MUSIC 670

Elementary Teaching Unit

I-IV-V Chords
5th Grade

Elaine Snowden
November 7, 2019
 Table of Contents
Unit Introduction................................................................3
Pre-Assessment...........................................................3
Post Assessment.......................................................4-5
Unit Outline........................................................................6
Song Analysis......................................................................8
Lesson Plans......................................................................20
Prepare Lesson 1........................................................20
Prepare Lesson 2........................................................23
Prepare Lesson 3........................................................26
Present Lesson 1........................................................29
Practice Lesson 1........................................................33
Practice Lesson 2........................................................35
Practice Lesson 3........................................................38
Practice Lesson 4........................................................41
Practice Lesson 5........................................................44
Practice Lesson 6........................................................46

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 Unit Introduction
The focus of this unit plan is progression of I, IV, and V chords including the recognition
of the change between them and hearing a distinction between the IV and the V chords. This
unit has been planned for the fifth grade in accordance to the scope and sequence from
Manhattan Ogden School District #383. Following this, students should already be familiar with
the I and IV chords and the relation between them. Therefore, this unit focuses on the addition
of the V chord and how it changes the relationship between the other two chords. In addition
to a familiarity with I and IV chords, students will also already be familiar with the related
chords on instruments such as the xylophone and ukulele and will continue to use such
instruments for harmonic structure and melodic lines.
Besides the I-IV-V chord progression, students will also be asked to sing songs with
accurate pitch and rhythm so as to better perform with musicality. So while students may be
focusing on new songs and their accompanying chordal structure, they will also have the
opportunity to work on expressivity within those parameters.
This unit also has opportunities for cross-curricular connections such as history,
literature, and culture. Some songs included in this lesson plan originate from other countries
and other times providing the chance for students to explore new traditions, languages, music,
and context within their music.

Pre-Assessment
Before learning about this new harmonic concept, it is important that students already
know about the relationship and difference between the I and V chords. One way that I have to
assess that students have this background knowledge is an activity where students are
performing two different actions depending on the change in chord that they are aurally
hearing. This lesson activity is outlined as a warm up in Lesson one called the chord progression
game. To accompany this activity, I will use a checklist to ensure that the majority of my
students understand so that I can focus my attention on assisting the few students that may
need further guidance.
Example checklist:

Recognizes Yes No N/A

I-V chords
Name
Name
Name
Name

3
Post-Assessment (Summative):
Throughout the unit plan, I use assessments gaging student ability and participation.
This will determine if students are able, have at least tried but are unable, and have not
attempted. It is important that students are performing well in these assessments because
following lesson plans build on concepts taught during previous ones. The overall assessment
tool I will use to keep track of student involvement and ability will include the lesson objectives
and will go as follows:

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 Summative Assessment

S can sing “Go Round and Round the Village” with

accurate pitch and rhythm
S can perform I-IV-V chords on ukulele

S can sing “Baby Bumblebee” with accurate pitch

and rhythm
S can improvise body percussion using changes
from the I-IV-V chords
S can sing “Bear Went Over the Mountain” with
accurate pitch and rhythm
S can compose new lyrics to “Bear Went Over the
Mountain”
S can sing “Thula Baba Thula Sana” with accurate
pitch and rhythm
S can arpeggiate the I-IV-V chords on the
xylophone
S can compose an accompaniment pattern on the
xylophone using I-IV-V chords
S can recognize the correct chords that follow the
I-IV-V changes
S can discover the correct chords that follow the I-
IV-V changes
S can recognize the correct notes making up the I-
IV-V chords
S can discover the notes that make up the I-IV-V
chords
S can compose a melodic counter-line following
the notes of the I-IV-V changes
S can improvise a melodic line over the I-IV-V
changes
S can recognize when a chord should change to a
new one during a song
S can accurately choose the correct chord of the I-
IV-V chord and where it belongs in the song

5
 Unit Outline
Prepare
The prepare stage is the first time that students will hear and interact with the new
concept (the V chord). Students will not see any notation of this in order to learn it and rather
than the focus of the students being placed on the new concept, it is placed on the new songs
as a whole. The songs in this stage are “Go Round and Round the Village,” “Baby Bumblebee,”
and “Bear Went Over the Mountain.” Within these lessons, students are asked to react to
changes are recreate given concepts without labeling them or even discussing what is so
different about each part. In the first lesson, the focus is more on the duration of the song and
while students will be using the timing of chord changes to determine when the song is
reaching it’s end, they won’t be consciously considering the chords. In the second lesson, the
focus is on improvising in general along with the song. Again, the chords will affect the form of
the song and the timing of different actions, but that isn’t the attention of the lesson. In the
third lesson, students compose new verses. In order to do this, students need to match style,
syntax, and timing. All of these are affected by chord changes so though student attention has
yet to be brought to the changing chords, their success in these activities will be greatly
affected by how well they follow the form of the piece which is affected by the chord changes.

Present
The present stage is where students are aurally identifying the difference between not
only the I and V chords, but also the difference among I and V chords and the new IV chord. In
this lesson, students learn the song “Thula Baba Thula Sana,” an African lullaby. Now in this
lesson, there is an emphasis on student discovery, however, students haven’t learned the
concept yet so the teacher’s role is to provide options and guide students in eliminating
incorrect answers until they are left with the best fit, the new IV chord.

Practice
The practice stage is where students give the new concept a label and solidify it while
applying it to their music-making. In the first lesson, students use the song “Baby Bumblebee”
to practice discovering all three chords with more independence than they had in the previous
lesson. In the next lesson , students use the song “Bear Went Over the Mountain” to apply the
individual notes in the I-IV-V chords into a more interesting harmonic structure rather than just
block chords. In the third lesson, students use the song “Henehene Kou’aka” to practice
improvising over the chord changes, demonstrating an understanding of the notes that make
up these chords. In the fourth lesson, students use the song “Boom, Boom Ain’t it Great to Be
Crazy” to practice discovering the placement of each chord while also using the icons “I, IV, and
V” to notate the concept on paper. In the fifth lesson, students use the song “Go Round and
Round the Village” to discover the placement of the chords again but also use standard
notation rather than the simplified icons. Finally, students use the song “Thula Baba Thula
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Sana” to both create an accompaniment pattern following the correct changes and improvise
using the pattern that they had just created.

