EDUC 302/303

Naomi Hansen
Curriculum Planning Topic/Theme Statement
The topic for this unit will be Peter and the Wolf, which is a childrens story,
accompanied by an orchestra. In this story each character is represented by its own instrument(s)
and theme. I would say that there are three big ideas that I hope to accomplish with my students
during this lesson: the students will be able to recognize instrumental sounds, compare and
contrast musical patterns, and use movement to demonstrate different characters and changes
within the story. Of course there are many other ideas that we will cover as well, but these are
more specific for each particular lesson.
This unit also has several real world connections that students can take away from it. My
hope is that this unit might help students to be able to identify and describe music in other places.
Students will begin to acquire the skill of having appropriate listening behavior during a
performance. They will be integrating other areas of study by using movement, acting, and
writing. And they will also be developing skills such as creativity/imagination, active listening,
teamwork skills, and short-term memory skills. All of these real world connections are things
that the students will either continue to develop or will use in other areas of their lives. For
example, good listening behavior is something that everyone needs to use throughout their lives,
whether they are going to the movies, a concert, a play, or a comic show students will need to
know appropriate audience behavior. Learning these different instrument sounds will also benefit
students in future music classes, as they will continue to learn more and more about instruments
and will eventually play at least one instrument.
This unit is very geared towards first grade students because they will be learning
concepts that are at their level. Over the past year they have been completing songs in which they

have tried to identify another students voice, so now they can begin to learn about instrument
timbres and identifying the ways in which different instruments sound. First graders are also still
at the age where they dont care as much what other students think of them so they enjoying
doing activities like acting out a story and auditioning for different character parts. First grade
students love to hear stories and be able to work more with it. In general, first grade students
would really love the Peter and the Wolf unit and it builds on concepts that they have already
been learning, as well as teaches them good skills and morals.