GAP Lesson

Art Lesson Title:

Grade Level: Infancy-Grade 1
Rationale/Goal: The goal of this lesson is to provide opportunities for young children to
explore instruments, songs, and the rhythms they have and can make. Students will listen
to several CD tracks and determine what type of rhythm they each have: fast, slow or
steady. From there, students will learn to manipulate instruments (sticks) and use those to
create music. Finally, students will use their bodies to create movement that complies with
rhythms of different songs. Through this lesson, we hope to use fun and interactive song
samples to teach the concept of recognizing, defining, and creating rhythm.
STANDARD
OBJECTIVE
ASSESSMENT
Standards for Visual and Performing Arts (Kindergarten-3rd Grade)
Standard 1: The student will Students will learn to
Informal:
sing and perform on
differentiate between
Activity-To Market, To
instruments a variety of
fast/slow rhythms of song
Market- fast/slow taps or
music, alone and with others
bouncing legs
(Lap bounces for infants)
MIK-1.2: Speak, chant, and
sing expressively to
demonstrate awareness of
beat
Standard 2: The student will Students will study how
Informal:
improvise, compose, and
their bodies can make
Activity-Listen: fast/slow
arrange music within
rhythms
footsteps (CD track)
specified guidelines
Demonstrate-walking, then
Students will learn to apply
running, to the grocery
MIK 2.4: Arrange simple
using rhythm techniques in
store, and listening to our
rhythmic and tonal patterns playing with sticks
feet
for his or her instruments
Activity-Students play with
sticks (instruments)
exploring how fast or slow
they can move them. Riding
the Rails (CD track)
Common Core Standards for
ELA
Standard 1: Working with
Lesson modification:
Could do a worksheet before
spelling and/or letters.
Students could work on
the activity and could write
spelling fast and slow and
the words or spell the words
saying what letters are in the out loud.
word.
Key Concepts:
Rhythm making, instrument manipulation, body control to understand fast and slow

Lesson Sequence
1. Welcome students to classroom with and let them choose a ball to play with
a. Hello Song where students do different things with their ball both fast and
slow.
2. Listen: fast/slow footsteps
a. Students put on their listening ears and decide what is fast and what is slow
3. Activity:
a. Tell students to walk to the grocery store and listen to their feet
i. click clack tap-tap, walking down the street(repeat)and STOP!
b. Tell students to run to the grocery store and listen to their feet
i. click, clack, tap-tap, running down the street(repeat)and STOP!
4. Introduce instruments: sand blocks
a. Allow students to explore sand blocks, ask children what they can do with
their sand blocks and how can they show fast and slow
5. Transition to story
6. Activity:
a. Listen to Little Clock, Big Clock (CD Track) which contains fast, slow and
steady beats.
7. Tell story, Magic Clocks, then play the track and have students act out to it
8. Finish with more tracks that have fast and slow beats allowing children to pop
bubbles fast or slow depending on the music
a. Utilize bubbles to get the kids really moving!
9. Sing the Goodbye Song as the kids settle down and get ready to leave
a. Give the kids stamps
Materials:
CD Track
Sticks (instruments)
Story, Magic Clocks
Bubbles
Possible Modifications:
This lesson focuses primarily on music, but it may be necessary to incorporate another core
subject skill, for example, spending more time on the story portion of the lesson. Instead of
breezing right through telling the story, spend time asking follow up questions about the
story itself, and then relate it back to the music. This will enhance students reading (or
listening) comprehension and is another form of informal, quick assessment.
Allow more time for transition between different aspects of the lesson. There is a lot of
activity teaching the main concepts of the lessons, however it may be important to spend
more time moving from activity to activity to reduce confusion and disorganization.
This activity reaches to early childhood ages; however, some of those students may have
older siblings sitting in with them. Make sure to provide opportunities for more mature
inclusion. For example, allow older students to create their own beats with their
bodies/instruments and then performing them for the rest of the class. This gives those

students an age-appropriate task, keeping them involved in a lesson that wasnt necessarily
designed for them!
Assessment Strategies: Asking questions about fast and slow and playing fast and slow
songs and watch how children respond to the songs with the instruments and bodies based
on the speed of the song.
Resources:
KinderMusic
Visual and Performing Arts Standards: http://ed.sc.gov/agency/se/Instructional-Practicesand-Evaluations/documents/AcademicStandardsforInstrumentalMusic.pdf
Images: