Standard 3.

102086 Designing Teaching and Learning – Assessment 2 [modified lesson

plan]

1 Intellectual quality
1.1 Deep knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Throughout the lesson plan, the key concept of ‘pitch’ is central to the content
and how it is taught to students. The lesson plan explains the fundamental qualities in pitch
and the tasks involved are related to the concept.

1.2 Deep understanding

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson plan provides activities students can engage in to make sure they
have an understanding of pitch. For example, the lesson plan asks students to raise their
hands when they are referring to pitch that is high and lower their hands to the ground when
they are referring to low pitch.

1.3 Problematic knowledge

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Music theory is generally not open to questioning or interpretation. Therefore,
knowledge in this lesson plan is purely factual.

1.4 Higher-order thinking

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students are given the task of creating their own acronyms to learn more about
musical notation on the Treble Clef. Students are asked to find high C and low C on the
keyboard after learning about high and low pitch. Students are also asked to compose and
perform their own melody using the skills learnt in the lesson.

1.5 Metalanguage
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There are “mini-lessons” throughout the lesson. For example, teaching students
about the Staff and Treble clef as it will later relate to the activity, or explaining pitch as
high or low and how that can be notated on the stave.

1.6 Substantive communication

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson plan mostly highlights the idea of sustained interaction between the
key concept and the activities. However, there is not much room for student/teacher
conversation in relation to the concept.

Quality learning environment

2.1 Explicit quality criteria
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: It is not clear what the teachers expectations are of the students in regards to
understanding the key concept and the activities set out for the lesson.

2.2 Engagement
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: Although hard to scale, I would say based on the different activities in the
lesson plan that students would be quite engaged throughout the lesson, as they are given
the ability to use musical instruments and create their own melodic notation.

2.3 High expectations

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is one task that involves students to create their own melody, which
would demonstrate the knowledge learned during the lesson. That is the only time I would
classify the work as challenging and risk-taking.

2.4 Social support

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: It is difficult to evaluate this QT element. The lesson plan does not include
group work, which might have been able to indicate social support.
 2.5 Students’ self-regulation
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Based on the different activities created by the teacher, students are regulating
their behaviour as they are focused on the task at hand. However, this is difficult to review.

2.6 Student direction

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Students are given some responsibility in how they exercise the task. For
example, students are able to create their own acronyms to help them memorise the notes on
a stave and are able to create their own melodic notation.

3 Significance
3.1 Background knowledge
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The teacher does not engage in student discussion in regards to the key concept.
Therefore, it is difficult to know whether or not students have prior knowledge of pitch.

3.2 Cultural knowledge

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: The lesson plan does not recognise high cultural knowledge. However, the
lesson plan is not necessarily aimed at achieving this goal when discussing music theory.

3.3 Knowledge integration

1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: There is knowledge integration in the lesson plan. The lesson plan asks students
to identify how pitch and rhythm (a topic they previously learned) can be integrated
together. There is no link to different subject areas, only music.

3.4 Inclusivity
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: This element is difficult to score as I cannot observe the lesson. The lesson plan
does not mention any group work tasks, which might have been able to indicate some form
of inclusivity.

3.5 Connectedness
1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 Comments: Similar to the cultural knowledge goal, the lesson plan is not aimed at achieving
this goal but is more so aimed at helping students understand the musical concept, pitch.

3.6 Narrative
1–2–3–4–5 Comments: Narratives are not used in the lesson plan. It is purely factual based.

Identifying Areas for Improvement

Identify the four NSW QT model elements you are targeting for improvement.

QT model
1) Deep understanding 2) Explicit quality criteria
3) Student direction 4) Inclusivity
Modified Music Lesson Plan

Topic area: Stage of Learner: Syllabus Pages:

Pitch Stage 4
Date: Location Booked: Lesson Number: /

Time: Total Number of students Printing/preparation

Whiteboard
Keyboards
Guitar? If students request
Rhythm quiz w/ rhythmic
notation
Fill-in-the-blank musical
worksheets

Outcomes Assessment Students learn about Students learn to

Syllabus outcomes Lesson assessment • notating • explore forms of
4.5 Notates compositions compositions using musical notation,
Informal quiz on
using traditional and/or non- note names and various forms of including computer-
traditional notation. note values to traditional and non- based applications, as a
4.9 Demonstrates musical recap previous traditional notation method of recording
literacy through the use of lesson on • identifying, their own musical ideas
notation, terminology, and ‘Rhythm’ understanding and • respond to the range
the reading and interpreting describing how the of repertoire used for
In groups of 6, concepts of music listening
of scores used in the music
students are to have been used and
selected for study create 2-4 bars of manipulated
melodic and
rhythmic notation
and perform to
the class at the
end of the lesson.

