Elementary Unit

First Grade; Learning La

Abigail Huck

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

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 Contents
Introduction 3
Pre-Assessment 4
Assessment Tool(s) 5
Post-Assessment 6
Assessment Tool 7
Other Teachable Concepts 8
Cross-curricular Applications 9
Unit Outline 10
Prepare
Present
Practice
Lesson Plans 11-43
Prepare #1 11
Prepare #2 16
Prepare #3 21
Present 26
Practice #1 29
Practice #2 31
Practice #3 33
Practice #4 35
Practice #5 38
Practice #6 41
Resources 44-48
Song Analysis Charts

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 Introduction
The main objective of this lesson is the solfege syllable “la.” The concept

will be introduced to the students aurally and visually through a variety of

different songs from different areas of the globe. Following the Manhattan Public

School System Curriculum Guide, this lesson would fit toward the end of the fall

semester of the students’ first grade year. This lesson was written for first grade,

or students that are anywhere from 6-7 years old.

Before this unit, the students will have learned all of the Kindergarten

concepts (singing/speaking, calling/whispering, steady beat, long and short,

timbre, fast and slow, and self and shared space levels), as well as the concepts of

S and M, along with their accompanying Curwen hand signs and solfege syllables.

Some of the other first grade concepts may have already been learned by this

time, but none of those other concepts are essential as building blocks toward

the particular concept of “la” itself.

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 Pre- Assessment

To assess the students’ knowledge of the skills needed before learning the

intended concept in this unit, I will use a type of authentic assessment to ensure

that students can aurally and visually identify the concepts sol and mi. Before the

following unit, the teacher will assign a body movement to both mi and sol. For

the assessment itself, the teacher will sing a song using sol and mi and ask the

students to identify the pitches by touching the specified body parts that

correspond with the solfege pitches. This will be noted on the following sheet

corresponding to each student.

Students Aural Sol Aural Mi Written Sol Written Mi

Student 1 » » » »
Student 2 » » 0 0
Student 3 « « » »
Student 4 « 0 « 0

To assess whether students can also identify the notes visually, a

worksheet will be given containing the pitches in standard notation and the

students will be asked to identify the pitches accordingly. This assessment will be

less authentic, but an easier method of assessment.

If the students don’t end the assessment process where the teacher would

like them to, the Present lesson of the previous Unit of Sol and Mi will be

repeated, along with one or two practice lessons before repeating the assessment

of the aural concept itself.

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https://ecdn.teacherspayteachers.com/thumbitem/No-Prep-Staff-Writing-Sol-Mi-Worksheets-1792460-1506376523/original-1792460-2.jpg

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 Post- Assessment

To assess the students’ knowledge of the skills after this unit, I will use a

type of authentic assessment to ensure that students can aurally and visually

identify the concepts la, sol and mi. Following the unit, the teacher will assign a

body movement to la. Using the body movements already learned for sol and mi,

the assessment will be able to include the notes before la and not just la on it’s

own. For the assessment itself, the teacher will sing a song using la, sol and mi

and ask the students to identify the pitches by touching the specified body parts

that correspond with the solfege pitches. This will be noted on the following

sheet corresponding to each student.

Students Aural Sol Aural La Aural Mi Written Sol Written La Written Mi

Student 1 » » » » » »
Student 2 » » » 0 0 0
Student 3 « « « » » »
Student 4 « « 0 « « 0

To assess whether students can also identify the notes visually, a

worksheet will be given containing the pitches in standard notation and the

students will be asked to identify the pitches accordingly. This assessment will be

less authentic, but an easier method of assessment.

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 S _ _ _ _ _ _ _

http://www.worksheeto.com/postpic/2012/04/2nd-grade-music-worksheets_614404.png

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 Other Teachable Concepts
There are several other concepts that can be taught through these same songs.

 Call and Response,

 Steady beat,

 Quarter notes and eighth notes,

 Dotted quarter eighth patterns,

 Half notes,

 High and Low,

 Cultural Relationships,

 AB form

 Low Do

 And Others!

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 Cross-Curricular Applications

There are many opportunities for cross-curricular lessons within this Unit.

Each lesson has its own opportunities for cross-curricular applications. The first

lesson can be used in the Physical Education classroom. The song, Lucy Locket

has an accompanying game that can be used to aid in the development of gross

motor skills. The second lesson can be used in the ELA classroom with a few

different applications. The vocabulary word ‘lullaby’ can be integrated into their

other vocabulary concepts, and the different cultural applications can be used in

a journal article on family relationships that will promote young children’s

literacy skills. The third lesson uses a lot of terms relating to the children’s body

parts and movements. Depending on the improvised directions added to the

song, the movements can be used to help both fine and gross motor skills (once

again, used in the PE classroom).

Other lessons will be able to include the Social Studies classroom

(introducing music from different times and cultures), and the Math classroom

(discussing division of beats, and otherwise counting rhythms.) Depending on

the cooperation of the classroom teacher, there are endless possibilities for

collaboration in lessons.

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Unit Outline
Prepare
In this section of the unit, the students will be introduced to the concept of
la before becoming aware of the vocabulary itself. This will be introduced
through three lessons of songs and activities. The songs that will be taught all
contain the concept “la” (L) along with the other concepts they have already
learned; “sol” (S) and “mi”. (M) First graders will sing “Lucy Locket”, play the
associated circle game, and melodically improvise with the song. They will also
sing “My Owlet”, learn an accompaniment figure on instruments, and melodically
improvise over MSL on the xylophones. The third song introduced is “Teddy Bear
2”. Students will sing the song, learn an accompanying body percussion, and
improvise rhythmically to further the experience.

Present
In this section of the unit, the concept that has been introduced to the
students will now be taught with the accompanying vocabulary term. This way,
the students are “discovering” the term after they have had some experience
with it. The song that will be used to discover this new concept is “Teddy Bear 2”.
Students will use solfege and Curwen hand signs to identify the new note, then
assign a sign and term to it. They will also be shown the term (la) in both iconic
and standard notation and begin to associate that with our new term as well. In
this stage, we will identify the desired concept and ensure that students
understand the concept before moving into the practice stage of the Unit.

Practice
In this section of the unit, the known concept will be practiced by the
students. It will be identified in the previous three Prepare lesson songs and
solidified through the use of new songs as well. First graders will sing the song
“Doggie, Doggie”, and iconically and aurally identify la in the song. They will also
identify standard notation of the concept through the use of a worksheet
including L as well as M&S. They will interact with famous composers by aurally
identifying and reacting to la in two pieces by well known composers- Ella
Fitzgerald’s “A Tisket A Tasket”, and Mozart’s “Ah! Vous Dirai Je Maman”. Finally,
the students will interact with the concept “la” in a piece from another culture;
“Ai Hai Yo. They will sing the song, learn a portion of the melody, and create their
own improvisation over the concept “la.”

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 Prepare Lesson #1
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will sing, play a game associated with, and improvise
melodically using the song “Lucy Locket” with correct pitch (MSL) and rhythm
(eighth notes and quarter notes) in 2/4 time.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: MU:Pr6.1.1a
With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with
expression.
 Improvisation: MU:Cr1.1.1a
With limited guidance, create musical ideas such as answering a musical
question for a specific purpose.

