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Ci - Unit Plan Final
Ci - Unit Plan Final
Ci - Unit Plan Final
UnitPlan
KellySpoering
UnitPlan
Table of Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Title Page
Table of Contents
Idea Web
Unit Plan
a. Topic/Rationale
b. Learning Objectives
c. Modifications
d. Summary of Lessons
Appendix
a. Guided Listening Worksheets Part I
b. Midterm Project Guidelines
c. Guided Listening Worksheets Part II
d. Final Project Guidelines
e. Project Contract
f. Self/Peer/Teacher Project Evaluation
Bibliography
Sample Lesson Plans
a. Lesson #2
b. Lesson #11
c. Lesson #17
Analytical Reflective Critique
1
2
3
4
13
38
39
45
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Idea Web
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Culminating Activity/Products.
Briefly describe the culminating activity and products (e.g. a composition,
performance, recording) explaining how these are authentic performance
tasks and how they bring the unit to an appropriate closure.
Culminating Activity/Products:
The unit will use both a midterm and final project. Students will be expected to
select from the list of genres for each half of the unit and prepare either a
stylistic element (unique chords/scales/techniques) of two of those genres or a
song of their choice from two of the genres, depending on their guitar ability.
They will perform their projects for their classmates, including a description of
the genres they chose and why their stylistic element or song fits that particular
genre. They will be graded by themselves, their peers, and their teacher on both
their explanation/understanding of the genres they have chosen and their
performance skills on the guitar. They will also complete a series of guided
listening worksheets designed to focus their understanding of the different
styles we are studying.
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Aim/big idea. A concept, theme or issue that gives meaning and connection to facts and skills and leads to deeper understandings and appreciations. Based on a
generative topic.
Aim/big idea: By the end of the unit, students will understand how Rock & Roll music developed and evolved over the 20th century.
Essential questions. (Two to five per unit) Important, overarching, thought-provoking questions that guide the inquiry throughout the unit.
Essential questions:
1. How did Rock music evolve over the course of the 20th century?
2. What social, political, and technological advances influenced the evolution of Rock music?
3. What are some general trends and/or similarities between the many styles of rock music?
4. What are some significant differences between the many styles of Rock music?
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Assessment/Evaluation
(Summative i.e. assessment of
learning at the end of the unit)
GLE/GLO: 1 - develop understanding of the elements and structures of music as they apply to music making and listening
SLE/SLO: 1.1 level I Theory recognize and discuss musical elements that
repeat, and musical elements that contrast
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative & Summative
Project work/Project Presentation
Formative & Summative
Project work/Project Presentation
Formative & Summative
Project work/Project Presentation
Formative & Summative
Project work/Project Presentation
Formative & Summative
Project work/Project Presentation
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative & Summative
Discussion/Listening responses
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structural elements
ULE: 1.1.2 Describe why particular songs
they listen to fit within one of the styles we
have studied
GLE/GLO: 2 develop the ability to make intellectual and aesthetic judgments based on critical listening and analysis.
SLE/SLO: 2.1 - level II Theory recognize aurally the way that different
ULE: 2.1.1 Identify song genres based on
genres use the elements of music
the elements of music present
SLE/SLO: 2.2 Popular Music - demonstrate an understanding of critical
listening skills as applied to recorded examples of popular music
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
SLE/SLO: 4.1 World Music Level II - identify and describe the movement
of Sub-Saharan African people, during the slave trade period, and the influence
of their music in other world cultures
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
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Formative
Discussion/Listening responses
Special Considerations
Modifications and accommodations for learners with special
Social context issues. How you will address any relevant social context issues
needs/Adaptive strategies. Strategies used to accommodate the needs of
in your planning. For example,
exceptional learners. For example musically gifted, ADD, ADHD, Asperger, or
students unable to dance or perform or listen to patriotic or particular
Tourette Syndrome. Identify and briefly describe the diagnosed condition and
religious music for religious and/or cultural reasons
the strategies you will use to meet the needs of these student and why.
school is a faith-based institution
large number of FNMI students
a large number of ESL students
inner-city issues, etc.
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UnitPlan
One of the girls in this class needs large accommodations on class projects due
to a combination of not speaking English, having no musical or guitar
background, and being incredibly shy about speaking in public. I worked out a
system where she could present privately and receive a grade from her peers
based on her work ethic during the project time, instead of her presentation.
Because of the complete lack of musical background, she also has the option of
only doing one genre for each project, as long as she works hard at it. I also
modified her listening assignments to verbal feedback, since guided questions
help her focus her thoughts far better than even simplified worksheets managed.
SeveralofthestudentsinthisclassareESL;thepowerpointslidesand
questionssheetswereadaptedtohavemuchsimplerlanguage,andclass
discussionsfrequentlyrevolvedaroundsimplyphrasedquestions.Additionally,
someofthestudentscannotaccesstheirinstrumentsathomeforvarious
reasons;theprojectswereadaptedtoinclassprojectstoaccommodatethem.
Lesso
n
1
Summary of Lessons
Learning Objectives
Assessment/Evaluation
By the end of this lesson TSWBAT . . . Formative &/or Summative
(i.e. assessment as, of, for
learning).
Precursors of Rock & Describe the main features of Jazz and
Class discussion as & for
Roll early Jazz and Blues music, including how, why, and
Listening worksheets as & for
Blues
where they were created, and identify
Jazz and Blues songs aurally.
Music in the
Describe the main features of Rhythm & Class discussion as & for
1930s/early 1940s Blues, Country & Western, and Tin Pan
Listening worksheets as & for
Rhythm & Blues,
Alley music, including how, why, and
Country & Western, where they were created, and identify
and Tin Pan Alley
Rhythm & Blues, Country & Western,
and Tin Pan Alley songs aurally.
The late 1940s/early Describe the main features of Rockabilly, Class discussion as & for
1950s Rockabilly, Doo-Wop, and Early Mainstream Rock
Listening worksheets as & for
Doo-Wop, and Early music, including how, why, and where
Mainstream Rock
they were created, and identify
Rockabilly, Doo-Wop, and Early
Mainstream Rock songs aurally.
The late 1950s/early Describe the main features of Surf, Soul, Class discussion as & for
1960s Surf, Soul,
Folk, and Pop music, including how, why, Listening worksheets as & for
Folk, and Pop music and where they were created, and identify
Topic
Mini-lecture
Class discussion
Listenings
Guided Listenings with worksheets.
Mini-lecture
Class discussion
Listenings
Guided Listenings with worksheets.
Mini-lecture
Class discussion
Listenings
Guided Listenings with worksheets.
Mini-lecture
Class discussion
Listenings
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8
9
10
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Mini-lecture
Class discussion
Listenings
Guided Listenings with worksheets.
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11
12
13
14
15
16
The 1970s
Country/Southern
Rock, Jazz Rock, and
Prog Rock
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17
Formative As
18
Formative As
19
20
Formative As
Summative they will be
graded by themselves, their
peers, and me on three criteria;
whether they had a good plan
for their project, whether they
performed it well, and whether
they were focused in their work.
Summative the two highest
marks form the listening
examples will be taken as the
written grade for this half.
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Appendix Worksheets
4) What is the main rhythm used? (you may use either the actual name or the slang
term)
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to appeal to the widest audience. The rhythm was straight and uncomplicated. Songs were
professionally written, and sung by professional singers with professional backup
musicians.
Listen carefully to the song Music, Music, Music by Teresa Brower, and answer the
following questions:
1) Is the singer or the instrumental line more important?
2) Compared to Pop & Country music, is the subject of the song (the lyrics) different
in some way?
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15
Rockabilly Listening
Rockabilly primarily rose out of a combination of R&B and Country music, with
elements also taken from Hillbilly & Folk music in the southeastern US. Rockabilly kept
features of both styles, and Rockabilly songs tended to cross over on the charts regularly.
