Lesson Plan: Vocal Health = Overall Health

Grades
Lesson Plan
Type
Estimated Time
Author

Grades 4-6
(4MAT Style) 4-Week Vocal Health Unit
Four 45 Minute Sessions
Czarina Francisco

Overview & Objectives

As singers in training, it is important for students to not only learn
proper singing technique, but to also understand the importance and
maintenance of vocal health. Students will:
Understand the importance and steps to maintain proper vocal
health.
Analyze personal health habits and its effect on their vocal
health.
Apply vocal health tips to their daily life.
Share their experiences and opinions through social media.
Design and create a pamphlet on vocal health, including tips and
warm-ups.
Standards INTS
INTS - Teacher
1b. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving
authentic problems using digital tools and resources
2a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that
incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student
learning and creativity

2b. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that

enable all students to pursue their individual curiosities and
become active participants in setting their own educational
goals, managing their own learning, and assessing their own
progress
1c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal
and clarify students conceptual understanding and thinking,
planning, and creative processes
2d. Provide students with multiple and varied formative and
summative assessments aligned with content and technology
standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and
teaching
3a. Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer

INTS

of current knowledge to new technologies and situations

3c. Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to
students, parents, and peers using a variety of digital age media
and formats
3d. Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging
digital tools to locate, analyze, evaluate, and use information
resources to support research and learning
4c. Promote and model digital etiquette and responsible social
interactions related to the use of technology and information
-Student
2a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or
others employing a variety of digital environments and media
4c. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make
informed decisions
6d. Select and use applications effectively and productively1a.
Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or
processes
1b. Create original works as a means of personal or group
expression
3a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
3b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically
use information from a variety of sources and media
3c. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools
based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
3d. Process data and report results

Resources and Preparation

Materials and Technology
Students personal computer/mobile device
PollEverywhere
Prezi presentation
Twitter w/classroom account
Classroom computer/iPad
Overhead projector
Plant Nanny app
Sleep Better app.
Print-outs/PDFs
http://www.jenevorawilliams.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/10/Vocal-Health-for-children-andadults1.pdf
http://www.uu.edu/dept/music/library/safety/VocalHealthInformat

ion.pdf
https://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/ohs/minimising_
harmful_vocal_habits.pdf

Websites/Apps
PollEverywhere
(https://www.polleverywhere.com/survey/H5ITTBSP7)
Prezi Presentation (http://prezi.com/nsrlys2pylwb/?
utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share)
Plant Nanny app (http://appcrawlr.com/android/plant-nannywater-reminder)
Sleep Better app (http://appcrawlr.com/app/show/3989428)
Preparation
Send home reminders for students to bring personal devices to
class as well as school guidelines for proper use of devices.
Make copies of PDF hand-outs.
Have examples of student work for each project to show students
Make sure all classroom technology is set up and running.
Activities
Q1 (10 Minutes)
Teacher will share
PollEverywhere link with
class.
Students will take poll using
personal mobile device.
Students and teacher will
discuss poll results.
Q2 (30 Minutes)
Teacher will present concept
of Vocal Health using Prezi.
Students will follow along
and live tweet to teacher
(w/classroom hashtag) their
thoughts and questions on
the presentation.
Q3 (Span 2 Weeks)
(Wk 1) Students will use
their mobile device and
sleep/hydration tracking
apps to log their daily water
intake and hours of sleep.

Evaluation
Student participation and
discussion.

Participation, thoughtfulness of
tweets.

Participation, consistency in daily

tweet,
thoughtfulness/thoroughness of
reflection paper.

They will not change

anything about their typical
daily health habits.
(Wk 1) Students will also
send one tweet about what
healthy or not healthy thing
they did that day to
classroom twitter, using the
classroom hashtag.
At the end of week 1,
students will write a halfpage reflection detailing
their findings from tracking
their water and sleep and
their goals for week 2.
(Wk 2) Students will make a
point of drinking more water
and getting more sleep each
day. They will also cut out
sweets and caffeine from
their diet.
(Wk 2) Students will log
their new habits with their
mobile device and
sleep/hydration tracking
apps and continue their
daily class tweet.
At the end of week 2,
students will write a onepage reflection detailing
their change in habits,
whether or not it was a
challenge, the importance of
sleep and hydration to vocal
health, and if they noticed a
change in their singing.
The teacher will retweet the
best daily tweet onto the
class Twitter and class
website. The teacher will
also join students in keeping
track of his/her health habits
with the same apps.

Q4 (Homework, 1 Week)

Creativity and thoroughness of

vocal health pamphlet/flier.

Students will create their
own pamphlet/flier detailing
the importance of vocal
health as well as include tips
for keeping ones voice
healthy.
The teacher will choose best
fliers from each class to be
uploaded onto the
classroom website and
shared on Twitter.

Extensions
(Q4) Students may create a YouTube video instead of a
pamphlet/flier.
(Q3) Students can use Instagram to document their new vocal
health habits.
Students can research their favorite singers to find out what
vocal health issues they have faced. They can then write a letter
to the singer giving advice on how to better care for their
instrument.
Students can have members of their family or friends join in on
their new vocal health habits for a week. Students can then
interview their family and friends to find out how their
experience was and if they noticed a difference in how they felt.
Students can write a short jingle that can be used to remember
the vocal health tips they practiced during the lesson.