ED

3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

Stage 1 Desired Results

Established Goals:
GLE: Through the elementary music program:
2. Students will develop self-expression and creativity.
3. Students will develop insights into music through meaningful musical activities.
5. Students will develop musical skills and knowledge.
Understandings:
Students will understand that
Singing is a unique way to make music because
your body is the instrument.

Essential /Inquiry Questions:

1. Why is singing used by so many different people
and cultures?
2. How is singing a unique musical experience?

Using good breath support, maintaining a

relaxed and aligned posture, and shaping vowels
are part of good vocal development.
Singing is often associated with specific ideas
and feelings through lyrics (text).
When singing, reading music involves inner
hearing and sol-fa can help us to develop this.
Instrumental accompaniment and the use of
different dynamics and articulation (staccato
and legato) can enhance singing.
Students will know

Students will be able to do

Expression 3. Students will understand that

music may express our feelings.

Singing 19. Students will be able to continue vocal

development (legato and staccato).

Expression 7. Students will understand that the Singing 20. Students will be able to extend the use of
words of a song are very important to the
sol-fa training with hand signs to include fa and ti.
understanding of the song (text).
Singing 21. Students will be able to sing two-and three
part rounds and descants.
Expression 10: Students will understand that
changes in dynamics add to the effect of music. Singing 23. Students will be able to develop musical
interpretation: awareness of the meaning of a song

through its words (text).
Playing Instruments 13. Ukulele Students will be able
to learn basic chords and rhythms to accompany songs.

EDUC 3604 Unit Assessment Plan Template

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Teacher
Pre-Unit
Observations/
Assessment
Listening

Title
Type

(Formative/Summative)

Weighting

Expression 3. Students
will understand that
music may express our
feelings.
Expression 7: SWBAT
understand that the
words of a song are very
important to the
understanding of the
song (text).
Expression 10. Students
will understand that
changes in dynamics add
to the effect of music.
Singing 19. SWBAT
continue vocal
development (legato and
staccato).
Singing 20. SWBAT
extend the use of sol-fa
training with hand signs
to include fa and ti.
Singing 21. SWBAT sing
two-and three-part
rounds and descants.

Formative

Formative

N/A

N/A

Partner
Chord
Sharing

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

Your
Songs
exit slip

Singing
Tips
exit slip

Sol-fa
Mini Quiz

Small
Ensemble
Round

Sol-fa and
Singing
Quiz

Ukulele
Chord
Test

Formative Formative Formative Formative Summative Summative Summative

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Group
Performance
with Written
Intro
Summative

10%

20%

10%

50%

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan
Singing 23. Students will
develop musical
interpretation:
awareness of the
meaning of a song
through its words (text).
Playing Instruments 13.
Ukulele students will
learn basic chords and
rhythms to accompany
songs.

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

Assessment Tool Overview

Assessment
Tool Title

Outcomes

Pre-Unit
Assessment

Singing 19, 20, 21

Playing Instruments 13

Teacher
Observation
and Listening

Singing 19, 21

Brief Description

For

I plan to begin the unit with a Socrative quiz

regarding the students background with Sol-fa,
singing, and playing ukulele. There will be a
combination of multiple choice questions and
poll type questions. This will address both the
students knowledge and experience in these
areas.
X

Use: This will be used as assessment for
learning in that it will guide my choices for
subsequent lessons. It will also help me to
differentiate, giving additional challenge or
leadership to students with previous
experience.
Throughout the first few lessons, I will observe
students singing during class and make notes
according to the following specific criteria:
pitch accuracy, breath support, dynamics, and
phrasing. I will also complete a separate
observation with specific emphasis on students
abilities to sing rounds. Each category will be
marked at the following levels:
ND (not yet demonstrated)
B (beginning)
DP (developing with practice)
X
D (developing independently)
S (secure).
These marks as well as anecdotal notes will be
kept in a class folder.

Use: I will use this data as assessment for
learning in that I will make use of it in forming
practice groupings, row plans for rehearsal, and
in selecting those who need one-on-one
support. I will also use the info to address
issues as a whole group, where appropriate.

