I figured that using technology as a tool to find new information would help to keep them engaged in learning about Music and perhaps boost creativity and academic success as well. Often times, Music classes seem boring and pointless to students and they often treat the subject as just “free time” to “play around”. However, by exposing them to hands-on activities and self-learning/exploration (through technology) in the classroom, students will hopefully develop more of an interest in Music and take it more seriously as well.
By the end of this unit, my goal is to have my students become more familiar with musical instruments, their families to which they belong, and the technologies they have used to discover them.
Unit Objectives
Subject Area: Music
Grade Level: Intermediate-Grade 5
(Classes meet once a week for 40 minutes)
Students will be able to:
Identify the four instrument families: woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion; and their members
Research the characteristics of families of instruments
Recognize the instruments in each family
Listen to and identify several musical instruments by sound
Explain what a conductor is/does
Define and compare an orchestra and a band
Discuss and demonstrate the characteristics of each instrument family and members through the use of PowerPoint.
Create an instrument review helper for their classmates via Inspiration.
Compose a brief rhythm line using MusicBox in order to become more familiar with orchestral sounds.
Recall instrument information through Musical Jeopardy Game (via PowerPoint) and Unit Test.
Unit Learning Standards
National Music Standards
Standard 2: Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
Standard 4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines
Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts
National Educational Technology Standards
Standard 1: Basic operations and concepts- Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems. Students are proficient in the use of technology.
Standard 2: Social, ethical, and human issues- Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software. Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.
Standard 3: Technology Productivity Tools- Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity. Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
Standard 5: Technology research tools- Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Instrument Families of the Orchestra
This is a great unit plan that will get your 5th grade Music students better acquainted with the various types of musical instruments of the orchestra. There are several lessons that incorporate technology as well. Enjoy!