Materials of Instruction:
 “Lucy Locket” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=836
 “Lucy Locket” Written Improv Chart (attached below)

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning class! Today we are going to play a

game. Have you ever lost something? We are going to think of those things. Don’t
tell anyone what it is! Let’s pretend to look for our lost things quietly.
a. T has Ss pretend to look for their lost item.
b. T begins playing the melody of “Lucy Locket” on the piano.
c. T “Keep pretending to look for your lost things when the music goes faster
like this.”, T plays eighth notes in 2/4 time to get students used to the beat.
d. When all Ss are moving with the beat, “When the music is slower, pretend to
find your object silently!” T plays quarter notes in 2/4 time.
e. T switches between eighth and quarter notes, watching for Ss reactions.
f. T “Good job! Now, pick up your lost things and quietly go back to your seats.”

Activity #1 Objective: Ss will sing “Lucy Locket” with accurate pitch (MSL) and
rhythm (2/4 meter, eighth notes and quarter notes).
1. T will sing “Lucy Locket” while playing F# on the piano.
2. T “Can anyone tell me who my song was about?” (expected ans. ‘Lucy’)

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 3. T “Great job!” Does anyone know what happened to Lucy in my song?”
(expected ans. ‘She lost her pocket’)
4. If the Ss don’t answer the expected answer, T repeats steps 1-3.
5. T sings the song for Ss again, making sure to enunciate the words so that
the Ss can hear them.
6. “Alright now I may forget some words, so you guys are going to have to
help me remember them!” T sings the first phrase of the song, leaving off the
last beat. Ex. “Lucy Locket lost her _________, Kitty Fisher _______, Not a penny
was there _______, only ribbon ________.”
7. Ss fill in the missing words of the song.
8. If needed, T will review needed words, then repeat step 6.
9. T will ask Ss to audiate while T sings first two phrases.
10. T has the Ss sing the first two phrases on their own.
11. T will ask Ss to audiate while T sings last two phrases.
12. T has the Ss sing the first two phrases on their own.
13. T “Let’s sing it all together!”
Assessment: Can the students sing the song correctly both rhymically and
melodically?

Transition: Did you know that this song has a game that goes along with it? Let’s
remember how to play games in music class. Can anyone tell me some tips for
playing games correctly? (Let Ss list classroom rules such as no running, no
pushing, etc.) Can someone show me the correct way to get ready for this game?
(Have Ss volunteer) Thanks, (student name). I bet we can all do just as good or
maybe even better. Let’s try! (Ss get to their spots.)

Activity #2 Objective: Ss will play the game associated with “Lucy Locket” while
singing with accurate pitch (MSL) and rhythm (2/4 meter, eighth notes and
quarter notes).
1. T has the students stand in a large circle.
2. T explains the game associated with the song. (One student has the pocket
on the outside of the circle and once the song is finished, the pocket is
dropped in front a different student. This second student must then race the
first for their spot in the circle. Whichever student doesn’t get the spot is
now “it” and must repeat the beginning section again.)
3. T leads students in playing the game, singing the song through one time
while the student who is “it” circles around the outside of the circle. Once
the song ends, the student drops the pocket and the chase begins.

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 4. The game continues until at least ten students have had a chance to be
“it”? (This ensures that the students have ample repetitions of the song so
they can perform it with correct lyrics and melody.
5. Once ten times of the game has been played, the T will stop the game and
move on to the next activity for the class period.
Assessment: Can the students remember the melody and lyrics while
playing a running game?

Transition: Remind the Ss of classroom procedures, and have them move to

their seats.

Activity #3 Objective: Ss will melodically improvise for 2 measures of 2/4 time

using the song “Lucy Locket” using the given pitch pitch set (MSL) and rhythm
(2/4 meter, eighth notes and quarter notes).
1. T will play quarter notes on F# on the piano, and ask the students to join
in singing “Lucy Locket”
2. Ss will join in and sing with the teacher.
3. T will play again, and ask the students to listen carefully. T will sing a
different name instead of Kitty Fisher. Ex. “Lucy Locket lost her pocket,
Carson Nisly found it”
4. T will stop and ask what the Ss heard. Ex. Ans. “You sang the wrong
words!”
6. “I did sing different words. Did I sing the right notes?” Exp. Ans. “Yes”
(T may need to repeat step 3)
7. “We are all going to sing together, but when we get to that part, we are
going to sing our own names!” T and Ss sing the song with the new words.
8. T “What happened there? Were we all singing the same words?” Exp. Ans.
“No!”
9. T will ask Ss to listen closely again. T will sing sing with own name and
instead sing beats 2& in measure 3 on D instead of B.
10. T “What happened that time?” Exp. Ans. “You made up the notes .”
11. T “That’s right! But did the notes still sound okay?” Exp. Ans. “Yes”
12. T sings the song again, instead substituting a note not in the key at all.
13. T “Did that sound better?” Exp. Ans. “No.”
14. T “So when we make up notes we have to make sure they’re nice notes!
Let’s only use this note (sing an A) and this note (sing B). But you can pick
how to sing them. (T gives demonstration B using finger puppets)
15. “Let’s do it all together!” Ss improvise and T models with finger puppets.
16. “Alright, first graders. This is my friend Larry. (gesture to puppet) Larry
can’t sing the Lucy Lockett song. He needs someone to help him sing it. He

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 wants someone who is quietly paying attention, raising their hand, and
sitting on their bottom nicely. (T will choose a student volunteer to sing).
17. “Okay, now we will all sing the part of Lucy Locket and Larry will tell us
who found it using whichever of those two notes he wants.”
18. T and Ss will sing phrase one, and phrase two will be a melodic
improvisation from the volunteer student.
19. “Wow, Larry! Your voice is really good today!” (comments about the
students singing can be made as if they are to the puppet to help students
from feeling self conscious.)
20. T will repeat steps 16-19 until the desired number of students have
performed their melodic improvisation.
Assessment: Can Ss sing improv within parameters? T observation will be the
assessment style.

Closure: Thanks for paying attention to our song today, guys. You did a great job!

(Improvisation Section Denoted in Red)

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Quick Look Prepare Lesson #1
Song for Lesson 1: Lucy Locket
 Source: http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=836
o Beginning Activity
 Walk around the room four beats
o Teach Song
 Sing once for the students
 Ask them to tell you the story. (they may need another
listening attempt)
 Have them fill in last word of phrase
 Ex. “Lucy Locket lost her _____”
 Ask students to identify the “hard words” and define
them as a class
 Ask them to take over one line at a time
o Extension Activity
 Have students play the Lucy Locket game
o Melodic Improvisation activity over 4 beats
 Use Puppets!

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 Prepare Lesson #2
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will sing, perform a body percussion and improvise
melodically using the song “My Owlet” with correct pitch (DMSL) and rhythm
(eighth notes, dotted quarter notes, quarter notes, and half notes) in 2/4 time.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: MU:Pr6.1.1a
With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with
expression.
 Improvisation: MU:Cr1.1.1a
With limited guidance, create musical ideas such as answering a musical
question for a specific purpose.
 Body Perc/Keyboard Accompaniment: MU:Pr4.2.1a
With limited guidance, demonstrate knowledge of music concepts (such as
beat and melodic contour) in music from a variety of cultures selected for
performance.