Listen carefully to I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash, and answer the following
questions:
1) What vocal style did Rockabilly keep from Country & Western music?
Do-Wop Listening
Do-wop music grew out of a combination of Pop/Tin Pan Alley styles and R&B.
Originally performed primarily by black groups, it eventually crossed over onto all the
major charts and became very popular. Groups of backup vocalists were important to this
style. Do-Wop also used a I-vi-IV-V-I chord progression that became so widely
recognized as a part of this style that it is sometimes called the 50s progression.
Listen carefully to the song Sh-Boom by The Chords, and answer the following
questions:
1) Compared to other genres, are the lyrics more innocent & inoffensive?
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2) Are the vocals and instruments equal, or is one more important than the other?
3) Compared to the earlier styles (R&B, Pop, Country), what is different about the
guitar in this song?
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Pop Listening
Pop Music develops into 2 distinct styles in the early 1960s one slow, one fast. Pop
music at this time differed from earlier pop mainly in the way the audience responded;
dances were becoming more a matter of individual interpretation than strict forms.
Listen carefully to the song Its My Party by Leslie Gore, and answer the following
questions:
1) Which of the 2 styles of pop best describes this song (please us the proper name
for the style)?
2) What new technology helped this style of music become popular across America?
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2) What are the continuous fast notes in the guitar meant to imitate?
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The British Invasion could generally be divided into two categories. Softer pop-oriented
music, exemplified by bands like the Beatles, and harder rock-oriented music exemplified
by bands like the Rolling Stones. British Invasion bands drew their inspiration from the
Early Mainstream Rock of the 1950s in America.
Listen carefully to You Really Got Me by The Kinks, and answer the following
questions:
1) Is this an example of a Pop-oriented or Rock-oriented British Invasion song?
2) What other than the instrumentation tells you that this song is Folk Rock?
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Garage Bands were a response to the British Invasion. They get their name from a
common rehearsal location a band members parents garage. Most of them were either
only popular in their local area or became a One-Hit Wonder. A few rare bands succeeded
in making it big, but as soon as they became widely popular and started playing with a
slightly more refined sound for professional recordings, they were seen as sell-outs by
their original fans and other musicians of the Garage Band genre.
Listen carefully to Louie Louie by The Kingsmen, and answer the following questions:
1) Compared to other genres weve listened to, is this a professional-sounding
recording?
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Genres Studied
Blues
Jazz
Country & Western
Pop/Tin Pan Alley
Rhythm & Blues
Rockabilly
Doo-wop
Early Mainstream Rock
Folk Revival
Sweet Soul
Pop (Dance Craze or Splatter Platter)
Surf Music
British Pop
British Rock
Folk Rock
Garage Bands
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2) What else about this song tells you that it is Psychedelic Rock?
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2) Compared to other styles from this time period, is the instrumentation smaller,
equal to, or greater?
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Reggae Listening
Reggae music developed in Jamaica and the Caribbean, and was heavily influenced by
early Jazz, Blues, and R&B coming out of New Orleans. The lyrics focused on hardships
faced by people living in those areas. It is similar to Black Rock and Funk in the ways
they were influenced by earlier genres, but Reggae incorporates Caribbean percussion
and rhythms in the bass and guitars that other styles dont use yet.
Listen carefully to the song Here Cant Blame the Youth by Peter Tosh, and answer the
following questions:
1) How do the musical elements of this song (instruments, rhythms) identify it as
Reggae instead of Black Rock??
2) How do the lyrics identify this song as Reggae instead of Black Rock?
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29
Disco Listening
Disco used DJs with multiple turntables to create a non-stop dancing experience. The
music was smooth and sleek, and depended on technological innovations in studio
production. Disco openly catered to women, blacks, Hispanics, and homosexuals. Disco
was seen by many older people as contributing to the decline of Western Civilization,
because of its themes of sex and drugs.
