Haley Williams

Fifth Grade Recorder Lesson 1 (20-30 minutes)

Lesson Objectives: To use correct recorder hand position
To chant simple rhythms within music notation
To perform simple melodies notated in treble clef
To use correct recorder tone
To identify notes on the treble clef staf
Standards: Adopted Marshall Public Schools
Expression of Music (1.2.b, 1.3.b)
Materials and Resources: Recorders, Recorder fingering magnets,
Recorder Karate sheet music, and blown up hot cross buns sheet
music.
Lesson Procedure:
a) Introduction
a. Students will enter and sit in their music rows. Ill ask them
for zero voices (silence) before I get started.
b. Review by asking the students which hand is on the top of
the recorder, what speed of air they should be using, what
part of their finger covers the hole of the recorders, and
what fingerings we went over last week.
c. I will ask the students to carefully and quietly take out their
recorders, set it on the floor in front of them, and put their
hands in their laps. The recorders will stay there when we
are not playing. We will warm up by playing all together as
a class the warm up exercise they were asked to do.
Remind students to take the tempo they are given because
if everyone makes up their own it does not sound good. I
will give my students a couple of examples of what I will do
when I want them to pick up their recorders and when I
want them to put them down.
i. To pick up: tell them to pick it up without talking and
without playing, say ready? and do an exaggerated
pick up, say chin position
ii. To put down: tell them to put their recorders down,
exaggerate putting my recorder down and putting
my hands in my lap, say in the directions of the
activity when we will be putting the recorders down.
d. Ask students to explain to me what chin position is.
Demonstrate the warm up for the students while using chin
position. Then do the warm up in chin position while the
students do with me. Check again with the students to

make sure they remember how much air they should be

using. Demonstrate playing the warm up while students
watch and practice in chin position. Finally, play all
together at a slow tempo.
e. If squeaking occurs ask students what two things they
should check (fingers and air speed) and confirm or correct
their response. If squeaking is still happening have them
play and walk around to check fingers.
b) Procedures
a. I will be using the recorder finger magnets of the notes in
hot cross buns (and the notes in the warm up exercise). I
will ask students which fingering chart matches which
fingering we used so they can see which note then
corresponds with each fingering.
b. I will be putting in front of them a couple of measures for
them to chant, sing, and then play. I will first do a measure
(4/4 time) of all G quarter notes, then A quarter notes, then
B quarter notes, then G half notes, then A half notes, then
B half notes. I then will take measures out of hot cross
buns, without telling them that, in order for them to start to
practice the song.
c. If students are having trouble keeping time while play I will
clap or I will speak the notes in rhythm with their note
names in order to help them. I will remind students also to
make sure their fingers are covering the holes of the
recorder and that they are using the correct speed of air.
c) Transitions
a. In between each activity I will ask them to put their
recorders down so I can briefly talk to them about what
they are about to do. I will relate it to an activity we have
done earlier this year, such as rhythm reading and sight
singing, in order to help them better understand what they
are about to do.
d) Closure
a. After we are done playing for the day I will ask them to
quickly and quietly put their recorders back in their cases. I
will also ask them to pull out the sheet music of hot cross
buns (in their recorder folder) so I can go over all of the
information that is on the sheet. I will ask them if any of
those measures look familiar to them because it is what we
played in class today. The sheet has listed for them all of
the rhythms and rests they encounter in hot cross buns
and how many counts they get. It also gives them a
reminder about what the 4/4 time signature means. There
are fingering charts along with what the note looks like in
case they get stuck when they are practicing at home.

There is also a counting chart that has all of the notes and
rhythms together to help the students with counting. I will
very briefly mention the time signature but the students
wont have to worry much about it. Remind them that if
they have any other questions they have lots of
information sheets in their recorder folders that they can
consult.
b. After that is all done I will ask the students to do a note
naming sheet. This sheet is to help me collect data for my
project. I will explain to the students that they have a chart
at the top of the sheet that shows them what each note
looks like and what it is called. The first half of the sheet
they are naming just the line notes and the second half of
the sheet they are just naming the space notes. Emphasize
that all they are doing is writing the name of each note and
nothing else. They will be working independently and when
they are done they turn their sheet into me. It is not a huge
deal if they dont finish the entire sheet but I need them to
try their best rather than just write random letters to get
the sheet done.
Accommodations: I can adjust how much time we spend on each
new aspect of the recorder we are learning depending on how quickly
or slowly the students are learning.
Assessments: (observational) I will be assessing how comfortable
they are with the fingerings they were given to practice last week, if
they remember how to hold the recorder, and if they can demonstrate
what type of air speed they should use. They will also be assessed on
their ability to read rhythms and recognize notes on the treble clef
staf.