Materials of Instruction:
 “My Owlet” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=534
 “My Owlet” Accompaniment Pattern & Improv Chart (attached below)

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning class! Can any of you tell me what a
lullaby is? (Wait for Ss response) That’s right, it’s a song that parents usually sing
to their children to get them to go to sleep. Raise your hand if your parents have
ever sang you a good night song or read you a goodnight book. (Wait for
response). We are going to rock our babies like we are rocking a baby to sleep.
a. T has Ss pretend to rock a baby to sleep.
b. T begins playing the melody of “My Owlet” on the piano.
c. “Keep pretending to rock your baby, but can you rock along with my
music?”, T plays a fast rendition of the song.
d. When all Ss are moving with the beat, T will change to a slower tempo
and assess student reaction to the change.
e. T “You all did a great job! Now, all of our babies are asleep and we need
to go back to our seats so quietly so we don’t accidentally wake them
up!”

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 f. Ss will walk quietly back to their seats for the next portion of
instruction.

Activity #1 Objective: Ss will sing “My Owlet” with accurate pitch (DMSL) and
rhythm (2/4 meter, eighth notes, quarter notes, dotted quarter notes and half
notes).
1. T will sing “My Owlet” while pretending to rock a baby.
2. T “Who can tell me what kind of song my song was?”
(expected ans. lullaby)
3. May need to repeat step one, exaggerating the rocking of the baby in case Ss
assume song is about an owl.
4. “That’s right! The mom singing the lullaby is Native American, which
means she lived in this place. (T shows Ss the region of origin for the song on
a map)
5. “Moms from around here sometimes call their babies little names, a lot
like your moms do. Sometimes my mom calls me honey, even though honey
is a food. These moms use the word Owlet instead. Does anyone know what
an owlet is?” Exp. Ans. “Baby Owl”
6. “That’s right! Moms in this culture often wrap their babies up tight in
blankets and rock them back and forth in a sling attached to them so they
can fall asleep. Then, they will sing this song.”
7. T sings “My Owlet” while rocking back and forth, imitating the motion of
the traditional Native American movements.
8. T “Let’s remember some of those words. What’s the first word?” Exp. Ans.
“Owlet”
9. T “I’ll sing the words and you try to remember them along with me. Hmm
how can we silently practice our words while we aren’t singing?” Exp. Ans.
“Mouth the words”
10. T sings the song again and Ss audiate.
11. T “Okay, now I’m going to let you guys sing one part of it all by yourself
and I’ll sing all of the other ones. Which part do you want to sing first?”
(Phrase 1; Owlet, my owlet is sleeping, Phrase 2; Wee stars are twinkling in
the sky. Phrase 3; Owlet, my owlet is sleeping. Phrase 4; Mother is singing
lullaby.) It is expected that the Ss will choose phrase 1/3. If they pick
differently, simply adjust the following steps to build on the other phrases until
the Ss can sing the whole song on their own.
12. T “Alright, so you guys will sing all the times that it says “owlet, my
owlet is sleeping” and then let’s mouth the other words when we get to
them.”
13. Ss sing phrase 1 & 3, audiate phrases 2 and 4 while the T sings.

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 14. T “Which other words do you want to sing this time?” Exp. Ans. Phrase 4
15. Ss sing phrases 1,3 and 4, and audiate phrase 2 while T sings.
16. T “Let’s add that last chunk in too!” **Phrase two may need to be
explained before singing, since “wee” may be an unfamiliar and confusing
word.
17. Ss will sing entire song with T observation.

Assessment: Can the students sing the song correctly both rhymically and
melodically?

Transition: Remind first graders of procedures when playing instruments, then

go to the xylophones.

Activity #2 Objective: Ss will perform an accompaniment pattern for “My

Owlet” in 2/4 using half notes on the notes D and A.
1. T will instruct the Ss to play the note D all together. (Xylophones should be
set up with only D and A BEFOREHAND for this activity)
2. Ss will play D, then T will instruct them to play A.
3. T “Let’s play D twice, then go to A.”
4. Ss and T play first three measures by rote.
5. T “Let’s play A three more times,”
6. Ss and T play next three measures by rote.
7. T “Now, Let’s play D two more times.”
8. T and Ss play last two measures by rote.
9. T “Listen to me play and raise your hand when the note changes.” T plays
the accompaniment, checking that Ss are raising their hands when the note
changes from D to A. (Depending on the Ss understanding, this may need to be
done more than once.)
10. T “Let’s count how many times I play each of the notes.” T and Ss count
the notes played (2 D, 4A, 2D)
11. T “Let’s play it all together!” T and Ss play accompaniment, and T sings
My Owlet over the accompaniment.
12. T “Did you guys notice anything different about what I did there?” Exp.
Ans. “Sang the words to the lullaby” (may need to repeat step 11)
13. T “We are going to sing our Owlet song while we play our xylophones!” T
and Ss sing My Owlet while playing their accompaniment pattern.
14. T will have Ss play and sing the song on their own and then use teacher
observation to gauge whether more repetition of clarification is needed.
Assessment: Can the students demonstrate the BP with correct rhythm and
pitches while singing the song? Teacher will observe.

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 Transition: Ss stay in their seats, but attention is all on the T for the
demonstration of the next concept.

Activity #3 Objective: Students will improvise over 2 measures of 2/4 time,

using the given pitch set (D &A), and rhythm set (half and quarter notes).
1. T will play the first four measures of the accompaniment pattern, then
improvise over the last four, using only quarter notes.
2. T “Did anyone notice something about what I played?” Exp. Ans. ‘You
played it wrong’
3. T “The ending was a little bit different, wasn’t it? That’s what is called
improvising. It’s when you play something a little bit different than what is
written but it still sounds good. Can we say that word together?
Improvising” (T and SS say the word improvising)
4. T “Listen again and tell me if I did it right, okay?” T demonstrates a very
wrong improvisation (ex. Out of control, playing the wrong notes, etc.)
6. T “Was that right?” Exp. Ans. “No!”
7. T asks SS to give perimeters about what makes a good and bad
improvisation.
8. T plays the intro and asks SS to count the notes played before the
improvisation (we play 2d's, 2 A’s, and then create the next part.)
9. T and Ss try whole accompaniment and improvising as a class.
10.T asks if anyone would like to volunteer as a partner group to show their
improvisation first. (If not, student groups can be volun-told.)
11. After smaller group improvisation, T will allow Ss to present on their
own while the class continues the accompaniment part quietly underneath.
Assessment: Can Ss play improv within given parameters?

Closure: Thanks for paying attention to our song today, guys. You did a great job!

(Improv Section in Red)

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Quick Look Prepare Lesson #2
Song for Lesson 2: My Owlet
 Source: http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=534
o Beginning Activity
 Pendulum beat
o Teach Song
 Ask students if their parents sing them lullabies/know
any of them (this may spark stories, decide if you want
sharing or just involvement)
 Introduce the culture of the native Americans
 Connect to culture by pointing to the fact that other
cultures also use lullabies.
 Sing the song for the students
 Ask students to identify the “hard words” and define
them as a class
 Echo sing
o Extension Activity
 Xylophone Accompaniment Using D & A
 Improv using D & A

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 Prepare Lesson #3
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will sing, play a game associated with, and improvise
melodically using the song “Teddy Bear” with correct pitch (DMSL) and rhythm
(eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes) in 2/4 time.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: MU:Pr6.1.1a
With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with
expression.
 Improvisation: MU:Cr1.1.1a
With limited guidance, create musical ideas such as answering a musical
question for a specific purpose.
 Body Perc/Keyboard Accompaniment: MU:Pr4.2.1a
With limited guidance, demonstrate knowledge of music concepts (such as
beat and melodic contour) in music from a variety of cultures selected for
performance.

Materials of Instruction:
 “Teddy Bear 2” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=877
 “Teddy Bear 2” Body Percussion and Improv Chart (attached below)

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning first graders! We are going to go on an

imaginary field trip today. We need to put on our big rain boots and splash in
puddles outside!
a. T and Ss pantomime putting on rain boots.
b. T “Let’s splash in the puddles together.” (T plays quarter notes in 2/4
time in the key of DM, jumping in imaginary puddles on each
downbeat.)
c. T “Now let’s take off our boots and tiptoe inside in our socks.” (T plays
four measures of eighth notes in 2/4 time in DM, stepping on each
note.)
d. T “Great job, everyone! Now just listen to the music and put on the right
kind of shoes to match it.”
e. T may need to remind SS of which sound is which type of footwear

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 f. T plays Teddy Bear rhythm on the piano and observes Ss reaction to the
musical queues.
g. After a few times, the T will tell the Ss to (in their quiet tiptoe socks) go
back to their seats.

Activity #1 Objective: Ss will sing “Teddy Bear 2” with accurate pitch (DMSL)
and rhythm (2/4 meter, eighth notes and quarter notes).

1. T will sing “Teddy Bear”.

2. T “Can anyone tell me what my song was about?” (expected ans. ‘A Teddy
bear’)
3. T “Great job!” What are some things that the Teddy Bear does in my
song?” (expected ans. ‘Turn around, touch the ground, etc.’)
4. If the Ss don’t answer the expected answer, T repeats step 1.
5. T “I’m going to sing the song, and while I sing, you will all do the things I
tell the Teddy Bear to do.”
6. T sings the first two phrases of the song, while the Ss act out the actions
associated with it.
7. T “What were the things I asked the Teddy Bear to do?” Exp. Ans. “Turn
around, touch the ground.”
8. T “Good job! Now, I’m going to be the Bear and you’re going to tell me
what to do. Here is your starting note* (sung)”
9. Ss sing the first two phrases of the song while the T does the actions and
helps with words/melody whenever necessary.
10. T “Let’s all do both parts- we will sing while we do the Bear moves!”
11. T and Ss sing the first two phrases with the body movements.
12. T “Let’s go on to the next part. Tell me what the Teddy Bear does now!”
13. T sings the last two phrases while Ss listen.
14. Repeat steps 5-11 with the new phrases.
15. “I bet we can do the whole entire song now! Do we remember what the
Teddy Bear did first?” Exp. Ans. “Turn around!”
16. T “Good job! Here we go from the very beginning!”
17. T and Ss sing entire Teddy Bear song
18. T asks Ss to sing the song on their own.
19. T assesses while Ss sing
Assessment: Can the students sing the song correctly both rhymically and
melodically?

Transition: Alright, everyone stand up! We are going to learn some Teddy Bear
dance moves now.

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Activity #2 Objective: Students will perform a body percussion to the song
“Teddy Bear” in 2/4 meter with accurate rhythm using eighth notes and
quarter notes.
1. T has the students pat on their laps to the steady beat while T sings the
song.
2. Ss join in singing, patting their laps to the beat along with it
3. T signals for Ss to watch, and changes the body percussion to a clap on the
first beat and pat on the second beat.
4. Ss join in on the new BP when it is understood.
5. T sings along with this new BP, Ss join in singing when they are able.
6. T signals for Ss to watch, and changes the first two beats of each measure
to two eighth note claps.
7. Ss join in on the BP as they are able.
8. T signals for Ss to watch, and changes the last two measures of each
phrase to four quarter note pats.
9. Ss join in on the BP as they are able.
10. T signals for Ss to watch, and changes the last two measures of every
other phrase to two quarter note pats and one half note pat.
11. Ss join in on the BP as they are able.
8. T and Ss sing the Teddy Bear song while performing the BP together.
9. T “I bet you can do the whole thing all by yourself!” Ss perform the BP
while T assesses.
Assessment: Can the students accurately demonstrate the BP while singing?
Teacher will observe.

Activity #3 Objective: Students will improvise rhythmically in 2/4 time,

following the parameters set by the song “Teddy Bear” using quarter notes,
half notes, and eighth notes.
1. T “Wait! I forgot all the words to the song. Can someone remind me how it
goes?” Exp. Ans. Correct Lyrics from Ss
2. T “Thank you, I’m so glad you remembered! Do you think we could make
our teddy bear do something else?” Exp. Ans. Yes!
3. T “Tell your neighbor quietly what you think the teddy bear should do
next.” Ss tell neighbor their idea.
4. T will take suggestions from the class. T will model the ideas and ask Ss if
it fits within the given rhythm. (Don’t use the word RHYTHM, it can be
confusing. Just ask if the words fit right. They’ll be able to tell if 16 syllables
won’t fit in two beats.)

23
 6. T and Ss will decide which ideas “fit” best in the song and try them
together.
7. T have Ss pat the floor to the rhythm of the words they have made up. Ex.
Get a Drink (three quarter notes)
8. T and Ss will try this with each new suggestion, T making sure that Ss are
patting the rhythm and not the beat.
9. T will ask Ss to make up their own words and try to get their partner to
guess the words from their patting on the ground.
10. T will have the partners switch roles.
11. T has Ss remember the BP together.
12. T improvises patting on the floor while the Ss perform the BP.
13. T has Ss try improv all at once, with partners, and alone (if class seems
ready to perform)
Assessment: Can Ss improv within parameters?
Closure: Thanks for paying attention to our song today, guys. You did a great
job!

24
Quick Look Prepare Lesson 3
Song for Lesson 3: Teddy Bear
 Source: : http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=877
o Quarter notes and eighth notes
o Teach Song
 Sing once for the students
 Ask them to act out the movements
 Have them fill in first half of the phrase
 Ex. “_______________ Turn Around”
 Ask students the order of events. Ex “Does he tie his
shoes first?”
 Have them fill in second half of the phrase
 Ex. “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, _________”
o Extension Activity
 Improv! Like Simon Says, Ss tell Teddy Bear what
to do over 4 beats
 Transfer to BP

25
 Present Lesson

Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):

First grade students will be introduced to the concept of the note “la” using the
song “Teddy Bear” with correct pitch (dMSL) and rhythm (eighth notes, quarter
notes, half notes) in 2/4 time.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song:
Pr.2.2.b When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic and
melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation.