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Song Analysis

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Song Analysis Table:Baby BumbleBee
Tone Set S, l, d, r, m
Range M6
Rhythm Set Quarter note, eight notes, rest
Form Strophic

A Song’s Pedagogical Use Table:

Melody S-d, d-low l

Rhythm Eight notes, rests
Other Chords (harmonic background) changes within a
measure sometimes.

Other info:
Opportunities to be creative with animals, actions, and choreography

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10
Song Analysis Table:Bear Went Over the Mountain
Tone Set S, d, r, m, f, s, l
Range M9
Rhythm Set Eighth note, triplet eighth note, dotted quarter,
quarter note followed by eighth note, rest
Form Verse-chorus

A Song’s Pedagogical Use Table:

Melody Fa, la tuning

Rhythm Anacrusis, 6/8 meter
Other Fermata

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12
Song Analysis Table:Boom Boom, Ain’t It Great To Be Crazy
Tone Set S,l,t,d,r,m,f,s,l
Range M9
Rhythm Set Quarternotd, eighth note, syncopated, dotted
eighth rolled by sixteenth, anacrusis
Form Strophic

A Song’s Pedagogical Use Table:

Melody Tune that high la

Rhythm Syncopation, straight eighths vs. dotted
Other Chord changes within the measure

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Song Analysis Table: Henehene Kou’aka
Tone Set M,s,l,d,r,m
Range P8
Rhythm Set 4 sixteenth notes, sixteenth-eighth-sixteenth,
quarter, dotted eighth sixteenth notes.
Form Verse-refrain

A Song’s Pedagogical Use Table:

Melody Non-Western
Rhythm Sixteenth notes (especially sixteenth-eighth-
sixteenth)
Other Ukuleles? Hawaiian music style

Other info: this song has a background, what do the lyrics translate to?

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Song Analysis Table: Thula Baba Thula Sana
Tone Set S,l,t,d,r,m,f,s
Range P8
Rhythm Set Eighth, quarter, rest
Form Verse-refrain

A Song’s Pedagogical Use Table:

Melody Chordal movement

Rhythm Slower rhythms- a lullaby
Other Repeats with different endings

Other info:
What’s the meaning behind this song? Lyric translation?

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Song Analysis Table: Round and Round the Village

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 Tone Set S,t,d,r,m,f,s
Range P8
Rhythm Set Quarter, half, dotted quarter and eighth, dotted
half
Form Strophic with refrain

A Song’s Pedagogical Use Table:

Melody S-s, s-d

Rhythm Opportunity to match rhythm with movement
Other Cut time meter

Other info:
Can students “feel” the chord change?

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 Lesson Plans
Prepare Lesson 1: “Go Round and Round the Village”
Objective:
Students will sing the lyrics and melodic line of “Go Round and Round the Village” with 90%
accuracy while playing the I-IV-V chords on the ukulele with 80% accuracy.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
Materials of Instruction:

• “Go Round and Round the Village”

• Harmonic instrument for teacher (piano, ukulele, guitar, etc . . .)
• Ukuleles for students
• Prior knowledge of I-V chords (C and G)
o Including on the ukulele
Sequence:
Warm Up: Chord progression game (key of C)

• Teacher arpeggiates tonic chord on the piano

• T: “When you all hear this I want you to (insert activity such as creeping). Go ahead and
try it”
• T: Switches to dominant chord
• T: “When you hear this, I want you to (insert another activity such as marching). Go
ahead and try it”
• The game involves going back and forth between the chords at different intervals so
that students practice differentiating between the two.
Activity #1 Objective: Students will follow the game introduced according to the chord
changes
1. “This next game is a lot like the one we just played, we’re just going to use a new song”
2. “This is the song we’re going to use.”
3. Teacher sings the song “Round and Round the Village” (in the key of C)
a. T: “Can anyone tell me what this song is about?”
b. If no one can, repeat the song and then ask again

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 c. Goal answer: a village
d. T: “Does anyone know what a village is?”
e. T: explain that it is like a small town, made up of homes where people live and
stores that they might work in
4. T: “Where you are standing right now is your home. When you look around the
classroom and see your friends, they all have homes too. So what could we call this
classroom if it’s made up of a bunch of homes?
a. Goal answer: a village
5. T: “Now I’m going to sing this song again and you all get to wander around and explore
the village. The only rule is that you need to be back home by the time the song ends.”
6. Teacher sings songs, encouraging students to wander around the spots. When the song
ends, see if students made it back in time, if they were too slow or too fast. Ask them
which one they were if they weren’t back in time.
7. T: Sings songs another time.
8. For the third and following times, if students are getting the timing of the song down,
they can try different movements around the village like marching, hopping, skipping,
etc. If they need more practice getting a feel for the timing of the I-IV-V chords, the song
can just be repeated.
a. Around the third or fourth time, the teacher should encourage students to start
singing the song along with him/her
Activity #2 Objective: Students will sing the song “Go Round and Round the Village” with
accurate words, rhythms, and pitches
1. T: “Okay, it sounds like you all have the song down pretty well so I’m going to test you
on it. I’m going to sing a few words of each line and then I’m going to need you all to fill
in the blank for me”
2. T: “Go round and round the-“
a. S: “village”
3. T: “Go round and – the village”
a. S: “round”
4. T: “Go – and round the village”
a. “Round”
5. T: “And then we go back-“
a. S: “home”
6. Repeat these steps as needed for students to remember the lyrics
7. Next the teacher will play the chords on the piano and have students sing the song by
themselves as they wander the classroom.
a. If they struggle with this, have them sing without moving or even have them
repeat phrases after

