Kindergarten Understanding by Design Unit

Title of Unit Instruments of the World

Time Frame About 1 Month

Developed By Thomas Victor and Harmol-Kaur Sangha

School Specific Pacific Elementary School

Identify Desired Results (Stage 1)

Domain Areas: Curricular(subject) Areas:

Physical & Motor Development:
Explores sensory perception: Students will explore sensory perception by listening to music (hearing), looking
at new instruments (visual), being introduced to new textures (tactile), and learning how to blow into an
instrument properly (oral/tactile) etc.
Uses gross motor skills: Students will participate in activities that will have them get up and move around a
classroom, they will have to coordinate their movements. Also, students will have to pick up instruments
carefully, which requires focus and the use of gross motor actions.
Uses fine motor skills: Students will be introduced to instruments like the recorder that require fine motor
skills to play and use, and students will get to practice these skills in the classroom.
Explores lateral dominance: Students will be playing instruments and getting familiar with their bodies,
figuring out with which hand they would use to press buttons (or strum) and which hand will help support the
instrument to stay upright (figuring out dominance).
Explores different ways of relaxing: Students can find themselves enjoying the music and using it to relax. A
lot of our unit will present them with relaxing music clips, this may help them develop a taste for instrumental
music that calms their nerves.
Learns about safety: Students will be taught how to properly handle an instrument and how to handle it safely
for the sake of their own health, but also to keep the instrument in good shape as well.
Emotional Development
Expresses own emotions: Students will talk through their emotions regarding how sharing of instruments
makes them feel, how the sound of the instrument makes them feel, how different sound can portray an
emotion etc.,
Explores own autonomy: Students will be able to gauge when they are at their limits with instruments (cannot Social Studies: This can be explored and implemented through looking at the location of where the instruments
blow into the recorder anymore, fingers hurt from strumming) and stop playing the instruments if they tell the originated from. Students will be informed when introduced to a new instrument which country it is from.
teacher why. If students choose not to participate in activities because they may not be feeling well, that is
also exploring their autonomy and saying no.
Responds with confidence: Students will be asked questions throughout activities to keep them engaged, and
students will be able to respond confidently by using the wall posters and learning centers to scaffold and
support their knowledge.
Social Development
Arts: Students will draw the instruments that they learned in class in art class and will even try to make the
instrument out of clay! This allows for creativity, imagination, and self-expression. In addition, they will also play
instruments in class, allowing them to dabble in the musical arts as well.
English: Students will be reading books related to music and instruments around the world. This will help develop
their English reading skills and recognizing words and letters, and how they make words.
Dance: Students may choreograph dances when listening to music clips, or simply dance and move around if they
please! Through tudents will be given the opportunity to express themselves through movement and dance.
Science: Students will explore brass instruments and learn a little bit about metal and how it affects the sound of the
instrument. This lets students answer the question of how material affects the tone and noise of an instrument.
Math: Students will be using the book mentioned below to incorporate music and instruments into their math lessons,
which will make math enjoyable and interactive for students.
- Zin Zin Zin! A Violin: Students will be introduced this book after listening and watching an orchestra clip,
and they will do a recognition activity where they look for instruments they learned about in the orchestra!
o In addition, students will be asked to pay attention to the number of instruments. Using photos form
the orchestra performance, teacher will ask the class: “How many violins do you count? How many
pianos?”
- Drum Dream Girl: Students will be introduced to this book after the instrument petting zoo activity. Students
will be familiar with some of the drums mentioned in the book and it will be a great call and repeat activity
while we read the book together. Students will also be introduced to drums from different culture (especially
indigenous/First Nations drum music) to help students understand the cultural importance of drums in different
societies.
Shows openness to others: Students will learn to be open about sharing instruments and getting into different - Charlie Parker Played Be Bop: This book has a repeated refrain about historically significant jazz saxophonist
groups for discussions; students will accept their group members and listen to the ideas their peers come up Charlie Parker. By teaching the students about a figure within jazz’s formation, they can find meaning in the
with. genre and place significance on those who shaped the genre. This book combines an easy-to-read format with
Participates in group activities: Students will be doing engaging and interactive activities where they work in several facts about Charlie Parker (His instrument of choice, a subgenre of music he played).
groups and are encouraged to participate.
Collaborates with others: Students will be encouraged to share instruments (not instruments with mouth Phys. Ed: Students can play music related games in gym class (e.g., running when music is playing and freezing
pieces, being mindful of Covid-19 safety rules and general hygiene) and wait their turn to examine when it’s not, an instrument recognition game in gym where they can only move when a French horn is not playing).
instruments. Through this, students will work on sharing which will help with collaborative skills and
understanding non-verbal social cues.
Gradually complies with rules of conduct: Students will be expected to follow rules of conduct, especially
when handling expensive instruments that are fragile. Students will be reminded of these expectations
throughout the course of the unit, so they do not forget. These rules will also be present in the class for students
to refer to.
Creates connections with others: Students will be doing activities that require them to connect with the ideas
of other students and orient themselves to the thinking of their peers.

Language Development
Interacts verbally and non-verbally: Throughout the lesson, students will need to articulate their understanding
of the different instruments through verbal communication, and non-verbal communication will also be noted
(their expressions, their body posture etc.)
Demonstrates understanding: Students will have activities in which they have to talk about what they learned
and how it was interesting to them, Students will be given abundant opportunities to demonstrate that they
learned something about the new instrument throughout the lessons, as well after the lessons are over.
Expands own vocabulary: We will be introducing students to new words that they may not know (Jazz,
Marimba, Flamenco, Orchestra etc.) and students will be encouraged to learn these words in a repetition/call
and answer activity that will help them associate these words to what is being shown in class. There will also
be a word wall students can refer to during class time, that will have a list of all the new words they are
learning, in relation to instruments and music.
Interacts with written language: Students will be interacting with written language through the posters on the
wall, the handling instructions for instruments, and throught the books read in class. With every lesson,
whenever the teacher shares important information, it will be written on the board.