Materials of Instruction:
 “Teddy Bear 2” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=877
 Large Staff on the floor
 Teddy Bear stickers, printouts, or real stuffed bears

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning class! I need you to listen very closely
to my song and tell me if you know anything about it.
a. T plays the melody of “Teddy Bear” on the piano.
b. If Ss don’t immediately recognize the melody, then a hint should be added such
as a stuffed teddy bear or sing the words of the song along with the melody
softly.
c. Once the Ss remember the song, T will have Ss sing the melody together.
d. After this, the T will remind Ss of the body percussion that they learned from
the song to refresh them on that.
e. T and Ss will sing and perform the body percussion at least once.
f. T “Good job! Now, let’s all get out our singing hands!”

Activity #1 Objective: Ss will identify the new concept “la” aurally through the
already known “Teddy Bear” song using the pitch set dMSL and BP using quarter
and eighth notes in 2/4 time.
1. T will remind Ss of their Curwen Solfege Hand Signs M and S.
2. T “Show me M!” Ss show M. T “Show me S!” Ss show S
3. T “Great job!”
4. T asks Ss which sound is higher, M or S. (Exp. Ans. S)

26
 5. T “Let’s try and find the M and S in our Teddy Bear song!”
6. T and S will sing “Teddy Bear” along with the hand signs. It is anticipated
that once the Ss get to “la” they will be confused and will most likely speak
up on their own.
7. If Ss don’t detect the new note, T can ask leading questions (Did we find
both of our two notes? Did something else happen?)
8. Ss “It’s wrong/different/too high!” T “Hmm. That’s weird. Let’s try again
but when we get to that note let’s just make a sign like this.” (T makes a
hand sign close to the sign for la that seems random and silly)
9. T and Ss sing “Teddy Bear” along with MSL hand signs.
10. T “Wow that is so weird! Let’s go on.”
Assessment: Can the students identify the new note in context?

Transition: Can someone remind me how we go over to our carpets? That’s right,
quietly and without pushing anyone. Let’s go over to our carpet squares now!

Activity #2 Objective: Ss will identify the new concept “la” visually using
symbols of a teddy bear on the staff, using the song “Teddy Bear 2” with the pitch
set of dMSL.
1. T asks Ss what the name of the staff is (Exp. Ans. “Staff!”)
2. T “Do we remember where M and S go on our staff?” (If not, the Ss can be
reminded)
3. T puts down two bears on the notes A and F. “Which one is S and which is
M?” (Exp. Ans. A and F, respectively)
4. T “Let’s put our teddy bear song on here!” T and Ss work together to place
the correct M and S notes until the infamous La happens.
5. Once La happens, T “Huh. There’s that mystery note again! Is it higher or
lower than the notes we know?” (Exp. Ans. Higher!)
6. T “I think it’s higher too. Let’s put it here for now.” T continues putting
down icons until the song is (almost) complete.
7. T “Now, first graders, do you know that our mystery note has a real name
just like mi and sol? We call it “la.” When we get to la in our song let’s sing
it’s real name!”
8. T and Ss practice singing the Teddy Bear Song together with solfege
syllables
9. T “Good job, first graders!”
Assessment: Can the students identify the difference in pitch when looking
at iconography?

27
Activity #3 Objective: Ss will identify the pitch “la” visually using standard
notation through the notation of the song “Teddy Bear 2” using the pitch set
dMSL.
1. T will take the bears from the staff and substitute them for their
respective rhythms one by one.
2. T reminds Ss of their “ta” and “ti-ti” rhythms.
3. T “Let’s count out our rhythm together.” Ss and T count the rhythm
together.
4. T “Now, let’s say our M S and LA!” Ss and T identify M S and La.
5. T “We are going to play a game. I need one quiet person with their hand
raised to help me start this fun game.” T picks a Ss
6. T “Now, when I say a M S or L, you all have to point to the right one and
the person at the front has to bring the note over to the bucket and put it
away.” (T should keep the La for the middle)
7. T and Ss play the game until the last note is gone. T should observe and
assess understanding of each student while the game is going.
Assessment: Can Ss identify La while using standard notation?

Closure: Thanks for helping me uncover our mystery note today!

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 Practice Lesson #1
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
Students will use the solfege term “la” in the song “Lucy Locket” with the
pitch set MSL.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: MU:Pr6.1.1a
With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with
expression.

Materials of Instruction:
 “Lucy Locket” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=836

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning class! Do you remember our song about
a locket? It belongs to a girl named Lucy. Can anyone tell me what happened to
Lucy and her locket?
a. If Ss don’t remember the song, the T can always remind them of the song
and game that goes along with it.
b. T “Let’s sing our Lucy Locket song all together!”
c. Ss and T sing the Lucy Locket song all together
d. T reminds Ss of the rules and then (if they would like) Ss play two rounds
of the Lucy Locket game to reinforce the melody and words through
repetition.
Activity Objective: Ss will sing “Lucy Locket” with accurate pitch (MSL) and
rhythm (2/4 meter, eighth notes and quarter notes) while identifying the note la.
1. Ss will transition back to their seats quietly.
2. T “Do we remember our notes M and S?” (Exp. Ans. Yes)
3. T “Let’s sing our Lucy Lockett using our M and S.” T and Ss sing the song
4. T “Wait! Did anyone hear our new note? What’s our new note’s name?”
(Exp. Ans. “La”)
5. T “ Oh yeah that’s right! Let’s sing the song again but let’s put La in where
it belongs!”
6. T and Ss sing Lucy Locket again, using the solfege syllables M S and L
7. T “Good job guys! Now, let’s get our singing hands out and do our singing
hands along with it!”

29
 8. T and Ss will sing Lucy Lockett using solfege syllables and Curwen hand
signs.
9. The Curwen hand sign for la may need to be reviewed, since it is new.
10. T has the Ss sing and sign the song on solfege on their own
11. T assesses the Ss as they sing and sign.
Assessment: Can the students sing the song correctly both melodically and
with the correct solfege syllables?

Assessment: Can Ss identify and sing the note “la” within the song?

Closure: Thanks for paying attention to our song today, guys. You did a great job!

Practice Lesson #2

30
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will identify the note “la” from written notation using the
song “My Owlet” with correct pitch (DMSL) and rhythm (eighth notes, dotted
quarter notes, quarter notes, and half notes) in 2/4 time.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: Pr.2.2.b When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic
and melodic patterns using iconic or standard notation.

Materials of Instruction:
 “My Owlet” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=534

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning class! We are going to sing a lullaby

today. Can anyone tell me what a lullaby is?
a. T has Ss explain a lullaby.
b. T “Do you guys remember singing a lullaby about a little baby?”
c. T may have to remind the Ss of the song.
If so, T will have the Ss echo each line until they have re-learned the song.
d. T and Ss will sing the song together
f. T “Good job! Now, let’s look up at the board.”