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Activity #3 Objective: Students will play the I-IV-V chords on the Ukulele accurately while also
singing the song “Go Round and Round the Village”
1. T: “Do you all remember when we learned the C and G chords on the ukulele for the
song (insert previously learned song using only I and V chords here)?”
a. “Play those two chords for me”
b. Review chords as needed
2. T: “Let’s use those chords with the song that we just learned, just play those chords
when you think that they fit.”
a. After playing through the song together, “Did you all feel something strange
about playing those chords with the song?”
b. Allow responses
c. Was it the timing, or the actual chord?
d. Play through it again to see if students can answer that question
3. T: “You know, I actually have this third chord that I know that you all haven’t played
before yet.”
a. Demonstrate the F chord, observe that students have the correct placement of
their finger for that chord
4. T: “Let’s see if we can use this chord to fill in the blanks in this song.”
5. Slowing go through the song, pausing on each chord together to decide on a chord.
6. After working through the song, take the tempo back up and have everyone play
through the song together on the ukulele
7. T: “Would anyone like to play through the song for us?”
a. Student plays chords alone while everyone sings and moves around the village
Assessment: Students can accurately sing and play through “Go Round and Round the
Village” with correct rhythm, diction, and pitch.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

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Prepare Lesson 2: “Baby Bumblebee”
Objective:
Students will sing the lyrics and melodic line of “Baby Bumblebee” with 90% accuracy.
Students will improvise body percussion following changes from the I-IV-V chord.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
MU:Cr2.1.5a: Demonstrate selected and developed musical ideas for improvisations,
arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain connection to purpose or context
Materials of Instruction:

• “Baby Bumblebee”
• Xylophones for students
• Harmonic structure instrument for teacher (could be another xylophone)
Sequence:
Warm Up: Chord progression game but with Round and Round the Village (not the same as the
previous activity #1)

• Teacher alternates between three chord arpeggiations now, not just the tonic and
dominant.
o Add the subdominant
• Towards the end of the game, the teacher begins to follow the chord changes along
with the song Round and Round the Village
• T: “Can anyone hear what song this is?”
• Everyone sings Round and Round the Village as completing actions of the game.
Activity #1 Objective: Students will recite and sing “Baby Bumblebee”
1. T: Begins by singing entire song to class
2. T: “Can anyone tell me what this song was about?”
a. If they can’t, repeat the song
3. T: Repeat after me: “I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee”
a. “Won’t my mommy be so proud of me”
b. “I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee”
c. “Ow! It stung me!”

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 4. T: “We’re going to do some longer phrases now, repeat after me again”
a. “I’m bringing home a baby bumblebee. Won’t my mommy be so proud of me?”
b. “I’m bring home a baby bumblebee. Ow! It stung me!”
5. If students are doing well, this next step can be skipped:
a. Finish the sentence: “I’m bringing home a baby-“
i. S: “Bumblebee”
b. “Wont my mommy-“
i. S: “Be so proud of me”
c. “I’m bringing home a baby-“
i. S: “Bumblebee”
d. “Ow!-“
i. “It stung me!”
6. T: “Let’s sing the whole song now”
Activity #2 Objective: Students will sing “Baby Bumblebee” while accompanying with
accurate body percussion pattern
1. T: “I think you all can handle another part to this song.”
2. T: “Instead of words, however, we’re going to use body percussion at the same time as
the singing part.”
3. T: “Watch me first”
a. Break down the percussion part into:
i. Leg pats on downbeats (1, 2, 3, and 4)
ii. Hand claps on the ands of 1 and 2 on the first three phrases
iii. Fourth phrase consists of a single snap on beat one
b. Teacher demonstrates the entire body percussion along with the singing of the
song, encouraging students to sing along
c. T: “Join me on the leg pats” sing through the song together again, leg patting the
pulse of the song
d. Teacher repeats the song and begins demonstrating the claps on the first two off
beats of each measure: “Join me with claps when you’re ready”
e. Once everyone has joined on the hand claps, repeat the song again.
f. T: “Watch me this time and tell me what I do differently”
i. Completes the body percussion along with the song, complete with the
snap at the end.
4. Once students point out the snap at the end: “Join me and lets sing through the song
with the whole body percussion again”
Activity #3 Objective: Students will improvise a body percussion pattern along to “Baby
Bumblebee”
1. T: “Do you all like this body percussion? Because I think that we can make it better.”
2. T: “Watch this”
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 a. Teacher sings through the song but improvises a new body percussion”
i. “What did I do differently?”
b. T: “Watch again”
c. Teacher improvises another new body percussion
d. T: “What am I doing with the body percussion?”
i. Goal answer: Making it up (improvising)
3. T: “This time, when we sing through the song, I’m going to do the first body percussion
again (rhythmic pulse) but I want you all to make up your own body percussion”
4. Class sings through the song together, this time everyone improvising body percussion
at the same time
5. Depending on the class and how comfortable they are, have students perform
improvisations individually, in small groups, or to a partner.
Assessment: Students can accurately sing and “Baby Bumblebee” with correct rhythm,
diction, and pitch. Students can improv body percussion with a steady beat.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

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Prepare Lesson 3: “Bear Went Over the Mountain”
Objective:
Students will sing the lyrics and melodic line of “Bear Went Over the Mountain” with 90%
accuracy.
Students will compose new verses to go along with the original “Bear Went Over the
Mountain.”
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
MU:Cr2.1.5a: Demonstrate selected and developed musical ideas for improvisations,
arrangements, or compositions to express intent, and explain connection to purpose or context
MU:Cr3.2.5a: Present the final version of personal created music to others that demonstrates
craftsmanship, and explain connection to expressive intent
Materials of Instruction:

