Lesson Planning

Pre-K – Week 1

Learn:

Materials Needed: Materials needed: chickitas/egg shakers, assorted instruments, sound device

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+ Hello and Welcome 3 min

Key: D Kind: routine Tonality: major Meter: duple
Activity: greeting song with bouncing, clapping, tapping
Objective: The children will sing hello to each other, building social connections and community. The children will use movement with consistent beat and accurate spacing to respond to music actively by clapping, tapping, rocking (or a movement of their choice) to the beat of this major, duple song. The children will improvise by creating variations to the greeting.
S&S: Vocal–1, 5, Beat/Rhythm–1, 2, Creating Music–1
Musical activities:

Sing the song inserting each child’s name where indicated. Suggested accompaniment: piano, guitar, ukulele, tambourine or clapping hands

Invite the children to clap, bounce or tap along, encouraging an active response to music. Model and observe spacing and consistent beat. Move about the circle making eye contact and waving to each child as you sing their name.

Return to clapping hands or your instrument when all names have been sung. Greet both children and adults.

Sing an extra verse, and greet other items in the room. Choose a theme, such as weather, and greet various related items (hello to the raindrops, hello to my rain boots, hello to our umbrella too!). Invite the children to share their ideas.
Teacher Notes:
+ Jump Over the Ocean 3 min

Key: -- Kind: small movement Tonality: -- Meter: triple
Activity: fingerplay, moving to macrobeat and microbeat
Objective: The children will imitate small movements depicting a day at the beach. The children will move to the macrobeat and microbeat in triple meter.
S&S: Beat/Rhythm–1, 4, Dramatic Play/Games–1
Musical activities:

Use vocal play to transition to this rhythmic rhyme.

Jump fingertips off of lap saying, “Jump, jump, jump jump!” This vocal play can be extended with a nonsense syllable. Ex: “Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo!” as fingertips jump high.

Follow these movement instructions while reciting the rhyme:
• 1st verse: Jump fingertips off of knees macrobeat (big).
• 2nd verse: Swim macrobeat (big).
• 3rd verse: Splash with hands microbeat (little).

Repeat several times from step one for the benefits of repetition. Encourage children to move and vocalize with you. The teaching video includes variations that can be shared in week two.

Rhythm patterns Presentation ideas:  music play. Tap lap to macrobeat (big), and say, "Be my echo." Based on your level of comfort, chant the patterns provided, echo the recording, or make up your own.
Teacher Notes:
+ The Doo-Wa Song 5 min

Key: D Kind: prop Tonality: major Meter: duple
Activity: shakers, microbeat, macrobeat, tonal patterns
Objective: The children will move to macrobeat and microbeat using egg shakers or other shaking instruments. The children will create new shaker variations for an accompaniment.
S&S: Instrument Play–1, Beat/Rhythm–4, Creating Music–5
Musical activities:

Voice play: Raise shakers overhead with an ascending “Whoo!” Lower shakers with descending “Whoo!”

Distribute shakers. Turn on

Shake eggs (microbeat) through first section of song. Shake to macrobeat on repeat.

Tap knees to microbeat during second section. Tap to macrobeat when first section repeats.

Repeat step four with shaker variations.

Continue a cappella. Incorporate children’s variations.

Collect shakers.

Tonal patterns Presentation ideas: music play. Sing tonal patterns while collecting shakers. Observe the children’s spontaneous responses.
Teacher Notes:
+ Beautiful Day 4 min

Key: A Kind: large movement Tonality: major Meter: duple
Activity: jumping, flying, spinning, etc.
Objective: The children will move freely to the beat using suggested large movement ideas such as reaching, bouncing, marching, flying, and spinning.
S&S: Instrument Play–1, Beat/Rhythm–4, Creating Movement–5
Musical activities:

Stand up.Turn on  

Reach, bounce, march, fly, spin, etc. into the lyrics. Use one large movement throughout an entire verse. Be sure to use the entire body, responding to both macrobeat and microbeat. Variations: large movement.

Sit down.
Teacher Notes:
+ Old MacDonald 4 min

Key: E Kind: small movement Tonality: major Meter: duple
Activity: small movement - animal conversations
Objective: The children will improvise in a call and response format using farm animal sounds and movements. The children will echo tonal patterns.
S&S: Vocal–4, Creating Music–3, Dramatic Play/Games–3
Musical activities:

Flap your wings and quack like a duck.

Quack a question for the children to answer, encouraging improvisation. Children respond simultaneously, in whatever way they’d like. This is not a direct repeat, but an answer to the question.

Repeat several times. Incorporate other animals if you’d like.

Rock and clap to the beat while singing a cappella or with guitar or piano using the song sheet for chords.

Ask the children to suggest farm animals and movements.

For the last variation, sing “On this farm he had some animals” and allow the children to create a farm by being their favorite animals during the animal sound section.

Tonal patterns Presentation ideas: music play. Notice whether the children are echoing the patterns. As they sing, observe whether they are following the contour of the pattern, singing in tune, or pretending to sing.
Teacher Notes:
+ Let's Jazz It 5 min

Key: -- Kind: prop Tonality: dorian Meter: duple
Activity: JamRound™ - assorted instruments
Objective: The children will improvise using an instrument of their choosing from an array of assorted instruments. The children will use elements of beat and rhythm to create their own accompaniment.
S&S: Instrument Play–4, Beat/Rhythm–2, Creating Music–5
Musical activities:

Distribute instruments. Turn on

Children choose an instrument and play freely to build confidence in improvisation and movement to the beat and rhythms.

Collect instruments.
Teacher Notes:
+ It’s Time to Say Goodbye 1-2 min

Key: C Kind: routine Tonality: major Meter: triple
Activity: farewell song, sway left and right and clap
Objective: The children will actively respond to this triple meter song by clapping, tapping, rocking, etc. to the beat with increasingly consistent beat and accurate spacing. The children will sing a farewell song in a major key, supporting routines and community.
S&S: Vocal–1, 5, Beat/Rhythm–2, Creative Movement–2
Musical activities:

Sing a cappella while clapping your hands or sing accompanied with piano or guitar encouraging the children to sing along. Model and observe spacing and consistent beat.

Sway left and right while singing all of the children’s names where indicated.*

Limited time? Sing goodbye to the boys, girls, teacher(s) and then into “So long, farewell, I enjoyed my time with you.” Finish with the balance of the song.
Teacher Notes: