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Inquirybased lesson plans

Submitted to Deidre Baird


In partial fulfillment of the requirements for
EMUS202

Submitted by: Devon Stolz


Date Submitted: April 6th 2011

Short Introduction to my inquiry based lessons


My intended grade level for these lessons is grade 7. The focus is on
PLACE. I decided that the emphasis for these lessons should be on the
Saskatchewan and Saskatchewans indigenous cultural map. The inquiry based
lesson format is something that is entirely new to me. Throughout my entire k-12
education in Saskatchewans public schools, I never encountered this format.
This is both upsetting and alluring. As a new generation Teacher, it is my
aspiration to create exciting and different lessons for my students. I feel like
Inquiry-based learning is definitely a step in the right direction.
These lessons were designed with cross-curriculum connections in mind.
As evident in my planning documents- these connections are very important to
me. I consider myself to be a lover of the arts, but I also strive to connect art to all
subjects. As a student I experienced minimal dance, drama and music
throughout my education. This is because my high school did not offer these
subjects. However, I believe that this is a poor excuse. Incorporating the arts into
science, math and social studies lessons make learning these lessons much
more appealing to a greater variety of students. It also makes the lessons much
more interesting. As a pre-service teacher I have recognized this and strive to
achieve the highest standard of education in all of my lesson planning.
The following three lesson plans were all created around this question:

What is the relationship between Saskatchewan Ecology &


Climate in Saskatchewan First Nations Art, Music and Dance?
I chose this question because the answer is so subjective. Also this question
covers a wide variety of topics. Woven within this question are ideas for Social
studies, Music, Visual Art, Dance, Drama and Science. These cross-subject
connections make learning so much more enjoyable and rewarding. Ideally more
class time could be given than just three 50 minute sessions. But I realize that as
an arts education student the possibility of doing iterant work is very likely. Thus,
this assignment is an excellent precursor to planning for this specific kind of
work. As a student I believe that I would have loved the lessons that I created.
Ive designed them for students who thrive in a creative classroom and simply
love to learn about all subjects.

Lesson Plan #1
First Nation Flute Building and Musical Skill Development
Grade Level & Conceptual Focus: Grade Seven- Focus is on PLACE
Key Inquiry Question: What is the relationship between Saskatchewan Ecology
& Climate in Saskatchewan First Nations Art, Music and Dance?
Arts Education Components: Creative Productive, Cultural Historical, Critical
Responsive
Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Numeracy, Technological
Literacy, Independent Learning
Outcomes & Indicators:
1. Sing and play accurately and expressively, and improvise
individually and in groups, with voice and instruments

2. Maintain melodic and harmonic parts.


3. Analyze ways of using the elements of music expressively in
own compositions and other music.
4. Describe how music is a unique means of communication and
recognize the importance of musical expression in various
world locales.
5. Investigate ways that the elements of music are used
expressively in different places of the world and apply this
understanding to own work.

Description of Lesson: Using the resources from www.soundswemake.com


(attached documents) Students, with aid from Teacher will construct their own
PVC First Nations Flute. This flute will then be used as an explorative tool in
playing First Nation folk songs. Although these songs may not be from the
specific cultural makeup of Saskatchewan first nations, the musical skill and
ability that they require is still key. After a teacher directed lesson about proper
fingering and playing technique students will reflect on the process of creating
their flute, as well as reflection on first nation music.
Set: Students will arrive to class and find PVC tubes (Or already built flutesdepending on Teacher.. personally I would buy a class set- The ABS plastic is
Medical grade and can be sanitized in dishwasher- unfortunately students cannot
keep their flute if class set is used) If building flutes- The teacher will lead

planning and execution of flute building.

Development: After every student has a flute the teacher will then hand out
proper fingering chart. The class will then have experimentation time with their
flutes. Hopefully students will have already accomplished playing Recorders in
grade 4-5-6, if so the flute/fingering/embouchure will not be entirely new.
After students have been given ample time to explore and play with their new
instrument the Teacher will guide a simple activity of follow the leader. The
teacher demonstrates notes and the class follows. Eventually when feeling
confident in the class- the teacher will begin to play full songs. The class will may
follow entirely by ear or at this point the teacher may hand out music that
accompanies the flute.
Some songs to try with the class include:
1. Twinkle Twinkle Little star
2. Zuni Sunrise
3. Lonesome Flute Song
4. Lakota Courting Song
5. Kiowa Love Song
All music played should reflect First Nations culture, regardless of whether or not
that song is from that particular region. This is not a clumping of all cultures, but
rather an exploration of different musical styles from within indigenous culture.
Closure: Students will write a short reflection to be handed in to the teacher.
This reflection should be guided by the instructor to include the following:
1. General feelings of creating/playing the
flute
2. Why First Nations/Folk Music is of unique
3. Why would first nations use flutes for
music?
4. What would traditional flutes be made
from?
5. General connections that they can already
infer about ecology and First Nations Art
Assessment:
Students will be assed on the following:
1. Willingness to participate
2. Good use of Class time