AS

OF

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Partner Chord
Playing Instruments 13
Share

Your Songs
Exit Slip

Expression 3, 7
Singing 23

Singing Tips
Exit Slip

Expression 10
Singing 19

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

In this activity, students will work with a

partner. They will perform the four ukulele
chords learned in class for each other in the
context of two different strumming patterns.
After they perform, students will complete a
brief peer-assessment form assessing their
partners confidence, accuracy (finger
placement and strumming patterns), and agility
(or ability to move from one chord to the next). X

Use: This assessment will help me adjust my
teaching to address any problems with the
ukulele chords (assessment for learning) before
heading in to the final performance It will also
help students identify ukulele chord issues on
their own, enhancing their own practice
(assessment as learning).
In this exit slip, students will identify songs that
are meaningful to them as well as reasoning for
their choices. It will have questions about
which songs elicit particular emotions (i.e. what
is your favourite song to listen to when you are
happy/sad). It will also ask students about how
the lyrics affect the meaning and feeling of a
song.

Use: This assessment tool will help the students
X
make the connection between the music and
emotion and help them recognize how lyrics
play a part in this (assessment as learning). It
will also help me as a teacher get to know the
students better so that I can adjust repertoire
or listening material to foster engagement.
Additionally, it will help me see how deeply
students understand the connection between
music and feeling (assessment for learning).

In this exit slip, students will review the tips for
singing that they have learned in class as we
learn about vocal development. They will write
X
several tips down from memory. I will also
leave space for them to write what they still
want to know or dont understand.

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Sol-fa Mini
Quiz

Singing 20

Small
Expression 10
Ensemble
Singing 19, 21
Round Singing

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

Use: I will use the information from these exit
slips in determining what vocal development
principles have been retained by the students
and what remains unclear. I will adjust my
teaching accordingly (assessment for learning).
In this quiz, students will review the basic
knowledge of the sol-fa scale and method of
sight reading that they have learned in class.
Elements of the sol-fa scale will be reviewed as
well as sol-fa pitches on the music staff. The
quiz will consist of several fill in the blank and
multiple choice questions.

Use: I plan to use this information to adjust my
teaching in sol-fa skills. I will gauge where there
is a general lack of understanding and teach to
improve that area. I will also use this
assessment to identify individual students who
might benefit from some extra support before
the summative assessment.
In this assessment piece, students will combine
in small groups (4-6 students) to sing a round.
Depending on student competency, this round
will be sung in two or three parts. Students will
have class time to practice with their group and
will be evaluated on: pitch accuracy, breath
support and projection, coordination of
tempo/timing, and dynamics. This will also
include a self-assessment piece as students will
mark themselves according to the same
criteria.

Use: Students will be informed of the marking
criteria beforehand and will use it in
preparation as well as in the self-assessment
piece after the performance (assessment as
learning). As a teacher, I will be assessing the
overall progress in vocal development and
singing of rounds and will use this as
summative assessment (assessment of
learning).

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Sol-fa and
Singing Quiz

Expression 7, 10
Singing 19, 20, 23

Ukulele Chord
Playing Instruments 13
Test

Group
Performance
with Written
Intro.

Expression 3, 7, 10
Singing 19, 23
Playing Instruments 13

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

This quiz will be similar to the Sol-fa mini quiz

but will contain more questions as well as short
answer sections (rather than just fill in the
blank and multiple choice). It will also address
some vocal development principles, though
more in theory than in practice (the
performance assessments are a better practical
application). Lastly, it will contain some short
answer questions about particular lyrics from
songs in class and how they add to the meaning
and expression to the songs.

Use: This will be used as a summative
representation of student learning in vocal
development and sol-fa as well as their
connection of lyrics to expression and meaning
in music (assessment of learning).
In this assessment piece, students will perform
basic chords and strumming patterns on the
ukulele, as learned in class. They will be given
the option between performing these for me in
person (before or after class) or recording them
at home and posting them to the class website.
They will be asked to perform each chord in an
outlined progression, two separate times, each
using a different strumming pattern.

Use: This will also be used summatively to
assess student learning of ukulele chords and
strumming patterns (assessment of learning).
In the final activity, students will form groups of
3-4 students. Each group will self-select a piece
of music from a collection of pieces (which I will
compile). They will individually write an
introduction to the piece, writing about how
the lyrics add to the expression of the particular
song. They will then perform the piece (each
taking a turn to sing and play) for the class.
After they perform, they will again complete a
brief self-assessment. Both the students and I
will use the same check-list for the
performance, including items such as: each
student has sung, each student has played

ED 3604 Evaluation of Student Learning

Unit Assessment Plan

Subject Area
Grade Level
Topic
Length of Unit (days)

Music
Grade 4
Singing
8 45 min. class periods

ukulele, there were clear dynamic choices,

good breath support in singing, clear chord
progression in ukulele, etc.).

Use: This will be used mainly as a summative
piece to assess skills in vocal development,
expression and ukulele (assessment of
learning). However, the self-assessment
portion will also serve as a teaching tool
(assessment as learning).