Music Education Department Lesson Planning Format Teachers Name: Grade: Tony Sgro Title of Lesson: Dat e: January

12, 2012

6th Grade General Music

Environmental Justice: What Can I Do?

Objectives: What learners will

o be able to do (behavioral) Students will be able to compose musical accompaniment in Rondo Form (ABACADA) in a drum improvisation circle.

understand (cognitive) Students will understand the concept of environmental justice and be able to describe how it has the greatest impact on people living in poverty; the dynamics of communicating a message through music and apply that understanding to their own composition.

Problematize: (Honor THEIR world by beginning with an experience they bring to the classroom. Include time for sharing and dialogue) (Days 1 and 2): Focus Activity: (Turn & Talk) Think of an issue that you feel passionately about. Turn to a partner and tell them three ways to make a difference to your issue. Activity: In small groups, students will listen to music/watch music videos that may communicate a variety of emotions and messages. (For example: Wheres the Love by Black Eyed Peas, Pray by Justin Bieber, If Youre Out There by John Legend, Waiting for the World to Change by John Mayer, Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows. In journal, students consider answers to the following questions: Write your observations of these songs, paying equal attention to the lyrics and the musical performance. What is the song about? How do you know? Think about the actual music. Is there anything beyond the lyrics that expresses the meaning of the song (i.e.: instrumentation, style of dress, performers attitude)? Students and teacher talk about the music and music videos. The students list the range of meanings of the songs and how exactly the meaning is communicated through the music. The teacher points out that, while some music is meant to convey everyday personal emotions such as love or anger, or even playful happiness, some musicians attempt to address larger social problems. Closure: Students will switch papers with a partner and silently read the others paper. Give the partner three ways they can strengthen their writing. Prescribe: (Sequence of the lesson steps. Take the learning from THEIR world to the world of the classroom. Present the information and allow time for students to practice.) (Day 3) Students form an improvisational drum circle. Teacher leads students to discover form in music the way music is organized or put together. Teacher presents the concept of RONDO form (ABACADA). Students create a drum circle composition using Rondo form. Assessment: Students perform their Rondo composition for the entire class while the teacher records the excerpts for listening later in the lesson sequence. (Day 4) Teacher reviews quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note, and quarter rest. Using rhythm flashcards, groups of students will compose a piece of music in rondo form. Each group will perform their newly composed song for the class. Teacher will record each song for listening later in the lesson sequence. (Day 5) Using the original lyrics, students sing John Lennons Imagine with video. Teacher distributes xylophone bell sets to the class. Using the basic chord structure from Imagine, students improvise melody and lyrics for their own unique verse. Student share with the rest of class. Teacher and students discuss environmental justice. What environmental issues do you care about? Why? What can you do? Teacher and students discuss music as a form of expressing these viewpoints. (Day 6) Teacher introduces the concept of environmental justice. Students watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0CzoDpCT6Y (Given that people living in poverty suffer the greatest environmental problems in the world, environmental justice seeks to challenge the forces that work against providing fair treatment to all people, regardless of race, culture, gender, or income.) Students come to the board and create a collage of words that they associate with environmental justice. Teacher and students discuss environmental justice. What environmental issues do you care about? Why? What can you do? Teacher and students discuss music as a form of expressing these viewpoints. Personalize: (Make the learning personal to the student. Provide opportunities for creativity and for students to be musicians) (Day 7 and 8) Students return to the environmental justice video. Working in groups, and using GarageBand and iMovie, students will create their own video montage (a technique in film editing in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information). The group is responsible for composing their own song in Rondo form with lyrics for the background. Allow students to search for images, music, and video related to social justice on the Internet. Further, students will be provided digital cameras and video flip cameras to include their own images. All final projects will be posted on YouTube. Perform: (Demonstrate the new learning through performance, demonstration or

encounter (experiential) Students will listen to music, write lyrics, compose melodies, create an accompaniment, improvise themes, Materials for this lesson work cooperatively in groups, use

Focusing Question: In what Various YouTube video clipsways as

can students use lesson music to express their noted in the w/ speakers point of view and challenge and lcd projector environmental injustice? Classroom computers w/ Internet access, GarageBand, and iMovie software Digital cameras and Video Flip