Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen

(2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum

Unit Plan Overview

Unit: The Music of West Africa
Stage 1- Desired Results
Connections to Context:
The music teacher in this school wants to help students develop a
firm foundation of musical concepts while learning to love music of
many various types. The school sees unity between cultures and
races as being a necessary part of the classroom learning.
(How does this fit with students experiences, the school goals, and
the larger societal issues?)
Established Goals
ART.M.I.3.1 Use developmentally appropriate singing voice, sing
melodies accurately, and physically demonstrate macro and micro
beat.
ART.M.I.3.2 Continue to develop repertoire.
ART.M.I.3.3 Sing and play expressively utilizing a broader
continuum of dynamics and interpretation.
ART.M.I.3.4 Sing melodies with confidence in a large group.
ART.M.I.3.5 Blend timbres and match dynamic levels in response to
the cues of the conductor.
ART.M.I.3.6 Play rhythmic and chordal ostinati and melodies.
ART.M.I.3.7 Expand the complexity of patterns.
ART.M.I.3.8 Play instrumental parts independently while other
students sing.
ART.M.I.3.9 Use a system to read quarter notes and rests, eighth
notes, half notes, and whole notes.
ART.M.I.3.10 Use a system to read pitch notation for a major scale.
ART.M.I.3.11 Perform music with a variety of expressive qualities,
articulation, and tempo.
ART.M.II.3.1 Create through exploration, improvisation, and
composition, rhythmic and melodic ostinati accompaniments.
ART.M.II.3.6 Add vocal, instrumental, and physical responses to a
selection presented in 3rd grade.
ART.M.III.K.3 Describe the music performed and presented in 3rd
grade by moving, drawing, or through other appropriate
responses.
ART.M.III.3.4 With teacher guidance, use music vocabulary to
analyze, describe, and evaluate music of various styles.
ART.M.III.3.7 Use music vocabulary to express personal reactions
for musical works and styles.
ART.M.IV.3.1 Identify and describe distinguishing characteristics of
contrasting styles.
Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning to
Remember information learned previously and build the new information onto it, giving
educated suggestions when the teacher asks about unknown information.
(What kinds of long-term independent accomplishments are desired?)
Meaning
UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that
African children might not have video
games and iPods like American children
do, but they are still often very happy and
play games and sing songs.
All musical traditions should be
respected, and they often influence each
other.
Ensemble cooperation requires making
sound at the right time, and staying silent
when it is someone elses turn, or avoiding
overpowering important parts.
(What specically do you want students to
understand?
What inferences should they make?)
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Students will keep considering
What different activities might you engage in if you
were a West African child?
What rhythms fit into a 4 beat pattern that you can
play on the drum next week?
What connections do you have with Africa? What is
the same or different about the people?
What other traditional songs do you know? Have
you learned one version and later heard a different
version?
(What thought-provoking questions will foster
inquiry, meaning- making and transfer?)
Acquisition of Knowledge, Skill and Values/Commitments/Dispositions
Students will know
There are many common items
that can be used as percussion
instruments.
Percussion in West African
Music often includes drums.
Funga Alafia was written by one
of the Hausa people in Nigeria,
West Africa. Africa is the
continent.
The next song is also a West
African song.
There are different sounds a
drum can make, and different
sections of songs are played in
Students will be skilled at
Develop their sense of beat and
work as a team
Sing in a healthy head tone to
keep their larynx relaxed
Create new rhythms within a 4
beat pattern
Play the drums softer with
slightly bent hands and a lighter
touch
Play the drums louder at
indicated sections by flattening
hands and beating the center of
the drums.
Drop the jaw to sing taller
Students will exhibit
Respect the culture of
the people of West Africa
while relating to the
children there
Enjoy a new style of
music and notice things
within the music to share
with others
Respect performers and
show appreciation
Be patient for their turn
Feel confident about
their ability and worth as
a student

