Music and the Elements of a Story

Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Arts Education

Grade(s)

2, 3, 4

Overview

Students will identify the elements of a story - character, setting, plot.  They will listen to a story while listening to "Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.  They will identify story elements.  They will listen to "Fossils" from Carnival of the Animals and create a story including character, setting, and plot.  

English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 2

ELA21.2.40

Write a personal or fictional narrative using a logical sequence of events, including details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings and providing a sense of closure.

UP:ELA21.2.40

Vocabulary

  • Personal narrative
  • Fictional narrative
  • Logical
  • Sequence of events
  • Details
  • Actions
  • Thoughts
  • Feelings
  • Closure

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • A narrative story describes a sequence of events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end).
  • A narrative story describes the actions, thoughts, and feelings of the characters.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or write a fictional narrative with a made-up story.
  • Write a narrative with a logical sequence of events and provide details that describe how the character feels, acts, and thinks.
  • Write a narrative that ends with a sense of closure.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and an ending that provides the reader with a sense of closure.
  • Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 3

ELA21.3.33

Write personal or fictional narratives with a logical plot (sequence of events), characters, transitions, and a sense of closure.

UP:ELA21.3.33

Vocabulary

  • Personal narrative
  • Fictional narrative
  • Logical plot
  • Sequence of events
  • Characters
  • Transitions
  • Closure

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made up story.
  • A narrative story describes a sequence of events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end) and provides a sense of closure as an ending.
  • A narrative story describes the actions, thoughts, and feelings of the characters.
  • Narrative transitions indicate when and where the story is occurring.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story.
  • Write a narrative with a logical sequence of events and details that describe how the characters feels, acts, and thinks.
  • Use appropriate transitions in narrative writing.
  • Write a narrative that ends with a sense of closure.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and an ending that provides the reader with a sense of closure.
  • Because narrative writing describes a chronological sequence of events, it includes transitions that indicate the time and place in which the story is occurring.
  • Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 4

ELA21.4.35

Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical plot, transitional words and phrases, sensory details, and dialogue, and providing a sense of closure.

UP:ELA21.4.35

Vocabulary

  • Personal narratives
  • Fictional narratives
  • Logical plot
  • Transitional words and phrases
  • Sensory details
  • Dialogue
  • Closure

Knowledge

Students know:
  • A narrative is a piece of writing that tells a story.
  • A personal narrative tells about an event that was personally experienced by the author, while a fictional narrative tells a made up story.
  • A narrative story describes a sequence of events in a logical order (beginning, middle, end) and provides a sense of closure as an ending.
  • Narrative transitions indicate when and where the story is occurring.
  • Sensory details use descriptions of the five senses.
  • Dialogue is a conversation between two or more people.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Write a personal narrative that recalls a personal experience or a fictional narrative with a made-up story.
  • Write a narrative with a logical sequence of events and sensory details.
  • Use appropriate transitional words and phrases in narrative writing.
  • Include dialogue in narrative writing.
  • Write a narrative that ends with a sense of closure.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Narrative writing includes predictable elements, like a logical sequence of events and an ending that provides the reader with a sense of closure.
  • Because narrative writing describes a chronological sequence of events, it includes transitions that indicate the time and place in which the story is occurring.
  • Narrative writing can be used to tell about something that happened to them personally or it can tell a story they made up.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 2 - Music

AE17.MU.2.18

Apply personal and expressive preferences in the evaluation of music for specific purposes.

UP:AE17.MU.2.18

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Eighth note, eighth rest, half note, half rest, whole note, whole rest
  • Strong/ weak beat — 2/4; 3/4 meter
  • Accelerando/ ritardando
Melody
  • Pitch Set: Do, Re, Mi, So, La
  • Five-line staff
  • Treble clef
  • Names of lines/ spaces (treble staff)
Harmony
  • Melodic ostinati
  • Partner songs
Form
  • AAB, AABA, Rondo
  • Verse/ Refrain
Expression
  • Orchestral instrument families
  • Piano (p), forte (f)
  • Crescendo/ decrescendo
  • Orchestral Music: programmatic
  • Indigenous music: Native American
  • American music: slave songs, colonial folk songs
Other
  • Age-appropriate pitch matching (B3-D5)1
  • Mallet/ drumming technique: alternating hands