Listen carefully to the song Thats the Way by K.C. and the Sunshine Band, and answer
the following questions:
1) Compared to other dance music weve heard, is this song smoother?
2) Is this song based around riffs (short, repeated melodic passages), or chord
progressions?
Punk Listening
Punk music was primarily based around three chords. Punk was created by and for angry
white teenagers, and rejected moral and religious rules. Punk also aimed to bleed the
blackness out of music. Its racism was one of the reasons punk never really achieved
large-scale radio play.
Listen carefully to Personality Crisis by The New York Dolls, and answer the following
questions:
1) Compared to other rock styles of this time period, are the lyrics understandable?
2) Compared to other music styles of this time period, does this song sound easier or
harder to play?
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2) Compared to other styles of this time period, is this song more or less
complicated?
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Rap Listening
Rap developed out of Hip Hop culture in New York. Originally it included break dancing
and DJs with a variety of disc spinning techniques and graffiti artists. Eventually MCs
were added for crowd control. Those MCs started developing a rhyming patter to involve
the crowd, and eventually this turned into rap. East Coast rap in New York started to
combine with other styles to create a varied and interesting musical genre. West Coast rap
remained pure rap, with no other stylistic elements, and is the forerunner to Gangsta Rap.
Listen carefully to the song Rock Box by Run DMC, and answer the following
questions:
1) Is this song West Coast or East Coast rap?
Metal Listening
Heavy Metal developed out of the pop and rock styles of the 1970s. It generally went in
two directions: pop-oriented Metal and rock-oriented metal. Many bands played both
styles. Pop-oriented metal tended to involve more solos, higher screaming vocals, and
you could sing along to the lyrics. Rock-oriented metal involved more full-band sound
and heavier, screaming vocals.
Listen carefully to Jump by Van Halen, and answer the following questions:
1) Is this Pop or Rock oriented Heavy Metal?
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Please show me this sheet no later than Thursday, April 3rd, indicating which project you
intend to complete. You will be graded the same as in project #1: marks out of 5 for
project planning, preparation, and performance.
If you are having difficulty narrowing down your project or finding songs, please use
available internet resources, the pop/rock songbook, myself, or Mr. Rogers for assistance.
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Genres Studied
Black Pop
Psychedelic Rock
Glam/Theatre/Shock Rock
Country/Southern Rock
Jazz Rock
Prog Rock
Black Rock
Funk
Singer/Songwriter
Reggae
Disco
Punk
New Wave
New Traditionalists
80s Pop
Mainstream Rock
Alternative Rock
Rap
Heavy Metal
Jazz Rock
Blues scale
12-bar Blues progression (all or part)
Country/Southern Rock
Fingerpicking
Punk or New Wave
3-chord songs
Funk
Rhythm guitar (choose a chord progression & play it using funk rhythms)
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Description of Project:
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Bibliography
Alberta Education. General Music 10-20-30 Curriculum Guide. Alberta Education, 1994.
Covach, John. Whats That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History. New York:
W.W. Norton & Company, c. 2006.
Nettl, Bruno et. al. Excursions in World Music. Pearson Education Inc. 2001.
KellySpoering
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Lesson
Title/Focu
s
Teach
er
History of Rock 2
Kelly Spoering
75 minutes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
1. Identify the early roots of Rock music found in early R&B, C&W, and Pop/TPA
Music (Listening GLE)
2. Listen to & identify stylistic and instrumental elements of early R&B, C&W,
and Pop/TPA Music(Listening GLE)
3. Develop a knowledge of music history and its relationship to world history
(Research GLE)
4. Appreciate the contributions music has made in our cultural heritage and
civilization (Valuing GLE)
5. Recognize and discuss musical elements that repeat/contrast (Theory SLE)
6. Describe structurally/recognize aurally 12-bar Blues (Listening SLE)
7. Popular Music SLEs
ASSESSMENTS
Observations:
Key Questions:
Products/Performan
ces:
PROCEDURE
Attention Grabber
Assessment of
Prior Knowledge
Expectations for
Learning and
Behavior
Advance
Organizer/Agenda
Introduction
Invite students to gather around & pay attention
Already performed conversation with students
about what they know about where rock music
came from.