3. Technical/Musical Skills- is the student


willing to practice and take lesson
seriously?
4. Comprehension of musical elements, ability
to display this understanding
5. Ability to play assigned songs & follow the
leader
6. Answers to Questions in written reflection

Materials: ABS or PVC Plastic tube, Sandpaper, Drill, Ruler, Marker, Kokopelli
clip, Pencil & Paper, Tape
Resources: All resources necessary for this lesson are attached:
1. Native American Flute Builders Kitsoundswemake.com
2. Flute fingering chart
3. Flute music for Twinkle Twinkle little Star,
Zuni Sunrise, Lonesome Flute Song,
Lakota Counting song, Kiowa Love Song

Traditional Chipewyan (Dene) Flute

First Nations PVC or ABS Flute

Lesson Plan #2

Saskatchewan Ecology- Trees and Regional Music


Grade Level & Conceptual Focus: Grade Seven- Focus is on PLACE
Key Inquiry Questions: What is the relationship between Saskatchewan
Ecology & Climate in Saskatchewan First Nations Art, Music and Dance?
Arts Education Components: Cultural Historical, Critical Responsive
Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Literacy, Critical & Creative
Thinking,
Outcomes & Indicators:
1. Describe the use of the elements using
appropriate terminology
2. Pose questions about sound to guide inquiry
into the expressive and symbolic use of sound
and silence.
3. Investigate music from various places of the
world, and analyze relationships among the
instrument, the use of sound and place of
origin.

Description of Lesson: Students will gain a firm understanding of the unique


Saskatchewan Ecoregions and Cultural Make-up of Saskatchewan. Students will
combine cross- curriculum connections to understand Saskatchewan social

studies/ music and science to a greater degree. The lesson wraps with a fun
game of Jeopardy, rather than a test.
Set: Present the class with this scenario:
Suppose the entire class was picked up by an alien spacecraft, taken for a
intergalactic journey and dropped off in the middle of a forest in
Saskatchewan. In this forest you can hear a faint music coming from the
distance. Could you be able to piece the species of trees and different types of
first nations music to a region of Saskatchewan?
Development: The Teacher will familiarize students with the 11 Ecoregions of
Saskatchewan. This can be done by projecting the Ecoregion map included in
the resources of this lesson plan. Next the teacher should spark discussion
between the students about who has been to the most Ecoregions. Ask these
students if they noticed any differences between the geographical locations of
Saskatchewan. Why are some areas more developed than others?
Next the teacher should familiarize students with the indigenous tribes that
originally inhabited Saskatchewan
1. The Assiniboine
2. The Chipewyan (Dene)
3. The Plains Cree
4. The Dakota Sioux
5. The Gros Ventre
6. The Ojibway
This can be done by a discussion about the unique treaties and first nation band
offices across the province. The map included within the resources section for
this lesson plan has the geographical locations of treaties coloured. This is a
resource to place primary locations of first nation tribes. The teacher may layer
clear overheads of the Ecoregions/ Tribe maps. For visual learners.
Next the teacher and students will research the unique musical styles of the six
major Saskatchewan tribes. Some key questions to ask students:
1. What musical styles are most prominent
within this tribe.
2. What is distinct about this tribes music?
How could you tell it apart from other
musical stylings?
3. Are there specific instruments or methods
to create music that are heavily used? Ex..
Is voice a major part in the Dene music?

Are drums important to Cree music?


4. What is unique to this music in comparison
to popular music? Is anything similar?

Closure: After the Teacher feels as though students have gathered a firm grasp
on the Ecoregions and distinct musical stylings & geographical locations of the
tribes of Saskatchewan; he/she can quiz the students in a Jeopardy style show
down. The class should be separated into two teams. Every member of both
teams is required to pick a question. The questions could be as simple as a
picture of a spruce tree and a quick musical accompaniment or as difficult as:
In this region of Saskatchewan you are likely to hear heavy drums and
percussion instruments, with little vocals as well as a dominant presence of
Birch, Spruce and Pine trees
Answer: Churchill River Upland Region/ Dene Music
A game such as jeopardy is an excellent way to gage which students excelled at
this activity, and which struggled. It is also an excellent way to test students
without the formal conventions of a sit-down exam. Students who face exam
anxiety will do much better in a activity like EcoRegion/Culutral Music Jeopardy.
Assessment:
Students will be assed on the following:
1. Ability to understand/remember the
EcoRegion map/ Treaty map.. and make
specific/meaningful connections
2. Ability to listen critically to music forms and
conventions: listen for specific instruments
3. Participation and ability to answer correctly
in Jeopardy closure.
4. Ability to describe musical elements
Materials: Projector for Musical/Ecology Jeopardy. Clear Overheads with
Ecoregion and Tribe Maps. Class handouts of each maps.
Resources: Variety of First Nations traditional cultural music

