Bach Lesson Plan

It's always a challenge to come up with meaningful lessons to leave for a supply teacher. Composer of the Month lessons have been working well for me and help me to tie in some music history. Last month I did a Junior and Intermediate lesson about Vivaldi but since my absence was a little more last minute I prepared one lesson for all the grades.

This listening activity came from Listening Kit 2 and I adapted a Total Participation Technique (see below for a complete description of the TPT) to ensure that students understood Bach's biography.

1. Listen to Minuet in G.
2. Have students keep a body percussion ostinato (pat, clap, clap) as the music plays.
3. Use rhythm sticks - tap the chair on beat 1, and tap the sticks together on beats 2 & 3.
4. Read Bach's biography to the class.
5. Stop after each paragraph for students to illustrate the concepts they heard in the reading.
6. After each drawing students should share what they drew with a partner.
7. Continue with next two paragraphs.
8. At the end, students consolidate what they have learned into a drawing that captures the "Big Picture" of Bach's life.
9. Have individual's share their "Big Pictures."

TPT #5

• select points in the presentation to puase and have students process what they have learned and draw a picture that illustrates the important concepts
• have students share the picture with a peer and record any questions they have
• at the end, have students consolidate their learning by drawing a final "big picture" along with a summary statement below
• share big pictures and debrief