Page 3 - Elementary Music Curriculum Bundle Intro

Unit Planning Process Standards and Essential Questions
The lesson plans in the four unit sets are based on the 2014 National Standards and State of Tennessee Standards and Pacing Guide. These are NOT stand-alone plans. These are a sequential set of plans designed to meet the National and State Standards while providing a quality foundation for the music education of students in Grades K-5.
The songs and activities are educationally sound and promote a sequential and logical progression of cognitive learning that students need just as much in music education as they do in all other areas of education. I am sharing the best of my 30 years of experience in the classroom. Each lesson is packed with suggestions and instructions. They contain much more than you need for each lesson but I wanted to give you choices. As you develop your own style, or if you are an experienced teacher looking for new ideas, you can just start plugging in your own activities and songs that accomplish the same goals.
The lesson plans are based on the method I developed for teaching music reading skills. I began using these strategies the first day kindergartners walked into the classroom. This was highly successful and praised by the middle school band teachers where my students attended after they left my school. You can still use these plans even if you do not have access to the book, Teaching Music Reading Skills in the Elementary Music Classroom. But every class begins with clapping and singing exercises from this method. So I encourage you to read this book and incorporate it into your routine.
Because I began teaching music reading skills in kindergarten, by the end of 2nd grade, students were ready to begin learning the names of the notes on the treble staff. I began recorders around the middle of the first unit in 3rd grade. These lesson plans are based on spending 15-20 minutes of recorder instruction for 3rd-4th graders.
For copyright and protection purposes, the Lesson Plan Bundle is in PDF format.
My Philosophy
Units and lesson plans should be designed with an end goal in mind and should be based on the National Standards for Elementary Music. If your district does not have Pacing Guides or Curriculum Maps, then it’s your responsibility to make your own. I have included an older but excellent version of the State of Tennessee Guidelines. For me, the verbage is easier to follow than the newer version which is also included in the Standard folder. You must never sacrifice your integrity and professionalism as a teacher by just providing random fun songs and activities with no thought to your purpose and the music education of your students.
In my school district, I was fortunate to work on the Pacing Guide and Assessment Committees for several years. We “back-mapped” the curriculum from 12th grade to Kindergarten. Our elementary schools are K-4th grades, middle schools are 5th-8th grades, and high schools are 9th-12th grades. That’s why these plans are basically for Kindergarten through 4th grade but the 4th grade plans can also easily be adapted for 5th grade.
© Copyright 2015 by Janis Aston. Revised 2020. All rights reserved.