Stephanie Goering

Dynamics Unit
Prepare lesson 1

Materials: Ukulele, Grizzly Bear activity (taken from Beths Notes Plus,
http://www.bethsnotesplus.com/2012/10/grizzly-bear.html)
Objective: Using the Grizzly Song as an activity, students will practice singing the contrast
between loud and soft.
Standards addressed: Pr.3.2 Demonstrate understanding of expressive qualities (such as
dynamics and tempo) and how creators use them to convey expressive intent.
Lesson Length: 15 minutes
Grades: 1st or 2nd

Lyrics
Grizzly bear, a grizzly bear is sleeping in a cave. (repeat) -forte
Please be very quiet, very very quiet, -piano
If you wake him, if you shake him, he gets very mad! -crescendo, sforzando on mad!

Game
1. Students stand in a circle on the floor.
2. One student stand/sit in middle and close eyes while students sing song and dance
(keeping feet in same spot on floor).
3. On the last word mad, students freeze, student in middle opens eyes and looks for
students who are moving and they are out. After a few minutes of getting students out,
the student who is it closes his/her eyes and spins around while pointing: I count 123.
4. The next grizzly bear is the one that it is pointing to.

Beginning
T will have students start in their normal seats
 T will have students pat steady beat and listen to her sing the grizzly song
T will have students echo sections of the song
T will have students sing complete song
T will ask students to listen again, and raise their hand every time they hear her singing
loud
T will have students listen again and raise their hand each time they hear her singing
quiet
T will have students sing whole song together, marching in place and then freeze on the
word mad

Middle
T will explain game rules to the students while still in their seats
In this version whoever is in front of the grizzly bear when he wakes up is the
new grizzly bear
T will pick first grizzly bear (if there is a line leader pick them) and students will get in
circle in classroom
T will do a practice round to make sure students understand the game
Students will play the game, practicing singing softly and loudly
T may choose to walk with students so they get a feel for the game and model
For older students, T can stand still and play the uke while kids play the game

End
At the end of the game, T will draw kids attention once again to the different levels of
volume in the song, pointing out that when you sang really loud it woke up the bear, and
when we sang soft the bear was sleeping
Stephanie Goering
Dynamics Unit
Prepare Lesson 2

Grade: K-2
Materials: The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House by Eric Litwin, backbeat from Garageband
Objective: By echoing the teacher, students will practice singing from soft to loud, using the
book The Nuts: Bedtime at the Nut House as a guided narrative.
Standards Addressed: Pr.3.2 Demonstrate understanding of expressive qualities (such as
dynamics and tempo) and how creators use them to convey expressive intent.
Time: 15 minute lesson

Beginning
T will have students sit in normal seats up on the risers
T will tell students that shes going to read them a book about two kids who just wont go
to bed and a mom who gets upset with them for not obeying.
T will ask kids if this sounds like anything theyve ever done before

Middle
T will introduce book to students, and explain that she is going to read they book and
they are going to get to act some of it out!
T will also explain that whenever she sings, the students will echo back what they hear!
T will make a point to say something like, listen to how loudly or softly I sing, and
do it just like I do!
T can pause within book to ask students questions, have them act out a part, or sing a
phrase again to get the right dynamics

End
After the end of the book, T will write the words Mama Big Bigger and Biggest on
the board.
The students will practice singing the All little nuts jingle going in order from softest to
loudest
T will give closure by telling the students that there are different levels of volume we can
sing at. We can sing at our quietest (have students sing in mama voice) or we can sing
at our loudest (have students sing in biggest voice).
If there is time, T may read the book again and students will sing through the phrases
without T assistance or echo strategy

Assessment
T will informally assess throughout lesson to make sure students are following the
dynamic level she modeled for them. T may pause at any point to have the students stop
and practice a phrase again to check for clarity.
Stephanie Goering
Dynamics Unit
Present Lesson

Grades: 1st or 2nd

Materials: Grizzly Bear song, ukulele, white board
Objective: Students will be able to identify and perform dynamic directions in the song Grizzly
Bear with correct sound production (i.e., not yelling, not whispering)
Standards Addressed: Pr.3.1 Demonstrate and describe musics expressive qualities (such as
dynamics and tempo).
Cr.2.1.a With limited guidance, demonstrate and discuss personal reasons for selecting musical
ideas that represent expressive intent.
Time: 10 minutes
Assessment: T will informally assess when students sing Grizzly Bear without T help while T
points to dynamic levels on the board.

Beginning
T will have students sing through grizzly bear
T will ask questions about what the different levels of loud and soft are in the song?
Sing song again, have kids stand when its loud, sit when its soft
Lesson
T will ask if the students have ever heard of dynamics (obvi they have)
T will write the dynamics up on the board
T will spell them out next to it
T will write out meaning next to that
T will have students sing a jingle on each dynamic level
T will show students how each part of grizzly bear has a different dynamic level

End
Students will sing grizzly bear song and T will point to dynamics of each phrase
T will ask if a student can come conduct (may do this a few times)
T will have students pick own dynamics (create)
Stephanie Goering
Dynamics Unit
Practice 1

Materials: John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt song, dynamics flashcards, whiteboard and dry
erase markers
Grade: 1st or 2nd
Objectives: Using dynamic flash cards, students will demonstrate correct dynamic markings
presented in John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.
Standards Addressed: Pr.5.2.a Perform music for a specific purpose with expression and
technical accuracy.