Cognitive Development
Acquires new knowledge relating to the subject areas: Students will learn about math, will be exposed to dance
and movement, and instrument recognition games will be done in gym. Art plays a huge role in our unit as
well; students have several art-instrument related activities that are fun and engaging. Students will also be
exposed to social studies, because they will learn about the origins of the instruments and where they came
from. Students will have a heavy focus placed on English, for language and writing, they will be exposed to a
lot of new words and have to work on forming coherent sentences with them.
Uses imagination: For the art-clay project, students will make an instrument the way they want, and they can
use their own imagination and creative freedom to make the instrument they way that they want. They can
add decoration to it or make it any colour they want.
Explores different actions: When introducing instruments students will be asked how they think the instrument
is played, this is where students can explain how they would play the instrument, and students answers may
vary from one another. Once students are shown, students can explore the proper way to play the instruments.
Explains the actions taken: Students will often have to explain why they are doing when they are doing it, why
are you playing the drums like this? Why are you making the shape of the violin like that? Why do you like
the Tuba?
 Essential Questions
Open-ended questions that stimulate thought and inquiry linked to the content of the enduring
What do you want students to understand & be able to use several years from now?
understanding.
- Why is music important?
- What roles do music and instruments play in society?
- Do we need music in our lives?
- Why are instruments important?
- Why do instruments make us feel different emotions?
- What can instruments teach us about the world?
Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)
What assessment strategies /tools will help check for understanding?
- The assessment strategies used to gauge student learning and understanding will be based on the
following categories: what the teacher observes/takes note of in the classroom, the work that the
teacher collects directly from students, and the photo audio and video records that the teacher makes
of the class’s activities and exercises. Selections from all three of these categories will also be complied
in a unit portfolio, meant to showcase students’ work, and mark their learning over time.
- The teacher will assess observations of students based on understanding of subject matter,
collaboration and sharing of knowledge with other students, use of classroom resources to support
thinking, and expression of ideas.
- The teacher will assess collected work based on the student’s ability to follow the instructions of the
activity, completion of the activity, and evidence of attention to the class in question. Submitted work
that is individual will be included in the student’s portfolio.
- The teacher will assess recorded/photographed assessment tasks by looking for evidence of
collaboration among students, care given to the instruments, and general understanding of the goals of
the task (e.g., a photograph of a student's clay sculpture that attempts to replicate one of the instruments
covered in class). Photographs of students' artwork and participation in lessons will be included in the
portfolio.
o The portfolio is a form of summative assessment that will look for growth over time,
construction of new knowledge based on what the students have learned during the unit, and
consistent effort put into work throughout the lesson.
- Teacher will observe/keep notes on:
o Student participation in instrument petting zoo/instrument exploration lessons, noting the level of
care and respect they give to the instruments (F)
o Student responses to conversation questions (F)
o Student participation in class activities, as well as collaboration with other students (F)
o Student use of classroom resources (e.g., the word wall) when discussing and learning about
instruments (F)
o Student takeaways from the unit, self-reported during the show and tell conclusion of the unit (S)
Enduring Understandings
- Children will understand instruments come from many different places.
- Children will understand that instruments often have great cultural significance.
- Children will understand that instruments can make a variety of noises and can create new and interesting
sounds when combined with other instruments.
- Children will understand that instruments belong to families and share similarities and traits with other
instruments in their family.
Performance Task (Overview)
- “Our instruments” drawings: This will help the teacher gauge what students already know about instruments
as well as the types of instruments students have been exposed to. This task will also have students reflect and
think about instruments in their lives, working on cognitive skills as well as motor skills (through the drawing).
- Instrumental petting zoo: This activity will introduce students to different percussion instruments that are not
traditionally seen in Canadian music. This activity will assess students’ ability to comprehend the different
types of drums, and how even though they are categorized as percussion they are all different and unique to
each other.
- Orchestra ensemble playing: This activity will help students understand how to play music in unison with
their peers, as well as be able to understand how musical instruments, when played together, create melodies
and harmonies. Students will work on social skills that will help with leadership and confidence building.
- Creation of the jazz reflection world cloud: This activity will allow students to grow in their collaboration
skills, as they will be working with their entire class to come up with words to fill the poster with. It will also
be a benchmark for their ability to analyze and reflect on music and the instruments involved with jazz, as the
goal of the poster is for them to encapsulate their thoughts/feelings about the genre.
- Instrument sculpture: this activity will act as physical evidence of the student’s growth in motor skills as well
as cognitive skills. To look at an image and try to replicate it takes coordination and patience, skills that
students can work on through this exercise. It will also showcase their growing knowledge of instruments as
they will understand what instrument they're making and do their best to replicate it in an artistic and creative
way.
- Instrument show and tell: Students will present one instrument that they learned, and talk about why they liked
it, what they liked about it and how it sounded. This will provide teachers with evidence that students have
retained knowledge from the unit and have recognized one instrument to be presented.
- Teacher will collect:
o Drawings made of instruments during the hook lesson (F)
o Communal jazz word cloud poster (S)
o End-of-class reflections (S)
- Teacher will photograph/record:
o Dance/movement activities (F)
o Petting zoo/instrument explorations sessions (F)
o Photos of clay sculptures (S)
o Audio from their “Orchestra concert” (S)
o Photos of “Orchestra concert” (S)
o Students using classroom learning centers (F)

- Included in Unit Portfolio (S):

o “Our instruments” pictures, followed by a brief teacher summary of the student's thoughts on the
drawing.
o Photos of clay sculptures, with annotations detailing what instrument it is and why the student
chose to model it. Students’ comfort level working with clay will be noted, as well as any other
notable comments on their fine motor skills.
o Photos of students in show and tell presentations, including detailed notes about what they chose
to speak about and what they said about it. The teacher will also note students’ level of comfort
while speaking amongst their peers.
o Notable student responses to conversation questions, including what they said and any rationale
they offered.
o Photographs of students using different environmental aspects of the classroom (e.g., word wall).

(S) = Summative
(F) = Formative

Learning Plan (Stage 3)

How will you hook students at the beginning of the unit? (Motivational set)
Students will receive large sheets of paper and shared boxes of markers and colored pencils. At their tables, they will
be introduced to the topic of today’s class: instruments. After asking them some cursory questions such as do you
have a favorite instrument? Do you know anything about a specific instrument? Is there an interesting instrument
where you’re from? Does anyone in your family play an instrument?), students will be asked to draw what they think
of when they hear the word instrument. They can draw any instruments they know, a band, someone playing an
instrument, or any other creative answers to the prompt. After this, the images will be collected and put together on a
wall (Title card above their work reading: “Our Instruments!”).

