rhythmic literacy unit - francesca larosa · rhythmic literacy unit ... vocabulary list ......
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Rhythmic Literacy Unit Student Teaching LAMP Project 2016
7th
Grade, Period 6
Center Grove Middle School Central
Student Teacher: Francesca C. LaRosa
Cooperating Teacher: Mr. Dan Andersen
Unit Duration: April 5th
-April 18th,
2016
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Table of Contents:
Overall Project Purpose…………………………………………Page 3
National Standards for Music Education………………………..Pages 3-4
Unit Objectives……………………………………………….....Pages 4-6
Vocabulary List………………………………………………....Page 6
Unit Timeline…………………………………………………...Page 7
Lesson Plans…………………………………………………….Pages 8-30
Supplemental Materials…………………………………………Pages 31-52
Student Assessment Tools (Pre-Test and Post-Tests) & Rubrics Pages 53-66
Technology……………………………………………………...Page 67
Differentiations /Accommodations……………………………...Pages 67-68
Standard Graphs…………………………………………………Pages 69-71
Pre-Test/Post-Test Graphs………………………………………Pages 72-77
Unit Narrative……………………………………………………Pages 78-82
Assessment Narrative……………………………………………Pages 82-84
Instructional Narrative…………………………………………..Pages 84-87
Result/Interpretation Narrative………………………………….Pages 87-91
Final Statement………………………………………………….Pages 91-92
Project Rubric……………………………………………………Pages 93-96
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Overall Purpose of Project
The main premise of implementing this project in a middle school choral classroom was
to help increase seventh grade students awareness of the overall importance of rhythm and its
relationship to music in and outside of the classroom (NS10). Throughout this unit, students
learned how to read sixteenth note rhythmic patterns, as well as how to identify articulation and
tempo markings in music. Further, I taught the students how to use error detection with rhythm.
This enhanced their cognitive abilities in reading music and also helped the students audiate the
rhythms correctly while reading along with a spoken musical passage. This allowed me to apply
the National Standard 6, which is “listening and evaluating music and music performances.”
Throughout the course of the unit, I emphasized the importance of rhythmic dictation with the
students to check their aural understanding of the rhythms taught in class. The entire unit was
focused on the fifth National Standard of Music Education, which is centered around “reading
and notating music.” Other standards used in this unit were National Standard 4, with our
composition of our own rhythms in measures of 4/4 time. Students grew in their abilities to
recognize sixteenth note patterns and learned how to speak these patterns, how to write these
patterns, and how to compose these patterns on their own. I had the students record themselves
on their iPads speaking the sixteenth note rhythms on Takadimi before and after the unit to show
their progress and development both individually and as an ensemble over time. This project
provided students with the necessary skills to understand rhythm in a variety of perspectives to
understand the art of music in an entirely new way.
National Standards for Music Education
PRIMARY STANDARDS:
-National Standard #4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
A. Students will learn how to compose one measure of 4/4 time. All of the beats must add
to four counts. They must write more than two notes, and they are not allowed to
write one whole note. In this unit, they will learn how to write and fill in the
note heads of quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. They will also
learn how to notate quarter rests. Their measures may be any rhythms of their
choice under the specified guidelines.
-National Standard #5: Reading and notating music.
A. Students will learn how to accurately read Level 4A rhythm patterns of Dr. Don P.
Ester’s Sound Connections and how to read the sixteenth note patterns correctly
using Takadimi syllables.
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B. Students will read a measure of 4A rhythms on the board, and while the instructor
reads the rhythms, students will read and analyze the notes that are
mispronounced by the instructor
C. Students will notate the rhythms as spoken by the instructor and will learn how to
dictate the rhythms of one measure of 4/4 time with the appropriate Takadimi
rhythms. They will then read the rhythms together as an ensemble.
D. Students will learn what accent, staccato, and fermata markings look like and will
learn how to notate them in music. Students will also read these markings in the
Sound Connections exercises and will accurately articulate them.
-National Standard #6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
A. Students will listen to sixteenth note patterns given by the instructor and will echo-
translate these patterns to the correct Takadimi syllables.
B. Students will also use listening in this unit in regards to error detection. Students will
be able to accurately find which rhythms the instructor mispronounces to test their
knowledge of Takadimi syllables and their knowledge of rhythms.
C. Students will use listening skills in dictation. They must listen to the rhythms and be
able to dictate them in one measure of 4/4 time.
D. Students will listen to songs with different tempo markings and be able to label these
songs as either Presto or Largo. They will be able to define these terms as well
SECONDARY STANDARDS:
-National Standard #7: Evaluating music and music performances.
A. Students will listen to famous works of music to determine the tempo of each piece.
The pieces will either be in presto or largo tempos, and these exercises will assist
in rhythmic identification. Students will discuss these works as a class and aspects
of the musical eras.
Unit Objectives
- Students will record themselves singing Takadimi rhythm patterns on their iPads for data
purposes. The instructor will grade these recordings using the rubric created.
- Students will write quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes and will draw the
rhythm tree on the board to visually show the division of the beat (NS5)
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- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their syllable and rhythmic accuracy. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns correctly as indicated by the
instructor (NS5)
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate a phrase with a ritardando and will
speak musical phrases correctly with a ritardando to show their understanding of this
term (NS6)
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate an accelerando and its effect on a
musical line. Students will then speak rhythms themselves with an accelerando to show
their understanding of this term (NS6)
- Students will demonstrate their own understanding of ritardandos and accelerandos by
incorporating these rhythmic terms while reading Takadimi exercises on the board (NS5).
- Students will use movement and body language to visually show the instructor their
understanding of these terms with the correct movements for the terms (kinesthetic
learning; informal assessment).
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate staccato notes, accent notes, and
fermatas to understand these terms and their effect on music. Then students will read and
speak the exercises on the board with these articulation marks to show their
understanding of the terms while the instructor checks their accuracy (NS6).
- Students will perform lines with staccato notes, accent marks, and fermatas.
- Students will label notes with accent marks, staccato markings, and a fermatas once they
learn what they look like and how to draw them. (NS5)
- Students will use kinesthetic movement to help with labeling a staccato, accent, and
fermata to show the instructor their understanding of the terms visually.
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi on their iPads, and the
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will read the rhythms on Takadimi they notated as they write their responses on
the board. The instructor will check the students’ Takadimi syllables (NS5)
- Students will echo-translate rhythms, identify the rhythms, and match the correct rhythms
with the correct rhythm cards (NS5, NS6)
- Students will write quarter rests in their dictation practice exercises on their iPads. The
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will listen to, describe, and speak exercises with different types of tempo
markings (Largo and Presto) (NS6)
- Students will recite the definition of a time signature and what the portions of the fraction
represent.
- Students will compose their own rhythms in a measure of 4/4 time following the
instructor’s guidelines (NS4)
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- Students will listen to Mozart’s Symphony No. 5 in D Major and determine the correct
term to describe the tempo. Students will define this tempo (NS6)
-Students will listen to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 Op. 37 and determine the correct
term to describe the tempo. Students will define this tempo (NS6)
- Students will give the formal definitions of staccato, accent, and fermata, show them
kinesthetically, and perform them correctly in the Takadimi exercises (NS5)
- Students will use error detection to point out which rhythms the instructor mispronounced
(NS5, NS6)
Vocabulary List
Time Signature: a musical term generally expressed as a fraction with the denominator defining
the beat as a division of a whole note and the numerator giving the number of beats in
each bar.
Staccato: A musical articulation term used to signify notes that are short and detached and are
abruptly disconnected.
Accent: A musical articulation used to play a note louder or with a harder attack to give it more
emphasis than the surrounding notes. This marking may appear on notes of any duration.
Fermata: The sustaining of a note, chord, or rest for a duration longer than the indicated time
value, with the length of the extension at the performer or director’s discretion.
Ritardando: A musical term for a gradual decrease in tempo.
Accelerando: A musical term for a gradual increase in tempo.
Audiation: A term coined by Gordon to referring to “listening to, recalling, performing,
interpreting, creating, improvising, reading, or writing music.” The process refers to an
internal realization and comprehension, or the sensation of an individual hearing or
feeling sound when it is not physically present.
Dictation: The art of putting aural rhythms and pitches into writing to enhance a students’
overall musical understanding and cognitive learning.
Tempo: the timing or speed at which a musical work is played.
Largo: A slow tempo in music.
Presto: A very fast and quick-paced tempo in music.
Error Detection: The process of finding fault in either rhythm or pitches of a selected musical
phrase.
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Unit Timeline
Day 0 (April 5th
) Unit Written Pre-test
Day 1 (April 6th
) Pre-Test Recording; Introduction to Takadimi syllables of sixteenth note
rhythms
Day 2 (April 7th
) Teach Sixteenth Notes (Learn about the terms ritardando and accelerando)
Day 3 (April 8th
) Learn and define the terms of staccato, accent, and fermata
Day 4 (April 11th
) Rhythmic Identification Game; Practice Dictation
Day 5 (April 12th
) Learn tempo terminology (presto / largo), Rhythmic Identification Game,
Practice Dictation
Day 6 (April 13th
) Define time signature; practice composition and dictation
Day 7 (April 14th
) Review tempo markings, practice error detection, and vocabulary review.
Day 8 (April 15th
) Review, Board Races
Day 9 (April 18th
) Written test over terms; Post-Test Recording, Student Feedback
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Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 1: April 6, 2016- Introduction to Takadimi Sixteenth Note Rhythms
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will record themselves singing Takadimi rhythm patterns on their iPads for data
purposes. The instructor will grade these recordings using the rubric created.
- Students will write quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes and will draw the
rhythm tree on the board to visually show the division of the beat (NS5)
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi syllables both on rhythm
cards and on the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read
the exercises to assess their knowledge and understanding based on their accuracy. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
Procedure
- Begin the class period by asking the students what they thought about the pre-test and
what tripped them up the day before. Then, have them record themselves performing this
measure on their iPads. (This is to finish up the pre-test. They will have mastered this
rhythm after the unit, but as of right now, they will be struggling with these patterns).
-Have the students submit their recordings to Canvas for your grading purposes.
-Then, draw a rhythm tree on the whiteboard that looks like the diagram below. Talk students
through the Takadimi syllables of each rhythm that they already know (Quarter notes, eighth
notes, and half notes ).
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-Explain to the students how and why the words of the sixteenth pattern are written as “Ta-ka-di-
mi” from the break down of the eight note. Have the students echo this pattern.
-Then, have the students echo back the rhythms from the rhythm cards, including the new
Takadimi rhythms.
-Once students have mastered this new pattern, have them apply it to the Sound Connections
exercises on the board, which are 4A 1 and 2.
-Ask the students what kind of notes they learned today and if they can remember the new
syllables (We learned sixteenth notes, and the syllables are Ta-ka-di-mi).
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Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 2: April 7, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Ritardando, and Accelerando
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding based on their accuracy. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate a ritardando and its effect on music and
speak rhythms themselves with a ritardando to show their understanding of this term
(NS6)
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate an accelerando and its effect on a
musical line. Students will then speak rhythms themselves with an accelerando to show
their understanding of this term (NS6)
- Students will demonstrate their own understanding of ritardandos and accelerandos by
incorporating this rhythmic terms while reading Takadimi exercises on the board.
- Students will use movement and body language to visually show the instructor their
understanding of these terms (Kinesthetic learning; informal assessment).
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate staccato notes, accent notes, and
fermatas to understand their effect on music. Then students will read and speak the
exercises on the board with these articulation marks to show their understanding of the
terms (NS6).