Beginning
Have students come up and write the dynamic levels on the board
Ex. of what T will write (______ = very soft)
T will have students speak the italian words and the english words
Lesson
If students do not know JJJS, T will use echo strategy to teach the song
T will begin by explaining that in JJJS we get to sing lots of different dynamic levels
Explain why we call them levels
T will play song on CD, and point to dynamic levels on board
T will encourage students to follow along on the board so they can begin to see
what dynamic levels are present in the song
After song is over, T will walk through the dynamic levels of each verse on the board
If time, T will ask if a student wants to come up and point to the dynamic levels of each
verse
T will give 6 students a flash card each with a dynamic marking. They will have to get in
order from quietest to loudest
T will then play the song, everyone is singing, and the student that is holding the current
dynamic level on their flash card has to raise it up in the air
T will play this game until all kids have gotten a turn to hold the flash cards

End
T will give a verbal quiz asking questions about dynamics
What would I see in my music if the composer wanted me to sing loud? Soft?
What is the italian word for medium
What is the loudest dynamic level? Quietest?
Stephanie Goering
Dynamics Unit
Practice 2

Grade: 1st or 2nd

Time: 15 minutes
Materials: whiteboard, Dry Erase Markers, In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg
Objective: After listening to In The Hall of the Mountain King, students will be able to identify
change in dynamic level, using both aural and kinesthetic skills.
Standards Adressed: Cr.1.1.a With limited guidance, create musical ideas (such as answering
a musical question) for a specific purpose.
Re.2.2 Describe how specific music concepts are used to support a specific purpose in music.
Assessment: Teacher will check informally for understanding during the mini plastique animee,
making sure students are understanding the change in dynamic level in the song.

Intro
T will have students come into classroom and sit in chairs
T will have the dynamics listed up on the board going from loudest to quietest
T will give the students a pop quiz on the dynamics
T will instruct students that she will point at a dynamic level, give students 3 seconds to
think about answer, and will point to students when they can yell it out.
After going straight down the line, T will point to random dynamic levels not in order

Lesson
T will explain that Students are going to listen to a song that uses many different
dynamic levels, and does something really special with the dynamics.
T will have students either close their eyes or lay their heads on desk while listening
After listening, T will have students answer some questions by raising their hands
What kind of instruments did you hear?
What dynamic did the song start on? What did it end on?
Was it slower at the beginning or at the end?
T will give students a background to the story
Peer Gynt is a tale about one mans epic journey to the four corners of the globe.
Griegs In the Hall of the Mountain King describes Peer Gynts adventure in the
underground Kingdom of the Trolls. Can you hear the trolls creeping up on Peer?
They are coming faster and faster! Whew...luckily, Peer Gynt gets away from the
trolls by the skin of his teeth.
(http://www.classicsforkids.com/activitysheets/october2009.pdf)
T instructs that students will get to play the part of Peer Gynt when they listen, using
their fingers
T will tell students to think about what is happening in the song and imagine how Peer
Gynt would be moving at the time in the music
T will instruct that students should use two fingers as Peers legs and show how
he is moving as the song plays
 T will point out that there does not need to be talking, and will ask students
questions like, should your legs be moving in your lap or on a neighbor?
After listening to the song again, T will give specific feedback to students on their mini
plastique animees.
End
T will say that we have already discussed that the song starts softly, and is very loud by
the end.
T will draw a long crescendo up on the board
Which end do you think looks smaller? A student will raise their hand and point,
or may come down to the board and point
Do you think the smaller end would be softer or louder?
Students will answer softer, or T will lead them to it
T will point out that as the song goes on, it gets louder and louder
T tells students that we call this a crescendo, and writes the word out on the board.
T has students repeat word, tell a neighbor
T says that a crescendo means to get louder gradually
T may ask what gradually means
IF TIME, T will play song once more, and follow the crescendo to the end of the song
T will ask students if crescendo means to gradually get louder, what do you think
decrescendo means?
T will draw a decrescendo up on the board, and ask students which side is smaller now
T will point out once more that we can crescendo, and decrescendo.
Stephanie Goering
Dynamics Unit
Practice 1

Materials: John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt song, dynamics flashcards, whiteboard and dry
erase markers
Grade: 1st or 2nd
Objectives: Using dynamic flash cards, students will demonstrate correct dynamic markings
presented in John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.
Standards Addressed: Pr.5.2.a Perform music for a specific purpose with expression and
technical accuracy.

Beginning
Have students come up and write the dynamic levels on the board
Ex. of what T will write (______ = very soft)
T will have students speak the italian words and the english words
Lesson
If students do not know JJJS, T will use echo strategy to teach the song
T will begin by explaining that in JJJS we get to sing lots of different dynamic levels
Explain why we call them levels
T will play song on CD, and point to dynamic levels on board
T will encourage students to follow along on the board so they can begin to see
what dynamic levels are present in the song
After song is over, T will walk through the dynamic levels of each verse on the board
If time, T will ask if a student wants to come up and point to the dynamic levels of each
verse
T will give 6 students a flash card each with a dynamic marking. They will have to get in
order from quietest to loudest
T will then play the song, everyone is singing, and the student that is holding the current
dynamic level on their flash card has to raise it up in the air
T will play this game until all kids have gotten a turn to hold the flash cards

End
T will give a verbal quiz asking questions about dynamics
What would I see in my music if the composer wanted me to sing loud? Soft?
What is the italian word for medium
What is the loudest dynamic level? Quietest?
Pre-Assessment
Students are shown a flashcard with a dynamic marking on it during a game of hotspot. If a
student misses an answer it goes to the next person down the line. Mrs. Goering will keep track
of who gets their flash card correct.

Post-Assessment
Students are given a written test that has each dynamic markings descriptor written out with a
blank next to it (ex. Medium loud= ______). The student will write in the matching dynamic
marking (ex. MF) in the blank next to the descriptor. A word bank will be up on the board with
all six dynamic markings for the students to choose from. The students will complete this on
their own and turn it in to Mrs. Goering.