Time
Transition to Body
Activity #1
25
minute
s
KellySpoering
Assessments/
Differentiation:
Activity #2
Assessments/
Differentiation
Activity #3
Assessments/
Differentiation
Assessment of
Learning:
Feedback From
Students:
Feedback To
Students
Transition To Next
UnitPlan
Lookin by Hank Williams and answer questions
about stylistic elements of early C&W music.
Question students for understanding. Do they hear
elements of rock in these earlier musical styles?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. Worksheets are also phrased very simply
for these students to succeed.
Pop/Tin Pan Alley: We will go through the
powerpoint/mini-lecture/discussion about the
origins of Rock & Roll, focusing on early Pop/Tin Pan
Alley music. Students will discuss events and social
conditions and their impact on the different
musical styles. Students will listen to Music Music
Music by Teresa Brower and answer questions
about stylistic elements of early Pop music.
Question students for understanding. Do they hear
elements of rock in these earlier musical styles?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. Worksheets are also phrased very simply
for these students to succeed.
Rhythm & Blues: We will go through the
powerpoint/mini-lecture/discussion about the
origins of Rock & Roll, focusing on early Rhythm &
Blues music. Students will discuss events and
social conditions and their impact on the different
musical styles. Students will listen to Shake,
Rattle & Roll by Joe Turner and answer questions
about stylistic elements of early C&W music.
Question students for understanding. Do they hear
elements of rock in these earlier musical styles?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. Worksheets are also phrased very simply
for these students to succeed.
Do students understand the early musical
elements that led to the development of rock & roll
music? Are they able to hear those elements in
C&W, Pop, and R&B music?
Students will turn in their guided listening
worksheets.
Comments, questions, concerns?
Tomorrow: Early Rock & Roll: 1948-1955.
Rockabilly, the birth of Mainstream Rock, and
continuing development of R&B.
Pack up!
40
25
minute
s
25
minute
s
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41
Lesson
What went well?
What changes
would you make in
your planning?
What have you
learned to improve
upon future
instruction?
Lesson
Title/Focu
s
Reflections
Keeping everything on a more coherent timeline worked
really well for this class. Students were much more able to
follow exactly where everything was occurring in relation to
developments in other genres. I may consider doing (or
having the students do) an actual paper timeline, on which
we can chart different developments as they happen. Given
the usual mood & level of attention this class shows, I think
theyre participating quite well and seem to be interested in
the subject, although they really dont like some of the early
music and arent trying particularly hard to master some of
the earlier and less rock genres (Country and Western was
definitely not their favourite). However, they are all still
staying engaged with the lesson, so I have to consider that a
success.
Massive technological difficulties today; the copyroom
printer and the classroom computer were both down, so we
jury-rigged a media center using my laptop and it seemed to
work. Actually, having all the students gather on couches
around the laptop was really effective for maintaining
involvement, and I may consider doing something like it
again deliberately.
Teach
er
History of Rock 11
Kelly Spoering
50 minutes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
8. Identify the early roots of Rock music found in Disco, Punk, and New Wave
(Listening GLE)
9. Listen to & identify stylistic and instrumental elements of Disco, Punk, and
New Wave (Listening GLE)
10. Develop a knowledge of music history and its relationship to world history
(Research GLE)
11. Appreciate the contributions music has made in our cultural heritage and
civilization (Valuing GLE)
12. Recognize and discuss musical elements that repeat/contrast (Theory SLE)
13. Describe structurally/recognize aurally different chord progressions (Listening
SLE)
14. Popular Music SLEs
ASSESSMENTS
Observations:
Key Questions:
Products/Performan
ces:
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Computer/speakers
Worksheets
Pencils/pens
PROCEDURE
Attention Grabber
Assessment of
Prior Knowledge
Expectations for
Learning and
Behavior
Advance
Organizer/Agenda
Introduction
Invite students to gather around & pay attention
Already performed conversation with students
about what they know about where rock music
came from.