- Students will perform lines with staccato notes, accent marks, and fermatas
- Students will label notes with accent marks, staccato markings, and a fermata once they
learn what they look like and how to draw them. (NS5)
- Students will use kinesthetic movement to help with labeling a staccato, accent, and
fermata. The instructor will assess if their movements match the musical marking.
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
Procedure
-Begin the class period by asking students what they felt about the pre-test and the pre-test
recording. Discuss what they already knew and what they would like to learn over this unit.
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-Have the students echo rhythmic patterns of sixteenth note patterns. Once students are
comfortable with this, speak the rhythms on a neutral syllable “pa” and have the students echo-
translate these rhythms.
-Then, write the word ritardando on the board. The instructor will say the word out loud and will
have the students repeat it back. Then, the instructor will ask the students if any of them know
what this term means.
-The instructor will then speak a few rhythms of Takadimi rhythms, informing the students that
she will be performing a ritardando at the end of the phrase.
-After the students listen to this, the instructor will ask them what they now think a ritardando is.
They should have answers like, “You slowed down at the end. A ritardando must mean to slow
down.”
-The instructor will give the students the formal definition of a ritardando: a gradual decrease in
tempo. The instructor will then say, “What is the definition of a ritardando again?” (A gradual
decrease in tempo).
-The instructor will then write other ways that the word ritardando can be written in music, such
as rit. or ritard. These all mean ritardando.
-The instructor will then write the word accelerando on the board. The instructor will say the
word and then will ask the students to say this word together as a class. The instructor will ask if
any of the students know what this word means.
-The instructor will then speak a few rhythms of Takadimi rhythms, informing the students that
she will be performing an accelerando at the end of the musical phrase.
-After the students listen to this, the instructor will ask them what they now think an accelerando
is. They should have answers like, “You sped up at the end. An accelerando must mean to speed
up.”
-The instructor will give the students the formal definition of an accelerando: a gradual increase
in tempo. The instructor will then say, “What is the definition of an accelerando again?” (A
gradual increase in tempo).
-The instructor will then write out other ways that the word accelerando can be written in music,
such as accel. or acc. These all mean accelerando.
-The students will then move on to music literacy. The students will read the Takadimi syllables
on the rhythmic cards the instructor created. The students will then read from the overhead
projector number 3 of 4A of Sound Connections. They will read this all the way through on
Takadimi, and the instructor will point out any mistakes they have made in either rhythms or
Takadimi syllables.
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-This time, the instructor will write the word rit. at the end of example 3 for the students and will
ask the students to perform this exercise one more time with a ritardando at the end. Then, the
instructor will ask for the students to visually show this ritardando somehow using their bodies
(whether it be slow motion or visually show how the music is slowing down).
-Then, students will read exercise 4 of 4A on the overhead projector. They will read this all the
way through on Takadimi, and the instructor will point out any mistakes they have made in
either rhythms or Takadimi syllables.
-This time, the instructor will write the word accel. at the end of example 4 for the students and
will ask the students to perform this exercise one more time with an accelerando at the end.
Then, the instructor will ask for the students to visually show this accelerando somehow using
their bodies (Whether it be walking quickly to the beat or whatever they see fit).
-The instructor will then review these two terms. The instructor will ask the students, “What did
we learn today? What is the definition of a ritardando? What is the definition of an
accelerando?”
-The instructor will wrap up the lesson and will then move on to literature.
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Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 3: April 8, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Staccato, Accent, and Fermata
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will listen to the instructor demonstrate staccato notes, accent notes, and
fermatas to understand their effect on music. Then students will read and speak the
exercises on the board with these articulation marks to show their understanding of the
terms (NS6).
- Students will perform lines with staccato notes, accent marks, and fermatas and the
instructor will assess their accuracy of the terms.
- Students will label notes with accent marks, staccato markings, and a fermata once they
learn what they look like and how to draw them. (NS5)
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
Procedure
-The instructor will begin class by having the students echo back sixteenth note patterns. “Ta
ta…. Ta-di Ta. Ta Ta-di. Ta-di Ta-di. Ta Ta-ka-di-mi. Ta-ka-di-mi- Ta.Ta-ka-di-mi Ta-ka-di-mi.
Ta-ka-di-mi Ta-di. Ta-di-Ta-ka-di-mi. Taaaa.”
-Then, the instructor will have the students echo-translate these patterns on Takadimi while the
instructor says the rhythms on a neutral syllable “pa.”
-The instructor will then write the word staccato on the board. The instructor will ask the
students if any of them know what this word means.
-The instructor will then refer back to the vocal warm-ups that they did before class. One of them
was “Ha-ha-ha-ha, Ho-ho-ho-ho, Hee-hee-hee-hee.” It can be seen in the example below.
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-The instructor will sing it for the students again. She will ask the students what they notice
about these notes. “Are they all connected? Can someone raise their hand and the sound of these
notes to me?”
-The instructor will inform the students that the notes in this exercise are staccato notes. The
instructor will ask the students to repeat the term “staccato” as a class. She will then give them
the formal definition: short and detached.
-The instructor will then refer back to the vocal warm-ups that they did before class again. One
of them was “Ahhhh” (DRMFSFMRD). It can be seen in the example below.
-The instructor will perform this warm-up again for the students and to have them listen if they
hear any note stick out when she does it. They should all say yes. She will then ask them which
solfege syllable of the warm-up stuck out.
-The instructor will then write the word accent on the board. She will then draw the exercise on
the board and will circle the accent mark.
-The instructor will then ask the class what they think the definition of the word accent is.
-The instructor will then give the students the formal definition of the word accent: a musical
marking that adds stress or emphasis to a note.
-The instructor will then say, “What is the definition of an accent mark again?” The class will
say the definition together as a class.
-The instructor will then write the word fermata on the board. The instructor will ask the students
if any of them know what this word means. She will then draw a picture of a fermata on the
board and will ask if any of them have seen this marking before. She will ask them what they did
in the music when they saw this marking.
-The instructor will then give the formal definition of the word fermata to the class: a
prolongation at the discretion of the performer of a musical note, chord, or rest beyond its given
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value (otherwise described as a symbol over a note to be held as long as the musician or director
indicates).
-The instructor will then draw each of these musical symbols on the board. She will then give
them kinesthetic ways of remembering each note (For a staccato note, the students will draw a
dot in the air. For an accent mark, the students will give a peace sign in the air. For the fermata,
the students will draw a rainbow in the air with their hands and put a dot in the middle of it with
their hands).
-The instructor will then move to the overhead projector and the students will read Rhythmic
Exercise 4A #5 together as an ensemble using the correct Takadimi syllables. The instructor will
correct students if they mispronounce a rhythm or Takadimi syllable.
-The instructor will then have students read two measures at a time, and the instructor will
randomly draw staccato markings, accent markings, and fermatas in this exercise. The students
will practice reading these exercises with these articulation markings.
-The instructor will review all terms taught for the day. “What did we learn today? What are the
definitions of these terms? Show me with your hands what these terms look like.”
-The instructor will then move on to the literature for the day.
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Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 4: April 11, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Rhythm Identification, Practicing Dictation
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi on their iPads, and the
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will read the rhythms on Takadimi they notated as they write their responses on
the board. The instructor will check the students’ Takadimi syllables (NS5)
- Students will echo-translate rhythms, identify the rhythms, and match the correct rhythms
with the correct rhythm cards (NS5, NS6)
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
-iPads for students, with the apps Canvas and Notability
-Rhythm cards of staccato notes, half notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, eighth notes, half note
dots, and sixteenth note for the rhythm game
Procedure
-The instructor will begin class by taking attendance. Then, the instructor will start by having the
students echo basic Level 4 rhythm patterns. She will begin with the rhythms below.
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-The students will then echo-translate these rhythms on Takadimi while the teacher gives them
the neutral syllable “pa.”
-The instructor will then hand six students rhythm cards. They will be the “cardholders.” Each
student will have a group of cards of different rhythms. One student will hold a set of quarter
note cards, while another holds eighth note cards, another holds sixteenth note cards, another
holds half note cards, another holds half note dot cards, and another holds quarter rest cards.
These “cardholders” will stand at the front of the room.
-Then, the instructor will ask for four volunteers. The instructor will have them stand in a row,
and the instructor will count off by 4. The instructor will have student 1 be beat 1, student 2 be
beat 2, student 3 be beat 3, and student 4 be beat 4.
-The instructor will speak the measure below on “pa.” For every beat, she will point to the
student with the assigned beat while she speaks the rhythms on “pa.” Each volunteer will walk
over to the “cardholders” and will pick out their assigned rhythm that the instructor gave them.
-The volunteers will find their rhythms and will walk back to their assigned spot in line. The
class will then check their work and will read the chosen rhythms on Takadimi. The instructor
will ask the class, “Students, are they correct? If not, which beat is incorrect? Let’s try it again
and see if we can get the correct rhythm this time.”
-The students will continue playing this rhythm game until they are used to choosing the
assigned visual rhythms that correspond with the echo-translated rhythms. Once they can
correctly choose the correct rhythms and see how the echo-translated rhythms visually look, they
can move to dictation.
-The instructor will have the students open up their Canvas application on their iPads. They will
go to “Files” and will download the “Let’s Practice Dictation PDF.” They will then upload this
document into the Notability application so that they can write on this document on their iPads.
-The instructor will then have the students practice writing notes. She will have them practice
drawing four quarter notes, then two eighth notes, then four sixteenth notes. She will remind
them to make sure to fill in their noteheads.
-Once students can comfortably draw these notes, she will have them practice dictation. She will
speak a measure on “pa” and the students will have to notate this rhythm on the board with the
correct Takadimi rhythms.
-The instructor will write on the board how to successfully try dictation. She will write on the
board
1) Repeat
2) Translate
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3) Visualize
4) Draw
5) Read
-The instructor will have the students repeat the phrase back on “pa.” They will do this twice.
Once students feel comfortable with that, the instructor will have them echo-translate this phrase
on Takadimi.
-Then, the instructor will have the students speak the phrase on Takadimi with their eyes closed
so that they can visualize this rhythms.
-The students will then go to the first practice exercise in the worksheet and will write down the
measure on Takadimi.
-The students will then read it back on Takadimi. The instructor will have the students come up
to the board and write down what they think the correct notation of these rhythms are. The class
will then read their peers’ work on Takadimi to see if they are correct.
-The instructor will repeat this exercise three or four times until students feel comfortable with
these rhythms and notating them. The examples to be notated can be seen below.
-The instructor will wrap up and ask the students what they learned today. They will be asked to
review the steps of dictation and how to go about doing it after hearing rhythms.
-The instructor will then move on to literature for the day.
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Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 5: April 12, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Tempo, Rhythmic Identification, Dictation
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi on their iPads, and the
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will read the rhythms on Takadimi they notated as they write their responses on
the board. The instructor will check the students’ Takadimi syllables (NS5)
- Students will echo-translate rhythms, identify the rhythms, and match the correct rhythms
with the correct rhythm cards (NS5, NS6)
- Students will write quarter rests in their dictation practice exercises on their iPads. The
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will listen to, describe, and speak exercises with different types of tempo
markings (Largo and Presto) (NS6)
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
-iPads for students, with the apps Canvas and Notability
-Rhythm cards of staccato notes, half notes, quarter notes, quarter rests, eighth notes, half note
dots, and sixteenth note for the rhythm game
Procedure
-Begin the class period with attendance. While taking attendance, ask the students if they know
what the word “tempo” is and if they can define it.
-Give the students the formal definition by telling them that tempo is the “speed or pace of the
music.” Then, ask the class, “So, what is the definition of tempo?” (The speed or pace of the
music).
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-Write the word “Largo” on the board. Ask the students if they know what the word means.
