Lesson Plan

Name: Reese Massey Date: 11/4/18

Grade: 11th grade Class Type: General Music

1. Measurable Objective(s): (Measurable learning objectives use action verbs to describe what you
want the students to be able to do by the end of the class, course, or unit)
Students will demonstrate understanding of harmony by “constructing” (stacking in 3rds) the
diatonic chords in C major and beginning to spell chords from chord symbols after taking notes on a
lecture. Then students will compose a harmonic progression using these skills to harmonize melody
that they’ve written.

2. Required Prior Knowledge and Skills: (What must students know to be successful)
Comfortability writing rhythms and diatonic melodies, ability to write a melody and be able to sing it,
familiarity with scale degrees

3. Review Needed: (What needs to be reviewed to reinforce prior learning related to this lesson)
Students will review how to write melodies and rhythms in the warm-up. We will briefly review scale
degrees in the beginning of class.

4. Materials, Repertoire, Equipment needed:

Projector, white board, marker, piano, staff paper, pencils, speakers, PowerPoint

5. Agenda: (list items to be taught and post – use large paper and dark marker if white board is not
available)
1. Warm-up
2. How to build chords
3. Chord Symbols
4. Add harmony and perform!

6. Lesson Sequence (be sure to list time in the pacing section) Pacing

A. Brief Opening: Students will write a four-measure melody and then sing it either 5 min
with solfege or a neutral syllable.

B. Learning Activities: (What learning experiences and instruction will enable

students to achieve the desired results – have more learning activities than you need)
1. Students will define harmony and what a chord is. 2 min

2. Students will build chords through group guided questioning. 5 min

3. Students will review scale degrees and discuss other places that we see numbers
in music.
5 min
4. Students will take notes on root, third, and 5 th and identify each in several
examples, both in major and minor tonality and singing the arpeggiations.

5. Student will take on notes the 7th and do several examples spelling 7th chords in 3 min
the same fashion as the triads

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 2 min
7. Students will take notes on roman numerals and how they relate to scale degrees.
Using a “code” for what each part of the chord symbol relates to (capital or
lowercase refers to major or minor, number refers to 7th, roman numeral refers to 3 min
root/scale degree) they will decipher several chord symbols into their spellings.
2 min
9. Now how do we add chords to our melodies? Using my own melody as an example
we’ll add chords together

1 min

2 min
C. Assessment: (What evidence will show that the students understand? Describe the
assessment used – formal and informal assessments based on learning objectives)
Informal: building/spelling chords as a group
Formal: Students will add chords to the melodies they wrote at the beginning of 5 min
class and sing the melody while I play the chords on the piano

D. Closing/Wrap-up: (This is a recap of the key learning of the day to check for
understanding. Could be a ticket to leave as individuals or group answers)
Give feedback to other students on their chord progressions. Next time we’ll write a
melody to a chord progression

E. Assignment: For homework write another 4 measure melody and harmonize it,
but it needs to be in a different key

7. Accommodations: (a. Special Needs, b. ELL etc. )

a. If a student has a learning or attention disability, I can provide a worksheet/informational sheet
with the information from the lecture so that they can follow along or look ahead at their own pace
b. If a student is an English language learner, I will keep a C major scale with scale degrees and note
names written on the board so that I can point to whatever I am referencing to help them follow
along. Additionally, I will have a set of key understanding words that I can use with them and have a
word bank on the board.
8. Teacher Reflection/Self-Evaluation: (a. Reflect on the process and include student responses b.
Rethink & Revise - what could you have done differently to improve the outcome of this lesson)
9. National Standards: (Creating, Performing, Responding)

MU:Cr2.1.C.IIa Assemble and organize multiple sounds or musical ideas to create initial expressive
statements of selected sonic events, memories, images, concepts, texts, or storylines.

MU:Cr3.1.C.Ia Identify, describe, and apply teacher-provided criteria to assess and refine the technical and
expressive aspects of evolving drafts leading to final versions.

MU:Cr3.2.C.IIa Share music through the use of notation, solo or group performance, or technology, and
demonstrate and describe how the elements of music and compositional techniques have been employed
to realize expressive intent.

MU:Pr5.1.C.Ic Identify and implement strategies for improving the technical and expressive aspects of
multiple works.

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MU:Re7.2.C.Ia Analyze aurally the elements of music (including form) of musical works, relating them to
style, mood, and context, and describe how the analysis provides models for personal growth as composer,
performer, and/or listener.

10. State Standards: (Singing, Reading & Notation, Playing Instruments, Improvisation &
Composition, Critical Response, Purposes & meaning in the arts, Rose of artists in communities,
Concepts of style, stylistic influence & stylistic change, Inventions technologies & the arts,
Interdisciplinary connections)