• “Bear Went Over the Mountain”

• Bear went over the mountain picture book
• Harmonic structure (From teacher)
Sequence:
Warm Up: Story about the bear going over the mountain

• T: “Today we’re going to sing a song about a bear who is traveling and I have a book to
read to all that might explain some of what he’s doing.”
• T: Read the book to the students
o Discuss the book with the students some:
▪ Did they like the ending? What would they have done if they were the
bear? Etc . . .
• T: “Now I’m kind of wondering what would happen if he went over the mountain again.
Why might he go again? What would he do along the way? What would he do
differently?
o Ask for student responses to these questions
Activity #1 Objective: Students will recite and sing “Bear Went Over the Mountain”
1. T: Begins by singing entire song to class

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 2. T: “Can anyone tell me what this song was about?”
a. If they can’t, repeat the song
b. “What is the bear doing in the song?”
3. T: Repeat after me: “The bear went over the mountain”
a. “The bear went over the mountain”
b. “The bear went over the mountain”
c. “To see what he could see”
4. T: “We’re going to do some longer phrases now, repeat after me again”
a. “The bear went over the mountain, the bear went over the mountain”
b. “The bear went over the mountain, to see what he could see.”
5. T: “Let’s sing all of that together now”
a. Repeat steps as necessary for students to sing this portion of the song
6. T: “That sounds great! Because you all are so good at the first part of the song, lets go
ahead and learn the second part!”
7. T: Repeat after me: “To see what he could see”
a. “To see what he could see”
b. “The other side of the mountain-“
c. “Was all that he could see”
8. T: “We’re going to sing some longer phrases again like we did with the first part, repeat
after me”
a. “To see what he could see, to see what he could see“
b. “The other side of the mountain was all that he could see“
9. T: “Let’s put both parts together now”
a. Repeat steps as necessary
Activity #2 Objective: Students will compose new lyrics for the song in groups answering the
question, “What did the bear see?”
1. T: “Do you all remember how at the beginning of class I asked you what might happen if
the bear went over the mountain again? Well now we’re going to make that into a song.
But this time, he doesn’t even have to be going over the mountain, I want you all to get
into small groups (or partners or individuals depending on class size) and come up with a
new adventure for the bear to go on for us to sing.”
2. Students begin working on new lyrics while the teacher facilitates, assisting with fitting
the words into the melody of the song.
Activity #3 Objective: Students will perform their new lyrics to the class and combine them
into one bigger song..
1. T: “Now we are going to take turns sharing the bear’s adventures.”
2. The students being in groups, partners, or individuals depends on class size so that there
aren’t too many verses.
3. Everyone presents the bear’s adventures, singing
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 a. Once a song is sung through, the class repeats the new lyrics together.
b. After doing that with the first new song, the class sings the original first, followed
by the new one
i. “Sewing the songs together”
c. With each new song, the previous ones are sung in secession until everyone has
presented their bear’s adventure.
4. Everyone sings the totality of the songs, beginning and ending with the original
Assessment: Students can accurately sing and “Bear Went Over the Mountain” with correct
rhythm, diction, and pitch while also including newly composed lyrics.
3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

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Present Lesson 1: “Thula Baba Thula Sana”
Objective:
Students will sing the lyrics and melodic line of “Thula Baba Thula Sana” with 90% accuracy.
Students will compose an arpeggiating pattern that accurately fits the style of this lullaby.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Cr1.1.5b: Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms, melodies, and accompaniment
patterns) within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the elements of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
Materials of Instruction:

• “Thula Baba Thula Sana”

• Hand drums
o If low on numbers, varying percussive instruments will work
• Xylophones
Sequence:
Warm up: Cultural context and English translation

• T: “When you all were a baby, did your mom or dad ever sing to you?”
o Allow for answers
• T: “Does anyone know a word for those songs?”
o Goal answer: Lullaby
• T: “Today, we’re going to learn a lullaby. This is a very special song that a mother would
sing to her baby to comfort them while waiting for their dad to come home from work.
However, another interesting thing about this song is that it comes from a popular Zulu
tradition. Does anyone know what continent Zulu is on?”
o Goal answer: Africa
o This means that the song isn’t in English
• T: “Before we learn this song, I’m going to read to you the meaning of this lullaby:
o “Keep quiet my child, keep quiet my baby. Be quiet, Daddy will be home by
dawn. There’s a star that will lead him home. The star will brighten his way
home. The hills and stones are still the same my love. My life has changed, yes
my life has changed. The children grow but you don’t know my love. The children
grew but you don’t see them grow.”

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 o T: “How do these words make you feel?” Comforted? Sad? Sleepy?
o T: “What do you think the singer is trying to say when they say that the hills and
stones are still the same?” The passage of time?
o Depending on time, ask about the “my life has changed” line and the children
grow line.
Activity #1 Objective: Students will recite and sing “Thula Baba Thula Sana”
1. T: “Now that we know what the words of this song means, I want you to listen to me
sing it in Zulu.”
2. T: Sings through the entire song (key of F)
3. T: “Repeat after me”
a. Because of the new language, repeat phrases as needed for pronunciation
b. Thula thul
c. Thula baba
d. Thula sana
e. Thulu babuzo (thulu not thula)
f. Fika ekuseni
4. T: Repeat after me, longer phrases:
a. Thula thul, thula baba thula sana
b. Thulu babuzo fika ekuseni
c. Repeat as necessary for pronunciation
5. T: “Let’s sing the whole thing together now”
6. T: “The next step in the song is to repeat what we just learned. Let’s go ahead and sing
that two times in a row.”
7. T: “Great job, you have now learned the first half of this lullaby, listen to the rest of it.”
a. Teacher sings through the second half of the song, taking both endings.
8. T: “Repeat after me. A lot of the words are the same but the melody is different.”
a. Thula thul
b. Thula baba
c. Thula sana
d. Thulu babuzo
e. Fika ekuseni
9. T: Repeat after me, longer phrases:
a. Thula thul, thula baba
b. Thula sana, thulu babuzo fika ekuseni
10. T: “Let’s sing the whole thing together now”
11. T: “The next step in the song is to repeat what we just learned. Let’s go ahead and sing
that two times in a row.”
12. T: “We’ve learned the whole song now! Let’s go ahead and sing through it all together.”