Remind students what tempo is, and then tell the students that you are going to read this measure
at a Largo tempo.
-Now, ask the students what Largo means. They should respond with, “Largo is a very slow
tempo.”
-Write the word “Presto” on the board. Ask the students if they know what the word means. Tell
the students that you are going to read the same measure at a Presto tempo. Now, ask the
students what Presto means. They should respond with, “Presto is a very fast , quick-paced
tempo.”
-Move to the rhythmic exercises on the overhead projector. Open up Sound Connections to 4A
#9. Have the students read this exercise at a Largo tempo.
-Then, have the students read the exercise at a Presto tempo. Ask students again what the
definitions are for tempo, Presto, and Largo.
--The instructor will then hand six students rhythm cards to be the “cardholders” again. Students
will play the rhythm game from the day before to practice rhythmic echo-translating and
rhythmic identification. The instructor will speak these rhythms and the students have to pick
their assigned cards:
-The students will read the rhythms on the cards held by their peers and check if their rhythms
match what the instructor spoke.
-Once students have mastered this, they will move on to dictation. They will open up their iPads
and revert back their Notability apps. They will move to practice exercise #5.
-The students will then practice dictation while the instructor recites on measure of 4/4 time on
“pa.” The instructor will speak this measure:
21
-The students will practice the process of dictation from the day before. They will first echo back
the measure on “pa.” Then, the students will echo-translate the measure. Then, students will
close their eyes while they speak the Takadimi and visualize the measure. From there, the
students will practice writing the measure on the line provided in the worksheet. Finally, students
will volunteer to put their measures on the board. The class will read their peer’s work on
Takadimi and check for accuracy.
-The students will practice another dictation exercise of the following measure and will follow
the same procedure. This time students will practice drawing quarter rests. The instructor will
draw one on the board and the students will learn how to draw them together as a class. They
will then dictate the measure below:
-Students will review tempo markings and will then move on to their sectional rehearsals.
22
Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 6: April 13, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Time Signatures, Composition, Dictation
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi on their iPads, and the
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will recite the definition of a time signature and what the portions of the fraction
represent.
- Students will compose their own rhythms in a measure of 4/4 time following the
instructor’s guidelines (NS4)
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi in the dictation worksheet on
their iPads and the instructor will informally check their work (NS5)
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
-iPads for students, with the apps Canvas and Notability
Procedure
-After attendance, the instructor will start with having the class echo rhythm patterns on
Takadimi. The students will also read these rhythms from the rhythm cards as well of the
rhythms below:
23
-The instructor will then move to the overhead projector, where the students will read 4A #10
from Sound Connections on Takadimi.
-The instructor will then move to the board where she will draw this:
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
-She will circle the time signature and ask the students if they know what this is called. She will
inform them that this is the time signature. She will inform the students that the numerator
indicates how many beats per measure and the denominator indicates which note gets the beat.
-In 4/4 time, there are four notes per measure, and the quarter note gets the beat. She will then
remind them of what they saw on their pre-test. They were asked to compose one measure of 4/4
time with the following guidelines (The guidelines will be written on the board):
-Compose your own rhythm that will fit in one measure of 4/4 time.
Hints: Make sure that all of the durations add up to four counts.
-No, you cannot write one whole note.
-You must write more than two notes.
-You may use rests.
-The instructor will practice by writing her own measure that will consist of the following:
24
-She will then write under each beat and ask the class, “So, students: how many beats does a
quarter note get?” (1). She will write the number 1 under the quarter note. She will then ask,
“How many beats do two eighth notes get?” (1). She will write the number 1 under the eighth
notes. She will then ask, “How many beats does one half note get?” (2). She will then ask the
students: add these together: 1 + 1 + 2. Does this equal 4? Check all the requirements to make
sure that this works!
-Now, have the students open up their iPads to the practice dictation exercise. Have them
compose their own measure of 4/4 time in Practice Exercise #6. Have them turn around their
iPads and walk around the room to check their progress. Have one student volunteer to write
their measure on the board. Run through the math of each response with the class and check the
requirements.
-Have the students try to compose another measure of 4/4 time in Practice Exercise #7. Have
them check their work and discuss their response with their neighbor.
-Finally, have the students try more dictation practice exercises to prepare for their exam. The
instructor will speak the rhythm below on “pa” while the class practices dictating the rhythm in
Practice Exercise #8. A volunteer will come up to the board and will write down their response.
The class and the instructor will check their work.
-The instructor will wrap up and will ask the students what a time signature is. They will then
review the guidelines of composing one measure for their exam. The instructor will ask the class
if they have any questions. Then the instructor will move on to the students’ repertoire for the
day.
25
Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 7: April 14, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Tempo, Vocab Review, Error Detection
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi on their iPads, and the
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will read the rhythms on Takadimi they notated as they write their responses on
the board. The instructor will check the students’ Takadimi syllables (NS5)
- Students will echo-translate rhythms, identify the rhythms, and match the correct rhythms
with the correct rhythm cards (NS5, NS6)
- Students will listen to Mozart’s Symphony No. 5 in D Major and determine the correct
term to describe the tempo. Students will define this tempo (NS6)
-Students will listen to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 Op. 37 and determine the correct
term to describe the tempo. Students will define this tempo (NS6)
- Students will give the formal definitions of staccato, accent, and fermata, show them
kinesthetically, and perform them correctly in the Takadimi exercises (NS5)
- Students will use error detection to point out which rhythms the instructor mispronounced
(NS5, NS6)
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
Procedure
-While taking attendance, the instructor will have the students listen to Mozart’s Symphony No. 5
in D Major. She will ask them to listen to the tempo of the piece and give the term to describe
the tempo. She will then ask them to define what that tempo marking means.
-First, the students will be asked, “What is a tempo?” (The speed or pace of the music). Then,
“What is the tempo of this piece?” (The should respond with Presto). The instructor will then ask
them what Presto means (a fast-paced tempo).
26
-The students will then listen to Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 Op. 37. She will ask them what
term describes the tempo of this piece and what the definition is of this term.
-They should respond with the fact that this piece has a Largo tempo, which means slow tempo.
-The students will then look at the terms written on the board: staccato, accent, and fermata. The
students will be asked, “What does staccato mean?” (Short and detached). “What does it look
like?” (.) They will then be asked, “What is an accent?” (It adds stress or emphasis to the beat).
“What does it look like?” (>). Finally, “What is a fermata?” (It sustains the note for as long as
the musician or instructor indicates). “What does it look like? ( )
-The students will then echo and echo-translate rhythmic patterns done by the instructor of
sixteenth note rhythms. The instructor will also have the students read the sixteenth note rhythm
cards as a class on Takadimi to practice with the exercises on the overhead.
-The instructor will then move to the overhead projector where they will practice #4A 11 of
Sound Connections. The instructor will write in these articulation markings into the exercises to
practice performing staccatos, accents, and fermatas.
-The students will then move their eyes to the board. On the board, the instructor has drawn three
measures of 4/4 time as follows. The first one looks like this:
-The instructor will inform the students that she is going to mispronounce one beat. She will ask
the students to show on their hands the beat that the instructor mispronounces. She will then
speak the measure as follows: “Ta-da-ki-mi (rest) Ta-di Ta.” “Class, which beat did I
mispronounce?” She will then perform the exercise again. The class should respond with #1. She
will ask the class how to properly pronounce this rhythm. She will then have the class read the
measure correctly as a class.
-The instructor will then move on to the second measure. She will run the same procedure with
this measure:
27
-In this measure, she will only hold the half note for one beat instead of two. She will ask the
class which measure she mispronounced. She will then ask the class to read it correctly on
Takadimi.
-The instructor will then ask the class move on to the third measure. She will run the same
procedure with this measure:
-The instructor will read the first three beats correctly on Takadimi, but she will pronounce the
fourth beat as a dotted quarter note and then an eighth note. This is still pronounced “Ta….di”,
but the rhythm is completely different than “Ta-di.” She will ask the class to identify the rhythm
she mispronounced. She will then have the ensemble read the measure as a class.
-The instructor will wrap up the lesson by informing the students that they will be reviewing all
terms and items tomorrow in class for the test on Monday. She will ask the students if they have
any questions and will then move on to repertoire for the day.
28
Individual Lesson Plans
Francesca LaRosa
Center Grove Middle School Central
CT: Mr. Dan Andersen
Day 8: April 15, 2016- Sixteenth Note Rhythms, Review
Behavioral Objectives
- Students will speak Level 4A Rhythm Patterns of Takadimi both on rhythm cards and on
the projector screen. The instructor will call on individual students to read the exercises
to assess their knowledge and understanding. (NS6)
- Students will listen and echo back Takadimi patterns as indicated by the instructor (NS5)
- Students will dictate one measure of rhythms on Takadimi on their iPads, and the
instructor will check their work (NS5)
- Students will read the rhythms on Takadimi they notated as they write their responses on
the board. The instructor will check the students’ Takadimi syllables (NS5)
- Students will echo-translate rhythms, identify the rhythms, and match the correct rhythms
with the correct rhythm cards (NS5, NS6)
- Students will use error detection to point out which rhythms the instructor mispronounced
(NS5, NS6)
- Students will dictate rhythms as given by the instructor on their iPads and the instructor
will check their work, both on the iPads and on the board (NS5)
- Students will define the terms staccato, ritardando, accelerando, presto, largo, tempo,
time signature, accent, and fermata with board races.
Materials
-Rhythm Cards
-Overhead Projector
-Sound Connections by Dr. Don P. Ester (Level 4A)
-White board / marker
-iPads and Notability and Canvas applications
Procedure
-The instructor will begin by echoing and echo-translating Level 4A rhythm patterns as an
ensemble and with rhythm cards.
-The students will read #10 of Sound Connections as an ensemble.
-The students will play the rhythm game by having cardholders and four students choose the
rhythms as spoken by the instructor. The rhythm spoken by the instructor is found below:
29
-The students will choose the appropriate cards and will then read the cards chosen as a class.
-When the instructor reads this, she will hold the rest for two rests instead of one. She will ask
the class which one she mispronounced. She will ask what specifically was wrong with #2. How
many beats did the instructor hold the rests? (Listen again if they missed it the first time).
-The students will then practice dictation on their iPads. The instructor will give notecards to the
students who are struggling with dictation. They will match the rhythms that the instructor spoke
with the correct notecards. This is the exact same as the rhythm game, but it helps the students
who are unable to write the rhythms on their own.
-The students will then practice dictation on their iPads in the Let’s Practice Dictation
Worksheet. They will dictate the following rhythm and turn their iPads around to show the
instructor their work.
-The class will then have board races over the terms covered for their exam. The board race
questions will be as follows:
1) 2-part question: Draw a staccato. What does staccato mean?
Staccato means short and detached.
2) 2-part question: write the word ritardando and what does it mean?
A ritardando is a gradual decrease in tempo.
3) What is the term for the musical marking expressed by a fraction before a measure where the
top number refers to the number of beats per measure and the bottom number refers to which
note gets the beat? (Time signature).
4) Draw an accent below a note. What does it mean?
� An accent adds stress or emphasis to a note.
5) Write the word accelerando correctly. What does it mean?
An accelerando refers to a gradual decrease in tempo.
30
6) Draw a fermata. What does it mean?
A fermata sustains a note at the director or musician’s discretion.
7) What does the word tempo mean?
Tempo is the speed or pace of the music.
If time, do the lightning round with the students:
Dictate this rhythm:
Ask the students if they have any questions for the exam on Monday. Make sure that they feel
comfortable about the test and all of the terms.
31
Supplemental Materials
Let’s Practice Dictation! Worksheet
Name______________________________ Class Period_______________ Date___________________
Draw four quarter notes on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
Draw two eighth notes tied together on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
Draw four sixteenth notes tied together on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
Write out the rhythm as given by the instructor on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
Practice Exercises
1)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
32
2)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
3)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
4)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
5)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
6)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
7)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
8)
4/4 __________________________________________________________________________
33
Let’s Practice Dictation! Worksheet
(Teacher Answer Key)
Name______________________________ Class Period_______________ Date___________________
Draw four quarter notes on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
Draw two eighth notes tied together on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
Draw four sixteenth notes tied together on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
Write out the rhythm as given by the instructor on the line below. Make sure you fill in your noteheads.
52
Student Feedback Form
1) Please write what you enjoyed during this unit:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
2) Please write down what you disliked during this unit:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
3) Please write anything that Miss LaRosa did that helped you understand something:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4) Please write anything Miss LaRosa could have done to help you understand better:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
5) Did you feel prepared for the test? If not, what could Miss LaRosa have done differently?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
53
Assessment Tools and Rubrics
Pre-Test Recording Rubric Specific Description of the task: Students as a class will sight-read and record their performance of the
exercise 4A10 from Dr. Don P. Ester’s Sound Connections. Each student will be assessed on their ability
to maintain a steady tempo, execute rhythmic accuracy, syllable accuracy, and their overall articulation /
clarity. Total Points Possible: 16 Points
Rhythmic Example for Assessment:
Student Name _______________________ Student Total __________________
Unsatisfactory
(Less than 2)
Basic
(2)
Proficient
(3)
Distinguished
(4)
Steady Tempo
The student is
unable to maintain a
steady tempo. The
tempo of the
exercise is
completely
unrecognizable.
The student keeps
a steady tempo and
each beat is
definitely
recognizable. The
beat is kept fairly
decently but a few
errors occur
throughout.
The student makes
minor errors when
keeping a steady beat
and has mostly
accurate tempo. The
performance is near
perfect, with very
little errors at all.
Even when a mistake
is made, the student
continues to read on
in the exercise to
keep the beat moving.
The student keeps a
steady beat
perfectly and
accurately
throughout the
piece. The student
never waivers from
the tempo.
Rhythmic
Accuracy
The student is
unable to articulate
any of the rhythms
of the exercise
correctly, if any at
all.
The student
articulates many of
the rhythms
correctly. The
student makes a
few errors in
regards to rhythm.
The student makes
minor errors when
articulating the
rhythms of the
exercise. The
performance is near
perfect, but there are
minor errors.
The student speaks
every rhythm of the
excerpt perfectly.
54
Syllable
Accuracy
The student is
unable to speak any
of the rhythms of
the exercise
correctly on the
correct Takadimi
syllables, if any at
all.
The student
articulates many of
the Takadimi
syllables correctly.
The student makes
a few errors in
regard to Takadimi
syllable
identification and
classification.
The student makes
minor errors when
articulating the
Takadimi syllables of
the exercise. The
performance is near
perfect, but not quite.
The students speaks
every rhythm of the
excerpt correctly on
the assigned
Takadimi syllables.
Articulation /
Clarity
The student is not
understandable at
all. Either the
microphone was not
held close enough
to his mouth or he
cannot be
understood. The
rhythms and
syllables are
completely
unrecognizable.
The student speaks
the rhythms and
Takadimi syllables
throughout the
excerpt, but there
are a few times
when he is difficult
to hear or
understand.
The students’
performance is near
perfect, and he is able
to be heard
throughout the
recording. However,
there are less than a
few instances where
he is difficult to
understand.
The student speaks
clearly and
enunciates every
rhythm and syllable
perfectly for the
instructor to
understand.
. .
Additional Teacher Notes:
55
Tell Me What You Know! (Rhythmic Unit Pre-Test)
Name___________________________ Date________________ Class Period___________
Fill in the Blank:
1.) A musical term for a gradual decrease in tempo is ________________________.
2.) A musical term for a gradual increase in tempo is ________________________.
Multiple Choice:
3.) A musical term that is generally expressed with a fraction (Hint: the bottom number gives
the number of beats per measure and the numerator indicates which note gets the beat).
A) Time Signature C) Meter
B) Key Signature D) Division of the Beat
Short Answer:
4.) What is a staccato marking? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Drawing:
5.) What is an accent? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
Definition:__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Drawing:
6.) What is a fermata? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Drawing:
56
8.) Compose your own rhythm that will fit in one measure of 4/4 time.
Hints: Make sure that all of the durations add up to four counts.
-No, you cannot write one whole note.
-You must write more than two notes.
-You may use rests.
4/4___________________________________________________________________________
Listening Pre-Test
Error Detection:
1.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor:
2.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor:
3.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor:
57
Dictate the rhythm as given by the instructor:
4/4___________________________________________________________________________
5.) Tempo Listening Exercise: Which specific tempo marking starts off the piece? Please
describe what this tempo marking means.
58
Tell Me What You Know! (Rhythmic Unit Pre-Test)
Teacher Version Answer Key
Name___________________________ Date________________ Class Period___________
Fill in the Blank:
4.) A musical term for a gradual decrease in tempo is _______ritardando______ (1 Point)
5.) A musical term for a gradual increase in tempo is ______accelerando_______(1Point).
Multiple Choice:
6.) A musical term that is generally expressed with a fraction (Hint: the bottom number gives
the number of beats per measure and the numerator indicates which note gets the beat).
C) Time Signature (1 point) C) Meter
D) Key Signature D) Division of the Beat
Short Answer:
4.) What is a staccato marking? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
(4 points: two points for correct definition; two points for correct drawing).
Definition:__The word staccato means short and detached
Drawing:
5.) What is an accent? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like. (4 points: two
points for correct definition; two points for correct drawing).
Definition:_An accent is a marking that adds stress or emphasis to the note._
Drawing:
6.) What is a fermata? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like. (4 points: 2
points for correct definition; two points for correct drawing).
Definition: A fermata is a marking that holds out the duration of a note for the length as
chosen by the director or musician.
59
8.) Compose your own rhythm that will fit in one measure of 4/4 time.
(4 points: 2 points for having durations add up to 4 counts; 2 points for writing more than
two notes).
Hints: Make sure that all of the durations add up to four counts.
-No, you cannot write one whole note.
-You must write more than two notes.
-You may use rests.
These answers could be any combination of things, as long as the notes add up to four
beats. A few examples of possible student answers are shown below.
Listening Pre-Test
Error Detection:
9.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor: (2 points)
In this exercise, I said, “Ta-da-ki-mi” instead of “Ta-ka-di-mi” for #1.
10.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor: (2 points)
In this exercise, I held the rest for two beats instead of one for #3.
60
11.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor: (2 points)
For this exercise, I spoke instead of for #1. Yes, both have the Takadimi
syllables of Ta-di, but the second one is rhythmically correct in the measure. This question is
worth two points. #1 must be circled to receive two points.
12. Dictate the rhythm as given by the instructor: (4 points)
All answers should be dictated like the example above. I spoke, “Ta Tadi Takadimi Ta” on
the neutral syllable pa and they filled out the dictation. Four points are given for this
correct answer. Each correct beat is worth one point.
13) Tempo Listening Exercise: Which specific tempo marking starts off the piece? Please
describe what this tempo marking means.(4 points)
The tempo marking of this piece is presto. Its definition is a very quick, fast-paced. The
musicians were playing the piece extremely quickly. In order to get full credit for this
answer, students will get two points for having the words “quick, rapid, or fast.” They will
get another two points for the word “presto.”
Total points: 33 points
61
Tell Me What You Know! (Rhythmic Unit Post-Test)
Name___________________________ Date________________ Class Period___________
Fill in the Blank:
7.) A musical term for a gradual decrease in tempo is ________________________.
8.) A musical term for a gradual increase in tempo is ________________________.
Multiple Choice:
9.) A musical term that is generally expressed with a fraction (Hint: the bottom number gives
the number of beats per measure and the numerator indicates which note gets the beat).
E) Time Signature C) Meter
F) Key Signature D) Division of the Beat
Short Answer:
4.) What is a staccato marking? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Drawing:
5.) What is an accent? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
Definition:__________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Drawing:
6.) What is a fermata? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Drawing:
62
8.) Compose your own rhythm that will fit in one measure of 4/4 time.
Hints: Make sure that all of the durations add up to four counts.
-No, you cannot write one whole note.
-You must write more than two notes.
-You may use rests.
4/4___________________________________________________________________________
Listening Post-Test
Error Detection:
1.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor:
2.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor:
3.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor:
63
Dictate the rhythm as given by the instructor:
4/4___________________________________________________________________________
5.) Tempo Listening Exercise: Which specific tempo marking starts off the piece? Please
describe what this tempo marking means.
64
Tell Me What You Know! (Rhythmic Unit Post-Test)
Teacher Version Answer Key
Name___________________________ Date________________ Class Period___________
Fill in the Blank:
10.) A musical term for a gradual decrease in tempo is ____ritardando_ (1 Point)
11.) A musical term for a gradual increase in tempo is___accelerando___(1Point).
Multiple Choice:
12.) A musical term that is generally expressed with a fraction (Hint: the bottom
number gives the number of beats per measure and the numerator indicates which note
gets the beat).
G) Time Signature (1 point) C) Meter
H) Key Signature D) Division of the Beat
Short Answer:
4.) What is a staccato marking? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like.
(4 points: two points for correct definition; two points for correct drawing).
Definition:__The word staccato means short and detached
Drawing:
5.) What is an accent? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like. (4 points: two
points for correct definition; two points for correct drawing).
Definition:_An accent is a marking that adds stress or emphasis to the note._
Drawing:
6.) What is a fermata? Write its definition and draw a picture of what it looks like. (4 points: 2
points for correct definition; two points for correct drawing).
65
Definition: A fermata is a marking that holds out the duration of a note for the length as
chosen by the director or musician.
8.) Compose your own rhythm that will fit in one measure of 4/4 time.
(4 points: 2 points for having durations add up to 4 counts; 2 points for writing more than
two notes).
Hints: Make sure that all of the durations add up to four counts.
-No, you cannot write one whole note.
-You must write more than two notes.
-You may use rests.
These answers could be any combination of things, as long as the notes add up to four
beats. A few examples of possible student answers are shown below.
Listening Post-Test
Error Detection:
9.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor: (2 points)
In this exercise, I said, “Ta-da-ki-mi” instead of “Ta-ka-di-mi” for #1.
10.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor: (2 points)
66
In this exercise, I held the rest for two beats instead of one for #3.
11.) Please circle the number of the beat that is mispronounced by the instructor: (2 points)
For this exercise, I spoke instead of for #1. Yes, both have the Takadimi
syllables of Ta-di, but the second one is rhythmically correct in the measure. This question is
worth two points. #1 must be circled to receive two points.
12. Dictate the rhythm as given by the instructor: (4 points)
All answers should be dictated like the example above. I spoke, “Ta Tadi Takadimi Ta” on
the neutral syllable pa and they filled out the dictation. Four points are given for this
correct answer. Each correct beat is worth one point.
