Level 2. Lesson 9. Prepare do
Woodblock
Difficulty: 
Prior learning: None
Prepare: do Present: Practice:
Students will sing "Bow Wow Wow," explore its melodic contour, and discover a new low note within the song.
Questions
- What do you notice about how your voice feels when you sing the lowest part of the melody?
- How is the lowest note different from the other notes in the song?
- Can you show me where the melody moves to its lowest point in the song?
- Start the lesson by singing “Bow Wow Wow” as a class and asking students to tap the beat on their laps or march in place. Encourage them to listen carefully to how the melody moves as they sing.
- Introduce the idea of melodic movement by asking students to use their hands to show whether the melody goes higher, lower, or stays the same as they sing each phrase. Guide them to notice any moments when the melody moves much lower.
- Present a visual representation of the melodic contour for the song. Use this as a tool to trace the movement of the melody with your finger or a pointer while singing.
- Ask students to join in by tracing the contour with their fingers in the air. Encourage them to focus on the phrase where the melody dips the lowest.
- Ask students to sing the song again, this time paying special attention to when their voices move to the lowest part of the melody.
- Guide them with questions like, "What do you notice about the sound here? How does it feel different from the other parts of the song?"
- Introduce a movement activity to reinforce the discovery of the new low note. For example, students can crouch down or point to the floor when the melody reaches the lowest note. They return to standing or point upward as the melody moves higher again.
- To reinforce their discovery, sing the phrase with the lowest note several times and have students hum it softly, listening for how it feels different from the rest of the melody.
Success Criteria
- I can hear and identify the lowest pitch in the song.
- I can describe how the melody changes when it reaches the lowest note.
- I can trace the melodic contour and find where the lowest note occurs.
Students will identify and explore the new note below mi through listening and singing exercises.
Questions
- Can you show me the hand signs for so, mi and la?
- Which house is the lowest note?
- Is this house a step or skip below mi?
- Begin by briefly recapping so, mi, and la with their corresponding hand signs. Lead the class in a quick warm-up exercise, singing simple melodies that include these notes.
- Show the image of "Melody Street" with so, mi, and the new mystery note below mi. They are musical detectives today, and their task is to investigate this mystery note.
- Project the graphic. Ask the class if this new note is a step or a skip below mi.
- Encourage them to think about the distance between the notes as they listen.
- Sing the target phrase of Bow Wow Wow that includes the unknown note.
- Ask students to listen closely for the note that sounds lower than mi.
- Repeat the phrase, stopping at the unknown note. Invite students to echo-sing the note, using their detective skills to feel its relationship to mi.
- Lead them in discussing whether the note sounds close (a step) or farther away (a skip) from mi.
- Conclude by praising their detective work and letting them know they’ll uncover more about the note in future lessons!
Success Criteria
- I can use hand signs to show so, mi, and la.
- I can listen and identify the note that sounds lower than mi.
- I can echo-sing the new note accurately.
Students will identify and sing a new low note and use their arms to represent its position in the melody.
Lyrics
Mary wore a red dress, red dress, red dress.
Mary wore a red dress all day long.
- Sing the song with the students and ask them to listen carefully for a new low note at the end.
- Guide them to use their arms to represent the position of the low note, lowering their arms as they sing it.
- Point out the phrase "moon bless me" and sing it slowly, asking the students to echo it back to reinforce the new note.
- Repeat the song together, emphasising the low note with both their voices and arm movements.
Success Criteria
- I can listen to and identify the new low note in the song.
- I can use my arms to show the position of the new low note.
- I can echo and sing the phrase with the low note accurately.
Questions
- Where do you hear the low note in the song?
- How does the low note sound different from the other notes?
- Can you show me the low note using your arms?
Students will explore 2-metre [duple metre] through conducting, body movement, and rhythm practice.
Some students may find difficulty in following you as your motions might appear in an opposite fashion. To solve this, use your left hand and explain that now students will mirror your left hand with their right hands.
Questions
- What is the pattern of strong and weak beats in 2-metre?
- Why is there a 2 in front of the word?
- What is the first movement of your arm in conducting 2-metre?
- Clap and say the rhythm of the song Rain Rain while students echo (e.g., ta ta ti-ti ta).
- Sing the song with students while clapping the rhythm.
- Remind students that 2-metre has alternating strong and weak beats.
- Ask students to pat their laps on the strong beats, and raise their arms and click their fingers on the weak beats as they sing Rain Rain.
- Explain that musicians use a motion called conducting to show the beats in a song.
- Demonstrate the down-up motion for 2-metre by moving your hand down on the first (strong) beat.
- Move your hand up on the second (weak) beat.
- Show the conducting motion slowly while students watch.
- Have students mimic the motion using their right hands.
- Practise conducting while singing Rain Rain together, focusing on matching the down-up motion to the strong-weak beats.
- Tell students to "attach" their right hand to yours as if it’s glued to your hand.
- Lead the group in conducting while singing the song, ensuring everyone follows your actions.
Success Criteria
- I can identify the strong and weak beats in duple metre.
- I can perform the conducting motion for duple metre.
- I can follow the teacher's conducting actions with my right hand.
Students will identify and clap rhythms from flashcards, using time names and including the crotchet rest ("za").
Questions
- If "za" is silent, how would you describe what it sounds like?
- Can you clap a rhythm pattern where "za" sneaks in and surprises us?
- If "za" were an animal, what would it be, and why?
- Project the rhythm flashcards on the board.
- Remind students that za is a silent beat. Explain that it is just as important as the sounds but is performed with a beat of silence.
- Demonstrate clapping a rhythm while saying the time names. Students should say and clap the time names.
- Invite individual students to lead the class by clapping and saying the rhythm for a flashcard. Then, have the group echo.
- For a challenge, project a sequence of two or three flashcards and ask the students to perform the full rhythm pattern, keeping the beat steady.
Success Criteria
- I can read and clap rhythms shown on flashcards.
- I can say the time names accurately while clapping.
- I can recognise and include the crotchet rest ("za") in my clapping.
Students will sing and move to the song, exploring beat, movement, and creativity.
Lyrics
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
If you're happy and you know it, then you really ought to show it.
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands.
- Start by teaching the song. Sing it for the students first, and then invite them to sing along as they become familiar with it. Use the classic actions like clapping hands, stomping feet, and shouting "Hooray!" to build engagement.
- When secure, sing the song together, but after each verse, a student gets to pick a new action for everyone to do (e.g., spin around, jump, pat their head).
- The chosen action replaces the original, so the new verse might go, "If you’re happy and you know it, spin around."
- Play the game by singing the song with the group and letting different students suggest creative actions. Make sure to include physical and vocal movements to keep things varied.
- For an extra challenge, try "Mystery Leader":
- While singing, one student secretly leads the group with a new action that others must copy.
- Everyone tries to guess who the leader is by the end of the song.
Questions
- How else could you show you're happy?
- Which sort of music makes you happy?
- How did it feel to follow someone else's actions in the game?
Success Criteria
- I can sing the song and keep in time with the actions.
- I can follow and create new actions for the song.
- I can have fun participating in a group activity.
ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS
- The student can
- The student can
- The student can
Suggested lessons
Y1. Beat II
Y1. Beat III
Y1. Beat IV