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Activity #2 Objective: Students will accurately sound out chords following the I-IV-V harmonic
structure of “Thula Baba Thula Sana” (Discover IV chord)
1. T: “Remember when we learned about I and V chords? This song uses these too, lets
learn them.”
2. Demonstrate the chords F and C on the xylophone
a. T: “The F chord uses these three notes: F, A, and C. Let’s play through those
together.”
i. Model and repeat as necessary
b. T: “The C chord uses the notes C, E, and G. Let’s play through those together.”
i. Model and repeat as necessary
c. T: “Now I want to hear you play the F chord followed by the C chord”
3. T: “Now that we know those chords, let’s go ahead and use them as we sing the song.”
4. Everyone begins playing through the song, switching between the I and V chord.
5. T: “Did that sound weird? Why is that?”
a. Was it that they played the wrong order of I and V?
b. Should the I chord be held longer or the V chord?
c. Allow students to play through the song some and test these out
6. T: “It sounds to me like we might actually need another chord. Let’s see if we can figure
it out.”
7. Teacher slowly works through song while students listen:
a. After the first measure, T: “This is where we need that new chord. Tell me which
chord sounds best.”
b. Teacher plays through ii, iii, IV, V, vi, and vii.
c. If students are struggling, start narrowing it down, singing the measure over the
chord.
8. After deciding on the IV chord, the teacher plays through the song with the chords alone
while everyone sings.
9. T: “Didn’t that sound better? Let me teach you this new chord.”
a. T: “This chord uses these three notes: Bb, D, and F. Let’s play through those
together.”
i. Model and repeat as necessary
10. Everyone sings through the song together while playing along on the chord
progressions.
Activity #3 Objective: Students will compose a soft harmonic background on xylophones using
the I-IV-V chords discovered while also changing chords in time fitting for “Thula Baba Thula
Sana.”
1. T: “Now this song is supposed to be a lullaby. So don’t you think we could make it
prettier? I want you all to use the chords and the chord progression that we all just

31
 figured out together but I want you to change the rhythm of the notes to make it like a
nicer lullaby.
2. T: “Let’s all sing through the song together but as we do, try to figure something out on
the xylophone using those chords.”
3. T: “Who could use a second time through to figure something out?”
4. Ask students to present what they came up with while the entire class sings along
a. Depending on class, everyone can perform or just a few.
Assessment: Students can accurately sing and “Thula Baba Thula Sana” with correct rhythm,
diction, and pitch. Students have composed a xylophone accompaniment for “Thula Bana
Thula Sana” using correct chords and timing of chords.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

32
Practice Lesson 1: “Baby Bumblebee”
Objective:
Students will discover the I-IV-V chord changes for the song “Baby Bumblebee” in a new, given
key.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
Materials of Instruction:

• “Baby Bumblebee”
• Ukuleles (or some harmonic instrument for each student or pairs)
Sequence:
Warm up: (Key of C)

• T: Begins singing Baby Bumblebee, inviting the class to join in.

• T: Repeating the song, the teacher adds in body percussion, inviting the class to join in
on this as well.
Activity #1 Objective: Students will recite and sing “Baby Bumblebee” while playing chords on
ukulele in original key
1. T: “Can I hear everyone play a C chord?”
a. Model and repeat as needed, should be review
2. T: “How about a G chord?”
a. Model and repeat as needed, should be review
3. T: “And last but not least, show me the F chord”
a. Model and repeat as needed, should be review
4. T: “Now we need to place these chords in the right spot like we’ve done before with
other songs.”
a. Starting with the initial C chord, go phrase by phrase, asking students what chord
sounds right and where
i. If students guess a wrong chord, work through it with them, playing
through each of the three options to see which truly sounds best.
5. T: everyone play through together

33
Activity #2 Objective: Students will figure out the IV and V chord of a new tonic key on the
ukulele
1. T: “Great job everyone. Now I want to try something different”
a. Teacher sings the song in the key of G
b. T: “What did I do differently?”
i. Goal answer: Changed key
ii. If students don’t understand that concept explain that it’s the same key
but the melody is either higher or lower with new chords.
2. T: “Now we are going to sing the song in the new key together.”
3. Everyone sings through the song in the new key.
4. T: “Now, just where you are, see if you can play through some chords and see what the
other two are going to be.”
a. Assuming students know most ukulele chords, they will need (G, C, and D)
b. Explain more as needed, such as: When we sang this song in the last key, there
were a total of three chords, how many will this new key have?” The same
amount
i. “How many steps away from the first chord was the second chord in the
first key? (C-G) So what note is the same amount of steps from G as G is
from C?” “What about G to F?”
5. T: “Who could use more time? How many people think they have it?”
a. Depending on the response, allow students more time to ask questions or figure
it out on their own.
Activity #3 Objective: Students will apply the chords of the new key to the song “Baby
Bumblebee”
1. T: “Now we’re going to go through the song in the new key and see if we can place
these chords in the right spot.”
2. Stop at each chord, asking students what chord belongs at each spot.
3. T: “Can you find a pattern in the chords from this key and the old key?”
4. Everyone plays through the song in the new key while the teacher sings
5. T: “This time, I want everyone to play and sing with me.”
Assessment: Students can accurately sing and play “Baby Bumblebee” in a new key on the
ukulele with correct rhythm, diction, and pitch.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