Week 1: Introducing instruments and starting the Violin exploration

What events will help students experience and explore the enduring understandings and essential
questions in the unit? How will you equip them with needed skills and knowledge? How will you
organize and sequence the learning activities to optimize the engagement and achievement of all
students?
- “Our instruments” (hook) – 1 class: This lesson will consist of a drawing activity, artistic freedom and fine
motor skills will be targeted here. Students will get to reflect on the instruments in their lives and distinguish
that instrument, are musical and make noises.
- Instrument petting zoo (drums) – 2 classes: Students will move around and learn about different percussion
(Bongos, Djembes, Bodhran, Maracas, Triangle, and Rain Stick), working to develop on their social skills
(walking around, taking turns) and well as language skills (talking about the drums they saw)
o Book Activity: The book Drum Dream Girl mentions different drums and introduces students to
Cuban culture surrounding drums. Includes diversity and simple language that students will be
able to enjoy and understand.
 o Following the book activity, teacher will tell students about drums form other parts of the
world/cultures (e.g., Indigenous/First Nation drums/music, South American percussion) and how
they can hold importance to different societies.

- Violin Exploration – 1 class: Students will move around and do a “dance when you hear a violin” activity in
this lesson, which will have them move around when they hear a violin. The violin music in question will be
traditional fiddle music, which has a long history originating in Ireland and the surrounding area.

Week 2: Brass Instruments

- French Horn Exploration – 2 classes: Students will get to explore the distinct and unique sound of a French
horn and develop social skills while doing the “imitation of French Horn” sounds activity (engaging, fun and
call and response type activity). During this lesson, students will also learn why brass instruments are made
of metal, and how the material of an instrument changes the way that it sounds, this will be reiterated every
time we discuss brass instruments. There is also a movement-based recognition activity that will be done in
gym class, where students run whenever they do not hear the French horn and must stay still when they do
(Freeze French Horn).

- Tuba Exploration – 1 class: Students will participate in a group exploration of a tuba, including an actual tuba
brought into the classroom. Students will explore the tuba through its sound, its music, its touch, its weight,
and its method of performance.

- Orchestra lesson – 3 classes: Students will be introduced to the idea of an orchestra, which features several
instruments they learned about earlier in the unit.
o Book Activity: The teacher will read Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin and help students practice their
counting and language skills, as well as teach them about new orchestral instruments. Then
students will watch a clip of an orchestra performance and observe the instruments they have
learned about in a performance setting.
o “Our Orchestra” Activity: Students will be provided with recorders, plastic drums, portable
keyboards, and triangles. They will have a chance to play in an ensemble just like the orchestra
they watched. During this exercise, the teacher will first serve as a “conductor,” telling students
when to play their instruments, as well as the volume at which they should play. After a period of
time, the teacher should select a student to take over this “conductor” role, allowing them to lead
their class in song.

Week 3: Instruments in union (this will take a week and a half)

- The Instruments of Flamenco – 1 class: Students will spend time in class learning about the instruments that
usually comprise flamenco music, how they are played in unique interlocking ways with one another, and
how they combine to form the genre of flamenco music. This will build on their knowledge of musical group
performance that they learned about in their orchestra lesson. After they learn about the origin of the music
and instruments, students will dance/move to the music in the classroom, and through this will explore how
instruments and rhythm relate to physical motion.

- Jazz lesson – new art forms-/culture built around old instruments – 2 classes: In our Jazz lesson, students will
explore jazz music first though the lens of its instruments (some of which they learned about in our
orchestra/prior instrument lessons), then though a social studies lens where they track the combination of
cultures and instruments that created jazz music as we know it, concluding with exploration through dance
and moving their bodies to the rhythm of the music.
o Book Activity: Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop is a good resource for a social-studies minded-jazz
lesson, as it is about a figure of both jazz music and history, while still being written in
understandable and easy terms for a young learner to follow. The book is also very musical on its
 own, so participating in a read aloud will keep students in a music-minded state and will allow
them to play with rhythm while they learn.

- Marimba lesson – 1 class: Students will explore marimbas, both as an instrument and as part of a larger
marimba ensemble. Students will learn about the origins of the marimba, and how it makes its unique pulsing
tone. They will have a chance to play a small marimba in class, then watch a video of a marimba group playing
together. Then, students will have a chance to play several marimbas that have been brought into the class,
even playing together with their classmates. This will increase their understanding of how the instrument is
played, as well as exercise skills of collaboration.
o To conclude, a marimba group will be invited to the school to play for the class.

- Sitar – Symphony orchestra of India – 2 classes: This learning experience will focus on the sitar, a unique
stringed instrument with a distinct sound that is featured in many compositions from India. First students will
observe and explore the sitar on its own, noting how it makes its noises, how it differs from other instruments
learned about in the unit, and whether it shares similarities with instruments from other areas of the world.
Then, the students will listen to a brief performance from the Symphony Orchestra of India, featuring the sitar
as well as many other instruments. This will build on their understanding of orchestra music from prior lessons
and build the understanding that not every orchestra needs to have the same exact instruments/structure. The
class will conclude in an activity where students are asked to identify a sitar’s sound when the teacher plays
audio clips of other stringed instruments.

Week 4: Concluding Cumulative Activities

- Clay instrument sculptures – 1 class: students get to enjoy clay sculpting while creating an instrument they
learned from the unit. The students will get to work on fine motor and gross motor skills and have a chance
to showcase their ability to replicate an item they learned about in class.

- “Show and tell show” On what they learned Activity – 1 class: Students will get to share what they learned
about ONE instrument to the whole class, and after students will all get together and have a class discussion
on what they’re learned from the presentations of their peers (orienting students to each other’s work).

