FULL Lesson Plan for the Elementary Music Class

Teacher Name________________________________

Objectives: Students will be able to recite rhythmic poem, perform body percussion and
improvise rhythm in 4/4 time accurately.

Standards Being Addressed:

MU:Pr5.1.1a With limited guidance, apply personal, teacher, and peer feedback to refine
performances.
MU:Pr6.1.1a With limited guidance, perform music for a specific purpose with expression
MU:Cr1.1.1a With limited guidance, create musical ideas (such as answering a musical question)
for a specific purpose.

Materials of Instruction:

Tommy Thumb is up
And Tommy Thumb is down
Tommy Thumb is dancing
All around the town

Lesson Sequence (lessons may have more or less activities as appropriate):

Entry Activity/Transition:

Activity #1: The students will recite rhythmic poem, Tommy Thumb with accurate words and
rhythms.
1. T asks S’s to listen for whom the poem is about
2. T recites the poem while patting lap, and has students pat lap (whole time).
3. T asks S’s to share the name of the main character
 4. T provides feedback to S’s answers (“Yes, that’s very good,” or “Not quite, let’s
listen again.”)
5. T asks S’s to listen for what the main character does during the poem
6. T recites poem
7. T has S’s share their thoughts about the action Tom Thumb performs
8. T provides feedback to S’s answers (“Yes, that’s very good,” or “Not quite, let’s
listen again.”)
9. T asks S’s to listen for where Tom Thumb does the action
10. T recites poem
11. T has S’s share their thoughts on where Tom Thumb does action
12. T provides feedback to S’s answers (“Yes, that’s very good,” or “Not quite, let’s
listen again.”)
13. T recites first line of poem. “Tommy Thumb is up.” (Use non-verbal gestures to
indicate listening)
14. T cues S’s to repeat first line of poem. “Tommy Thumb is up.” (Nonverbal cues)
15. T corrects errors if they happen.
16. T recites next line of poem. “Tommy Thumb is down.” (Gestures to indicate
listening)
17. T cues S’s for next line. “Tommy Thumb is down.” (Nonverbal cues)
18. T corrects errors if they happen.
19. T recites 3rd line. “Tommy Thumb is dancing.” (Gestures to indicate listening)
20. T cues S’s for 3rd line. “Tommy Thumb is dancing.” (Nonverbal cues)
21. T corrects errors if they happen,
22. T recites final line. “All around the town.” (Gestures to indicate listening)
23. T cues S’s for final line. “All around the town.” (Nonverbal cues)
24. T corrects any errors on lines as they come.
25. T immediately recites two lines of the poem. “Tommy Thumb is up and Tommy
Thumb is down. (Gesture to indicate listening.)
26. T cues S’s to repeat two lines of poem. (Nonverbal cues.) “Tommy Thumb is up and
Tommy Thumb is down.”
27. T corrects errors if they happen
28. T recites final two lines. (Gestures to indicate listening) “Tommy Thumb is dancing,
all around the town.”
29. T cues S’s to repeat final two lines of poem. (Nonverbal cues.) “Tommy Thumb is
dancing all around the town.
30. T asks students to say very first word of poem.
31. S’s recite very first word of poem.
32. T has S’s say poem verbally in head.
33. T asks S’s if there are any parts they had problems with.
34. Repeat lines as necessary.
35. T recites whole poem.
36. S’s repeat whole poem (If no trouble spots, praise students end lesson)
38. T reviews any trouble spots and repeats poem again.
 Assessment: T listens for s to perform poem with accurate words and rhythms

Transition/Closure: T now asks s to watch T perform rhyme and simplified version of

body percussion.

Activity #2: Students will perform rhythmic poem with accurate words, rhythm, and body
percussion.

1. T starts patting lap on beats 1 and 3and has s join as comfortable

2. T then says rhyme while patting to this beat.
3. T has s say rhyme (non verbal cues)
4. T fixes any mistakes as they occur
5. T stops s and have them watch you add clap on 2 and 4
6. T has s join when comfortable
7. T then says rhyme with pats and claps. Has students pat and clap along but only listen
to rhyme.
8. T then has s join in saying rhyme while patting and clapping.
9. T fixes any mistakes as they occur
10. T then has s watch as the snap is added.
11. T has s join when they feel comfortable
10. T says rhyme while performing 3 body percussion actions, while s just do actions
12. T has s say rhyme and do percussion they have learned.
13. T fixes any mistakes as they occur.
14. Finally T has students watch whole thing with the addition of the rest in measures two
and four.
15. T has s join in when they feel comfortable
16. T says rhyme while performing completed body percussion s do actions
17. T has s say rhyme with completed percussion.
Assessment: T observes as s says rhyme with accurate words, rhythms, and body
percussion.

Transition/Closure: “Great Job class! Tomorrow we will work on adding real

percussion!”

Activity #3: Students will demonstrate knowledge of 4/4 time in 4 and 8 bar phrases by
improvising with body percussion to the rhythmic poem Tommy Thumb

1. As s enters have them sit in large circle

2. Invite s to pat the beat on their laps (non-verbal cue)
3. While s pats, T says Tommy Thumb poem
4. T asks s what action Tommy is doing in the poem.
5. “Now this time as I recite the poem I want all of you to dance around like Tommy does
in the poem!”
6. T recites poem a couple times and let students dance around classroom.
 7. “Very good class! Now watch what I do.”
8. T has s pat lap to beat again
9. T recites first three lines of the poem, then pats beat to one empty measures, then
recites final line.
10. T now has s repeat poem with one empty measure and then completes the poem.
11. “This time when I recite the poem, I want everyone to use their stomps, snaps, pats,
and claps to create their own rhythm in the part that has no words!”
12. T recites poem and has the entire class improvise movement together.
13. “Ok class we are going to do that again to give everyone another chance”
14. T recites poem again.
15. “Now class I want everyone to pair up with their partner.”
16. T waits for class to pair up and spread around the room.
17. T cues everyone to pat lap, and recite poem with the four empty beats.
18. “Now face your partner and when we get to the empty part, all number ones will
perform their improvised body percussion.”
19. T and S give number ones time to improvise their measure. (May repeat both groups as
needed)
20. “Those were some very creative improvisations! Lets see what the twos can come up
with.”
21. T and s recite poem giving second group a chance to improvise.
22. “Those were great! Would anyone like to share their improvisations with the class?”
23. T lets volunteers show their improvisations, making specific complimentary comments
about each one.

Assessment: T observes as s improvise 4 beats of body percussion during Tommy

Thumb Rhyme with accurate time and steady beat.

Transition: Great job with your improvisations! Lets all do it together one last time. T
and s perform rhyme with improv part before clas leaves.

Closure: I hope you all had fun improvising! Tomorrow we will add imstruments!