34
Practice Lesson 2: “Bear Went Over the Mountain”
Objective: Students will compose a harmonic counter-line to the song “Bear Went Over the
Mountain” based on the I-IV-V chord structure.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
MU:Cr3.2.5a: Present the final version of personal created music to others that demonstrates
craftsmanship, and explain connection to expressive intent
Materials of Instruction:

• “Bear Went Over the Mountain”

• Xylophones for each student
Sequence:
Warm Up:

• T: “Do you all remember the song “Bear Went Over the Mountain?” Let’s sing through
this together.”
• Repeat lines as needed for students to remember the lyrics and the pitches.
• Sing through the whole song together.
Activity #1 Objective: Students will discover where the chords change in the song “Bear Went
Over the Mountain”
1. T: “Before touching your xylophone, I want you all to sing through the Bear Went Over
the Mountain with me while I play.”
2. Everyone sings while the teacher plays solely the C major chord on quarter note pulse.
3. T: “What sounded wrong about what I just did?”
a. Goal answer: The chord should change
4. T: “Okay, let’s sing through this again. This time, stop me when you think the chord
should change.”
5. Begin playing through again, if students don’t stop you when they should, make a
confused face, like something should’ve happened there but keep going until they stop
you somewhere.
6. When students stop you in the right spot, play both possible chords and ask which
sounds better.

35
 7. Work through the entire song this way, play through it once while everyone sings once
all the chords are placed
Activity #2 Objective: Students will figure out the notes to the 3 major chords
1. T: “Now, using your xylophones, I want you and a partner to figure out the 3 notes that
make each chord. Let’s do the first one together. It will sound like this.”
2. Teacher plays C-E-G
3. T: “See if you can find that first note.” Give everyone time to sound it out. “Let’s all play
that note together.”
4. T: “Let’s find that second note now.” Teacher plays an E and has students sound it out
again.
5. Do the same thing with G
6. T: “Okay, can everyone play all three notes for me now?”
7. T: “Next, I want you to find the notes of the second chord. This time, though, I’m going
to play through all three notes and I want to see if you can remember them and find the
notes when I play all three in a row.”
8. Teacher plays G-B-D. And repeats a few times, but always all three in a row, not just one
9. T: “Who has the first of the three notes?”
a. Replay the chord if students need it
10. T: “What about the second?”
a. Replay the chord as needed
11. T: “And what about the last note of this chord?”
a. Replay the chord as needed
12. T: “Let’s play through all three notes now.”
13. T: “Now with this last chord, lets see if you can use a pattern from the first two chords
to figure out the third chord after I play it for you.”
14. Teacher plays F-A-C
15. T: “Here’s a hint, one of these notes is in another chord we already figured out
together.”
16. After some time, T: “Does anyone have the first note down?”
17. T: “How about the second note?”
18. T: “Does anyone know which note we have already played?”
a. Goal answer: C
19. T: “Let’s play all three notes of this chord now.”
20. T: “Now can we play through all three chords together?”
a. “First chord:”
b. “Second chord:”
c. “Third chord:”
d. Repeat steps as necessary to get notes correct.

36
Activity #3 Objective: Using those notes, students will compose a counter-line to accompany
the melody of “Bear Went Over the Mountain”
1. T: “Okay now I’m going to give you and a partner some time to use the notes from these
chords we just learned to create a new part for the song to go with the melody.”
2. T: “First let’s write down the order of the chord changes with the lyrics together”
3. Using a whiteboard or paper, the teacher has the lyrics written down and stopping at
each spot for a chord, works through it with the students. Asking for volunteers to
answer or calling on students to help you.
4. Once the chord changes are written up in a matter that students can see, T: “Now using
these chord changes, I want you play through the chords as we sing through the song
together using this pattern” (1-3-5-1)
5. Everyone plays through chords together.
6. T: “The reason we did that now, is because when you are creating a new part for the
song, I want you to only use the notes from the chord that is played at that specific
time. So if it is the part of the song where we play a C chord, my new part will use C-E-G
at that time until we get to the G chord. Then I will use G-B-D at that time until the new
chord comes along.”
7. T: “Does that make sense?”
8. Give students time to work through the song and chords with their partners while the
teacher facilitates.
9. Afterwards, the teacher can either ask everyone to perform their part or volunteers
depending on time or how comfortable a class is with performing in front of the class.
Assessment: Students can perform a counter line on the xylophone to the melody of the song
“Bear Went Over the Mountain” with accurate notes fitting within the I-IV-V chords of the
key.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

37
Practice Lesson 3: “Henehene Kou’aka”
Objective: Students will improvise over the I-IV-V chords to the song “Henehene’aka”
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
MU:Cr3.2.5a: Present the final version of personal created music to others that demonstrates
craftsmanship, and explain connection to expressive intent
Materials of Instruction:

• “Henehene Kou’aka”
• Ukuleles
• Improvisation instrument (like ukulele or recorder depending on what has been used in
the past)
Sequence:
Warm Up:

• T: “So imagine that you like someone. And when you like a special someone don’t you
want to spend more time with them? Well I have a song that was written by a man from
Hawaii named Pono Beamer who liked a woman named Louise Walker. The first verse
goes like this:”
o “Your laughter is so contagious. It’s fun to be with you, always a good time for
you and I.”
o T: “What do you think this means? What is he saying about Louise in this?”
Activity #1 Objective: Students will recite and sing the song “Henehene Kou’aka”
1. T: “Now that we know what the words of this song means, I want you to listen to me
sing it in Hawaiian.”
2. T: Sings through the entire song (key of C)
3. T: “Repeat after me”
a. Because of the new language, repeat phrases as needed for pronunciation
b. Henehene
c. Kou’aka
d. Kou le’ale’a
e. Paha
f. He mea ma’a mau