Dark Green: Treaty 8 Pink: Treaty 10- Red: Treaty 6- Light Green: Treaty 4Orange: Treaty 5- Blue: Treaty 2

Lesson #3
Strengthening Music Vocabulary/ Creating Dance
Grade Level & Conceptual Focus: Grade Seven- Focus is on PLACE
Key Inquiry Questions: What is the relationship between Saskatchewan
Ecology & Climate in Saskatchewan First Nations Art, Music and Dance?
Arts Education Components: Critical Responsive, Cultural Historical, Creative
Productive
Common Essential Learnings: Communication, Numeracy, Critical & Creative
Thinking, Independent learning, Personal & Social Values & Skills.
Outcomes & Indicators:
1. Use inquiry in dance to extend understanding of

2.
3.

4.

5.

6.
7.

place (e.g., examine historical relationships of


people to the land in Saskatchewan
Use the dance-making process to explore the
central questions and ideas
Keep a record of dance phrases using invented
and/or traditional notation symbols, and video
where possible, to explore, record, and
reconstruct movements.
Reflect, analyze, and make connections
between the original topic or inquiry question
and subsequent dance/music explorations.
Explore and determine appropriate sound
sources, forms and processes for creating
music expressions.
Distinguish among diverse voice types, styles,
and forms of vocal expression.
Demonstrate imaginative use of world rhythms
in own sound compositions.

Description of Lesson: Students will closely examine Buffy Saint Marie - Qu


Appelle Valley Saskatchewan using the music reflection sheet attached. This
document asks specific questions about the musical elements of a specific piece.
Students must examine the song closely to give meaningful answers. In the
second part of the lesson students will work in small groups and use their music
reflection sheet to aide in the building of a unique dance. Students successfully
complete all of the steps in the Dance-making process, creating a dance that
correlates directly to the musical elements in the song. At the end of the process

the class will share their work and complete a class discussion.
Set: As students arrive for class the teacher should have Qu Appelle Valley
Saskatchewan playing as loud as possible on repeat. As class begins turn the
music down and direct the class into a opening discussion about the Qu Appelle
Valley, asking questions such as these:
1. What significance does the Qu Appelle
Valley have for you as a resident of
Saskatchewan and the province of
Saskatchewan as a whole?
2. Do you think that the Qu Appelle Valley has
had a significant effect on Saskatchewan
Art and music? Are you aware of any
art/music?
3. Have you ever thought of the Qu Appelle
Valley as a source of artistic inspiration and
creativity? Why or why not?
Development: After the preliminary discussion has concluded Students will be
given the Musical Element Listening Guide. This is a blank sheet that asks
specific questions about the Buffy St. Marie- Qu Appelle Valley Saskatchewan
song. Encourage students to fill out their sheet as extensively as possible.
Having a sheet that is thorough and concise will aid in the second part of the
lesson. Students can listen to the song as many times as is necessary.
For the second part of this lesson students will divide into groups of 3-4. These
groups will use the Dance-making process found in the grade 7 dance
curriculum. The dance will be created to accompany Buffy St. Marie- Qu Appelle
Valley Saskatchewan. It must employ creative bodily movement, as well as
demonstrate the understanding of musical elements, found in the Musical
Element Listening Guide. The dance can be no shorter than 1 minute and can
begin at any part during the song. Students will use the Dance making step
process.
1. Step One: Starting Points- starting with a theme/ idea or movement.
This step has partially been achieved- Since the dance has a central
theme. Students may look for a more abstract idea or theme.
Ex: The dance may be about the animals of Qu
Appelle Valley or the movement of the river- etc.
2. Step Two: Brainstorming- If the starting point has been established
students may now begin to elaborate and create a web of ideas for the
dance. This step may also be done primarily through movement.
Instead of sitting and talking about dance- bodily experimentation may

be used
3. Step Three: Finding the movements for Exploration- At this point of
dance making students focus on creating concept maps of Body,
Space and Dynamics. What parts of the body are being used and
when. How does the dance compliment the music? Can we get a
sense of the music through the dance?
4. Step Four: Taking Stock- Students at this point will focus on the
concept maps and exploration of the dance. In this step the primary
focus is achieving the learning objects. Which are outlined in the
grading rubric.
5. Step Five: Structure: The dance is past the exploration and into the
development stage. Sequencing becomes important as well as any
story that the dance may be telling. For this particular dance the focus
is primarily on the correlation of the dance and the music. Does the
Dance mirror the musics strong sense of place?
*Usually Dance educators try to use music sparingly. As a strong emphasis on music can lead to
structured movements without personal creative rhythm and an overlook of the elements of
creative dance. Since this lesson is a cross-curriculum lesson the Music plays a vital role and is
of the utmost importance.

