1.

Rationale​​: The purpose of this experience design is to introduce and practice

the chords to “best day of my life” on ukulele (D, Em, and G). This is in order
to introduce stringed instruments into students’ skillset and appeal to student
interests musically.
2. Understanding Statements​​: At the end of this experience, students will be
able to
1. Play three ukulele chords (D, Em, or G)
2. Sing and play their ukulele at the same time
3. Play and sing as an ensemble
3. “I can” statements/standards:
1. I can play D, Em, and G ukulele chords (VA EI.11)
2. I can play my ukulele as part of a group (VA EI.12 of VA 5.3)
4. Materials​​:
i. Ukuleles for every (or every other) student
ii. Posters of chord diagrams for D, Em, and G chords
iii. Projector
iv. Google slides presentation of lyrics and chords for “Best Day of my
Life”
v. Access to a recording of “Best Day of My Life”
vi. A speaker
5. Detailed Process​​:
1. Initially, I will have the students grab ukuleles and sit either in a circle or in
a condensed version of their “assigned” rows, depending on which space
Mrs. Clemens will be occupying, while “Best Day of My Life” is playing
through the speaker. (2 minutes)
2. Then, I’ll teach the first chord (D) by showing an enlarged chord diagram
with color coding coordinating with colored dots on the students’ ukuleles.
I can demonstrate on my ukulele with my hands and assess these
students by walking around the group and observing finger placement and
hearing the chord compared to mine. (5 minutes)
3. Once students have learned this chord, I’ll repeat this process with the Em
chord, and potentially prompt students to attempt changing between the
two chords. As I assess how easily/quickly they can complete chord
changes, I can determine my next move. (7 minutes)
4. If chord changes are easy for the majority of students, I can teach the
third chord and eventually put these chords in the context of the song, but
if chord changes aren’t easy, I can teach the third chord and break the
group into three smaller groups and assign each group one chord to play
on cue. (or, wound forward, where they hear the change in the music and
 chord quality) During this process, I can ask questions such as “how does
the sound change when you switch from ___ chord to ____ chord?” and
prompt students to “wind forward” by assisting peers if they finish early.
(20 minutes)
6. Assessments​​: I can observe the students fingers and listen to the chord to
determine whether the chord is correct or not.
i. I can see how well the student adapts to playing in an ensemble
and ask questions such as “does anyone have any questions?” and
“do you need any help?”
7. Adaptation​​:
i. First, I can bring colored dots to place on the ukuleles (with
permission) to aid students that benefit with color instruction. These
dots can be placed in the chord shapes and correspond to the
colors on the google slides, to avoid confusion.
ii. To assist students with size or shape difficulties, I can wind back
this experience to just playing one note on a string (think:
bass-guitar) and teach the “bass notes” for the song.
iii. Pacing-wise, I can prompt students to play one chord at a time and
play as a group. This way, the whole song gets played, but
students don’t have to worry about switching chords.
8. Extension​​ (what would you do next and/or how could you make this
experience longer?)
i. To extend this experience, I could find a different song with these
chords to begin teaching
ii. In addition, I could prompt students to mix the order of chords
around and create their own compositions, experimenting with
different strumming patterns as well.