Unit: Snail Snail

Designed for: First Grade Music Classroom

Focus Concept: Quarter and eighth note rhythms
Final Assessment: Individual student created composition
Technology incorporated: Projector, Visual Aids, Backing tracks
Integrative Content: Use and knowledge of patterns, mathematical
knowledge of addition, two halves = whole, counting, symbolism, art
Pedagogical Strategies: Collaborative Learning, Individual Learning,
Direct Instruction, Scaffolding
Designed by: Ryan Moos
Standards: MU:Re7.2.Ka With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept (such as beat or
melodic direction) is used in music
MU:Cr2.1.Ka With guidance, organize personal musical ideas using iconic notation and/or recording
technology

Snail Snail Day 1

Objective: Students will sing the song Snail Snail while clapping and patting the rhythm.
Materials: BX,
Technology: Projector, Visual Aid
Activity #1: Ti Ti and Ta with body percussion
1. T “We’re going to start with some body percussion, echo after me and pay attention to how
many times I clap or pat”
2. S will test students with various clapping/ patterns slowly building up to the rhythms found
in the song “Snail Snail”
3. Have S echo claps of quarter rhythms that are a part of the song snail snail in 2mm phrases
4. Have S echo pats of eighth rhythms that are a part of the song snail snail in 2 mm phrases
5. Combine 2 mm and have class echo 4 mm phrases
6. Do it all together and repeat the 4mm phrase as a pattern
Assessment: S can successfully repeat the 4mm phrase.
Transition: T moves to BX. You’re still going to echo me but I’m going to play on the xylophone and you’re
going to echo the rhythms with either claps or pats
Activity #2: Differentiating between high and low pitches
1. T “I’m going to play two notes, the second note will either be higher or lower than the
first note, if it is higher you will stand up, if it is lower you will squat, I’ll play each set of
notes 3 times”
2. T will play various combinations of high/low pitches
Assessment: Do S identify if the second pitch is higher or lower?
Transition: “I sing you sing, but we’re going to sing on the word ‘Loo’.”
Activity #: Sing Song on “Loo”
1. T will teach the song “Snail Snail” on a Loo
2. T “I sing, you sing”
3. T has S echo sing in two measure phrases
4. T&S sing through entire song together
Activity #3: Identify the pattern in Snail Snail
1. T will tell students to listen to her song and sing Snail Snail for them
2. T will ask if anything sounded familiar, S will answer the melody
3. T will teach S the song “Snail Snail” through echo singing
4. T will project Slide #2 on the board
 5. T “The big snails are for our longer notes so when we sing “Snail Snail”
6. T “The small snails are for our shorter notes for when we sing “Go around a round a round”
7. T will have S sing as fast or as slow as T points to the snails on the board
8. T asks a few students to come up and point to the snails as we sing the song
Assessment: S can sing The Snail confidently
Transition: “Stand up in your spot and grab hands so we form a chain. I’m going to be the leader. We’re
going to walk around so follow the person in front of you”
Activity #4: Sing Song Snail Snail
1. T will walk as the leader of the circle and wind the kids into a circle
2. T will stop and point out that we’re winded up just like the snail shell
3. T will unwind the students back into the circle
4. T will be the leader of one line, T will be the leader of other line to transition students into
two lines
Assessment: S followed directions and held hands with their partners while walking nicely around the
circle as they followed the leader

Snail Snail Day 2:

Materials: xylophones
Intro: How to hold the mallet:
Pinch, wrap and roll, allow each student to practice this, ride a bike
“Who thinks they can show the class how to do this?”
Activity #1: C&G together on Xylophone
1. Have kids come into the room pick a partner and sit behind a xylophone, instruct them not
to play.
2. Have students dedicate a partner #1 and a partner #2.
3. Show students how to hold the mallets
4. Have students say a pledge “I will not play on my mallets until instructed to do so by Miss
Moos. I will also share the xylophone with my partner and switch partners when Miss Moos
instructs to do so”
5. T will begin singing “Snail Snail” while patting the half note on her leg showing how she
comes out and down.
6. T “try doing this in the air right above your xylophone”
7. T “Keep patting on your legs and watch me” T will begin to play the notes C&G on her BX.
8. T “I want someone to come up to the front who thinks they can play nicely, and a steady
beat on the xylophone”
9. Volunteer will come up and T will show them which notes to play
10. T will point out what she liked about their playing
11. T “Is there someone else who thinks they can play nicely and on a steady beat?”
12. T “Partner 1 I want you to put one mallet in each hand, you’re right hand mallet will go on G
and your left will go on C. That same pattern you did on your legs you will do on the mallets,
partner 2 since you do not have the mallets just keep doing the pattern on your legs.”
 13. T will have S play C & G without singing along to the song Snail Snail
14. T “Partner 1 switch mallets and hand them to partner 2, partner 2 I want you to do the same
thing partner 1 just did, partner 1 play the steady beat on your legs”
15. T will have partner 2 play C&G without singing along to the song Snail Snail
16. T will begin to sing the song snail snail while S play on the mallets
17. T “Partner 2 and partner 1 I want both people to sing the song Snail Snail”
18. T “Partner 2 hand your mallets back to partner 1”
19. T&S will sing the song Snail Snail while playing on the mallets

