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Task

#4: Educational Objectives & Assessment Plan



Third grade students will show growth in their ability to identify instruments of the
orchestra, characteristics of the instruments and how they are played, and the family to
which each instrument (or group of instruments) belongs. This goal will show the
students ability to meet Maryland Music Standard 1.0 1.a.: Categorize band and orchestra
instruments by sight and sound according to the string, woodwind, brass, or percussion
family.
Most music standards are based on the understanding of the elements of
music. One such element is timbre. Being able to distinguish between the sounds of
different instruments helps students analyze music, appreciate music, and later, make their
own choices in creating music. Additionally, fourth and fifth grade students are eligible to
join band. Knowing about the instruments, their sounds, and how they are grouped can
help them decide what they want to play and better their understanding of how their
instrument relates to the other instruments in the band.
The initial learning activities for the unit include being introduced to each family of
instruments, seeing posters of the instruments that I dont physically have in the classroom,
viewing videos of the instruments being played, hearing them play in an orchestra, etc.
Progress will be monitored through classroom observation during activities and by written
assessment midway through the unit. Strategies include use of multiple representations,
including visual, aural and kinesthetic, to support music comprehension. Activities will
include use of manipulatives, music analysis, and musical games.

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Technology is involved in the use of the SLO template and the SLO assessment

(SchoolNet). SchoolNet grades the assessment and provides reports detailing individual
student performance on the assessment analyzed at the test question level.
For additional instrument and technology exposure, students will practice
categorizing instruments and identifying their sounds in an online listening adventure by
Carnegie Hall using the musical selection The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra by
Benjamin Britten. Students who need to review the instruments can visit the Instrument
Storage Room in the KidZone at www.nyphilkids.org, a site sponsored by the New York
Philharmonic. There they can see the instruments grouped into families, read about each
instrument, and hear a sound clip that features that instrument. They can also play the
game MusicMatch Instruments, where they can see the instruments pictured and hear
them play as they try to find the matching card. On the same site, Instrument Frenzy is a
game where they have to sort the instruments into the correct family bin. MusiQuest is a
backstage adventure, which also centers around the instruments of the orchestra. The San
Francisco Symphony has a great kids website as well where students can learn more about
the instruments of the orchestra (www.sfskids.org). One more great technology resource is
the Dallas Symphony Orchestra kids site (www.dsokids.com) where children can learn
more about the instrument families and hear each instrument play alone and with the
orchestra.
The way that I understand our county SLO system to work is that we are to give the
same assessment pre, mid, and post unit. My analysis of this assessment is detailed in Task
3, as this was my rationale for wanting to combine Tasks 3 & 4. For the purpose of this
course assignment, I have selected some other written assessments to give at different

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points throughout the unit to gauge student understanding. Currently, I use a variety of
games and activities to check for understanding, but they are more on a whole class basis
than an individual basis. These include: Music Go Round (a board game where students
identify instruments by picture), Music Bingo (identifying instruments by sound), Fishing
Game (identify by picture and classify into families), Who Am I? (asking instrument
characteristics questions to name an instrument unknown to the player), Benjamin
Brittons Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra Listening Adventure (mentioned above in
technology), and Four Walls (played like 4 corners using both names of instruments and
sound clips). The assessments and activities chosen all prove whether or not students have
the knowledge necessary to meet the music standard of categorizing band and orchestra
instruments by sight and sound according to the string, woodwind, brass, or percussion
family.

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