13) Tempo Listening Exercise: Which specific tempo marking starts off the piece? Please
describe what this tempo marking means.(4 points)
The tempo marking of this piece is presto. Its definition is a very quick, fast-paced. The
musicians were playing the piece extremely quickly. In order to get full credit for this
answer, students will get two points for having the words “quick, rapid, or fast.” They will
get another two points for the word “presto.” Total points on Post-Test: 33 points
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Technology
For this project, I used technology in a wide variety of ways.First, I wanted to execute
two different pre-tests: one written pre-test to test the students knowledge of the terms of the
unit; and one oral pre-test to assess students’ abilities to speak sixteenth note rhythms on
Takadimi with rhythmic and syllable accuracy, with articulation and clarity, and with a steady
beat. I implemented these tests with all of my seventh grade students, and I knew that it would
take weeks to listen to each individual student perform the rhythmic exercise on Takadimi from
Sound Connections in a practice room for me. During my student teaching experience, my
cooperating teachers and I learned to use the iPad devices to our advantage: we have the students
read the rhythmic example together as a class while each student holds up his iPad and records
his voice on the device. The students then submitted the recording to the course assignment
through the Canvas application on their iPads. I then listened to each of these recordings on my
computer and gave each student an individual grade based on the pre-test recording rubric. I had
the students perform the same action when I administered the post-test recording after the unit
was over.
In the middle of the unit, I uploaded a PDF to the Canvas application on the students’
iPads. This PDF was titled “Let’s Practice Dictation Worksheet.” Instead of printing out 160
pieces of paper, I had the students upload this PDF from Canvas and uploaded it into the
Notability application so that they could write on the worksheet itself on their iPads. Throughout
the unit, the students opened up their iPads to practice dictation on their own. They were then
able to access these PDFS from home to practice on their own. I was amazed that my students
use their iPads more in their fine arts courses at Center Grove Middle School Central than in any
other course in school. Our department has found many uses for the students’ iPad devices, and I
was very excited that I was able to use the iPad as a positive form of both technology and
communication with the students. I also was able to use our overhead projector screen to display
the rhythmic examples from Sound Connections on the board. This allowed for all of the students
in the room to read the exercises as a class, and they were able to see each specific note, beat,
and measure I was pointing to on the board.
Differentiations / Accommodations
When I first administered the pre-test, I originally made a unit schedule assuming that I
would need to spend a lot of time on music composition and error detection. I knew that students
had been learning from Dr. Don P. Ester’s Sound Connections, but they had not had a lot of
experience in composition. I originally planned to teach and practice composition and error
detection every day during this unit in some form. However, after looking at the data from the
pre-tests, many students did really well with composition. They actually struggled more with
dictation and notating. I decided to change my original plan and spend more time on dictation
and notation. I also was very surprised that students struggled a lot with the vocabulary of this
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unit on the pre-test. I decided to implement the vocabuarly every single day in my unit plan, and
I had the students learn two terms every day, while reviewing the previous terms every day in
class. I knew that the constant review of the terms would help the students to remember their
meaning and definitions. I drew pictures on the board for students of the vocabulary, such as
symbols of staccato, accent, and fermata symbols. This would help with the visual learners. I
also played these markings in the warm-ups and vocally demonstrated each term to help with the
aural learners. I wrote these markings in their literacy exercises to give more visual
representation of these terms. Finally, I showed kinesthetic motions for each vocabulary term to
help the kinesthetic learners learn each term. I went over these terms every day in class, hoping
that the extra review of the vocabulary and practice of dictation would help the students perform
well on their post-test. The students that paid attention in class every day did remarkably well on
the test. However, the students who misbehaved on a consistent basis and failed to pay attention
did not perform well on the post-test. I tried to do everything in my power to help the students
improve in their knowledge and skills tested at the end of the unit.
In terms of accommodations, I asked Dan for the names of the students with special
needs. I have been trying to pay attention to these students to see how they are doing in grasping
the material for the unit. Many of them seemed to be doing well with the terms because the
kinesthetic movements for the vocabulary terms allowed me to visually see if they knew what
these terms looked like. I noticed that many of them were struggling with the dictation. When I
did the rhythmic identification with the cards in front of class, they were able to pick out the
rhythms that I was saying aloud. However, they were not able to write the dictation very well.
During the post-test, I created small rhythm cards on notecards for the students. I spoke the
rhythms on “pa,” and they had to pick the corresponding note card of the correct rhythm. They
each did very well with this, and I was glad that the rhythm game helped them with the rhythmic
identification for the test. I substituted the rhythmic dictation for these students with rhythmic
identification. I also pulled the students aside and read portions aloud to them during the post-test
to speak through what I was looking for in terms of answers on the exam. This helped some of
them to verbally execute their knowledge on the exam. However, others still struggled to
understand what I meant by a few terms. Every special needs student was excellent at the
rhythmic identification and error detection. The vocabulary was still a struggle for them, and I
think that during the unit I could have done something more for them to help them learn the
definitions.
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Unit Narrative
STANDARDS ADDRESSED
PRIMARY STANDARDS IN UNIT:
-National Standard #4: Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
A. Students will learn how to compose one measure of 4/4 time. All of the beats must add
to four counts. They must write more than two notes, and they are not allowed to
write one whole note. In this unit, they will learn how to write and fill in the
note heads of quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. They will also
learn how to notate quarter rests. Their measures may be any rhythms of their
choice under the specified guidelines.
-National Standard #5: Reading and notating music.
A. Students will learn how to accurately read Level 4A rhythm patterns of Dr. Don P.
Ester’s Sound Connections and how to read the sixteenth note patterns correctly
using Takadimi syllables.
B. Students will read a measure of 4A rhythms on the board, and while the instructor
reads the rhythms, students will read and analyze the notes that are
mispronounced by the instructor
C. Students will notate the rhythms as spoken by the instructor and will learn how to
dictate the rhythms of one measure of 4/4 time with the appropriate Takadimi
rhythms. They will then read the rhythms together as an ensemble.
D. Students will learn what accent, staccato, and fermata markings look like and will
learn how to notate them in music. Students will also read these markings in the
Sound Connections exercises and will accurately articulate them.
-National Standard #6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
A. Students will listen to sixteenth note patterns given by the instructor and will echo-
translate these patterns to the correct Takadimi syllables.
B. Students will also use listening in this unit in regards to error detection. Students will
be able to accurately find which rhythms the instructor mispronounces to test their
knowledge of Takadimi syllables and their knowledge of rhythms.
C. Students will use listening skills in dictation. They must listen to the rhythms and be
able to dictate them in one measure of 4/4 time.
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D. Students will listen to songs with different tempo markings and be able to label these
songs as either Presto or Largo. They will be able to define these terms as well
SECONDARY STANDARDS IN UNIT:
-National Standard #7: Evaluating music and music performances.
A. Students will listen to famous works of music to determine the tempo of each piece.
The pieces will either be in presto or largo tempos, and these exercises will assist
in rhythmic identification. Students will discuss these works as a class and aspects
of the musical eras.
ABILITY LEVEL ACCOMMODATIONS
When I first decided to implement this project with seventh grade students, I knew going
into the project that this grade included a large number of special needs students in both fifth and
sixth period. I decided to administer the pre-test to test their ability levels and see first-hand what
they were going to need help with. Since students across the board did not perform well on the
pre-test, I knew that this was not a good indication as to each student’s overall ability level.
Some things that I did notice on the pre-test were that many students needed more time. I knew
that when I administered the post-test, I would need to dedicate an entire class period to taking
the test. The majority of students took about fifteen minutes to take the pre-test, but many needed
about twenty-five minutes. I also put into consideration that students took the pre-test was
without learning about any of the material on the test. I knew that the process of documenting
what the students actually learned for the post-test would take the students more time.
When I approached Mr. Andersen about this topic and asked him who all of our special
needs students were in seventh grade, he gave me a list of the students who would need
accommodations and modifications for the post-tests. I found that five students in seventh grade
needed more time when taking tests. One student had hearing problems, and four students would
need accommodations for the test. The students who needed extra time either had forms of
anxiety or true behavioral problems. A few students in particular did not sit still well, and I knew
that this would distract other students when taking the test. I made arrangements for this student
to take his test in another room during the exam. For the student with hearing problems, I was
thrilled to have a unit that used a lot of kinesthetic movements and written dictation. These
motions and exercises allowed me to see first-hand if students were understanding and / or
hearing material. I could then pull students aside during the unit and explain items more
thoroughly.
In order to assist with dictation, I decided to first teach students rhythmic identification. I
used rhythm cards in the classroom to play a “game” with the students. I spoke rhythms for the
students on “pa” and they had to distinguish if I was saying quarter notes, half notes, eighth
notes, or sixteenth notes. Then, they matched my neutral syllable rhythms to the actual rhythm
80
cards and then read the cards in order as a class on Takadimi. This assessed the skills of echoing,
echo-translation, rhythmic identification, and reading and notating. I made sure that all of my
special needs students could accurately identify the rhythms used in the exercises. I did this by
volunteering all kinds of students for the rhythm game to see first-hand if they identified the
accurate rhythms. I also walked around the room and helped each student with their dictation to
visually see if they were comprehending the material spoken in class. Four of my students still
could not write down the rhythms. For the post-test, I called the four students into another room
for the dictation exercise and had them do rhythmic identification of this measure with matching
the rhythms they heard to the notecards of quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. This
helped the students to show me visually what they heard in their minds and gave me a chance to
assess their understanding of material. Surprisingly, many of these students who I assumed
would need help on the pre-test already had the rhythm figured out for the dictation before we
even did rhythmic identification. Two of these students wrote down the rhythm absolutely
correctly. The additional practice with these students truly paid off, and I was pleased to see
them working diligently both in class during the unit and on the post-test. Four of these students
also needed questions read aloud to them for the post-test, and I was happy to make these
accommodations for them before they turned in their tests. Many of them still struggled with the
vocabulary on the post-test, and I think that I could have made the students a list of terms for the
unit. Other students had the abilities to write down these terms as notes, but many of these
special needs students have trouble sitting still and writing. I could have made them a list of the
terms and definitions. I am not sure if this would have helped them, but in the future, I will make
sure that students that have trouble writing down their thoughts have a form of preparing for an
exam in their own way.
AUTHENTIC SKILL DEVELOPMENT
This unit primarily focused on students growing in the skills of composition, dictation,
reading, notating, and listening. When we teach students in a choral classroom, we not only want
them to be better singers, but we want them to be able to make music on their own as well. In
order to do this, we must not only teach them the notes on the pages of their music, but we must
also give them a skill-set to use on their own outside of the classroom. Ball State University has
taught me how to incorporate solfege and Takadimi into my lesson plans so I can teach my
students how to become literate musicians. I am very fortunate to be placed in program during
my student teaching experience that strongly advocates these tools as well. A key component of
learning music is the art of learning rhythms. I wanted for my students to be able to read
sixteenth note rhythms, hear sixteenth note rhythms, notate sixteenth note rhythms, dictate
sixteenth note rhythms, and compose these rhythms on their own. The art of dictation is a
critical-thinking skill that is crucial to musical learning. It allows our students to have the
abilities to hear music and write it down on paper for their own use or for others to use and read
as well. Composition takes all of the skills learned in music theory and allows students to think
critically about music to write their own. These skills allow students to dive deeper into the
81
music and to look at music from a new perspective. I taught students the tools about how many
beats are in each measure of 4/4 time and how to compose rhythmic measures that fit within this
criteria. The processes of rhythmic identification, echo-translation, and dictation force students to
connect with previously learned rhythms and how they fit together in a musical line. These skills
can be taken beyond the classroom and truly enhance a child’s listening, reading, and composing
skills.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
� Terms: I wrote out the terms daily on the board and went over each term and its
definition. I knew that this would help the visual learners. I also drew each of these terms
on the board for the students to visually see what they looked like. I also marked the
terms in their sight-reading exercises to practice reading music with these items to
vocally learn how to produce these articulation markings and feel what they sound like.
� Kinesthetic motions for each term: I came up with a movement for each term so that I
could visually see from every student (in a silent manner) what each term looked like.
This gave them gestures that allowed them to use their bodies to remember each term. I
knew that this would help the kinesthetic learners with the vocabulary.