38
 g. Ia
h. For you and I
4. T: Repeat after me, longer phrases:
a. Henehene Kou’aka
b. Kou le’ale’a paha
c. He mea ma’a mau ia
d. For you and I
e. Repeat as necessary for pronunciation
5. T: “Now when I sing a phrase, I want you to sing the last part for me”
a. “Henehene Kou-“
i. “’aka”
b. “Kou le’ale’a-“
i. “paha”
c. “He mea ma’a mau-“
i. “ia”
d. For you and-“
i. ”I”
6. T: “We’ve learned the whole song now! Let’s go ahead and sing through it all together.”
Activity #2 Objective: Students will perform the I-IV-V chords to “Henehene Kou’aka” on the
ukulele
1. T: “So just like the other songs we’ve been learning, this song uses I-IV-V chords. Can
anyone remind me of what those chords were for “Bear Went Over the Mountain?”
a. Goal answer: C-E-G
2. T: “This song uses the same three chords, let’s put them in the right spot together.”
3. T: “Let’s start on C” everyone plays C on the ukulele
a. “Henehene Kou’aka”
4. T: “This is where the chord changes, which one do you think it is?”
a. Goal answer: F
b. “ka Kou le’ale’a”
5. T: “Here’s the next chord change. Which one should we use now?”
a. Goal answer: C
b. “Paha”
6. T: “This part starts like the beginning”
a. “He mea ma’a mau ia”
7. T: “Now the chord changes. Which chord have we not used yet?”
a. Goal Answer: G
b. “For you and-“
8. T: “In a I-IV-V song, which chord should it end on?”
a. Goal answer: the I
b. “So what chord will we end on?”
39
 c. Goal answer: C
9. T: “Let’s sing the song while playing these chords together.”
Activity #3 Objective: Students will improvise on the (xylophone) over the I-IV-V chords
1. T: “Remember how in Bear Went Over the Mountain we used notes from the chord to
come up with a new part for the song? Well we’re going to do the same thing for this
song but we’re going to make up the spots as we play them. This is called improvising.”
2. T: “Why do you think people would want to improvise something on the spot?”
a. Chance to be creative
b. Chance to try out something new
c. Chance to show people a new skill
d. Chance to teach something
3. T: “Now show me the C chord.”
a. Everyone plays the chord
4. T: “Keeping your finger on that chord, play the four strings individually. Those four notes
are what I want you to try and use when it’s time to play the C chord in the song. The
same will go for the F and G chord.”
5. T: “the way to remember this is that you changing chords at the same time as you were
before, you just now play the strings individually.”
6. Split the class into three or four groups depending on the size of the class. Each group
gets a chance to improv at the same time while the other three chords play through the
chords with the teacher
7. T: “Now we’re going to go around the class and everyone will get to improv while
everyone else plays through the chords of this song. And in between each improv, we
will sing through the verse of the song.”
a. If it’s a large class, sing the verse in between every two, three, or four students.
Assessment: Students can accurately sing and perform “Henehene Kou’aka” on the ukulele
with correct rhythm, diction, and pitch while also attempting to improvise over these chords
on the xylophone.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

40
Practice Lesson 4: “Boom Boom, Ain’t it Great to Be Crazy
Objective:
If given the timing of the chord changes in relation to the song “Boom Boom, Ain’t it Great to
Be Crazy” using the icons: I, IV, and V, students will aurally discover the chords on the
xylophone and play them along with the song.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
Materials of Instruction:

• Boom Boom, Ain’t it Great to Be Crazy

• Xylophones
• Chord changes (along with lyrics)
Sequence:
Warm up:

• Teacher begins class by reading the book: Boom, Boom, Ain’t It Great to Be Crazy by
Steven Anderson
• Teacher then opens the class up to discussion
o “What did you think of the story?”
o “What were the characters like?”
o “Why were they acting crazy?”
o “When might you act a little crazy?”
• Transition: “What if I told you that this story was actually a song too? Let me teach it to
you.”
Activity #1 Objective: Students will sing and recite “Boom Boom, Ain’t it Great to Be Crazy”
1. Teacher first sings the song aloud to the students.
2. T: “repeat after me”
a. “Boom boom”
b. “Ain’t it great to be crazy?”
c. “Boom boom”
d. Ain’t it great to be crazy?”
e. “Silly and foolish”
f. “all day long”

41
 g. “Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy?”
3. T: “Okay now I’m going to begin a phrase and I’m going to need you all to finish it for
me”
a. T: “Boom boom ain’t it great to be-“
i. S: “Crazy”
b. “Boom boom ain’t it great to be-“
i. “Crazy”
c. “Silly and-“
i. “Foolish”
d. “All day-“
i. “Long”
e. “Boom-“
i. “Boom”
f. “Boom ain’t it great to be-“
i. “crazy?”
4. If students need some extra help, have them repeat longer phrases
a. “Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy?”
b. “Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy?”
c. “Silly and foolish all day long”
d. “Boom boom ain’t it great to be crazy?”
5. T: “Let’s sing the whole song together now.”
Activity #2 Objective: Students will sound out I-IV-V chords on the xylophone
1. T: “Now that we know the song, I think that we should add some xylophone to
accompany it.”
2. T: “Remember when we figured out the I-IV-V chords before? We’re going to do that
again but instead of doing it as a class, you and a partner (or small group depending on
class size) will sound out the chords together. I’ll walk around the room to help if you
have any questions
3. Teacher facilitates but the goal is for students to sound out the four major chords in
relation to the key they just sang in. If possible, the most the teacher will do is sing the
song for them and tells them the tonic note but the goal is for students to do as much as
they can on their own.
4. T: “Let’s all come back together now and put together what we have”
5. T: “Can everyone play the I chord for me?”
a. Notice teacher only asks for the I chord without giving anything else about it
away.
b. Should be an F
c. Help students sound it out as needed
6. Repeat step 5 for the IV and V chord
a. Bb and C
42
Activity #3 Objective: Students will place those chords in time with the given chord changes
1. T: “I have some worksheets now that I need your help filling out. On them are the lyrics
for the song we learned today and some blank spaces where the chords should go. Your
job is to figure out which of the three chords go in that spot and to write a I, IV, or V in
the blank spot. You can work together with your same partner (or group)”
2. Teacher facilitates again, at most, singing the song without giving away answers.
3. When it seems that all students have it, bring everyone together again
4. T: “Let’s play the chords and sing the song together now”
Assessment: Students can accurately sing the song “Boom Boom, Ain’t it Great to be Crazy”
with correct rhythm, pitch, and diction as well as perform the correct accompanying chord
changes with correct notes and timing