Time Teaching and learning actions

Intro Quick recap on previous lesson on ‘Rhythm’ with a ‘Rhythm Quiz’. Teacher to remind students that this is an
5 minutes informal assessment and that it is testing to see what they remember from the last lessons. Students are assessed
on their ability to identify notes by name and duration.
Teacher to then mark by sharing the answers with the class out loud.
Echo clapping exercise – on the other side of the quiz, there are a few rhythmic notations that the teacher will clap
once then get the students to clap after. Teacher can assign a few students to lead in this task.
Body Teacher to move onto the topic for today’s lesson, ‘Pitch’. Teacher to ask students to take out their books as they
5 are starting a new topic. Teacher to ask students if they have heard about pitch and what they might know about
minutes the concept.
Teacher to write the definition of pitch for students to write in their workbooks.
10 Teacher explains the Staff, and explains that the Treble Clef dictates what notes are presented on the staff.
minutes Teacher to label the notes on the Treble Clef.
Give acronym “Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit” and “FACE” for remembering notes on the staff. Ask students to
come up with their own acronyms to help memorise the notes.
Teacher to spell out words on the board that use the Treble Clef note names, e.g. BAGGAGE, CABBAGE, CAGE, DEAF,
FADE. Teacher to ask students who would like to spell out some of these words on the staff. Different students to
participate in this task.
Explain the concept of comparing pitch in terms of Higher and Lower/Ascending and Descending. Play two notes on
5 minutes an instrument, have students decide whether the second is higher or lower by having them raise their hands when it
is higher or point to the grade for lower notes. Repeat a number of times for clarity.
Explain the way in which high and low notes are presented on the staff - the higher the note on the staff, the higher
the pitch.

The next task requires students to form groups in order to complete the fill-in-the-blank musical notations (only 3
10 notations). The activity also requires students to write whether or not the musical notations ascend or descend/go
minutes higher or lower or both. Teacher to give clear instructions on the next task:
 Students to be given a number between 1 and 4.
 Locate different areas in the room where the 4 groups of 6 (rough estimate) will go once they
have been told to go to their locations.
 Once they have moved to their different locations, each team to nominate a leader to collect the
piece of paper (one per group) and to come up with a team name to write on the activity.
 Students are instructed that the first to correctly complete all the answers wins, however teams
that haven’t finished are required to keep going because the first team that put their hand up for
completion may have gotten the answers wrong.
 Teams are required to raise their hands once their group is finished and the teacher is to go to
each group and check the answers on the answer sheet.
 Once the game has ended, instruct students to stay in their groups and ask each student to sit
behind a keyboard.

5 minutes Using a keyboard diagram on whiteboard explain where notes on the stave are located on the keyboard. On the
keyboard diagram, clearly outline where low C and high C are, then have students find high and low notes (ie high C,
lower C) on keyboard.
Teacher to explain the next task:
 Students are required to create 2-4 bars of melodic and rhythmic notation in their groups.
 Instruct students to split the roles and have a couple on the percussive instruments playing their
rhythmic notation and a couple on the keyboard/guitar (for those students who can play guitar). The end
goal is to be able to play both rhythm and melody at the same time.
 Students can use the rhythmic notations that were used in the ‘Rhythm Quiz’ or other notations
used in previous lessons. HOWEVER, the melodic notation must be original.
 Students are to also come up with a name for their piece, introduce themselves and what
instruments they are playing, as well as the inspiration for their piece of music.
 Students are to also explain if their piece of music uses more ascending or descending pitch.

10 Allow students the appropriate time to create and rehearse the notations.
minutes After 5 or 6 minutes, ask students to stop. Each group is to perform their melodic and rhythmic notations to the
class.

Conclusion Summary of the lesson is to be conducted by teacher and students.

5 minutes Teacher to ask questions like:
 What does pitch mean?
 What is an example of an acronym we can use to explain the notes on the line of the staff?
 What words can we use to describe pitch?
 If the notes on the treble clef are high, does that mean the pitch is ascending?
Each student can go around saying one new thing they’ve learnt and what they found challenging in the lesson. This
is also a good time for students to give praise to groups that they thought did well, can include members in their
own group.
Pack up: instruct students using percussive instruments to put away and students who played keyboard, to collect
any sheets used during the lesson to give back to the teacher.
How am I measuring the outcomes of this lesson?

Learning Outcome Method of measurement and recording

4.5 Notates compositions Informal assessment of student responses to teaching
using traditional and/or and learning activities.
non-traditional notation.
4.9 Demonstrates musical Informal assessment of student responses to teaching
literacy through the use of and learning activities.
notation, terminology, and
the reading and
interpreting of scores used
in the music selected for
study