Essential Questions

EU: The personal evaluation of musical works and performances is informed by analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.
EQ: How do we judge the quality of musical work(s) and performance(s)?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Demonstrate understanding of musical intent when performing, through attention to expressive markings.
Creating
  • Demonstrate understanding of cultural authenticity by performing music with appropriate stylistic expression
Reading/ Writing
  • Identify repeat signs and multiple verses in a verse/refrain song
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Explain musical decisions that contribute to the expressive intent of the music.
  • Describe the context of lyrics in a verse/refrain song.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 3 - Music

AE17.MU.3.19

Evaluate musical works and performances, applying established criteria, and describe appropriateness to the context.

UP:AE17.MU.3.19

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Bar lines
  • Measures
    • Melody
      • Pitch set: Low So, Low La, High Do
      • Treble clef reading (Mi, Re, Do)
      • Middle C to high G
      • Ledger lines
      Harmony
      • Partner songs
      • Rounds
      • Ostinati
      Form
      • Theme and variations
      • Coda
      • D.S. al coda
      • Repeat sign
      • Fermata
      Expression
      • Phrase/ phrasing
      • Pianissimo (pp), fortissimo (ff)
      Other
      • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette
      • Orchestral instruments: 4 families
      • Age-appropriate pitch matching (Bb3 - Eb5)

Essential Questions

EU: The personal evaluation of musical works and performances is informed by analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.
EQ: How do we judge the quality of musical work(s) and performance(s)?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Using movement, manipulatives, or visual representation, demonstrate and describe how specific music concepts are used to support a specific purpose in music (such as different sections, selected orchestral, band, folk, or ethnic instruments).
Creating
  • Express melodic contour through movement.
Reading/ Writing
  • When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns and/or melodic phrases with voice, body percussion, and/or instruments, using iconic or standard notation.
  • Develop criteria and use them to critique their own performances and the performances of others.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Identify and respond to simple music forms (e.g., AB, ABA).
  • Identify elements of music using appropriate vocabulary.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Arts Education (2017) Grade(s): 4 - Music

AE17.MU.4.19

Evaluate musical works and performances, applying established criteria, and explain appropriateness to the context.

UP:AE17.MU.4.19

Vocabulary

Rhythm
  • Conducting patterns in
  • Syncopation
Melody
  • Pitch set: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, Ti
  • Treble clef reading (La, So, Mi, Re, Do)
  • Middle C through High B
  • Create melodic sequences
  • Half-step
  • Whole step
Harmony
  • Canons
  • Chord components
  • Chord progression (I, V)
  • Crossover bordun
Form
  • Phrasing: antecedent and consequent
  • D.C. al coda
  • Fine
Expression
  • pp through ff
Other
  • Age-appropriate audience and performer etiquette
  • Orchestra instruments within the 4 families
  • Age-appropriate pitch matching (A3-E5)

Essential Questions

EU: The personal evaluation of musical works and performances is informed by analysis, interpretation, and established criteria.
EQ: How do we judge the quality of musical work(s) and performance(s)?

Skills Examples

Performing
  • Demonstrate and explain how specific music concepts (such as form, timbre, etc.) are used to support a specific purpose in music (such as social and cultural contexts) through various means (such as manipulatives, movement, and/or pictorial representation).
Creating
  • Develop criteria and use them to critique their own performances and the performances of others.
Reading/ Writing
  • Evaluate musical works and performances, applying established criteria, citing evidence from the elements of music.
  • When analyzing selected music, read and perform rhythmic patterns and/or melodic phrases with voice, body percussion, and/or instruments, using iconic or standard notation.
Responding/ Evaluating
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of music applied to a listening example using teacher-given vocabulary (such as different sections of complex forms, teacher-selected orchestral instruments, etc.).
  • Explain how the elements and subject matter of music connect with disciplines outside the arts.

Anchor Standards

Anchor Standard 9: Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.

CR Resource Type

Lesson/Unit Plan

Resource Provider

San Francisco Symphony

License Type

Custom

Accessibility

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