Lesson Plan Title: Musical Instruments

Date: November 8, 2017

Subject: Science Grade: 4/5
Topic: Sound
Essential Question:
What makes the three types of musical instruments different?

Materials:
 Musical Instrument Worksheet
 Premade Bingo Cards (WordMint.com)
 Dallas Symphony Orchestra Instruments Website for sounds of instruments
 Instrument Matching Cards

Stage 1- Desired Results – you may use student friendly language

What do they need to understand, know, and/or able to do?
- The three types of musical instruments (wind, percussion and string)
- How the pitch is changed in each type of instrument

Broad Areas of Learning:

- Building a Lifelong Learner – This lesson focuses a lot on the students sharing their knowledge with
each other and asking questions for clarification. A good portion of this lesson relies on building off of
the student’s desire to learn more about what they already know.

Cross-Curricular Competencies:
- Developing Thinking and Developing Literacy – thinking and learning within the context, using the
literacy they already know and expanding on it in a different way

Outcome(s):
SO4.2 Draw conclusions about the characteristics and physical properties of sound, including pitch and
loudness, based on observation. [CP, SI]
- Compare the characteristics of string, wood, and percussion instruments to determine how they
make sounds.

PGP Goals:
1.1 the ability to maintain respectful, mutually supportive, and equitable professional relationships with
learners, colleagues, families and communities
2.4 ability to use technologies readily, strategically and appropriately

Stage 2- Assessment

Assessment FOR Learning (formative) Assess the students during the learning to help determine next steps.
- Questioning the students about their understanding as I go through the lesson
- Check to see where the students are placing the cards, if under the correct type or not
- Check to see that the worksheet is filled out properly

Assessment OF Learning (summative) Assess the students after learning to evaluate what they have learned.
- None at this time
Stage 3- Learning Plan

Motivational/Anticipatory Set (introducing topic while engaging the students)

- Ask the students to provide any examples of things that make sounds
- Once one of the students lists a musical instrument, introduce that as the topic for today’s lesson

Main Procedures/Strategies:
- After the introduction of the topic, ask students to raise their hand and provide examples of musical
instruments
- Write the examples on the board, in three separate areas based on the type of instrument without
explicitly stating why the examples are being written in this way
- After all students have had a chance to give an example, ask “Why did I write the lists of examples the
way I did?” Hopefully someone will have an answer, otherwise provide the three types.

- Explain the differences between the three types, “How do each of these types make sound?”
- Explain how each type of instrument can change the pitch of the sound
- After the first activity, erase the board and provide the three types listed on the board. Provide
students each with a card that has an instrument name and picture on it. Each student, one at a time,
will come up to the board and attach their card underneath the type they believe it fits with.

- The final activity is Musical Instrument Bingo, each student is given a bingo card and small squares to
use as markers. Using the Dallas Orchestra Symphony Instruments website (on phone or computer),
the sounds instruments make can be played randomly, one at a time.
- Give the students enough time to try and figure out the name of the instrument being played
(answers need to be provided for some of the harder examples) and for the students to mark their
card
- Game continues until one student gets a bingo!

Adaptations/Differentiation:
- Writing on the board in large letters to help the student who struggles with sight
- Playing the sounds over the microphone if a student with a hearing disability is not wearing is hearing
aids

Closing of lesson:
- At the end of the lesson, I will ask the students to clarify what they have learned.
- “What are the three types of instruments?”
- “How does each type of instrument make sounds?”
- “How can you change the pitch of each type of instrument?”
- Students will be selected to answer the questions randomly from the ‘Cup of Destiny’ (cup with each
student’s name on a popsicle stick chosen at random to answer questions, perform tasks, etc)
Personal Reflection:
Teaching this lesson was an experience for me. I had slight issues with students blurting answers out, in
which I had to alter the lesson and call on only the students who raised their hand. I also found that having one
student at a time bringing their cards to the board allowed the other students to get distracted, which is
something I need to think about in my next lessons: how to ensure all students are engaged the entire time.
Finally, during bingo, while the kids were extremely engaged and excited to participate, though the classroom
became very loud and almost out of control at times.
I was able to learn a lot through this lesson, especially through the behaviour of the students, and think
about ways in which I could have improved the lesson. It also gave me opportunities to think about what kind of
lessons and activities the students respond best to which will help me plan future lessons.

M. Wilkinson ’16 *Adapted from Understanding by Design (McTighe and Wiggins, 1998)