� Verbal cues: I spoke each term to the students for everyone to orally hear each term and
its definition every day.
� Audio clips / discussion: I found audio clips of pieces that were in the tempos of Largo
and Presto. We listened to these throughout the unit to help students aurally hear changes
in tempo.
� Rhythmic Identification Game: I created cards for “cardholders,” consisting of quarter
notes, eighth notes, sixteenth notes, half notes, and quarter rests. Then, I spoke one
measure of 4/4 time and had the students choose which rhythms I spoke on “pa.”
Students had to be able to hear the rhythm correctly and choose the corresponding rhythm
card to the beat. This gave a visual representation of students’ understanding.
� Dictation worksheet: I created a practice dictation worksheet for students to practice
drawing quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. On this worksheet, we practiced
dictating measures of 4/4 time as spoken by the instructor. I also had the students
compose their own measures of 4/4 time following specific guidelines.
� Rubrics: I created a rubric for the students for the post-test recording. This allowed the
students the opportunity to learn about the expectations for the assignment to see how
their efforts in terms of articulation, keeping a steady beat, and rhythmic and Takadimi
syllable accuracy could affect their grade.
TECHNOLOGIES USED
I had the students use the application of Canvas on their iPads to record their pre-test and
post-test recordings for the unit. I graded each of these recordings on my computer, and the use
of the iPads saved hours of class time since I could have all of the students record their example
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at once instead of calling in students individually into the practice rooms. I also used the
computer to play different audio recordings of tempos for the students to compare and contrast
presto and largo tempos. I used the overhead projector to display rhythmic examples from Dr.
Don P. Ester’s Sound Connections on the screen for the students. I also uploaded a PDF of my
Practice Dictation Worksheet to Canvas and students uploaded this to Notability to write on the
document and practice dictation and composition for the unit.
Assessment Narrative
STUDENT ACCOMMODATIONS
When I first decided to implement this project with seventh grade students, I knew going
into the project that this grade included a large number of special needs students in both fifth and
sixth period. I decided to administer the pre-test to test their ability levels and see first-hand what
they were going to need help with. Since students across the board did not perform well on the
pre-test, I knew that this was not a good indication as to each student’s overall ability level.
Some things that I did notice on the pre-test were that many students needed more time. I knew
that when I administered the post-test, I would need to dedicate an entire class period to taking
the test. The majority of students took about fifteen minutes to take the pre-test, but many needed
about twenty-five minutes. This was without knowing all of the answers. I knew that the process
of documenting what they knew for the post-test would take the students more time.
When I approached Mr. Andersen about this topic and asked him who all of our special
needs students were in seventh grade, he gave me a list of the students who would need
accommodations and modifications throughout the unit. I found that five students in seventh
grade needed more time when taking tests. One student had hearing problems, and four students
would need accommodations for the test. The students who needed extra time either had forms of
anxiety or true behavioral problems. A few students in particular do not sit still well, and I knew
that this would distract other students when taking the test. I made arrangements for this student
to take his test in another room during the exam. For the student with hearing problems, I was
thrilled to have a unit that used a lot of kinesthetic movements and written dictation. These
motions and exercises allowed me to see first-hand if students were understanding and / or
hearing material. I could then pull students aside during the unit and explain items more
thoroughly.
In order to assist with dictation, I decided to first teach students rhythmic identification. I
used rhythm cards in the classroom to play a “game” with the students. I would speak rhythms
for the students on “pa” and they had to distinguish if I was saying quarter notes, half notes,
eighth notes, or sixteenth notes. Then, they matched my neutral syllable rhythms to the actual
rhythm cards and then read the cards in order as a class on Takadimi. This assessed the skills of
echoing, echo-translation, rhythmic identification, and reading and notating. I made sure that all
of my special needs students could accurately identify the rhythms used in the exercises. I did
83
this by volunteering all kinds of students for the rhythm game to see first-hand if they identified
the accurate rhythms. I also walked around the room and helped each student with their dictation
to visually see if they were comprehending the material spoken in class. Four of my students still
could not write down the rhythms. For the post-test, I called the four students into another room
for the dictation exercise and had them do rhythmic identification of this measure with matching
the rhythms they heard to the notecards of quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. This
helped the students to show me visually what they heard in their minds and gave me a chance to
assess their understanding of material. Surprisingly, many of these students who I assumed
would need help on the pre-test already had the rhythm figured out for the dictation before we
even did rhythmic identification. Two of these students wrote down the rhythm absolutely
correctly. The additional practice with these students truly paid off, and I was pleased to see
them working diligently both in class during the unit and on the post-test. Four of these students
also needed questions read aloud to them for the post-test, and I was happy to make these
accommodations for them before they turned in their tests. Many of them still struggled with the
vocabulary on the post-test, and I think that I could have made the students a list of terms for the
unit. Other students had the abilities to write down these terms as notes, but many of these
special needs students have trouble sitting still and writing. I could have made them a list of the
terms and definitions. I am not sure if this would have helped them, but in the future, I will make
sure that students that have trouble writing down their thoughts have a form of preparing for an
exam in their own way.
TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
I used a lot of different kinds of assessment in my creation of this unit curriculum plan. In
terms of informal assessment, I was constantly assessing students’ knowledge and understanding
of material. I tested students informally over the terms by calling on the students about each
term’s definition. I also wrote these terms on the board and reviewed by having the students
write the terms and definitions on the board as well. I also asked students to show me
kinesthetically on a daily basis the vocabulary terms visually with their body movements. This
allowed me to see each student’s personal understanding if they knew what the terms looked
like. This would help them draw the symbols on their test. I also had them practice dictation
every day, and I had the students turn their iPads around to show me their work. I was able to
check each student’s work and guide them to the correct answer if they were incorrect. I also
used my rhythmic identification game as a form of informal assessment. I had the students go up
in front of the class and choose the corresponding cards of the rhythms I spoke on a neutral
syllable. This allowed me to check their understanding.
I created two types of formal assessments for this unit. I created the post-test recording
and recording rubric. This allowed me to test their skills of speaking the rhythms of exercise 10
of unit 4A of Dr. Don Ester’s Sound Connections. This spoken test allowed me to check each
students’ skills of reading and speaking sixteenth note rhythms and patterns correctly. This was a
skills test, and due to the rubric, I was able to test their knowledge and abilities to speak and read
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with articulation, a steady beat, and rhythmic and syllable accuracy. I also created a written pre-
test and post-test to test students knowledge on vocabulary of the unit. I also tested their abilites
to point out incorrect notes in the error detection, as well as dictation, composition, and listening
exercises on the test. These written and skills tests allowed me to check each student’s overall
comprehension and abilities learned from the unit.
Instructional Narrative
PRESENTATION OF DIRECTIONS
For this instructional process, I began each lesson by starting with syllable echoing and
echo-translation. I then moved to the sixteenth note cards that I made for the unit, and then
moved to the overhead projector to have the students read the assigned exercises for each day. In
terms of the vocabulary, I wrote the term on the board and asked if anyone knew what this term
meant. Then, I presented the defintion and asked the students to aurally recite the definition.
Then I wrote the definition on the board, and then I drew the picture of each term. I then showed
the students kinesthetic motions for each term to help them remember the terms and definitions
in different ways. In terms of the dictation, I started by introducing rhythmic identification. I
began first with echoing and echo-translation of sixteenth note rhythms. Then, I had students
hold the rhythm cards as the cardholders. I instructed four students to choose the corresponding
cards of the rhythms I spoke on “pa,” and then I checked their work. We read these together as a
class. I then moved on to dictation and had the students open the dictation worksheet file on
Canvas and then uploaded it to Notability. I read the instructions to the students, and I also had
students read some of the directions of the questions. They first wrote four quarter notes, then
two eighth notes, then four sixteenth notes. I then had students practice dictation of a measure of
4/4 time and then had the students write these on the board. I went through the process of
dictation by writing the process of dictation on the board. I wrote these instructions on the board:
1) Repeat 2) Translate 3) Visualize 4) Write 5) Read. I went through the process and asked for
the students to repeat the exercise on “pa.” Then, I asked them to echo-translate the measure to
Takadimi. I then had students close their eyes and visualize what this would look like. I then had
students write down the rhythms, and then I asked the students to read their responses on
Takadimi to check their work. We went thorugh this process every day. I also read the
instructions and wrote them on the board for composition. I read these directions aloud to the
students and had the students read them as well. Every time that I had a student write their
response on the board, we reverted back to the instructions to make sure that each student’s
response corresponded with the expectations of the assignment. When presenting the pre and
post-tests, I first started the tests with the listening portions, such as the error detection, dictation,
and tempo examples. I then walked them through the rest of the test, explaining the
differentiation of questions, such as multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short answer. I also had
the students fill out a student feedback form on the back side of the post-test. In terms of the pre
and post-test recordings, I uploaded the assignment to Canvas. Then, I had the students sign in to
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Canvas, and then had them click on “assignments,” “Recording for Post-Test” “Submission,”
“Turn In,” and “Record Audio.” This process took them through the steps to get them to record
their excerpts. Then, I had them turn this in. Directions for the entire unit were given aurally and
also visually on the board and in the documents used for the unit.
HOW STANDARDS RELATE TO UNIT
The primary national standards that I used for the unit included National Standards 4, 5,
and 6. National Standard 4 refers to “composing and arranging music within specified
guideliens.” I used this standard throughout the unit as I taught the process of composing one
measure of 4/4 time to the students. I gave specified guidelines to the students, instructing them
that all of their beats must add to four counts. I also informed them that they must write more
than two notes, and they are not allowed to write a whole note. In this unit, they learned how to
write and fill in the note heads of quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes. They also
learned how to notate quarter rests. Their measures consisted of any rhythms of their choice. The
process of composition in music is extremely important to teach to our students because it allows
students to have an outlet to express themselves. Teaching the students music is one thing, but
we must teach them how to create music on their own to keep the magic of music alive.
I also incorporated National Standard 5, which refers to “reading and notating music.” In
this unit, students learned how to accurately read Level 4A rhythm patterns of Sound
Connections and how to read the sixteenth note patterns in the exercises. They also read a
measure of 4A rhythms on the board, and while the instructor read the rhythms, the students read
and analyzed the notes that were mispronounced by the instructor to help with the process of
error detection. Students also notated the rhythms as spoken by the instructor and learned how to
dictate the rhythms of one measure of 4/4 time with the appropriate Takadimi rhythm syllables.
They read the rhythms together as an ensemble. Students also learned how to read the
articulation markings of accent, staccato, and fermata markings both on the board and in the
exercises learned in class. They learned how to notate them in the music as well. Students also
read these markings in Sound Connections and accurately articulated them. During the rhythm
identification game, students also had to read the rhythms on the cards as a class on Takadimi to
check the work of their peers. The entire unit was focused on reading and notating rhythms on
their own so students could be able to apply these skills to other musical pieces they learn
outside of the classroom. Rhythm is a key component of music, and learning these skills will
help to develop each student’s overall level of musicianship.
The final primary standard that I used in this unit was National Standard 6, which focused
on “listening to, analyzing, and describing music.” In this unit, students listened to sixteenth note
patterns given by the instructor and echo-translated these patters to the correct Takadimi
syllables. Students also used listening in this unit in regards to error detection. Students were
asked to find which rhythms the instructor mispronounced to test their knowledge of rhythms
and Takadimi syllables. Students also used listening skills in their process of dictation. They
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listened to the rhythms as spoken by the instructor and were asked to dictate them in one
measure of 4/4 time. Finally, students listened to songs with different tempo markings and were
asked to label the tempos of the pieces as Presto or Largo. They were asked to define these terms
as well. This also touched on the secondary standard addressed in the unit, which was National
Standard 7. This standard focuses on “evaluating music and music performances.” Students
listened to famous works of music to determine the tempo of each piece. The pieces were either
presto or largo, and these exercises assisted in rhythmic identification. We talked about the
pieces that we listened to and touched on the composers of Mozart and Shostakovich to discuss
tempo and musical genre.
