9 Backward Design Plan Template

Title: Revisiting the Modern Orchestra Subject/Course: Music Time: 20-40 Minutes
Level: 4

Lesson Description
Students will learn to recognize the different instruments of the orchestra by learning via flashcards. Students will learn
about what sounds the instruments make, what mood each instrument gives and why they are given different roles in
music. They will revisit where different instruments sit in the modern orchestra.

Stage 1: Desired Results

Big Question (link to the real world)
What are the instruments in the five families and how are they used?
Ontario Curriculum Overall Expectation
C2. Apply the critical analysis process to communicate their feelings, ideas and understandings in respone to a
variety of music and musical experiences.
Ontario Curriculum Specific Expectation
C2.2 Identify the elements used in the music they perform, listen to, and create, and describe how they are used.

Key Concepts and/or skills to be learned/applied: Prior Knowledge Activation:

- What do each of the instruments look like? - Knowledge of the five families of instruments in the
- Why are so musical instruments better for modern orchestra
certain harmonies/melodies than others? - Knowledge of the organization of the instruments in
the orchestra
- What sound do the different instruments make
Stage 2: Planning learning experience and instruction
Learning Goals: “clearly identify what students are expected Instructional Strategies: See Chapter 6 Gregory and
to know and be able to do, in language that students can Chapman, Beyond Monet PDF, Wees “56 different
readily understand.” examples of formative assessment”.
Success criteria: “describe in specific terms what successful
attainment of the learning goals looks like” (Growing
Success p. 33).
“Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” - the five different
Learning Goals: instruments.
- Students will be able to identify instruments
from different instrument families
- Students will be able to relate why they think
certain instruments play certain parts in an
orchestra.

Success Criteria:
- Students will identify the instruments and their
families on the seating chart worksheet
- Students will discuss why they think certain
instruments are better for different parts in a
song.

Materials/Student Groupings Differentiation

- Worksheets
- Elbow partners
- Pencils
 - Erasers
- Computer/Youtube
- Whiteboard

Assessment For Learning, Checking for Understanding & Feedback

The teacher will facilitate a discussion around the videos, noting ideas. The students will complete “The
Orchestra” worksheet and “The Odd One Out” worksheet.
Stage 3: Learning Activity
Motivational Hook (5 MINS.):
Show them “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” played by the five different instrument families separately and take a
tally on which instrument family they thought sounded best playing the song. Ask why percussion or brass might
not have received many votes. Percussion is meant to set the rhythm but is very low and has a hard time following
the melody of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy while Brass has a very low pitch and a bit of a rough sound to it,
whereas the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy has higher notes and the sounds are supposed to be softer - it makes
the music sound clumsy in comparison to a piano or a string instrument. When given a song, every instrument has
a specific role because then the brass instruments can accompany the orchestra by playing parts that they’re very
good at.

Open (10 MINS):

Ask why percussion or brass might not have received many votes. Percussion is meant to set the rhythm but is very
low and has a hard time following the melody of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy while Brass has a very low pitch and
a bit of a rough sound to it, whereas the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy has higher notes and the sounds are
supposed to be softer - it makes the music sound clumsy in comparison to a piano or a string instrument. When
given a song, every instrument has a specific role because then the brass instruments can accompany the orchestra
by playing parts that they’re very good at.

Today we’re going to start reviewing the modern orchestra. We’ll start with the seating chart for the instruments
and what instruments are in the families. All you have to do for the first sheet is decide whether the instrument
listed is a percussion instrument, woodwind, brass, or string, and then colour it in according to the colour scheme
indicated on the sheet. On the second sheet, you’re going to look through the instruments on each section and tell
me which instrument does not belong to that family.

Body (modeling, collaborative work, individual = gradual release of responsibility, synthesis) (5 MINS):
Students will start the worksheets. This should not take more than 5-10 minutes.

Close (success criteria visited) (5 MINS): Collection of sheets and agendas.

Stage 4: Reflection
Student Reflection of Learning (metacognition)

Teacher Reflection (WWW/EBI)

http://www.musicfun.net.au/pdf_files/instruments.pdf