Activity Objective: Ss will identify the note “la” from standard notation using the
song “My Owlet” with correct pitch (DMSL) and rhythm (eighth notes, dotted
quarter notes, quarter notes, and half notes) in 2/4 time.
1. T “What note does our song start on?” (Exp. Ans. “S”)
2. T “Which friend in the room can show me where that is on the board?”
(Standard notation of the first three measures of the song will be written on
the board)
3. Ss will show T where the first S happens in the song.
4. T “Good Job! What’s the next note?” (Exp. Ans. S)
5. T “And what’s the next one?” (Exp. Ans. M)
6. T “Quietly get out a piece of paper and write down what you think the last
notes are!”
7. Ss fill in the missing solfege of the song fragment written on the board.
8. Once students are done, T will have them ask a partner to see if they have
the right answers.
9. T will ask each group of Ss to share their answers.

31
 10. T will collect the scratch papers once the Ss have all shared their
answers.
Assessment: Can Ss identify the solfege of the melody from standard notation? T
will assess the worksheets.

Closure: Thanks for paying attention to our song today, guys. You did a great job!

32
 Practice Lesson #3
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First Grade Students will write and identify the note “la” from a worksheet.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Worksheet: Cr.2.1.b With limited guidance, use iconic or standard
notation and/or recording technology to document and organize personal
musical ideas.

Materials of Instruction:
 Worksheet

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition: Good morning class! Sit down quietly and try to raise
your hand once you know what note my second note is. (The notes M S and L are
on the board, with M labeled)
a. Ss identify the second note as S.
b. T “ Good Job!” “Can another quiet person raise their hand and tell me the note
after that?” (Exp. Ans. L)
c. T “Good Job!” “I would love another quiet person to come up here and draw me
a Sol on the board.
d. Ss will draw a M on the board where it is appropriate.
f. T “Good job! Now, I’m going to hand you a paper with a lot of different notes on
it and you can tell me which ones they are!.”

Activity Objective: Ss will identify M S and L on the worksheet.

1. T will hand out worksheets and explain that the first two are already done
for them to help them out.
2. This can be used as a competition, depending on the class. Be careful to not
make it fully based on that, though.
3. T will give Ss an opportunity to share their answers with their partner.
4. T will have Ss share their answers, correcting if necessary, and then turn
in their papers at the end of the class period.
Assessment: Can the students identify MSL from standard notation with an 80%
accuracy?
Closure: Thanks for helping me name those notes. You did a great job!

33
Answer Key
S M S M L S L S L S M M S L L S M
S M S L S M S S L S M S L S L

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 Practice Lesson #4
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will identify the concept “la” both aurally and iconically
using the song “Doggie, Doggie” in 2/4 time with the pitch set MSL.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: MU:Pr6.1.1a
With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with
expression.

Materials of Instruction:
 “Doggie, Doggie” from The Kodaly Collection
o http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=694

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition:
a. T “Good Morning, first graders! Do any of you have a pet?” (Wait for some
response but don’t let it get out of control with stories and such)
b. T “Today we are going to be singing a song about a specific type of pet. Let’s
all use our imaginations and think of the best pet. But each pet has to be a
magical silent pet that makes no sound at all. When I play the song, act like
your favorite pet. But when you hear THIS NOTE (play “la” on the piano), I
want you to freeze.”
c. T “Now, who can remind me about the rules we have for walking around the
classroom?” (Exp. Ans. No running, No pushing, No licking our friends, etc.)
d. T “Good job. Let’s practice sitting down first. When you hear the note we stop
on, raise your hand.” T plays MS and then L. (Hold the L longer and make it
extra loud to help warrant a reaction. If Ss react correctly, move on)
e. T “Alright! Let’s be our favorite silent pets. Ready, Go!”
f. T will play a mixture of MSL pitches as the Ss walk around the room. T will
watch and assess.
g. T “Alright, our silent pets are going to walk with the music back to their
carpet squares now.”
Transition: T and Ss transition to song learning spots while T plays the “Doggie,
Doggie” song on piano.

35
Activity #1 Objective: Ss will sing “Doggie, Doggie” with accurate pitch (MSL)
and rhythm (2/4 meter, eighth notes and quarter notes) and aurally identify the
pitch “la”
1. T “Alright listen close to my song and see if you can tell me what kind of
pet it is about.” T sings the song
2. T “What pet was my song about?” (Exp. Ans. Doggie, Dog)
3. T “That’s right! What happened to the Doggie in my song?” (Exp. Ans. He
lost his bone!)
4. T “That is so sad! This time, I want you to sing with me any time I say the
word Doggie. Here we go!” T sings whole song with Ss singing the word
Doggie.
5. T “This song is in four parts. There is the part that says “Doggie Doggie
where’s your bone”, the second that says “someone stole it from my
home”, the third that says “Who stole the bone?” and the last part that
goes “I stole the bone” Can you guys sing just the first part for me? Let’s
try
6. Ss sing first phrase while T sings the rest.
7. T “ Good job! Which part do you think you can say next?” It is anticipated
the Ss will choose phrase 3 or 4, so that’s what I am using here. If they pick
a different one, that is fine!
8. Ss sing the first and fourth phrase, with T filling in with phrase 2 and 3.
9. Ss sing the first, third and fourth line, with T filling in phrase 2.
10. Before Ss sing the whole song, T will ask them to use their “magic
mouths” and audiate the words to the whole song while T sings.
11.T will then ask Ss to sing the song on their own.
12.T “Good job, first graders! Now, can we get out our singing hands and
figure out what notes we are singing? What do we think we start on?”
(Exp. Ans. Sol)
13.T “Good job! Let’s figure out the rest of our notes.” *gasp* Maybe it has
our new note la in it! Let’s see!
14. T will guide the Ss in finding the pitches, observing to see if the Ss can
identify La.
Assessment:
Can the students sing the song correctly both rhymically and melodically?
Can the students identify “la” within the song?

Transition: “Good job guys! Now, turn around so you can see our big music lines.”

Activity #2 Objective: Ss will identify the pitch “la” from iconic notation using
the song “Doggie, Doggie” in 2/4 time using the pitch set MSL.

36
 1. T will have dog printouts on magnets attached to the board with the
locations for the song “Doggie, Doggie” outlined. The first measure will be
labeled as “SM”.
2. T “Alright, I’ve split you up into 8 pairs. Each of you is going to figure out
what two of my notes are, okay? I’ll give you a freebie and tell you these
two are S and M.”
3. T “Group One, try to figure out these two notes, Group Two… etc.”
4. T will give Ss three minutes to try and figure out the solfege names of the
syllables.
5. T will call each group one at a time and ask them to write out their
answers on the board.
6. T will ask Ss if the answers are right. *peer assessment* and offer an
opportunity to change answers if needed.
7. T will assess how the students performed based on their answers as a
group.
Assessment: Can students identify the pitch “la” from iconic notation?

Closure: Thanks for paying attention to our song today, guys. You were great
silent pets!