Assessment: S can play C&G to the steady beat of Snail Snail.

Transition: T will begin playing C&G separately as S sing the song Snail Snail
Activity #2: C&G separated in quarter notes
1. T “Put your mallets on just your hands on your lap, and practice my pattern”
2. T “Now try it above your xylophone without touching your xylophone”
3. T “I want a volunteer who thinks they can do my pattern”
4. T “Partner 1 follow me, make your mallets do what I do.”
5. T will begin to sing Snail Snail
6. T “Partner 1 switch your mallets with partner 2”
7. Partner 2 begins to play C&G separately with T
8. T will begin to sing Snail Snail
Assessment: S can play C & G separately on the xylophone to the steady beat of Snail Snail.
Transition: I’m going to put you guys in two groups
Activity #3: two part, half class on C&G in quarter notes, half playing together on xylophone
1. T will make a group 1 and group 2
2. “Group 1, and we’re going to start with partner 1 you are going to do both hands together,
not separated, everyone practice on their laps.”
3. “Group 2, partner 1 you will do hands separate, everyone practice on their laps.”
4. “Group 1, you’re going to start, Group 2 get ready and go”
5. T will have partners rotate
6. Then groups switch
Assessment: T can maintain part independency.
Transition: “First Grade I’m going to show you a new pattern, watch me.”
Activity #4: Snail Snail mallets on/ mallets of
1. T will demonstrate “Snail Snail” while playing C&G together in half notes
2. T will then stop singing Snail Snail and then play 8 quarter notes
3. T “What pattern did I use as I sung the snail song?”
4. S “Together!”
5. T “When I wasn’t singing what pattern did I use?”
6. S “Apart”
7. T “I’m going to play it again and count how many single notes I play, so the ones that are
apart”
 8. T “How many did I play?”
9. S “8”
10. T “Partner 1 grab your mallets, if you don’t have your mallets pat it on your lap and sing”
Closure: “That was a good start on using the barred instruments!”

Snail Snail Day 3:

Materials: Snail Coloring Sheets, Popsicle sticks
Technology: Projector, Visual Aid, Backing Track
Activity #1: Identify Ta and ti-ti/ create variations of rhythms
1. T will write the stick pattern of Ta and ti-ti on the board
2. S will identify the rhythm in Ta’s and ti-ti’s and say it out loud
3. S will clap the Ta’s and pat the ti-ti’s
4. T “In our rhythm pocket we are going to have five Ta’s and three ti-ti’s, with your input we’re
going to create our own rhythms”
5. T will call on hands for input on what rhythms they want to go where
6. T&S will make a few combinations and clap/pat and verbalize them as a class with a backing
track
Assessment: Students can clap/pat and verbally speak rhythmic patterns using eighth and quarter note
beats.
Transition: We sang a song about snail’s a few days ago, who remembers it? I’m going to sing it for you
Activity #2: Snail Snail review song/ identify Big snail/ small snail
1. T will sing “Snail Snail”
2. T will have S echo sing to re-learn the song
3. T will project the snail slide on the board
4. T & S will sing the song snail snail as T points to the snails on the board
5. T&S will speak the song snail snail with Ta and ti-ti

Assessment: S can speak Ta’s and Ti’s while following along with the slide on the board that is just the
lines
Transition: Pass out coloring sheets of snails and tell students that they have to finish coloring their snails
by the end of class
Activity #3: Composition activity with Ti Ti and Ta
1. T will project snail coloring chart onto the board
2. T will explain that the small snails are the ti-ti and the big snails are the Ta’s
3. You must use all the snails and begin and end with a Ta but first we’re going to take time to
color them in for the rest of class
4. Have students color their snails
5. Have students cut out their snails
Closure: Tomorrow we’re going to use these snails to make our own rhythms!
Snail Snail Day 4:
Materials: Hand puppets, Snail Coloring Sheets, Glue, Snail grid
Activity #1: Go over composition guidelines and make rhythms
1. The big snails will be Ta’s and the small snails will be Ti’s
2. Ta’s are clapped and Ti’s are patted
3. Each snail must be used
4. Must finish with a big snail
5. Go through a few examples before letting students off on their own
6. Have students work individually to create their own snail composition and practice speaking
and clapping
Assessment: S have been given enough time to arrange and cut out their snails the way they want.
Transition: Class we have some visitors today who want to listen to your compositions.
Activity #2: Share compositions with class
1. Tell students that there are a few visitors today in class
2. Introduce hand puppets
3. Tell S that these new friends want to listen to what they created
4. Invite S to speak and clap/pat their individual composition at the same time
5. Tell S that when these friends pick you it means they want to listen to your composition
6. The friends will sit by you and listen to your creation
7. Have S share their compositions if they would like
Activity #3: Have students glue down their composition onto a piece of paper and sign it
1. S will glue down their compositions onto a piece of paper
2. S will write down Ta or Ti underneath their snails

Snail Snail Day 5:

Materials: Large snails to print and cut out to put in blue chart, grid paper
Activity #1: Composition guidelines
1. T “I want everyone to take one of their large snails and glue it in the first box”
2. T “Now take another large snail and glue it in the last box”
3. T demonstrates “remember the little snails are a pair so there must be two in each box.”
4. T “The goal is to fill the rest of the box’s with either one Ta (big snail) or two ti-ti’s (two small
snails)”
5. T “Does anyone have any questions?”
6. T allows five to eight minutes for students to glue their snails on the paper
Assessment: Students have finished gluing either one large snail or two small snails in each box
Transition: “If you haven’t already done this take a few minutes to speak your rhythm out loud”
Activity #2: Partner work
 1. T “In five seconds find a partner, and freeze. Now take turns either speaking your rhythm for
your partner using Ta and ti-ti or you can clap it for them. Once each partner has spoken
their own rhythm trade papers and try to speak or clap your partners rhythm.”
2. T give’s S four minutes
3. T “Find a new partner, trade papers and speak their rhythm.”
4. T “Find one last partner, trade papers and speak their rhythm.”
Assessment: S can speak their own rhythm and their partners rhythm.
Transition: Can I have one pair of volunteers to come up here and speak their rhythms for us?
Activity #3: Speak a few students rhythms as a class
1. T “Thank you my pair of volunteers, I want you two to now go over to my blue chart and
using my cut out snails put your rhythm into the boxes”
2. After S has put their snails into the boxes
3. T “Let’s all speak their rhythm as a class”
4. T does this a few times in a row
5. T “rather than explain what I want you guys to do I’m going to show you”
6. T claps and speaks the words to “Snail Snail” then does the rhythm that’s on the blue chart,
then speaks and claps the words to “Snail Snail” again
7. T “So what did I do first class?”
8. S “Spoke the words to snail snail and clapped the rhythm”
9. T “What did I do after that?”
10. S “Spoke and clapped the rhythm on the blue chart “
11. T “And then I spoke the rhythm on the blue chart again”
12. T&S do this as a class a few times
13. T “Now instead of speaking the rhyme on the board I want you to speak the rhyme on your
paper, everyone all at once”
14. T “That was chaotic but awesome, lets have all the gentlemen speak/ clap their rhythms and
the ladies listen.”
15. T does the opposite
Assessment: S can speak/clap their own rhythm at the correct time.
Transition: T “Listening ears on, we’re going to do it in this order”
Activity #4: ABA form
1. T “It’s going to go blue chart, everyone’s own compositions, gentlemen, then ladies”
2. T&S speak through Snail Snail with backing track

Assessment: Rubric

1 2 3
Participation Student did not Student needed a lot of Student participated
participate direction and guidance but throughout both days of
participated throughout activities and remained
quiet
Steady beat Student did not try to Student patted a steady beat Student patted a steady beat
 pat or play a steady sometimes but continually throughout each activity
beat got offbeat or distracted with only a few errors
Imitation Student did not try to Student was easily distracted Student remained on task
echo the teacher and and echoed the teacher and echoed the teacher
disrupted class occasionally when prompted