Time
Transition to Body
Activity #1
Assessments/
Differentiation:
Activity #2
Assessments/
Differentiation
Disco: We will go through the powerpoint/minilecture/discussion about the origins of Rock & Roll,
focusing on Disco and its relationship to earlier
Black dance music. Students will discuss events
and social conditions and their impact on the
different musical styles, with a focus on how Disco
found a niche with women, homosexuals, and other
minorities. We will listen to a selection of Disco, to
identify some common themes. We will do a guided
listening to Thats the Way by K.C. and the
Sunshine Band.
Question students for understanding. Do they hear
elements of rock in these earlier musical styles? Do
they understand the social changes that resulted in
this music?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. Worksheets are also phrased very simply
for these students to succeed.
Punk: We will go through the powerpoint/minilecture/discussion about the origins of Rock & Roll,
focusing on Punk and how it develops out of earlier
mainstream rock. Students will discuss racial
tensions and the nihilistic themes that prevented
Punk from becoming a well-known genre. We will
listen to a selection of Punk songs to identify
stylistic elements, and then do a Guided Listening
to Personality Crisis by the New York Dolls.
Question students for understanding. Do they hear
elements of rock in these earlier musical styles?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. Worksheets are also phrased very simply
15
minute
s
25
minute
s
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Activity #3
Assessments/
Differentiation
Assessment of
Learning:
Feedback From
Students:
Feedback To
Students
Transition To Next
Lesson
What went well?
What changes
would you make in
your planning?
What have you
learned to improve
upon future
instruction?
UnitPlan
for these students to succeed.
New Wave: We will go through the
powerpoint/mini-lecture/discussion about the
origins of Rock & Roll, focusing on New Wave and
how it pays ironic homage to earlier Rock styles,
particularly those form the 1950s. Students will
discuss the similarities between New Wave and
several older genres weve already heard. We will
listen to a variety of songs to cement
understanding of style, and then do a Guided
Listening to My Best Friends Girlfriend by The
Cars.
Question students for understanding. Do they hear
elements of rock in these earlier musical styles?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. Worksheets are also phrased very simply
for these students to succeed.
43
25
minute
s
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44
Lesson
Title/Focu
s
Teach
er
History of Rock 17
Kelly Spoering
75 minutes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will:
15. Identify the early roots of Rock music found in styles from the 1960s-1980s
(Listening GLE)
16. Appreciate the contributions music has made in our cultural heritage and
civilization (Valuing GLE)
17. Recognize and discuss musical elements that repeat/contrast (Theory SLE)
18. Describe structurally/recognize aurally different chord progressions (Listening
SLE)
19. Popular Music SLEs
ASSESSMENTS
Observations:
Key Questions:
Products/Performan
ces:
PROCEDURE
Attention Grabber
Assessment of
Prior Knowledge
Expectations for
Learning and
Behavior
Advance
Organizer/Agenda
Transition to Body
Activity #1
Introduction
Invite students to gather around & pay attention
Already performed conversation with students
about what they know about where rock music
came from.
Time
10
minutes
KellySpoering
Assessments/
Differentiation:
Activity #2
Assessments/
Differentiation
UnitPlan
Differentiation: The project has several different
levels of guitar ability built into it.
Free Work Period: Students are free to find a spot
in the room and work on their project in
preparation for presenting it on Monday. At some
point during the period, they must give me a
project plan including which genres they want to
perform in and what theyre going to perform.
They are allowed to change their minds over the
weekend.
Question students for understanding of the
project. Do they know what theyre doing? Do
they have a good grasp on the different styles
weve studied so far?
Differentiation: several students in this class are
ESL; they may not contribute as much to the
conversation. I will ask some simply-phrased
guided questions to ensure they understand the
material. The project itself is differentiated for
several levels of guitar ability.