- Keep instruments that were discussed present in the classroom throughout the unit (this can be through actual
instruments as well as through pictures of the instruments not physically present in the class).
- Take a map and trace the origins the instruments discussed in class along with where they travelled (tuba:
Europeans -> states) to showcase where instruments originated from.
- Word wall hung up throughout the lessons to show new words learned.
- Exposure to different genres of music through instruments – Section of the wall dedicated to screenshots +
How will you cause students to reflect and rethink? How will you guide them in rehearsing, revising,
photos the different “concerts” students have seen during the unit (e.g., orchestra, flamenco, symphony
and refining their work based on your essential questions and enduring understandings?
orchestra of India)
- Students will often be asked at the end of every new introduction of instruments what they learned and liked
about the instrument. They can answer this question verbally or through drawings that can be saved for their
unit portfolio.
- The listening area will have all the video clips of the music introduced in class, so students can reflect on the
instruments brought into class. Students can access this at any time throughout the unit and videos will be put
on the tablet after every new class, so students have all the resources available.
 - Students will also have physical versions of the instruments (the smaller ones that can fit in the class) around
the classroom, to look at and to hold/touch (with teacher’s permission). Students can use these demo
instruments to jog their memory on how to hold them properly, how to play them and what sound they make.
- Students will have an artistic activity at both the start and the end of the unit, that will help showcase how
students motor skills have improved since the start of the unit. Students will have their “our instrument”
drawings hung throughout the class, and at the end of the unit can have them to take home along with their
How will you help students to exhibit their growing skills, knowledge, and understanding throughout clay sculpture of instruments.
the unit? - Students can show their knowledge through their final show and tell project, which will allow them to
demonstrate knowledge about one of the instruments we studied during the unit.
- Students will participate in a small reflection exercise (through drawings, stickers, and key words) at the end
of lessons, talking about what they learned from the lesson and what they liked. This will be placed in their
unit portfolio to showcase their growing understanding of different instruments around the world.
- Students will often be asked to compare instruments with one another (from ones that we have learned), to
help them reflect and think critically about the differences between the instruments in question.
- The teacher will ask students conversation questions throughout the unit’s lessons, which will help them show
what they understand about the unit’s topic and allow them to use their knowledge to formulate complex
answers.

Conversations
Environment What open ended questions can I ask to learn through conversations that will scaffold children’s learning?
(What will be added to the environment to support the unit?)

The class will be full of student’s artwork from the initial “our instrument” drawing activity, we will also Our Instruments:
make sure our word walls remain updated as we go along in the unit. Students will be able to see the walls - Do you know what an instrument is?
adorned with pictures of different instruments and all these posters and drawings will be lower on the ground, - What are instruments you know?
to be at eye-level with the students. - What do you think of when I say the word: Instrument?
- Who do you know people who play instruments?
We can have a beanbag chair (sold on Amazon) in the shape of a drum that students can sit on when they have - Is there an interesting instrument from where you are from?
any music related questions. This will be used when students want to ask questions but may not want to raise - What colour are you making your instruments for your drawings?
their hands and ask in front of the class, giving them a safe, separate environment to ask the questions that - What do you think this instrument looks like? (This would be a direct question to ask students while drawing)
they want. This also helps students organize their thinking and be able to ask questions in the environment
that they would feel most comfortable. Instrument Petting Zoo:
- Why is it important to hold these instruments carefully and respectfully?
Students will also have a listening area near the drum beanbag chair, that will have a tablet with all the
YouTube clips of instrument sounds (that we’ve explored so far in the class) along with a headset. Students - What are some of the noises these instruments make?
can refer to this music center whenever they please (during free time, play), to jog their memory and explore - Why do you think that these instruments are grouped together in the “percussion” family?
music on their own. Students will also have access to the digital pictures that were taken in class throughout - How do the different drums make different noises?
the lessons, that they can refer to and reflect on as well. - What was it like for the girl in Drum Dream Girl?
- How do you think she felt once she finally started to be able play her Drums?
Some of the instruments that were discussed in the lessons will be in the classroom, set up as a demo for
students to refer to. Pictures with how to take care of the instrument placed next to the instruments, so students Violin Exploration:
who want to touch and potentially play with the instrument, know what to do. Students will require teachers’ - Why does this instrument make a high noise?
permission to play with the instrument, as they are fragile, but they will be displayed in class, to give students - What other instruments does a violin look like?
more than one opportunity to enjoy the instrument and explore it. - Why do you think the violin is played with a bow?
- What do you think makes the violin special?
Screenshots from the musical videos we show in class will be added to the walls, to remind students of all the
“concerts” the students have been to during the unit. In addition, after their clay sculpture activity, teacher will French Horn Exploration:
take photographs of their instruments and post them on the walls as well. - Why is this instrument made from metal?
Students will create a reflection poster on their thoughts about jazz music, and it will be hung in the class after
its completion. This will support the unit in several ways; firstly, the poster will allow them to reference the
class's consensus on jazz later in the unit so they can recall specific thoughts about it, and second, it is
important for students to see the results of their classwork displayed publicly, as it reinforces the importance
of the thinking they are doing.
One environmental aspect important to our classroom accommodations plan is a calming/decompression area
for students who are overstimulated by sound/noise. This will be an audio-heavy unit, so the space will be a
curtained-off and insulated area where students can rest and relax if they become overstimulated. The space
will have hearing protection available for students who would like to further limit noise while in the quiet
space.
- How could the material an instrument is made of affect the way it sounds?
- Why do you think this instrument has a curled shape?
- Why is this instrument called a “brass” instrument?
Tuba Exploration:
- Which, if any, instruments we have heard so far sound like this instrument?
- Where is this instrument form?
- Does anyone remember why this instrument is made from this brass metal?
- Why does this instrument make a low noise?
Orchestra Lesson:
- Why do you think brass instruments sound different than woodwind instruments?
- Why do you think people like instruments?
- Why are there more of some instruments onstage than other instruments?
- What did we learn about counting, from Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin?
- What did you like about playing in an orchestra? What did our music sound like?

Instruments of Flamenco:
- What do you think flamenco music reminds you of?
- What instruments did you notice in flamenco music?
- What do you think makes flamenco music different from the orchestra music we listened to?
- How does flamenco’s rhythm use the instruments in interesting ways?
- Why do flamenco guitarists play their instruments in such a forceful way?

