Grade Three Unit Plan

Joy and Winter Celebrations December 2016 8 classes

Generative Topic: As students near the excitement of the winter celebrations

and winter break, we will likely be singing some songs that are familiar to the
students. This provides a wonderful opportunity to explore phrases, phrase
length, and put a label on something they have likely been aware of for a long
time. We will revisit all of the skills learned earlier in the year and focus our
skills on to establishing repertoire that can be shared.
Unit Title: Joy and Winter Celebrations
Big Idea: Identifying and labeling phrases
Essential Questions:
1. What does a phrase sound like?
2. Are all phrases the same length?
3. How can I mark a phrase in a piece of music and why is this helpful?
Concepts Taught:
Curricular Outcomes:
F7 Musical phrases, which give organization to
Musical phrases can be long or short
music, may be short or long
Recognize phrase symbol
RW21 Recognize the symbol for a phrase

Activities:
- Follow the Leader
- I love the Holidays
- Burn Little Candles
- Jolly Old St. Nicholas
- Dancing Snowflakes
- Nutcracker mini-unit
- The Twelve Days of Christmas
- Christmas Round
- Let There Be Peace on Earth
- The Canadian 12 Days of
Christmas
- We Wish you a Merry Christmas
- Readers Theatre

Materials Needed:

Lesson Summary
Joy and Winter Celebrations December 2016 8 classes

Less
on
1

By the end of the

lesson, students will
be able to
Perform delayed imitation
while speaking the
rhythm
Perform Crossover bordun
on bass xylophone

Assessment/
Evaluation
Observation
Checklist
- Crossover
bordun
- Delayed
imitation

Demonstrate sol-fa hand

signs while learning a
melody.
Describe connections
between a story and the
music

Observation
Checklist
- Sol-fa

Describe connections
between a story and the
music
Identify phrases in a piece
of music

Observation
Checklist
- Phrase ID

Describe connections
between a story and the
music
Accurately perform
phrases in a piece of
music
Describe connections
between a story and the
music
Identify phrases in a piece
of music
Explain how phrases
make the music make
sense

Observation
Checklist
- Phrase
performanc
e
Observation
Checklist
- Phrase ID

Activities

Follow the Leader

I Love the Holidays (3
min)
Burn Little Candles
(20 min)
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
(5 min)
Follow the Leader
Dancing Snowflakes
(5 min)
- Learn melody
Nutcracker mini-unit
(10 min)
My Candles (10 min)
Follow the Leader
Dancing Snowflakes
(7 min)
- Discuss
phrases
Nutcracker mini-unit
(10 min)
Follow the Leader
Dancing Snowflakes
(20 min)
Nutcracker mini-unit
(8 min)
Follow the Leader
Jolly Old St Nicholas
(10 min)
- Talk about
phrases in this
context
- Create
movements to

Resour
ces

GP 50
GP 49

GP 52

MP 38

GP 52

GP 52

Identify phrases in a piece

of previously learned
music using phrase
markings.

Observation
Checklist
- Phrase ID
(S)

Perform a song on cue to

contribute to a story

Observation
Checklist

Perform a song on cue to

contribute to a story

Observation
Checklist

develop story
The Twelve Days of
Christmas (8 min)
- Learn song
Nutcracker mini-unit
(10 min)
Follow the Leader
The Twelve Days of
Christmas (10 min)
Christmas Round (5
min)
Let There Be Peace
on Earth (10 min)
Follow the Leader
The Canadian 12 days
of Christmas (20 min)
- Readers
Theatre
Christmas Round (5
min)
We Wish you a Merry
Christmas
Follow the Leader
Readers Theatre (5
little snowmen)