STUDENT DIFFERENCES
During the instruction of this unit, I tried to accommodate each student’s basic style of
learning. I taught most of the information aurally and visually on the board to the students. I
spoke the terms, and the students repeated them back to me. I also presented how the term
sounded and then asked students how this term could be defined. I then gave them the formal
definition and wrote it on the board. I then had students repeat the definition as a class. I gave
kinesthetic motions for every term, and we reviewed these every day as a class. I also drew these
symbols on the board to help with the visual learners. I wrote each of these symbols in the
spoken exercises of the day. I also had the students echo and echo-translate spoken rhythms, and
then I called on volunteers for the rhythmic identification game. Having the cards displayed in
front of class truly helped the visual learners. It also accommodated to the special needs students
who were unable to practice dictation. I also had the students try writing down these rhythms
themselves in the dication worksheets. I tried to get as many different senses involved in the
process. I wanted students to hear the rhythms, speak the rhythms see the rhythms, feel the
rhythms, and show all of the terms with body movement and visual applications. All of the
informal assessment allowed me to see if each individual student was comprehending the
material taught in class.
REAL-LIFE APPLICATIONS
This entire unit was focused on rhythmic literacy. I wanted to enhance student’s reading
ability of reading sixteenth note rhythms. I wanted them to learn the terms and definitions of
rhythms, rhythmic articulation, and tempos. I also had them learn dictation and composition to
practice notating the rhythms learned in class. I knew that if I could teach them how to read
rhythms in class, they would be able to read these rhythms outside of class as well. I want my
students to be able to read music, notate music, and compose their own music to be better overall
musicians. Our main goal as music educators is to make our students independent musicians so
that they can read, perform, and create music on their own. Based on the graphs, students truly
improved in their music literacy at the end of the unit, and I was excited that I could help with
that process after completion of this project.
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CRITERIA AND EXPLANATION
During the duration of this unit, students were expected to learn rhythmic terminology of
the words ritardando, accelerando, fermata, accent, tempo, time signature, staccato, presto, and
largo. They were quizzed over these terms, and I wrote these terms on the board every day,
reminding students that they needed to master these terms for the post-test. Students were also
expected to master the art of composition, dictation, and error detection. I gave each student the
ground rules and criteria for each of these items. For example, for composition, I gave specific
guidelines to the students to compose one measure of 4/4 time, where all of their notes added up
to four beats. They were instructed to write more than two notes, they were not allowed to use
whole notes, and they could use rests. These guidelines were placed on the board and in the
directions. In regards to dictation, I informed students of the specific rhythms that I would
choose from for the exam. We first practiced rhythmic identification and then practiced writing
these rhythms. Students were expected to write down the appropriate rhythms, with all of their
noteheads filled in. Their notes must match the neutral syllables indicated by the instructor, and
they were given the process to repeat, translate, visualize, write, and read their rhythms that they
wrote down. Students practiced error detection in class and were asked to choose the rhythm the
instructor mispronounced. Students were also expected to correctly pronouce sixteenth note
patterns in the exercises on the board. They would be assessed through the post-test recording on
the following criteria: rhythmic and syllable accuracy, keeping a steady beat, and articulation.
They were informed about each of these guidelines when the pre-test was presented. Throughout
the unit, I informed the students about the areas that I was looking for improvement and growth
in each of the categories assessed. I reminded the students of the material to study for the exam
daily.
Result / Interpretation Narrative
STUDENT PRE-TEST PERFORMANCE
As expected, students performed extremely poorly on the pre-test. The pre-test consisted
of mainly fill-in-the-blank questions for the rhythmic terminology. Since this material had not
been covered before, I anticipated to see very poor grades on this exam. Since the students had
never performed error detection, composition, or dictation, I knew that these portions of the test
would be extremely low. Surprisingly, students performed fairly well on the error detection, and
almost all of the students failed the rest of the test. Since students practice Sound Connections
everyday, they were able to figure out if a rest was held too long or when the eighth note was
mispronounced. As expected though, many of the students did not know the answer to the
sixteenth note rhythm in the error detection since this had not been covered yet in class. I
assumed that students would perform decently on the composition since we are constantly asking
them, “How many beats does a quarter note get? How many beats does an eighth note get?” I
assumed that they would be able to write a measure of 4/4 time. However, more than half of the
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students did not know how to compose one measure. I also found that many students were able
to dictate many of the rhythms on their own for the dictation, but the majority of students did not
perform well. The students that had musical background knowledge performed remarkably well
on the test. The highest score on the pre-test was a 31/33, and she has been studying piano
privately since she was four years old. However, the average grade on the pre-test was 41%, and
I was hoping that this grade could increase by a decent amount on the post-test after I had taught
all of the material.
CHANGES MADE
I had originally planned to go over error detection every day for this unit, knowing that
the students had never practiced this exercise in class. However, after I saw the results on the
pre-test, I realized that I was going to need to spend more time on terms and less time on error
detection. I also realized that I needed to practice dictation and composition frequently
throughout the unit. I changed my unit plan itinerary and decided to go over two terms of
vocabulary a day (and to review the terms on a consistent basis in multiple forms). I also decided
to practice composition and dictation daily with the students. I left all of the questions the same
on the pre-test and post-test, but I did change the process in which I presented the information.
STUDENT PERFORMANCE ON OVERALL PROJECT
Based on my graph information, there was a lot of progress performed in every National
Standard. Throughout the unit, we learned about vocabulary, composition, error detection, and
dictation. We spent time in every category everyday, and I had the students perform practice
exercises in each of these categories. In terms of their overall performance, I was incredibly
impressed with their growth in National Standard 4. During the pre-test, I had 40 students
receive a 100% on their composition portion of the test. However, I told the students if they did
not know an answer to leave it blank. 35 students left this answer blank, and the average in this
category on the pre-test was a 53%. However, on the post-test, 64 students out of the 75 scored
100% of these questions correctly, where 9 received 75% and 2 students received 50% for the
composition portion of the post-test exam. This made the average in standard 4 on the post-test a
96%. This shows a lot of improvement across the board. Throughout the unit, I had students
coming up to the board to compose measures of rhythms. I was incredibly impressed by the
progress and growth through this portion both on the board and in their worksheets completed in
class.
In terms of National Standard 5, only 2 students received a 100% on the pre-test in this
category of the exam. The average on the pre-test in this standard was a 58%, and the lowest
grade was a 25%. On the Post-Test, 65 out of the 75 students received a 100% in this standard,; 4
received a 90%; 3 received an 80%; and 3 received a 50%. This made the average on the post-
test in Standard 5 to be a 97%. This shows a lot of growth in this standard. I had students reading
rhythms on Takadimi on the board on a daily basis, and they really grew as a class in the
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category of reading and notating rhythms, both on the board and in the process of dictation. In
terms of National Standard 6, only one student received a 100% in this category of the pre-test
exam of listening and analyzing music. 22 students received an 80% on the pre-test in this
standard; 41 received a 60%; 7 received a 40%; and 4 received a 20%. The average in Standard 6
of the Pre-Test Exam was a 62%. However, on the post-test, 43 students received a 100% in this
standard. 4 students received a 93%; 9 received an 86%; 12 received a 71%; 3 received a 64%;
and 2 students received a 50%. The average in standard 6 on the post-test was a 90%. I am
beyond thrilled by this progress that the students made as an ensemble and individually
throughout the course of the project in each of these three National Standards.
STUDENT POST-TEST PERFORMANCE
The highest grade on the overall written pre-test of the exam was a 94%, and as stated
earlier, this student had been studying piano since the age of four. Only fifteen students scored
over a 50% on the written pre-test. The average score on this exam was a 41%. However, scores
improved dramatically on the post-test. 22 students received a 100%; 5 received a 97%; 5
received a 94%; 4 received a 91%; 6 received an 88%; 4 received an 85%; and 3 received an
82%. This shows that 49 of my 75 students scored over 80% on the exam! On the pre-test, only
15 students scored above a 50%. These scores dramatically improved. The rest of the scores
were under 80%, with the lowest grade being a 52% on the written post-test exam. Only four
students were below 60% on the exam, and I was thrilled by these results. The average on the
written post-test was an 86%, and I wish that these scores would have been higher. Many
students missed the vocabulary questions, and they were upset that they did not have a study
guide. However, they could have written down these terms every day when we went over them
in class. Many of the students who did not score well on the written exam did not pay attention in
class and talked to their neighbors while I was presenting material. Had the students all taken
notes and studied for the exam, I am very certain that these scores would have been much higher.
In terms of the pre-test and post-test recordings, these averages went up dramatically as
well. The lowest grade on the pre-test recording was a 25%. Only ten students scored below 50%
on the pre-test recording. The highest score on the pre-test recording was a 94%, scored by one
of our students. 26 students scored higher than 80% on the pre-test recording, but the average on
the pre-test recording was a 69%. However, the lowest score on the post-test recording was a
50% (scored by one of our special needs students). The other students scored very highly on this
portion of the exam. The lowest score from the rest of the students was an 84%. 50 students
received a 100% percent on the post-test recording exam! I was thrilled! We went over these
rhythms every day, and so many students mastered these Takadimi syllables and rhythms! 19
students scored a 94%; 1 student scored a 93%; 4 students scored an 88%; and 1 student scored
an 84%. I am so excited and proud of these students and the progress that they made in their
psychomotor skill-set of reading rhythms. Practice makes permanent, and I was glad that I got to
aid in the process of helping the seventh grade students read rhythms more accurately and
precisely.
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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF INSTRUCTION
During this unit, I felt that I grew a lot as an educator. I had never administered a pre-test
and a post-test before, so creating a parallel test was definitely a new experience for me. I first
started by thinking through what concepts I could test the students over in regards to rhythm. I
tried to keep student needs into account, and I wanted to teach them concepts of rhythm that they
did not have much experience in to enhance their music literacy and overall musicianship. I tried
to teach the unit in a wide variety of styles to account for student learning differences. I tried to
accommodate to visual, aural, and kinesthetic learners. I also tried to accommodate to students
with special needs to give them modifications to the post-test. I felt that I paced out the unit
fairly well, and I reviewed material consistently to help with student learning. I tried to be
patient through the process, and I tried to have everything graded in a timely manner.
I felt that I had a lot of weaknesses during this process as well. Many students in their
evaluations said that they wish that they would have had a worksheet to have all of their terms in
one location. I had the hopes that students would be taking notes throughout the unit, but many
did not. Having a worksheet or study guide could have guided their studying even more. I tried
my hardest to cater to all of the students’ needs and to consistently inform them about what was
on the post-test to help with studying. However, many of them felt that this was not enough. I
also felt that I used a lot of class time to teach this unit. I repeated vocabulary every single day,
and many advanced students became frustrated in the process. I was informed on their
evaluations that they became bored because they knew the definitions like the back of their
hands. Other students needed more time to process the information. It is definitely a challenge as
a teacher to find a balance as to how much time to go over material. I should have assigned
work to practice at home and learn terms and defintions instead of spending so much time in
class. I also could have accommodated to more of the students with special needs. They
defintiely needed a sheet with a guided list of the terms because many of them are unable to take
notes in class due to the fact that they do not write very well and because many of them do not sit
still. I could have been a lot better in my accommodations to their specific needs. Giving the test
on a Monday was also a challenge for the students because many of the students forgot about the
terrms and defintions after the long weekend. I could have been more accommodating, but this
was the day that worked the best in our schedule to administer the test.
