Grade 3

Land of the Silver Birch Lesson Plan

THE BIG PICTURE OF THE LESSON

Artistic Process: Performing

Process Component: Realizing artistic ideas and work through interpretation and
presentation
Anchor Standard: #5
Performance Standard: Rehearse to refine technical accuracy and expressive
qualities, and identify performance challenges. MU:Pr5.1.2

Essential Understanding(s):

Essential Question(s):

To express their musical ideas,

musicians analyze, evaluate, and
refine their performance over
time through openness to new
ideas, persistence, and the
application of appropriate
criteria.

How do musicians improve the quality

of their performance?

Established Goal(s): Learn Land of the Silver Birch with vocal and
technical accuracy, understanding the musical structure and context of
the song.

UNDERSTANDING THE LESSON STUDENT OUTCOMES

Students Will Know:

The Verse-refrain structure

of Land of the Silver
Birch
Personal and historical
context of Land of the
Silver Birch

Students Will Be Able to Do:

Sing each verse and refrain

Sing Land of the Silver Birch

using their head voices.

Grade 3

Land of the Silver Birch Lesson Plan

PERFORMANCE TASKS AND ASSESSMENT

Performance Task(s):

Assessment:

Sing Land of the Silver Birch

with technical accuracy

Know the verse and refrain of

the song

Observing each child and taking

notes on whether they are using
head voices and how much of each
verse they are learning.

Watch how each child sings in their

respective groups.

Constantly ask class is the group

singing was just right

STAGE 3 LEARNING PLAN

Learning Activities Sequence:

Begin by singing Land of the Silver Birch accompanied by pictures of all

the places in the song.

Ask students what some of the pictures were and take a guess as to where
this place might be.

Sing the whole song over again, asking students to listen to what part
repeats. When singing the song this time, tape pictures to the board to
make an impromptu painting.

Learn the refrain by rote.

Sing all the verses, have students sing refrain. Accompany it with blue lake
picture.

Ask students what this song is about? Give hints with wigwam. Ask who
builds wigwams.

Sing any verse you choose and as students to listen to the point of view of
the song. Ask what this person is singing about, sing refrain again to help
guide students.

Sing whole with class pointing to the pictures as you sing.

Hand out lyrics to song and divide class into three groups. Assign each

Grade 3

Land of the Silver Birch Lesson Plan

group a specific verse to learn. Bring attention to xylophone, play melody of

each verse three times. Ask class to sing along in their heads to their
respective verse.

Set timer to 2-3 minutes for each group to learn their verses.

Bring class back together. Point to each group when its their turn to sing the
verse, specify a specific cue to bring class in during refrain. Sing along with
each group to model proper vocal technique,

Have class sing whole song start to finish, they can follow along to the lyrics
provided if they wish.

DIFFERENTIATION PROCESS, PRODUCT, OR CONTENT

Have students who are audibly challenged sit up front so they can hear
better. Sing ino microphone and have them sit next to a speaker, if possible.

Constantly refer to pictures for visual learners.

Have lyrics up on the board throughout the lesson.