Submitted by Sarah Burns and Caryn Mears, Girard, IL and Kennewick, WA
Idea posted July 13, 2004
Our classes are 30 minutes long and last for nine weeks. Due to this, my exploratory curriculum is divided into nine units, with each unit incorporating five lessons. I also tried to alternate between lecture/instruments with the units. Here is the theme outline for my exploratory curriculum:
1. Five Parts of Music
2. Rhythm Band
3. Instruments of the Orchestra
4. Bellsets
5. Music History/Composers
6. Drum Ensemble
7. Styles of Music
8. Boomwhackers® and
9. Filler Activities
Next year, I will need to develop another curriculum since I will be teaching sixth graders (the same fifth graders I had this year). Off the top of my head I think these themes would work well with sixth grade: multicultural, choir chimes, found sound, science of music, art and music. - Sarah Burns; Girard, Illinois
I introduce my kindergarten through fifth grade classes to a "Composer of the Month." Each time their class comes to music, I have a new fact about the composer written on the board. (This year I put the facts into rhyming verse so that it was easier for the younger students to remember.) We just read the facts quickly each week, and by the end of the month we know a lot about the composer. At the end of the month I do a listening activity using the composer's music. The kids seem to really enjoy it. I often use composers that are listed in the Calendar of Composers Birthdays (in the Downloads section).
Next, I do the "Rhythm of the Week." The students love figuring out how the rhythm goes. Then after someone has solved it, we do the rhythm together by clapping or patting it out. (They love the rhythms towards the end of the year when sixteenth notes are included.)
Then, we do a "Mystery Melody" activity. I write four measures of music on the board, and the students try to guess the song. I give them about three notes and then play the rest of it on the piano or by singing "La la la la." Students raise their hands for a chance to guess the song. If they guess correctly, they get a piece of candy from my candy jar.
From there we go on to activities that include: drumming, rhythm instruments, xylophones, singing, recorders, autoharps, dancing, games, and other activities. I also incorporate lessons in English grammar, vocabulary, and sentence structure in the composer facts (i.e., such as compound sentences, conjunctions, prepositional phrases, etc). - Caryn Mears; Kennewick, WA