45
All
remainin
g time
Activity #3
Assessments/
Differentiation
Assessment of
Learning:
Feedback From
Students:
Feedback To
Students
Transition To Next
Lesson
What went well?
What changes
would you make in
your planning?
What have you
learned to improve
upon future
instruction?
KellySpoering
UnitPlan
46
Overall I was very pleased with how this unit went. When I was initially
approached about doing it, I wasnt entirely sure I could put together a full unit based
around the development of rock music that would fulfill enough of the GLEs/SLEs from
the curriculum, but as I started putting it together it became a lot easier to see how
different things could be worked in. Initially, I intended to do a much shorter unit just
covering some of the general trends in the development of Rock & Roll and how they
related to earlier forms of music, but as it became clear that I could incorporate a number
of learning objectives, a longer unit with multiple activities became more feasible.
If I had to teach this unit again, I would break it up a bit more. I would have the
projects be ongoing throughout each half of the unit, with project work time scheduled
each day, rather than several solid days of it at the halfway and end point of the unit. I
think the students would have responded slightly better to a more integrated approach,
but I didnt come up with a really good idea for implementing that change until most of
the way through, so I didnt do anything about it this time.
I also found as the unit went on that I was adapting my listening worksheets more
to the language ability of the majority of the class, which resulted in a couple of the
students who actually have English as their first language finishing a bit earlier. If I had
to do this over, I would either find a way to create two levels of worksheets, or possibly
just create two rubrics and have the more English-capable group be required to give more
in-depth answers.
I think that the content was well-suited to this group; they werent entirely
engaged with some of the very early styles, but once they started to see the patterns and
to be able to recognize how the music we were studying related to things they listen to
KellySpoering
UnitPlan
47
outside of class, a number of them started participating actively. It was really great to see
the turn around between the students being slightly resistant to the entire concept, to them
actively debating about which musical styles their favourite modern artists were using as
inspiration. I generally maintained a positive and interested classroom atmosphere for this
unit. There were a few students who were more interested in their cell phones than in
what was going on in class, but regular reminders to put them away and pay attention
seemed to work. I only had to threaten to take a students phone away from them once
during the unit, and the student immediately corrected their behaviour.
It was hard to tell some of the time if the ESL students were actually engaged
with what was going on, since they didnt participate in the discussions as much. A
couple of them were dropped into the guitar class with neither interest nor experience,
since it fit their schedule and didnt require a lot of academic rigour, so they were a bit
hard to connect with. Once again, as we got slightly more towards the modern music that
they recognized, they started actually engaging with what we were listening to and
paying more attention. Their worksheet submissions were also generally well done, so
clearly they were actually absorbing a fair amount of what was going on in the class.
I think the use of the powerpoints to highlight the major aspects of each genre as I
was talking about them worked really well for this class, since the students who were
slightly better with written English could use that to cement what I was saying. I noticed
key words from the powerpoints appearing on their worksheet answers, so they were
clearly engaging with them on some level. If I had to do this over, I would probably clean
up the powerpoints a bit, possibly add more pictures and visual interest.
KellySpoering
UnitPlan
48
One other thing that worked well was breaking each day up into related genres or
styles. Students were much more engaged and willing to debate when we were able to
only use that days genres, instead of them having to page back through their notes and
remember specifics about earlier genres. I started putting more closely related genres
together during the second half of the unit, and it worked very well.
As I said, overall an effective and interesting unit. I would change some things, as
described above, if I were to do it again. I think that given the wide range of levels of
interest, ability, and English language fluency in the class, I presented the best unit I
could, and the students were definitely engaged and interested in at least some aspects of
it every day. We covered everything efficiently, with enough time for worksheets,
questions, debate, and individual student work on their projects. I was flexible with
answers and answer formats based on language difficulties, and also with project
requirements based on previous experience on the guitar. The students generally
responded very positively to me as a teacher, and the few times I had to crack down on
misbehaviour they respected my authority. Im pleased with how it went and would do
this unit again, with the modifications Ive indicated.