Jazz Lesson:
- What's the difference between this music and orchestra music? What is the same?
- What are some differences between the flamenco music and the jazz music?
- How do new types of music get created?
- What did you notice about the rhythm of the book Charlie Parker Played Be Bop?
- Why did the creators of the jazz genre use brass instruments in their music?

Marimba Lesson:
- What does Marimba music remind you of?
- Are there any instruments you noticed in the marimba music that you remember from our other classes?
- What did you like about the Marimba music?
- How do you think Marimba music became a music style?

Sitar Lesson:
- Where is the sitar from?
- What is the difference between the noise a sitar makes, and a noise a violin makes?
- Have we seen instruments that is like a Sitar so far in our class?
- What is the proper way to hold a sitar?

Clay Instrument Sculptures:

- Why did you choose to model this instrument?
- What details of the instrument are you including?
- What is difficult about modeling instruments on a smaller scale?
- What is your table partner making?
- How do you feel about your sculpture?

Show And Tell:


Play
Resources What interactions (e.g., environment,
What resources will you use in the learning conversations) can I offer to maximize the
experiences to meet the outcomes? children’s opportunities for learning and
inquiry?
Books: Activities:
- Charlie parker Played Be-bop - Instrument petting zoo
- Drum dream Girl o Playing with and exploring different
- Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin types of drums.
- Orchestra playing/conducting
Types of videos: o Students will participate in their own
- Videos of every instrument in Zin! Zin! Zin! classroom orchestra, with some students
A Violin filling instrumental roles and others
o Trombone taking turns as the conductor.
o Trumpet - Violin dance activity
o Cello o Dancing to traditional fiddle music will
o Flute allow students to move around and feel
o Clarinets the rhythm the instrument creates, while
o Obo also participating in physical activity.
o Bassoon - Imitating the French horn
o Harp o Students will engage in an activity to
- Videos of Violins imitate the sound of a French horn; this
- Videos of French horns (solo/alone) will help with remembering the type of
- Videos of Tuba (solo/alone) sound it is and engage students to make
- Videos of Orchestra funny noises using different parts of
- Videos of Jazz music their vocal cords.
- Videos of Flamenco music - Freeze French horn
- Videos of Marimba music o Students will engage in an activity like
- Videos of Sitar freeze tag. Every time the hear a French
- Videos of symphony orchestra of India horn they freeze and can only move and
tag people when the French horn is not
Guests: playing.
- Inviting a marimba group to come to class - Drawing exercises with instruments in mind
during Marimba lesson. o Students will have opportunities to
draw images of instruments, both from
Materials: their own knowledge and memory as
- Large sheets of paper (at least 11”X18”) well as the instruments discussed during
- Boxes of markers/colored pencils class.
- Craft multicolored paper (for making signs - Jazz listening activity
in the classroom) o This activity is aimed for students to
- Poster board associate different body motions with
- Tell me, which one is your favorite instrument? Why?
- What do you find interesting about instruments?
- Is there any style or family of instrument that stands out to you?
- Where is your favorite instrument from? What kind of music does it feature in?
Outline of 3 planned lessons:
Lesson: Orchestra (Math subject area)
- Introduction/hook:
o Students will be introduced to the word “orchestra”
o They will call and respond back and forth with the teacher until they are comfortable with the word
o After that, the teacher will explain what an orchestra is and show off “image cards” that have
pictures of some instruments in the orchestra
o Teacher will explain that these orchestral instrument
- Body:
o Teacher will lead a read aloud for the book Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin.
o Students will be asked to count the number of instruments on each page, to practice their
counting/math skills
o During the read aloud, the teacher will play audio clips of each instrument to show the students what
each instrument sounds like.
o To conclude this class, students will be asked questions like: was counting easier with the book?
What instrument did they recognize from the book?
o Next class, teacher will begin by reviewing the book read last class.
o Upon reviewing the book, students will watch a video of an orchestra performance
o The teacher will ask students to take note of the instruments they see in the orchestra that were in the
book and listen to how they all play together.
▪ Teacher should note the conductor (“Does everyone see the person holding the stick? What
do you think that their job is?”) and explain to students both their name but
o Much like in the book, teacher will ask students to count the instruments on stage. “Can anyone see
how many violins there are?”
▪ Teacher can pause the music at different points, and count along with the students (“1, 2, 3,
4...”)
o At the concert’s end, teacher will ask students which instruments stood out to them
▪ “Did you like the tuba?” “What did you like about the violin? How about the piano?”
▪ “How did the music make you feel? Were there any emotions that the music ‘sounded’ like?”
▪ During this, when a student mentions an instrument they liked, ask the class to repeat the
instruments name. This will help them work on language skills.
▪ To conclude this class, students will play a game of musical chairs that will help them pack
up and get ready to leave school.
• Teacher will set up a circle of chairs, and play orchestra music
• Students will walk around the chairs until the music stops, at which point they will sit
down on a chair.
- Felt tip markers the sounds of different instruments and
- Drums (For instrument petting zoo) is a good way to test the students’
o Bongos, Djembes, Bodhran, recognition of different instrument
Maracas, Triangle, Rain Stick sounds.
- Tuba - Jazz dancing
- “Orchestra” instruments o Students will do a movement activity
o Recorders (15) where they dance to jazz music and
o Drums (10) move their bodies to the beat/rhythm of
o Triangles (3) the music.
o Toy Pianos (5) - Flamenco dancing
- Stick (for conducting orchestra) o Students will do a movement activity
- Poster supplies (for jazz poster) again but this time to Flamenco music.
- Marimbas (3) This contrast between jazz, flamenco
- Sitar (1) and violin music will help students
- Children’s polymer clay define the differences in the style of
- Paper for show and tell activity music and the different rhythms
- iPad/tablets (3) and headphones (3) inherent to the music styles.
- Map of the world - Marimba free play
o This activity grants students time to
explore the marimbas available in-class
and will also prepare them for the guest
players’ concert at the end of the lesson.
- Sitar listening activity
o Identification activity where students
will listen to other string instruments
they have been introduced to and try to
recognize the Sitar amongst them. This
activity requires students to focus but
also have students listen and have fun!
- Clay sculpting activity
o Students will select and sculpt an
instrument of their choosing, as well as
explore the products made by their
peers. Students will actively engage in
replicating an instrument along with
their peers and then showing it to the
rest of the class.
Learning Centers: Listening center
- Students will have an iPad/Tablet to play with
and explore the videos presented in class, as
well as pictures taken in class.
- Some of the demo of instruments will be kept
in class at all times for students to play with
(with permission from teacher). Students can
go to the listening center and enjoy some down
time listening to music from class clips.
Conversations:
- The list of conversations featured in the earlier
section aims to engage students in open-ended
questions, so we can encourage students to
inquire about the instruments learned in class.
• Whoever doesn’t sit down in time gets to go get their coat/bag from their cubby and
come watch the rest of the game.
• Once every student is out, dismiss the class! Congratulate them on a great day and tell
them that tomorrow they will get to play in an orchestra of their own.
o Next class, start the class by showing students the selection of instruments you have selected for
them: recorders, portable keyboards, and plastic drums/triangles.
▪ Say: “Now that we’ve listened to an orchestra play all their instruments together, we are
going to make an orchestra of our own! We have recorders, which are a kind of woodwind
like the flutes we saw in the orchestra. We also have keyboards, which are like smaller
versions of the piano from the orchestra. Finally, we have a lot of drums, or percussion
instruments!”
▪ Explain how each instrument makes its sound, and how you can play it loud and soft, with
different notes/noises.
o Explain to students that they all get to choose an instrument and give them several minutes to explore
making noises with each other.
▪ Before allowing students to select instruments, remind them that these instruments should be
treated with respect, and that when they are not supposed to be playing them, they should
either hold onto them or gently set them down in front of them.
o Teacher introduces themselves as the “conductor,” and says that they will help lead students in
playing their instruments.
o Playing music ideas:
▪ Have all the recorders play, then all the keyboards, then all the drums.
▪ Clap out rhythms for students to follow.
▪ Ask students to play differently, but also together with one another (e.g., ask the drummers to
play slowly, the recorders to play long notes, and the keyboards to play quickly).
o Then, ask for students to take a turn “conducting” the orchestra. Multiple students can take over this
responsibility, give them each approximately 3-5 minutes to conduct their peers and explore creative
ways to use their instruments.
- Conclusion:
o Ask students:
▪ Did you like playing in an orchestra? What did you like the most about it?
▪ Do you think the instruments sounded better on their own, or together, as a group?
▪ Each student will be given the opportunity to do a small little solo on their respective
instruments before they leave the class.
o Teacher will pass out paper and markers for students to make their daily reflection.
▪ Ask them to think about the orchestra instruments they saw today, the counting skills they
used, and the places in the world they learned about.
▪ Ask them to also think about which instruments they played in class, what role of the
orchestra they enjoyed most, and any instruments they are curious about playing now.
▪ Teacher will collect reflections and place them into students’ portfolios.
Lesson: Jazz lesson (Social studies subject area)
- Introduction/Hook:
o Remind students of the brass instruments previously discussed in the orchestra lesson
o Inform students that these instruments are used to play different music and not just orchestra music
o Introduce students to the word “Jazz” and have students repeat the word with you.
- Body:
o Play Jazz clips from YouTube
o Discussion: Ask questions like, do these instruments sound different from the orchestra? How do
they sound different? Do you recognize any instruments being played?
o Break down the different instruments in a jazz band
▪ Brass
- The conversation questions are designed to be ▪ Upright bass
asked intermittently throughout class, as well ▪ Drum kit
as spur students forward into greater inquiry if ▪ Piano
they are at an impasse. ▪ Saxophone
o Next, gather class into a circle and talk about how jazz took classical instruments that were available
in New Orleans, and created a new kind of music that combined blues, African musical styles,
Spanish music, and many other small pieces of culture and musical tradition that were all combined
in one place. We will discuss this with students by showing them on a map, where these different
styles of music came from, and how they ultimately created jazz.
o At the end of this class, teacher will run a body awareness activity that also asks them to recognize
different instrument's sounds.
▪ Teacher will write down body motions that correspond to different instruments:
• Do jazz hands when you hear a trumpet
• Spread your arms out when you hear a tuba
• Stomp your feet when you hear a trombone
• Clap when they hear drums
• Hop when you hear bass
• Wriggle fingers when you hear piano
o Next class, start a read-aloud for the book Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop. This book features
prominent jazz saxophonist Charlie parker, and is a rhythmic read-along book, where students can
follow along and repeat the book’s rhythmic stanzas.
▪ The book features Charlie Parker playing a saxophone, one of the instruments featured in the
jazz the teacher has shared.
o Play an upbeat jazz song over the class speakers
▪ Ask students to get up and move around to the song.
▪ They can move anywhere in the classroom that they like, but remind them to give their
classmates personal space, and to treat their classroom with respect and care.
▪ While they are moving, ask them to think about how the music makes them feel. What
instruments are playing loud? Which ones are playing softly? Are they playing fast, or slow?
- Conclusion:
o Gather students back in a circle.
o Say: “We talked earlier about how Jazz combined instruments with a lot of different musical ideas to
create something new! So just like that, we are going to gather ideas from everyone about jazz
music, so we have a poster that combines all our thoughts and feelings.
o Take down students’ thoughts and feelings about the music and instruments they heard/saw in class
(What did it make them feel? Did they like it? Why or why not?)
o Hang the poster at the end of class

Lesson: Art Class

- Introduction/hook:
o Students will be introduced to clay
o Allow students to play around with the clay and get used to the texture
o Show students simple tips and tricks to help make clay more malleable (i.e., use water, use the heat
of your hands to warm in, knead the clay to get air bubbles out)
o Teacher will talk about the different instruments that students will be sculpting
- Body:
o Teacher will go over the different instruments that students already know and jog their memory on
where the instrument is from, and sound this instrument normally makes.
o Students will be given an option to choose a reference picture of different instruments they’ve been
exposed to, through past classes. They will choose ONE from the following 6:
▪ Tuba
▪ Flute

