Melissa Brayfield

Lesson plan: In Good Old Colony Times

Content and Achievement Standards

Singing and developing the voice using varied songs in small groups,
large groups, and alone.
Singing and recognizing varied intervals in different songs.

Class Goals and Objectives

Enable students to learn, recognize, and demonstrate the difference
between whole steps and half steps in songs and in isolated
passages.
Continue to develop aural skills through singing repertoire.

Materials
A copy of In Good Old Colony Times, white board and markers,
document camera, and a visual of a piano keyboard.

Procedures
1. Students and the instructor will discuss what half steps and whole
steps are.

Prompt: Today we are going to learn about half steps and whole
steps, and then we will incorporate them into a song for you to sing.
Question: Has anyone heard the term half step before? Can anyone
tell me what a half step is? What about a whole step?

2. The instructor will write the students definitions on the white board,
and show the markings typically used to show half steps and whole steps.
 Melissa Brayfield
Lesson plan: In Good Old Colony Times

3. The instructor will demonstrate on the picture of a piano what a

whole step looks like, and what a half step looks like.

Question: Does anyone play piano? If you do, you may already know
some of this.

Prompt: If I am going from a white key to the next black key up, then
that is a half step. If I am going from a white key to another white key that
has a black key in between it, then that is a whole step. But if I am going
from a white key to another white key without a black key in between, that
is a half step. Give me a thumbs up if you understand.

4. The instructor will demonstrate on the piano what half steps and whole
steps sound like, and students will say if it is a half step or whole step.

Prompt: I arm going to demonstrate on the piano, and I want all of

you to tell me if the interval I am playing is a half step or a whole step.

5. When, students are ready, they will move on to learning the song.

6. Students and instructor will then discuss the title and contents of the
musics lyrics to set the mood for the song.

Question: When you hear the title, In Good Old Colony Times, what
do you think of? Maybe the American Revolution, the thirteen American
colonies, or fancy clothes and petticoats?

Prompt: I am going to sing a song about three men who lived during
this time, and they have a problem. While I sing I would like you to keep a
steady beat and at the end of the song tell me what you think that problem
is.
 Melissa Brayfield
Lesson plan: In Good Old Colony Times

7. Students will listen and keep a steady beat while the instructor models
In Good Old Colony Times.

8. Question: What was the problem that the men had?

Prompt: Now we are going to make sure none of you have that
problem by learning this song.

9. To stimulate the students, they will stand as the instructor models the
song in smaller sections, repeating and learning the song. This process will
be repeated until the song is learned.

10. Students and instructor will sing the song together, then the students
will sing without the instructor.

11. Question: Were there any places where you guys heard whole steps or
half steps in that song?

12. The document camera will be used to label some of the half steps and
whole steps the students point out in the song.

13. At the close of the lesson, students will sing In Good Old Colony
Times, keeping in mind the half steps and whole steps discussed.

Prompt: I am going to pass around post-it notes, and, on your way out, I
would like you to write one example of a whole step interval, and one
example of a half step interval. Make sure you label them.
 Melissa Brayfield
Lesson plan: In Good Old Colony Times

Assessment of Goals And Objectives

Assessment of goals and objectives will be done by listening to
students as they sing. The instructor will listen as the group sings to
assess them as a whole, while listening for individuals at the same
time. The exit ticket strategy will also be used when the students
turn in their post-it notes as they leave the classroom. This will
determine if they completely understand the concept by having them
relay an example to the instructor.

Follow Up Lessons
In future lessons more kinds of intervals will be explored, such as
major and minor fifths, major and minor thirds, and so forth.