37
 Practice Lesson #5
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will interact with the pitch “la” and identify it aurally in Ella
Fitzgerald’s ‘A Tisket, A Tasket’ and Mozart’s “Ah! Vous Dirais Je Maman”.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Re.2.1 With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify how specific music
concepts (such as beat or pitch) are used in various styles of music for a
purpose

Materials of Instruction:
 “A Tisket, A Tasket” from Ella Fitzgerald
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjJry0vhHj4
 “Ah! Vous Dirai Je Maman” by Mozart
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezvj-De6bxY&feature=youtu.be

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition:
Good morning first graders! Today, we are going to listen to some songs! Get out
your carpet squares quietly and find your seat. Make sure that you can see the
screen!

Activity #1 Objective: Ss will identify the concept “la” in ‘A Tisket, A Tasket’ in

4/4 time specifically focusing on the places where SML are used within the song.
1. T “Alright, class. This song is written by a lady named Ella Fitzgerald.
Let’s all say that together.
2. T and Ss will say the name together
3. T “She was a very important singer in her time. People didn’t think she
belonged because of the color of her skin but she proved that she had a
really good voice and people started believing that anyone can sing no
matter what their skin color! She’s a pretty cool lady.”
4. T “What was her name again?” (Exp. Ans. Ella Fitzgerald)
5. T “Let’s listen to her song!”
6. T will play the recording of the song for the Ss.
7. T “What did that song make you feel like?” (T will receive responses that
vary in quality and depth. That is ok!)
8. T “Did anyone already know this song before I played the video?”
(Hopefully, at least a few students will have already heard it.)

38
 9. T “Let’s listen again and see what happens to the lady in the song.” T will
play the video again.
10.T “What happened to the lady in the song?” (Exp. Ans. She lost
something)
11.T “Good job! Let’s sing just one of the parts that she sings. The words are
“I dropped it, I dropped it, and on the way I dropped it.” Let’s say those
words all together.”
12.T and Ss say the words together.
13.T “Listen then repeat.” T sings “I dropped it, I dropped it”
14. Ss echo “I dropped it, I dropped it.”
15. T sings “… and on the way I dropped it”
16. SS echo “…and on the way I dropped it.”
17. T what notes are we singing there? We start on S and then what do we
sing?” (Exp. Ans. M S M S M L S M)
18. T “ Good job! We remembered our new note “La”! I’m going to play the
video and we are all going to stand up when we hear “la”!”
19. T will start video exactly at this point to mimic what the students just
sang so they have a better idea of the pitches.
https://youtu.be/SjJry0vhHj4?t=34
20. Ss will stand on “la”
Assessment: Can the students identify “la” when heard in the recording? T will
observe and assess.

Transition: Alright, since we are all standing up, take 30 seconds and get the
wiggles out before we sit down again! T queues up the next video and signals Ss
to sit back down in their spots.

Activity #2 Objective: Ss will aurally identify the concept “la” in Mozart’s Ah!
Vous dirai Je Maman.
1. T “Alright! Now we are going to listen to a song written by a man named
Mozart. Has anyone ever heard of Mozart before?” (wait for Ss reaction)
2. T “Mozart is a composer from a place called Austria. Say Austria with me.
(Ss echo the word Austria) He was composing songs by the time he was
five years old! He wrote many many pieces while he was alive and he is
one of the most important composers of all time!”
3. T “Let’s listen to Mozart’s piece.” T plays recording of Ah! Vous Dirai Je
Maman
4. T “Did anyone recognize this song?” (Exp. Ans. Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star!)

39
 5. T “Did you know that when Mozart wrote this song he didn’t actually call
it Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star? He had a different name entirely.” (if class
seems receptive to the idea, have them say each word of the title at a
time) T “Let’s all sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star!”
6. T and Ss sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star together.
7. T “How about we use our singing hands here. We start on a different note
that isn’t SML, so let’s just make a fist and hum the note at the beginning.
The next note is S!”
8. T and Ss sing using Curwen hand signs and solfege. (If Ss don’t catch the
“LA”, it must be reviewed before moving on!)
9. T “Look! Our new note la is back again!”
10.T “Now first graders, I have a very fun box of fun things that we can use
next but only if we can be our best selves. Can someone remind me what
our classroom rules are?” Ss review classroom rules.
11.T “I am looking for someone quiet sitting criss-cross applesauce ready to
be my special helper.” T carefully chooses a special helper.
12. T gives special S a flashlight. “First graders, we are going to be little
shining stars along with the song. But when we hear LA, we need to stand
very very still. Only ____ will have the flashlight to be our twinkling light,
but we can all be twinkling stars along with him/her.”
13. T will play the video, watching for student learning (while also being a
twinkly star, because examples are helpful for kids and it is fun to be a
shining star no matter how old you are.)
Assessment: Can the students aurally identify “la” in Mozart’s Ah! Vous Dirai
Je Maman

Closure: You guys are such well behaved twinkling stars! Thank you and have a
good rest of today!

40
 Practice Lesson #6
Main Objective (specific objectives are contained within lesson plan):
First grade students will create a four measure improvisation in 4/4 time
based on the note “la” using the song Ai Hai Yo.

Standards Being Addressed:

 Song: MU:Pr6.1.1a
With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with
expression.
 Improvisation: MU:Cr1.1.1a
With limited guidance, create musical ideas such as answering a musical
question for a specific purpose.

Materials of Instruction:
 “Ai Hai Yo” from Sing ‘Round the World Vol. 2
o https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2013/10/ai-hai-yo.html
 The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition:
Good morning first graders! Today, we are going to be singing a song that is from
a different country. This country is called China.
a. T will get a globe and point to the United States. “When we look at the
world, this is where Miss Huck’s classroom is. It’s right here. If we look for
China, it’s waaaaay over here!” *points at location on the globe*
b. T “In China, people live a lot like you and I do! In fact, I have a book right
here about that!”
c. T reads Ss the story “The Great Wall of Lucy Wu”
d. T “Do any of you feel a little like Lucy sometimes? Me too!”
e. T “Now, we are going to learn a song that was written by people who lived
in the same place as Lucy.”

Activity #1 Objective: Ss will sing “Ai Hai Yo” with accurate pitch (drMSLd) and
rhythm (4/4 meter, half notes, dotted quarter notes, quarter notes, and eighth
notes).
1. T will sing “Ai Hai Yo” while playing C on the piano.
2. T “What did you notice about the words of my song?” (Exp. Ans. They
weren’t real words, they were in a different language, etc.)

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 3. T “That’s right, the words are in Chinese. Repeat after me; Ai Hai Yo”
4. Ss echo the words.
Repeat step 3 & 4
5. T “Hai Yo”- Ss echo “Hai Yo”
6. T “Let’s say all of those words together. Ai Hai Yo, Ai Hai, Yo, Hai Yo.”
7. Ss echo the words.
8. T sings the first phrase, Ss respond.
9. Repeat steps 3-8 but with the second phrase.
10. T sings the first phrase with the second, Ss echo both phrases back.
11. Repeat Steps 3-8 with phrase 3.
12. Repeat Steps 3-8 with phrase 4.
13. T will model phrase 3 & 4 together, Ss will echo both phrases back.
14. T will model the first two phrases again, Ss will echo back.
15. T will model entire song, Ss will echo back.
16. T “Good job guys! I bet you can sing it all by yourself now!”
17. Ss sing entire song while T assesses.
Assessment: Can the students sing the song correctly both rhymically and
melodically?