Does my unit promote life long learning, encourage the development of self and community, and engage
students?
Do the learning experiences allow learners to use multiple literacies while constructing knowledge,
demonstrating social responsibility, and acting autonomously in their world?
▪ Timbales
▪ Sitar
▪ Piano
▪ French Horn
o Students will not need to perfectly replicate the instrument, it will be explained in class, that this is to
help students visualize what they’re making, they can make the instrument however they please.
o Students will be given the rest of the class to work on their clay instruments and the teacher will be
on standby if they need any help.
- Conclusion:
o In the last 10 minutes of the lesson, students will place their clay sculptures on the tables of the
room.
o Students will participate in a “gallery walk” to look at their classmate’s creations.
o Before the walk, students will be reminded to keep their hands to themselves and respect the art that
their friends made.
o Teacher will pass out paper and markers for students to make their daily reflection.
▪ Ask them to think about the orchestra instruments they saw today, the counting skills they
used, and the places in the world they learned about.
▪ Teacher will collect reflections and place them into students’ portfolios.
• Teacher will ask students: Why did you choose the instrument you chose? What part
of today’s class did you enjoy the most?
This unit will spark curiosity in students in several ways. First, it is an introduction to the world of both musical
genres as well as families of instruments. Second, it allows students to grapple with both the size of the world as
well as its complexity of cultures. Instruments are engaging for students because they are multisensory, something
which they do not get a chance to work with often in school. For students who find a passion in playing and
learning about instruments, this unit promotes lifelong learning and could serve as a starting point for seeking out
music extracurriculars. By allowing students to absorb many styles of music and reflect on the ways it makes them
feel (including through dance/physical activity), as well as creatively express themselves through playing music,
they can explore things about themselves they could not do in a non-creativity-based lesson. In terms of
community development, the students will participate in several group-oriented exercises (e.g. playing in an
orchestra together, collaboratively designing a poster about jazz music) that will allow them to look at instruments
form their peers’ perspectives as well as their own. This is a student-centered unit that focuses heavily on engaging
students in a unique and fun manner. The goal of most of our activities is to have students participate and enjoy
themselves in class, while also thinking about music and instruments in ways they may not have before.
We believe that our unit does a comprehensive job encompassing three of the four different literacies (visual,
textual, and technological). Students will be learning through images and videos of different musical instruments
and will, by the unit’s end, be able to associate the sound an instrument makes as well as where it originates from
with an image of said instrument. For textual literacy, students will be introduced to different books that have
illustrations but also an appropriately challenging amount of text. Students will be surrounded by texts (Word
wall, posters, demo instruction sheet) that will expose them to new vocabulary as well as contextualize what the
words represent. They will develop technological literacy because they will have to handle a tablet with a menu
of musical clips and will be capable of accessing the videos on their own. This understanding will serve in building
and expanding their roots of literacy, as technology becomes more prevalent in everyday life.
Our unit addresses and teach social responsibility because students will be required to take care of the instruments
that they’ve been introduced to. These instruments are very fragile and should be handled with care, and students
will be informed that if they break, not everyone in the class will have a chance to explore the instruments. Students
will have to be mindful of their own body and be taught to handle these instruments with the proper care they
require.
 Students will have some tasks that they can do alone, such as looking at the tablet in the listening area, sculpting
clay during the art project and reflecting on different instruments during the initial “our instruments” activity to
name a few. Students will be given plenty of opportunities to advocate for themselves and will learn to work and
think independently during the unit.

There have been adjustments made for students who may have a sensory deficit as well as a sensory overload
disorder. When referring to sensory deficit disorders, we mean visual, auditory, and tactile disorders that impact
the way students interact with their environment. This unit focuses quite heavily on three senses (visual, auditory,
Adaptive Dimension:
and tactile) and could be overwhelming for certain students, therefore we have made sure to have a quite/calming
Have I made purposeful adjustments to the curriculum content (not outcomes), instructional practices,
area where students can go, to decompress and learn by themselves or simply get away from a stimulating
and/or the learning environment to meet the learning needs of all my students?
environment. Students who have a sensory deficit disorder will also be exposed to a wide array of different sensory
activities that will introduce them to different ways to handle sensory stimuli. Hearing protection will be available
for any students who require it, and students will be able to dictate which, if any, activities they choose not to
participate in. Our goal in this unit is for students to have an inclusive and integrated environment where they feel
safe and welcomed.

We use a blend of both of these instructional approaches. A lot of our unit is student-centered, in our activities we
encourage students to express themselves through movement and dance. Furthermore, we have activities in which
students work together in groups and work collaboratively towards a common goal, such as our orchestra activity
and our jazz reflection poster. Our teacher directed instructions are mostly seen in the guided questions we ask
students, and in the presentation of knowledge when discussing how to use the instruments and where they
Instructional Approaches:
originated from. Teacher-directed instruction is important to the success of this unit because we ask students
Do I use a variety of teacher directed and student-centered instructional approaches?
guiding questions throughout the activities to help students draw their own conclusions about our subject matter.
We want to provide students with opportunities to piece together all the knowledge that is presented to them
(recognizing that some of the instruments in an orchestra are also present in a jazz ensemble) and have them be
active participants in their own learning. We made this unit with the efforts of having ambitious learning at the
center of what we do, and minimal lecturing from the educators. In general, we chose to use teacher directed
instructional approaches to supplement and scaffold the student-centered instructional approaches at the heart of
our unit.