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 3-Didn’t try

43
Practice Lesson 5: “Go Round and Round the Village”
Objective:
Students will aurally discover the placement of and write out the I-IV-V chords of “Go Round
and Round the Village” using standard notation
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
Materials of Instruction:

• Go Round and Round the Village

• Lyric sheet (without chord changes)
• Staff paper for notating I-IV-V chords
• Xylophones
Sequence:
Warm up:

• T: “Sing along with me”

o Everyone sings “Go Round and Round the Village”
• Everyone sings a second time while playing the chords on the ukulele as they learned in
lesson 1
• Repeat this once if students were struggling to remember
Activity #1 Objective: Students will discover when chords change in the song “Go Round and
Round the Village”
1. Teacher passes out lyric sheets to students. Depending on class size, each student could
have one, each pair, or each group.
2. T: “using these lyric sheets, I want you all to sound out where you changed chords on
your ukuleles and to then write down where that happened and which chord it was: I,
IV, or V.
3. Teacher facilitates, guiding students as needed.
4. Teacher visually checks the placement of chord changes.
Activity #2 Objective: Students will sound out these three chords (I-IV-V) on their xylophones
1. Have students put away ukuleles so that they are only using their lyric sheets and ears
for this next activity
2. T: “Now using these chord changes that you just wrote down, I want you to sound out
those chords on the xylophone and write the 3 note names of each chord about the
chord change on your sheet”

44
 a. For example: on the I chord, you will sound out the 3 notes that make up that
chord and then write them above the I so that you can see what notes make up
the I, IV, and V chords.
3. Students work in the same partners, individually, or groups that they did before
4. Teacher visually checks everyone’s papers for correct notes for each chord.
Activity #3 Objective: Students will notate the I-IV-V chords on staff paper using standard
notation and aligning with correct words of the song “Go Round and Round the Village”
This portion of the lesson assumes that students have prior knowledge of where notes are on
the staff.
1. Teacher hands out new lyric sheet that has a staff over the lyrics without chord changes
2. T: “What is different about this paper from the one you just filled out?”
3. T: “What is the same?”
4. T: “Now, where you used to have a I, IV, or V written over the words, I want you to write
out the chord using stacks of whole notes. Each chord should look something like this,
but they might use different notes”
a. Teacher gives example on board of an F major scale, notating the whole notes on
the spaces on top of each other.
5. T: “So if you wrote C E and G over the I chord, I want you to write that out on the staff.”
6. Teacher facilitates, guiding students as needed.
7. Teacher visually checks chords on students’ lyric sheets.
Assessment: Students can both accurately play the I-IV-V chords on the xylophone to “Go
Round and Round the Village while also notating them with correct rhythm and timing.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

45
Practice Lesson 6: “Thula Baba Thula Sana”
Objective: Using the previously learned I-IV-V harmonic structure, students will improvise on
the xylophone using notes from those three chords.
National Standards Addressed:
MU:Pr6.1.5a: Perform music, alone or with others, with expression, technical accuracy, and
appropriate interpretation
MU:Pr4.2.5a: Demonstrate understanding of the structure and the element of music (such as
rhythm, pitch, form, and harmony) in music selected for performance
MU:Cr3.2.5a: Present the final version of personal created music to others that demonstrates
craftsmanship, and explain connection to expressive intent
Materials of Instruction:

• Thula Baba Thula Sana

• Xylophones
Sequence:
Warm up:

• Teacher begins singing “Thula Baba Thula Sana,” inviting students to join in
• After singing through once, teacher sings it again while playing the chord arpeggios on
the xylophone, inviting students to join in with this as well.
Activity #1 Objective: Students will create an accompaniment pattern on the xylophone as
small groups to go underneath the improvisations
1. T: “Following along with these chords, can you all get into small groups and come up
with a pattern that lasts for four beats that fits the mood of this piece?”
a. It could be four quarter notes, two half notes, eighth notes, etc . . .
2. Teacher facilitates, offering ideas or correcting incorrect notes or phrase durations.
Activity #2 Objective: Groups will perform the accompaniment patterns for the class and
select one to use as a class
1. Teacher has each group perform for the class the arpeggio pattern they came up with.
The class votes for their favorite
2. Using that pattern, the class sings through Thula Baba Thula Sana while playing on the
xylophone
a. Mix it up a little, maybe different sections/repeats use different patterns. Be
creative as long as the class comes to a consensus.

46
Activity #3 Objective: Students will improvise over the class’s accompaniment pattern using
notes from the I-IV-V chords
1. T: “Now, using the notes from these chords, we are all going to improvise”
2. Using the groups from before, one group will all improvise at the same time while the
rest of the class plays the accompaniment pattern underneath.
3. In between groups improvising, the class sings Thula Baba Thula Sana
4. Depending on the comfort level of the group, ask for volunteers to improvise
individually while the rest of the class plays the accompaniment part or go around the
entire circle and give everyone a chance to improvise.
5. In between a certain number of students improvising, sing through Thula Baba Thula
Sana as a class. Then end on it once everyone has had a chance to improvise.
Assessment: Students can creatively improvise over an accompaniment pattern using the
correct notes from the I-IV-V chords.

3-Able 2-Attempted, but not able 1-Didn’t try

47