SUMMARY OF STUDENT FEEDBACK FORM
I attached a student feedback form on the back of the post-test for students to fill out after
they took their test. I wanted to hear from the students first-hand what they liked and disliked
about the unit. I also wanted to hear what I presented to the students that helped them learn
material, and I wanted to know if I could have done anything differently to better help the
students. Many of the students commented that they enjoyed the rhythmic identification game.
They felt that this was an exciting way to get them engaged, and they really felt that this helped
them with dictation. Students also stated that they felt a lot more comfortable with dictation after
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the unit. Other aspects of the unit that students liked were the kinesthetic movements for the
vocabulary terms to help them remember what each term looked like. They said that these were
really helpful and allowed the vocabulary to resonate more effectively with them. In terms of
items that they disliked, I read a wide variety of responses. Many students stated that I needed to
go over material at a slower pace because they felt I moved through the unit too quickly. Others
were bored and felt that I moved through the unit too slowly. A majority of the students felt that I
should have included a list of the vocabulary terms with their definitions so they could study
them on their own. My hope was that when I wrote the vocabulary and definitions on the board,
the students would take notes with me. When I see a teacher writing something on the board, I
have an instant inclination to write this down somewhere. Many students wanted a study guide
for the exam, but I reviewed the material everyday. Since I did a lot of the review orally, I should
have included something tangible for the visual learners to best help them prepare for the exam.
All in all, I did my best in executing this unit, and I learned many new aspects of how I can
better help students learn new material in the future.
Final Statement
I strongly believe that music literacy is one of the most important concepts that we as
music educators can teach our students. Students need to be able to read pitches and rhythms in
order to fully conceptualize the music given to them. Rhythmic literacy is an essential skill that
all students should learn to truly appreciate and comprehend music on a deeper level. This is
why I feel that this project relates to students of all ages. When I am a music educator in the
field, I plan to teach students all aspects of music, including rhythmic literacy. I want to teach my
students to read all different kinds of rhythms, including quarter notes, eighth notes, sixteenth
notes, and more. This unit gave me a foundation to work off of when teaching literacy. I
definitely need to become comfortable with teaching musical vocabulary to my students. This
was a key factor of this unit. Further, I will be teaching my students the art of error detection and
dictation so that they can further their understanding of literacy and notate the pitches and
rhythms that they hear in music. One of the highest forms of student musical understanding is
composition because it takes students’ music theory knowledge to an entirely new level.
Composition forces students to take the basic foundation of learning music and to make it their
own. I want to make my students better at reading literacy so they can become musically literate.
I plan to use Takadimi and solfege in my classroom some day. I believe that it is
incredibly important to be able to assess their knowledge of rhythms, and one of the best forms
that I can do that is to record them speaking rhythms and to evaluate their abilities with the rubric
I have created for this unit. I also hope to test their understanding of how rhythms fit within
measures of 4/4 time by assessing them through aspects of composition, error detection, and
dictation. This allows me to have a written form of their understanding on paper, and this can
help them to mentally process and put forth their thoughts on to paper. I plan to test my students
knowledge of Takadimi and solfege on a frequent basis, where we will do dictation both for
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pitches and rhythms. Eventually, I want to have my students practice melodic dictation so that
they are given the tools to compose and arrange music on their own. I absolutely love to write
music, and I am so thankful for the tools that my teachers have given me in music theory so that
I can write and transcribe music on my own. I hope to teach my students to do the same.
I believe that there is a lot of value in this project. Students should be familiar with
musical terminology, especially since these terms are found frequently in the music. If students
can define musical markings, they will better be able to comprehend these symbols when they
read them in the scores. I find so much value in allowing my students to be musically literate. I
could spend my time teaching choir simply teaching students the notes and pitches of specific
repertoire that we study. However, if I only did that, I would be preventing students from
reaching their full musical potential. What is the point of music if we only teach students songs?
They will only be able to sing the songs sung in class, but they will not be able to transfer that
knowledge to other pieces of music on their own. Here at Center Grove, we want our students to
learn how to read pitches, rhythms, and the piano keyboard. This will allow them to take a piece
of music and plunk out their parts on the piano when they graduate from our department. These
skills are incredibly valuable to the student’s overall musicianship. Dictation, error detection, and
composition are tools that push students a step further in creating and understanding music on
their own.
I find this unit valuable to myself as well because I am helping students in their own
process of literacy. This is absolutely fulfilling as their instructor because I feel called to share
music with others. I not only want to make music with my students, but I also want to give my
students the knowledge that has been passed down to me. The beauty of music is that is has been
passed down for centuries, and music educators continue to expand upon new forms of learning
through multiple different processes. We attend conferences and do whatever we can to deepen
our musical knowledge. We do not do this for ourselves; we want to deeper our musical learning
and understanding to share it with our students. This project allowed me to dive deeper into the
aspects of teaching music to students, and grading their final tests and seeing the growth that the
students made in their overall understanding of rhythms was extremely rewarding. I want to
make them better musicians, and I hope that through this process of teaching this unit, students
were able to dive deeper into the music that they study and create.
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Project Rubric
Unsatisfactory
Basic
Proficient
Distinguished
Incorporation of
National
Standards
During the unit, no
standards were
addressed in the
completion of the
project. The
student teacher did
not attempt to
incorporate any
national standards
to connect student
learning to what is
expected for music
education on the
national level.
The instructor
incorporated one
national standard
into the execution
of the unit.
The instructor
incorporated two
quality national
standards into the
unit curriculum plan,
but did not include
any secondary
standards into the
instruction of the
unit.
The instructor
incorporated at
least two quality
national standards
into the unit
curriculum plan.
The instructor also
incorporated
secondary
standards to further
student
understanding.
Instructional
Effectiveness
Students did not
show any growth
or improvement
after the unit plan
was implemented.
Their knowledge
of rhythmic
literacy was not
altered in their
written or skills
test of the unit in
any way.
Students showed
some growth in
their musical
understanding
from the pre-test
to the post-test.
However, the
terminology and
skills learned did
not resonate with
the students after
the unit was over.
Students showed
improvement from
the pre-test to the
post-test. Their
scores proved to the
instructor that they
gained a greater
understanding of the
unit of rhythmic
literacy.
Student test scores
showed
tremendous growth
and improvement
from the pre-test to
the post-test.
Students achieved
mastery in all
categories, and the
concepts fully
resonated with all
students after the
unit was over.
Planning and
Preparation
The instructor did
not put forth any
amount of planning
for each day-to-day
lesson.
Lesson plans were
created for each
day-to-day
activity, but each
plan was written to
fulfill the bare
minimum
requirements.
The instructor put
forth a significant
amount of planning
for each lesson.
Each lesson plan is
detailed with
standards and
objectives. Goals are
adjusted each week
to accommodate to
student needs.
The instructor
implements lesson
plans at a mastery
level, where lesson
plans show
tremendous
amounts of
planning. There is
an extensive
amount of
standards and
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objectives, and the
instructor accounts
for short-term and
long-term goals
when creating the
lesson plans well in
advance.
Accommodations
for students with
special needs
The instructor does
not accommodate
to any student with
special needs
throughout the
course of the unit.
The instructor
accounts for
student needs and
differences for the
assessments.
Throughout the
course of the unit,
many students
with special needs
feel that they are
improving, but
minimal
accommodations
are made.
The instructor
accounts for student
needs and
differences
throughout the
course of the unit.
Each student with
special needs shows
growth and
improvement at a
proficient level.
Lesson plans show
detail of
accommodations to
all students with
special needs.
The instructor
accounts for
student needs and
differences
throughout the
course of the unit.
The instructor
creates thorough
accommodations
for the students on
the assessments,
and each student
feels that he can
achieve mastery of
the expectations
given by the
instructor.
Quality of
Assessments
The instructor did
not give any
assessments to
students
throughout the
course of the unit.
The instructor
implemented
formal
assessments at the
end of the unit to
show
understanding and
growth.
The instructor
implemented both
formal and informal
assessments to the
students to assist in
student
comprehension.
The instructor
implemented
multiple forms of
formal and
informal
assessment
throughout the unit
to check all student
understanding and
comprehension to
assist with student
mastery of
concepts and skills.
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SELF-ASSESSMENT FROM RUBRIC CRITERIA Based on the rubric above, I would assess myself:
� Incorporation of National Standards: DISTINGUISHED
I ranked myself as distinguished in this category because I incorporated three national standards
into this unit curriculum. I wanted to assist students in their abilities of composition (NS4),
reading and notating sixteenth note rhythms (NS5), and listening and evaluating music (NS6). I
also incorporated secondary standards into this project as well, such as evaluating music and
music performances of the pieces listened to in class (NS7). We went through informal and
formal assessments that assisted students in growth in each of these standards on a daily basis to
allow the students to achieve mastery in each of these categories. I felt that there was a
tremendous amount of growth shown by all students in these standards in comparing the pre-test
and post-test graphs.
� Instructional Effectiveness: PROFICIENT
I ranked myself as proficient in this category. Based on the results of the pre-test and post-test
scores, students definitely showed a tremendous amount of growth. However, many students still
performed poorly on the post-test. This was due to lack of student cooperation. Many of the
students who did not perform well were either not paying attention or did not take notes
throughout the unit. As their instructor, this is very disappointing. However, I should have tried
to reign in their cooperation with my own classroom management tactics throughout the unit. I
should have held students more accountable for their actions and tried to guide them through the
process of taking notes to allow notes to resonate with them. There was a lot of growth and
improvement in regards to test scores, but I wish the results would have been higher. I taught
them to the best of my abilities, but I could have provided more opportunities to take notes and
sort out difficult vocabulary.
� Planning and Preparation: PROFICIENT
I ranked myself as proficient in this category of planning and preparation. My lesson plans were
thorough and extensive throughout the unit, but I would change my plans by the week to
accommodate for student needs. I tried to write out an overall plan of long-term and short-term
goals, but I adjusted my lesson plans each week by what the students needed. My objectives also
needed to be modified to be observable and measurable.
� Accommodations for students with special needs: PROFICIENT -
I ranked myself as proficient- for this category because I tried to account for students with
special needs. I assessed students formally and informally throughout the unit, and I tried to keep
my eye on the students that I knew needed more attention in the process. The informal
assessments done in class allowed me to see first-hand the students who were struggling. This
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allowed me to guide them patiently through the process. However, many of them struggled with
terminology, and I could have created notecards or worksheets to help them remember the terms.
Many of them could not write well, and I felt that the lack of materials to guide them through the
process of memorizing terms hindered them from performing their best. Students still showed a
tremendous amount of improvement from the pre-test to the post-test score. I was incredibly
proud of the students for mastering the art of dictation by the end of the unit. This was so
exciting! However, they still struggled with vocabulary and terminology, and I could have
guided them through this process or created an easier format on the test for them than fill-in-the-
blank on these portions. During the test, I did not have them write down their answers for these
terms. I asked them verbally for the definitions and wrote down what they told me. However,
they still struggled comprehending these terms.
� Quality of Assessments: DISTINGUISHED-
I ranked myself as distinguished- for this category because I assessed the students informally
every single day over their knowledge and understanding of the concepts of dictation,
composition, and error detection. I also gave formal assessments of skills and knowledge for the
pre-test and post-tests. I tried to do multiple levels of assessments with the students by playing
the rhythm games and writing the dictation and compositions both on the board and in the
worksheet. I assessed the students of the terms verbally and visually every day with body
movements. However, I could have assessed them on the terms with a small quiz throughout the
week and given them a worksheet or homework assignment to practice studying the terms on
their own as well.