Closure: Students will present their work to the class. And close with a reflective
circle about each particular dance and the unique stories told in each. Students
will discuss their inspiration from Saskatchewan Landscape and Buffy St. Marie.
Hopefully students will have gained increased music understanding and
terminology use as well as increased dance understanding.
Assessment:
Students will be assed on the following
1. Class participation/ Use of Class time
2. Thoroughness and attention to detail
displayed in the answers of Musical
Element Listening Sheet
3. Evaluation of Dance will be done on
attached grading rubic
Materials: Dance Studio or Large open space. CD Player
Resources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVH-x4szOEI - Buffy St. MarieQu Appelle Valley Saskatchewan. Also available on ITUNES or 1976 Vinyl
Album Sweet America

Musical Element Listening Sheet


Please fill in the answers to the best of your ability. The answers to these
questions will be used in creating a creative dance.
What is this song about? ________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What instruments are used in this song?________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Explain the Dynamics of this song- are there crescendos/ decrescendos?________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
What is the Tone Colour of this song? Is it dark, brilliant, bright, mellow,
rich? Explain your choice________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
When Listening to this song do you picture a specific scene or movement?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
The Rhythm is the flow of music through time.. describe the beat in Qu

Appelle Valley Saskatchewan. How could this musical trait be translated


into dance?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Musical Element Listening Sheet Continued.


What Tempo indication can be seen in the beginning of this piece? How
could this Tempo indication be translated into Dance?
Largo-very slow, grave- very slow, solemn, adagio slow, andante- moderately slow, a walking
pace, moderato- moderate, allegretto -moderately fast
Allegro fast, vivace- lively, presto- very fast, prestissimo- as fast as possible

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Describe the Melody of this song:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Describe the Harmony of this song:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Is the texture of this song Homophonic, Polyphonic, Monophonic? How
could the use canon be used in your Dance to demonstrate which texture
this song is?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Are you excited to create a creative and innovative dance to this piece?
________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

Rubric for Lesson #3 Creative Dance


D

Beginning

Satisfactory

Proficient

Excellent

Effort

Participates only
with strong
encouragement.
Is easily distracted
and finds it difficult
to maintain focus.
May distract others.

Participates in
dance.
Frequent reminders
are needed to
maintain focus on
the dance.

Level and Space

Uses little of the


space possible for
movements.
Student movement
experiences only
one level.

Uses some of the


space provided.
Movement is
limited to only two
levels.

Use of Musical
Knowledge within
the Dance

Musical knowledge
is not apparent in
the dance
composition.

Unclear use of one


or two symbolic
musical elements
within dance
compositions

Creativity and
Interpretation

Uses common and


stereotypical
patterns borrowed
from others.
Uses familiar
patterns and
movements.
Re-uses a simple
pattern borrowed

Adapts some
options from others
in their movement
Goes beyond the
familiar to take a
small risk.
Movements repeat
limited common
patterns and

Participates in
dance with a
positive attitude.
Needs to be
reminded to focus
at times.
Can stay focused
and follows
instruction well.

Participates in
dance with
enthusiasm, and
encourages others
to participate.
Is consistently
focused and on task
and encourages
others to remain
focussed.
Attempts to use
Uses all space
most of the space
provided, vertically
provided.
as well as
horizontally.
At times uses varied
levels within their
Uses all levels
movement
within their
experience.
exploration of
movement.
Attempts various
Extensive us of
demonstrations of
musical knowledge
musical knowledge
in their movement.
Basic symbolic
Incorporates plenty
musical elements
of symbolic musical
are included in their
elements in their
dance composition.
dance composition.
Explores a variety
Explores numerous
of creative options.
creative options.
Takes some risks in Willing to take risks
their exploration.
in their exploration.
Movements show
Movements are
unusual patterns
highly original and
and fair variety.
carried out well.
Movements
highlight the music

MARK

from others or
media.

COMMENTS:

themes.

in an interesting
way.

TOTAL

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