Unit Name: Community Setting  

Context Statement:​ ​This curriculum is designed for a beginning summer program to be held at a local school,
church, or library which would be 6 weeks long, a 30 minute session each week. The age range of this program
will be ages 10-14, with a focus on a middle school audience. To partake in this program, participants should be
interested in music in some capacity and have a desire to learn ukulele.​ ​ The idea of the setting of this program
(local library, or school) is to be accessible to the surrounding community.

Stage 1 - Desired Results 

Standards: Goals:
http://www.doe.virginia ● By the end of the session, I can read chord charts and play them on my
.gov/testing/sol/standar ukulele. (MG.1)
ds_docs/fine_arts/2013 ● By the end of the session, I can identify parts of my ukulele, and play
/music/std_finearts_mu with proper posture that is comfortable for me. (MG.8)
sic.pdf ● By the end of the session, I can play chords in tune with tone that is
pleasing to the ear. (MG.9)
● MG.1 ● By the end of the session, I can collaborate and make music with others
● MG.8
to match speed, tone, and strum patterns (MG.10)
● MG. 9
● By the end of the session, I can identify artists of the songs I am
● MG.1O
● MG.17
covering, and history of their music. (MG.17)
● MCB.2 ● By the end of the session, I can identify different melodic phrases within
● MCB.3 the songs I am covering. (MCB.2)
● MCB.4 ● By the end of the session, I can sing with expression and nice tone while
playing my ukulele. (MCB.3, MCB.4)

Generative (Essential) Questions:

-How do musicians change music to make a cover of a song their own?
-What types of resources, and tools do musicians use to remix music and share it?
-What ways can you collaborate with others on a cover of a song?
-How do musicians learn to improvise in a jam session environment?

Stage 2 - Evidence 

● Students will play and sing covers of songs on ukulele

● Students will collaborate to create a blended musical sound

Observation Guide: Informal Assessment

Students who have never touched a ukulele before:
1. Are students playing (or trying to) on their instrument?
2. Are students able to play at least one chord within the chord progression?
3. Are students singing along?
Students who have played around at a beginner level:
1. Are students able to play two or three chords within the chord progression?
 2. Are students able to play these chords, and sing along?
3. Are students bored, or remain unchallenged?
Students who have already achieved a beginner-intermediate level of playing:
1. Are students bored, or remain unchallenged?
2. Are students able to learn harmonies on ukulele or voice?
3. Are students able to settle on one discernable strum pattern?

Stage 3 – Learning Plan 

SESSION 1: introduction to ukulele-short jam session

● Make quick introductions around the room (15 min)
● Give quick guide to the main parts of the instrument and proper posture (5 min)
● Introduce first chords:C-G-F-Am, play through them 10x in order of I’m Yours (5 min)
● Play through “I’m Yours” (twice if students want-5-10min)
○ GOALS: Students will play one chord consistently during song-challenge themselves if/when they
feel comfortable
○ Teacher will correct any fingering mistakes, and will answer any questions
● Play through “I’ll Make a Man out of You” (5 min) [If time allows]
SESSION 2: Working on the basics
● Begin by reviewing the first chords: C-G-F-Am (5min)
● Play through “I’m Yours” (5min)
○ Teacher will correct any fingering mistakes, and will answer any questions
● Play through “I’ll Make a Man out of You” (5 min)
○ GOALS: Students will play two chords consistently during song-challenge themselves if/when they
feel comfortable
● Introduce new chord: D minor (2min)
● Play through “Count On Me” (5min)
○ Focus on playing Dminor when it shows up in the song, and focus on one other chord to always
play throughout the entire song
○ Teacher will correct any fingering mistakes, and will answer any questions
● Discuss a brief history of Jason Mraz and his song “I’m Yours”, observe clips of live performances etc. (rest
of session
○ Ask students why music history is important to them
SESSION 3: Duets/Harmony
● Introduce the song “Tonight You Belong to Me” (5 min)
○ Watch father/daughter duet fireworks video
● Pair students up for quartets (duets or trios if numbers don’t add up properly) (2 min)
● Teach the harmony vocal part (optional for students to play along if they want) (5 min)
● Introduce new chord: G7 (2 min-5 min)
○ Play through and sing harmony vocal part all together
● Play along with the youtube video all-together (5 min)
SESSION 4: REVIEW
● Play through “I’m Yours”
○ Teacher will correct any fingerings or posture
● Play through “I’ll Make a Man out of You”
○ Teacher will correct any fingerings or posture
● Play through “Count on Me”
 ○ Teacher will correct any fingerings or posture
● Play through “Tonight You Belong to Me”
● If time allows go through one or two songs again, chosen by students
SESSION 5: A day of Music and Music History
● Play through “Count on Me” (10 min)
○ Discuss a brief history of Bruno Mars and why he started making music
● Play through “I’ll Make a Man out of You” (10 min)
○ Discuss a brief history of the story of Mulan
● Play through “Tonight You Belong to Me” (10 min)
○ Discuss a brief history of Eddie Vedder and Cat Power
SESSION 6: Jam Session
● Review all the chords that we’ve learned: C-G-F-Am-Dm-G7
● JAM SESSION!

Final Assessment Rubric 

Goal/Quality No  Minimal  Meet  Exceeds 

Evidence  Evidence  Expectations  Expectations 

1 ​Students will play and Does not sing Can sing OR play Can sing AND play the Can sing AND play ukulele
sing ukulele at the same or play ukulele ukulele ukulele at the same with the same strum
time: time pattern the whole song

2 ​Students will identify Cannot identify Can identify the Can identify the Can identify the frets,
the frets, the name of anything on the frets OR the pegs frets, and the pegs the pegs and the string
the strings, and the pegs ukulele but not the strings on a ukulele but not pitches on the ukulele
on a ukulele the strings

3​ Students will know Cannot identify Can identify some Can identify all of Can identify all of the
and identify the artists any artists or of the artists and the artists and some artists and all of their
of the songs and a brief history’s one brief history of their history brief history
history

4​ Students will identify Cannot identify Can identify one or Can identify most of Can identify all the
phrasing within the any phrasing two phrases within the phrasing within phrasing within the
song(s) within the song the song the song song

5 ​Students will sing Does not sing Can sing some Can sing most Can sing all the correct
proper pitch, and match any pitches correct pitches and pitches correctly pitches and match
tempo within the correctly and is mostly match and match teachers strum pattern of the
song(s) completely off tempo, but gets off tempo teacher and match
tempo sometimes teachers tempo