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum
ART.M.IV.3.2 Describe how elements of music are used in examples
from world cultures, using music performed and presented in 3
rd

grade.
ART.M.IV.3.3 Demonstrate audience appropriate behavior for the
context and style of music presented and performed in 3rd grade.
ART.M.V.3.2 Observe and identify cross-curricular connections
within the 3rd grade curriculum.
ART.M.V.3.3 Discuss the various rationales for using music in daily
experiences.
different ways.
A composer is a writer of songs.
Traditional music has an
unknown composer and changes
as it is taught to more people.
Songs taught by rote means
there are no written notes to read.
(What facts and basic concepts
should students know and be able
to recall?)
vowels, even though some
singers push from the throat and
widen vowels.
Notice patterns or common
occurrences, such as my voice
growing louder as my hands
come up
(What discrete skills and
processes should students be
able to use?)
Know their limits and
what they might need to
do to establish self-
control
(What values and
commitments and
attitudes should students
acquire or wrestle with?)
Stage 2- Evidence
Evaluative Criteria *Students will show their learning by
(What criteria will be used in each
assessment to evaluate attainment
of the desired results?)


*These assessments for evidence are
taken from the lessons. They are
grouped into the categories of pre-
assessments, assessments as and for
learning, and formative and
summative assessments. In this
section, they are grouped into
performance tasks and other
evidence.
PERFORMANCE TASK(S):
I will ask the students to listen to the beat I am keeping and join me in correct time.
I will informally observe each student after I drop out once the students are carrying on the song on their own. Each student
will be evaluated on whether they are participating, are successfully doing their motions in proper time, and are waiting to
come in on the correct beat while the other group is chanting.
Have the students tap on their laps to see who has a strong beat in them and who needs more guidance.
Have some students transfer this onto drums while other students watch and keep each other together.
Have students place a ch sound between their big beats to internalize the small beat, eventually only drumming.
Have students show their composed rhythmic pattern within the 4 beat measure during the song.
The teacher will evaluate how well the students can sing the response when teaching the song.
The students will attempt to sing the whole song and the ah section with a tall, open mouth.
Students will be asked to clap the direction of the notes before coming up to play on the xylophones.
The teacher will observe how well the students play the rhythm on the xylophone with a steady beat.
If this concept seems to be confusing them, the teacher must find a way to help the students understand what it means to hear a
sound and find an instrument that is similar by actually demonstrating this.
If students are not coming in at the right times during the first run-though of the composition, intervention will be needed.
Students will display the proper ways to play each instrument as instructed and express their understanding of composing and
composition.
Students will participate in games.
(How will students demonstrate their understanding- meaning-making and transfer- through complex performance?)
(Regardless of the format of the
assessment, what qualities are most
important?)
OTHER EVIDENCE:
I will ask questions to guide the students to knowledge about where this song originates from and what language it is written in.
Students will be asked to teach their part of the song to a friend or family member outside of class
Ask students to give suggestions for instruments or physical sounds that represent what was heard in the rainforest recording.
Students will evaluate their composition and change things that could be better.
Students will be asked questions about the things the use for play.
Viewing of the clips.
Discussion about African children.
(What other evidence will you collect to determine whether Stage 1 goals were achieved?


Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum
Stage 3- Learning Plan
I will ask the students to listen to the beat I am keeping and join me in correct time. Have the students tap on their laps to see who has a strong beat in them and who
needs more guidance. The teacher will evaluate how well the students can sing the response when teaching the song. Ask students to give suggestions for instruments or
physical sounds that represent what was heard in the rainforest recording. If this concept seems to be confusing them, the teacher must find a way to help the students
understand what it means to hear a sound and find an instrument that is similar by actually demonstrating this. The students will be asked questions about play.
(What pre-assessments will you use to check students prior knowledge, skill levels, and potential misconceptions?)
Learning Events

Student success at transfer, meaning, and acquisition depends upon their participation in these learning events

Lesson
Big Ideas Student Connections Curriculum Connections Suitability
1 Using body,
mind, spirit,
and voice to
engage in the
music of
Nigeria, West
Africa while
developing
the voice and
the
complexity of
rhythmic
patterns.
The book contains
pictures of Nigerian
children and their
families in their town
welcoming people. This is
a beautiful illustration of
what the song shows
about many Nigerian
people. The students
move in welcome
motions and chant
joyfully and connect this
to West African culture.
Demonstrate proper vocal tone
production and pitch matching
Respond to a beat
Experience creative movement in
question/answer
Demonstrate locomotor and
nonlocomotor movements to a strong
& weak beat in a given form.
Develop a repertoire of
songs/literature
Perform folk dances
Echo-singing
The rhythms and
melodies of Funga
Alafia are above the
third grade notation
level, but this provides
them with rote-before-
note learning. The
students learn complex
patterns in
performance to
prepare them to learn
the notation in the
future.
2 Experience
one example
of the
different uses
of music in
West African
culture while
improving
steady beat
skills and
improvising
or creating
rhythms.
This lesson gives
meaning to music class.
The students discuss and
practice the uses of
music, such as joy,
comfort, fellowship,
energy, an expressive
outlet, and a sense of
belonging and
community. The students
in the class relate to the
West African people by
finding that they share
many reasons for music.
Create patterns in duple and triple
meters using these note values:
quarter, eighth, half
Respond to a beat
Perform do-mi-sol-la-do intervals
Experience re
Play questions/answers
Develop a repertoire of
songs/literature
Speaking/singing
Solo/group
Echo-singing
Songs from diverse cultures
The ideas in the lesson
can be grasped by most
students at the third
grade level. There are
also challenging
aspects to the lesson,
such as the creation of
a rhythm to go along
with a beat on the spot.
Improvisation is
vulnerable and difficult,
but not so much to
cause discouragement.
3 Through the
learning of
another song
from Nigeria,
West Africa,
For the third time in the
unit, the students connect
to the people of West
Africa. Eh Soom Boo
Kawaya is the song of
Perform do-mi-sol-la-do intervals
Experience re
Perform songs using a proper attack
and cut-off
Demonstrate proper vocal tone
This song is at an
appropriate level for
learning, yet it is simple
enough that it can be
learned in time to add
Progress Monitoring
and Assessment Statement
(How will you monitor students progress toward
acquisition, meaning, and transfer during lesson
events?)
Student acquisition will be monitored through
observation of skill growth over the course of the
unit. Each student will be evaluated each week
after the classes are finished and the students
progress will be evaluated at the end of each unit.
Student meaning and transfer progress will be
monitored in a similar way, but through class
discussion questions and application of transferred
knowledge in class activities.
Each of these things is described in the rubric. Not
every lesson applies to each category in the rubric,
and only those that apply are to be evaluated.
(How will students monitor their own progress
toward acquisition, meaning, and transfer?)
Each student will have the opportunity to
participate in large group, small group, individual,
and performance opportunities. The student may
evaluate his or her abilities and progress
throughout the unit by discovering which activities
and topics come naturally and which ones become
easier and more interesting as the unit progresses.
(What are potential rough spots and student
misunderstandings?)
The main challenge will be deciding how to fairly
asses students with mental and physical abilities
and gifted students. This issue will be resolved
using each individual students plans according to
the way the school and classroom teachers address
these matters. In the improvisation lessons,
assessment will be difficult, because it is hard to
evaluate creativity and effort in these situations.
Ability is also a factor in music class assessments,