- Formative Assessments:
Formative assessment makes up the bulk of the assessment in this unit, as students’ understanding of a broad
Student Evaluation: subject matter like “instruments of the world” is best gauged at the conclusion of the unit when all necessary
Have I included formative and summative assessments reflective of student needs and interests based on learning exercises have been completed. The expected outcomes of this unit are for students to hold greater
curricular outcomes?
knowledge about instruments of the world, music styles, and the multiple artistic lenses that go into instruments
(their construction, their sound, their cultural significance). Because of this, the formative assessment for the unit
is reflective of watching their understanding develop based on the information they receive. Much of the formative
assessment is based on note taking and anecdotes recorded by the teacher, because much of the learning
 breakthroughs with young students happen in moments of discussion and open class time. Students’ use of
classroom resources to facilitate their learning is also considered under formative assessment, as this demonstrates
a desire to understand the resources provided to them, and an understanding of how to go about using the
environment of the classroom for their gain. Recorded clips from the lessons/activities of the unit are also key to
the formative assessment of students, as it provides visual evidence of their engagement with the unit’s content.
This is also a relatively non-invasive form of assessment, as it does not involve pulling a student out of a learning
exercise or giving them a numerical grade for their participation. Because of this, the much-needed immersion
that kindergarten students need in their lessons can be maintained. The formative assessment of this unit is
designed to check in with students along the way and guide them towards full understanding of the unit’s goals
upon concluding their learning.
- Summative Assessments:
Despite formative assessment’s prevalence in our unit, there will still be several points of summative assessment
at the end of our multi-day lessons as well as summative assessment upon the unit’s closure. Teachers will use
summative assessment to gauge the students’ ability to intake information throughout the course of the month and
understand which lessons used effective teaching methods with their students.
o End-of Day Reflections: Students will be assessed on what they took from the classes at the end of
the day. These reflections are helpful to students as they allow students to summarize the class and
their understanding of the lesson. The end of the day reflections consists of student’s interpretations
of what they learned in today’s class and how they felt about what they learned. These will help
teachers understand what students respond well to and what type of information best relates to their
interests. This helps teachers assess their overall emotional and cognitive growth as it provides
insight into the students’ emotions about the lessons as well as their ability to articulate them. These
will be inserted in the individual unit portfolios, so teachers can track the growth of students
throughout the lesson.
o Clay Sculpture: This activity helps students work on their coordination skills and figure out how
they want to work with material that is malleable and ever-changing. This will help teachers assess
how students motor skills have improved over the course of the unit and provide teachers insight
into student’s cognitive abilities (ability to remember shapes of objects, ability to replicate/mimic).
o Show and tell: This will be an end of unit activity that students will do individually. The aspects
that will be assessed in the show and tell are students’ social development as well as cognitive.
Students will have to present one instrument that stuck out to them the most and provide context
into the specifics of that instrument (metal, place of origin, type of music it can be played in, sound
– not all of these must be present, but the more the better). The show and tell will also help teachers
assess language development over the course of the unit, as students will have expanded their
vocabulary greatly and will have the words accessible to them via the word wall.
o Unit portfolio: The unit portfolio is a cumulative assessment in which the teacher places the
reflections, posters, pictures related to the individual students to track their progress throughout the
semester. The unit portfolio helps the teacher recognize which students are potentially needing
more help than their peers by comparing their work with one another. The unit portfolio will be
given to the students and students will have all their art pieces/work to refer to in the future. The
unit portfolio will assess fine motor/gross motor skills (over time, quality of drawing), Language
skills (oral skills over time, written skills over time) and cognitive skills (quality of work over
throughout the unit, ability to make connections between lessons).

Alongside the daily and weekly lessons of our unit, some resources will be available to students throughout the
unit and will expand and change with the class's ever-growing knowledge base. One such resource is the music
Resource Based Learning:
listening center. This center will have iPads with headphones connected to them, where students can listen to all
Do the students have access to various resources on an ongoing basis?
the audio clips and music pieces the instructor will have shared with the class so far. This resource will be ongoing
and expand as more music clips are played in the class. This is a resource that exists outside the constraints of any
one lesson, and instead exists to allow students to explore the music covered in the lessons based on what they
 find most interesting. The ongoing word wall featuring instrument names, genres, and auxiliary musical
vocabulary covered in the unit will also expand throughout the month of the unit, which will allow students to see
their new knowledge reflected back to them in real time. In addition, this language will become important when
students are discussing instruments throughout the unit, as they can use this resource to better articulate their
thoughts and feelings about the unit’s subject matter. The map of instruments’ origins is useful for a similar reason,
providing context for each style of instrument learned about in the lessons. It will be a resource that will be used
during each lesson, that will also be present throughout the whole unit. Students will be able to trace an instrument
to its origin, by looking at the map and finding a sticker corresponding to the instrument.

Content and perspectives: Given that the topic of our unit is instruments from around the world, the success of the
unit relies on using a diversity of content and perspectives. While the unit does not have any guest speakers coming
into the class (only guest performers), the content of the unit includes musical performances from a variety of
traditions, providing students with a different perspective into music genres that are not predominantly Western.
Students’ individual identity is still honored throughout the unit, as they are given opportunities to share their
thoughts about the music and instruments discussed. This will help students develop their musical thinking skills,
as well as their musical taste. One goal of our unit is to use our content to show the class the vastness of worldwide
music and the many rich musical traditions that have developed globally, as well as how they differ in sound based
on their geographical region and the instruments developed in that area of the world.
Gender equity: This unit gives equal opportunities for all students, and students will be welcomed and included
regardless of their gender identity. This unit also includes a book that refers to discriminatory gender norms in
Cuba circa 1930 and focuses on how a young girl followed her dreams to become a drummer regardless of the
obstacles placed in her way. while the book also teacher also teacher about musical culture in Cuba, it also has a
poignant message about the importance of equal access to musical opportunities regardless of gender. At the end
Content and Perspectives/Gender Equity/Multicultural Education:
of the book, the teacher will ask a guided question, asking students if they have ever been told they cannot do
Have I nurtured and promoted diversity while honoring each child’s identity?
something because they are a boy/girl? And how did that make them feel? This helps the students reflect and draw
connections between their identity and the identity of the young girl in the book. Even if their experiences are
vastly different, it is still important for students to observe this difference and think about why their experiences
might not be the same.
Multicultural education: This unit touches upon cultural artifacts from many parts of the world in the form of our
instruments we discuss. In addition, we have placed importance on treating the instruments and styles of music
with respect, both in terms of the physical handling of instruments and the classroom discussion of music. If
students have any personal experience with the instruments mentioned in class, including a shared cultural
background or nationality, they will be given a chance to share any personal memories around the
instrument/music style. This could include experiences such as attending an orchestra concert or listening to
flamenco music via a parent or relative. Central to our percussion lesson is the book Drum Dream Girl, which
focuses on the musical culture of Cuba, a piece of cultural education many students will not yet be familiar with.
However, the book’s focus is on a young child, someone who the class can relate to regardless of their cultural
background.

Adapted from: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development