Transition: Alright, now who can remind me of our rules with instruments? SS
will answer, and T will have someone try as an example. Then Ss will get the
xylophones and sit down in their spots.

Activity #2 Objective: Ss will perform the melody of bars 5 & 6 of the piece on
the xylophone using the pitch set MSL in 4/4 time in quarter notes.
1. T “This is your starting note” model playing A for the students in a steady
beat.
2. Ss join in with the beat on the note A as they find it.
3. T models three quarter notes- 2 As and then a G
4. Ss echo on their xylophones
5. T models 4 quarter notes – 2 As, G then E
6. Ss echo on their xylophones
7. T models 2 quarter notes and a half note – 2 As then a G
a. T may need to modify to three quarter notes and a quarter rest since
it’s hard to model holding a note on a percussion instrument.
8. Ss echo on their xylophones
9. T models the whole melody of measures 5 and 6
10. Ss echo the melody
11. T sings while playing “la la sol mi la la sol”
12. Ss echo and sing likewise

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 13. T “I bet you can play it and sing that all by yourself!”
14. Ss play and sing the melody together.
Assessment: Can the students play the melody with melodic and rhythmic
accuracy?

Activity #3 Objective: Ss will melodically improvise for 2 measures of 4/4 time

using measure 5 and 6 of the song “Ai Hai Yo” using the pitch set (MSL).

1. T will signal that the students play the melody quietly while T
demonstrates a simple improv (only change a few notes)
2. T “What did I just do?” (T may have to do this twice) (Exp. Ans. Played it
wrong/different)
3. T “I’m making up some notes that go with our music. Listen again” T plays
again.
4. T “Hm. I wonder if this sounds good….” T demonstrates crazy wrong
improv. “Did I do that right?” (Exp. Ans. NOO!)
6. T “Well, what did I do wrong?” (Exp. Ans. Played too fast, didn’t play the
right notes, threw the xylophone)
7. T “Here, I’ll try again.” T demonstrates, only using MSL with proper
technique.
8. T “Was that better?” (Exp. Ans. Yes!) “What notes did I use?” (T may have
to repeat the previous step so Ss have a chance to listen again)
9. T “That’s right I only used MSL! Let’s make that one of our rules too.”
10. T “Okay, those are some good rules. Let’s all try doing this together. But
before we go, is everyone going to be playing the exact same thing?” (Exp.
Ans. No) “Is that okay?” (Exp. Ans. Yes) “That’s right, now I’ll play the
melody and when I’m done you need to stop playing. Here we go!”
11. T “Alright, now find a partner and this first time one of you will play the
melody and the other will make up something using MSL.”
12. Ss take turns improvising for each other
10. T “Does anyone want to show me their cool La song?” (T lets Ss
demonstrate)
11. T will go around the circle and give everyone a chance to improvise
while assessing.
Assessment: Can Ss improv within given parameters? T observation will be the
assessment style.

Closure: Wow! Those were some great La songs! Good job guys!

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 Resources

Lucy Lockett
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=836

Tone Set M, S, L
Range F# - B in staff
Rhythm Set Two eighths, quarter notes
Form AA

Melody La
Rhythm Two eighths
Other Strophic beginnings

Other info:The character name “Lucy Locket” is used in John Gay’s Beggar’s Opera, but it is unknown
whether there is a tie to this specific song. *Originally to the tune of Yankee Doodle
Game- one child has a pocket and circles around the class a’la duck duck goose. The child without a spot
is the new pocket holder.

My Owlet
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=534
Tone Set D, M, S, L
Range D below staff – A in staff
Rhythm Set Eighth- Quarter- Eighth syncopation, half notes,
quarter notes, two tied Eighth notes
Form Binary

Melody La (technically low do, but I needed a non-western

la song)
Rhythm Syncopation
Other Cultural relationships

Other info: native American lullaby- owlet is a term of endearment from mother to child.

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Teddy Bear
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=836
Tone Set D, M, S, L
Range D below staff - B in staff
Rhythm Set Two eighths, quarter notes
Form ABAB

Melody La, Do
Rhythm Two eighths
Other Call and response

Other info: Anglo-American origin, other information unknown.

Doggie, Doggie
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=694
Tone Set M, S, L
Range F#-A (in staff)
Rhythm Set Quarter notes, two eighths
Form Call & Response

Melody La
Rhythm Two eighth notes
Other Call & Response form

Other info: Game- “doggie” in the middle of the circle, class in circle passes “bone” and the child with the
bone sings response. Doggie has to guess who has the bone.

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Ai Hai Yo
https://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2013/10/ai-hai-yo.html
Tone Set D, R, M, S, L, D
Range Middle C – C in the staff
Rhythm Set Half notes, Dotted Quarter Notes, Quarter Notes,
Eighth Notes
Form ABC

Melody La, High Do

Rhythm Dotted Quarter, Eighth
Other Non-Western Music

Que Llueva
Sail away by Eleanor Locke, PG. 10 #12
Tone Set D, M, S, L
Range Middle C- A in the staff
Rhythm Set Eighth note pickup, two eighths, quarter notes,
dotted quarter note
Form A

Melody La (Technically, Do would be the goal, but I

needed a La non-western song)
Rhythm Dotted Quarter note, pickup notes
Other Cultural relationships

Other info: Mexican children’s game song.

Game- London Bridges game plus tug of war- once a child is caught, the two sides tug of war- until the
child is pulled to one side and the game begins again.

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Bounce High, Bounce Low
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=854
Tone Set M, S, L
Range F# - A (both in the staff)
Rhythm Set Quarter notes and two eighths
Form AB

Melody La
Rhythm Eighth notes
Other A form, Steady beat

Other info: Game- pass ball across class, with the ball hitting the ground on the downbeats.

Engine, Engine No. 9

Tone Set M, S, L
Range F#- A in staff
Rhythm Set Two eighth notes, Quarter notes
Form A

Melody La
Rhythm Eighth notes
Other Improvisation of Question- Answer
Other info: Classic rhyme- often used for a jump rope chant
Adapted into the Roger Miller song of the same title – not the same Melody or connotation

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We Are Dancing in the Forest
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=856
Tone Set M, S, L
Range F#- B in staff
Rhythm Set Two eighth notes, quarter note
Form A, A’

Melody La
Rhythm Two eighth notes
Other Strophic beginning GS (same Melody, different
words)

Other info: Game – one child pretends to be the wolf in the middle of the circle, then once the song is
over the wolf “catches” someone and they become the new wolf.

Bluebells
http://kodaly.hnu.edu/song.cfm?id=459
Tone Set M, S, L
Range E – G (both in staff)
Rhythm Set Quarter notes and two eighths
Form Strophic

Melody La
Rhythm Eighth notes
Other Creating lyrics

Other info: Game- jumping rope, swinging hands.

o Historical perspective- used as a lullaby in Newmarket, original contributors added
words to make a “game”

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