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum
another use
of music is
discovered,
while at the
same time,
ostinato and
steady beat
are
reinforced
and
experienced.
fisherman. Students may
suspect at first that the
Africans sing because
theyre always sad. In this
lesson, they are guided to
understand that West
Africans have jobs to
provide for their families
and they sing to be more
efficient and successful in
their business.
production and pitch matching
Echo-singing and Sing high/low
Correct mallet technique
Play melodic ostinati and song
accompaniment.
Beat/rhythm on instruments
Demonstrate locomotor and
nonlocomotor movements
Pitched/unpitched percussion
instruments and body percussion.
melodic ostinati and
not lose the vocals
while the students play.
Many students will find
playing the ostinato to
be very challenging,
especially playing along
with the beat while the
singers press on, even
without the xylophone.
4 Students
discover that
West Africa
has
vegetation
that ranges
from desert
to rainforest.
They
associate
natural
timbres with
the timbre of
different
instruments,
while
solidifying
and
expanding
rhythmic
notation and
reading skills
in their own
composition.
A common misconception
among young learners is
that Africa is a big desert.
In this lesson, the
students learn that there
is also much rainforest in
Africa, and they are able
to actually hear the
sounds of the rainforest
in West Africa. So far in
the unit, the focus has
been more on the people,
but this introduces the
students to nature in this
area of the continent.
When a student is able to
practice a rhythm they
created themselves, it has
a lot more meaning and
gains more interest,
especially when they are
allowed to make animal
sounds and play
interesting instruments.
Listening exercises
Body percussion
Vocal timbre
Choose instrument for sound story
Instrument/beat/rhythm on
instruments
Play unpitched percussion/mallet
instruments
Partner activities
Evaluate various recorded
performances
Participate in the recording of
rehearsals/performances
Create two-measure patterns in
duple meter using these note values:
quarter, eighth, half
Perform in 2/4, 4/4, and 6/8 meters
Chanting
Score construction
The rhythms used in
this lesson are actually
second grade rhythms,
but that is because the
focus of this lesson is to
take what has already
been learned and use it
as a foundation for the
study of timbre and the
sounds of the
rainforest. The class
will also discuss the
debate about whether
animal sounds are
music. In the rainforest
listening example, they
will have to determine
if they think the
organized sounds of
the rainforest are
music. This helps them
begin to form musical
opinions appropriate
for 3
rd
grade.
5 The students
feel a sense of
completion in
the unit by
playing a
game from
West Africa
that helps
The students will observe
real West African
children playing the
games they do and having
fun without all the video
games and expensive toys
that many kids in the US
have. The game the
Movement activities
Speaking/singing
Beat awareness games
Three level body percussion
Partner activities
Cultural arts activities
Songs, chants, dances from diverse
cultures.
This is a challenging
game for third graders
to play, especially if
some students are
physically incapable of
participating at the
same speed. This
provides opportunities
because some students will have an extremely
difficult time reaching the level they are being
asked to reach, and others will reach those levels
with minimal to no effort or help.
(How will students get the feedback they need?)
Students will receive feedback throughout lessons
by the teachers constructive comments and
suggestions. The students will also see their scores
at the end of each unit in the form of the symbols
on page 2 of the rubric. They will also receive a
short, written comment from the teacher at the
end of each unit. This will include what they do
well and what they should continue to work on.
Which assessments serve a real-world purpose?
Have some students transfer this onto drums while
other students watch and keep each other
together. Students will participate in games.
Students will evaluate their composition and
change things that could be better.
These assessments guide students to learn how to
collaborate with other, keep each other accountable,
and assist each other. They are learning how to
speak respectfully about someone elses work.
I will ask the students to listen to the beat I am
keeping and join me in correct time. I will
informally observe each student after I drop out
once the students are carrying on the song on their
own. Each student will be evaluated on whether
they are successfully doing their motions in proper
time, and are waiting to come in on the correct
beat while the other group is chanting. Have
students place a ch sound between their big
beats to internalize the small beat, eventually only
drumming. Students show their composed rhythm
pattern within the 4 beats during the song.
In this assessment, the teacher and other students
evaluate whether the measure is 4 beats or not. This
activity teaches students how to create and carry
out structure, and they are being assessed on
whether or not they can create this structure. Later
on, they will carry it out.
The teacher will observe how well the students
play the rhythm on the xylophone in a steady beat.

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum
reinforce
steady beat
and
concurrently
perform a
rhythm with
physical
movement
and chanting.
students play in this
lesson is very similar to a
game played in the U.S.,
rock, paper, scissors. In
this way, the students
relate and see themselves
on the same level as the
children in West Africa.
Song types: spirituals, singing games,
cumulative, patriotic, seasonal,
canons/rounds, and ballads
for students to help and
encourage each other.
If the game proves to
be too challenging, it
can be adapted to
become a circle game in
which the partners are
across from each other
in the circle.
The bullet points from the Curriculum section were obtained from the EGRPS document found on my online overview page.
(Does the learning plan reflect principles of learning and best practices?)
(Is there tight alignment with Stages 1 and 2?
This assessment guides students to be independent
in caring for themselves and helping others, which
will be essential in their adult life. By placing them
in a position of leadership and having other students
watching them and following along, they begin to
develop this independence.
Have students show their composed rhythmic
pattern within the 4 beat measure during the song.
I will ask questions to guide the students to
knowledge about where this song originates from
and what language it is written in.
Ask students to give suggestions for instruments
or physical sounds that represent what was heard
in the rainforest clip. Discuss African children.
These assessments achieve cross-curricular
understanding and help the students learn to make
connections and make sense of the big picture versus
the small details. They use concepts and facts
connected to math, science, and history.