Free 1st Grade The Steady Beat Lesson Plan

Topic: Understanding the steady beat through listening

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to walk, move, or clap a steady beat with others, changing the speed of the beat as the tempo of the music changes.
• Students will be able to recognise a steady beat through listening.

Materials

• Music of various tempos
• Markers or pens for the students to write their answers with
• Music beat cards (optional, for extra practice)

Warm-up

• Play a short piece of music and have the students stand up and walk to the beat.
• Ask the students to describe how they are walking to the beat.
• Play another piece of music and have the students move to the beat.
• Ask the students to describe how they are moving to the beat.
• Play another piece of music and have the students clap to the beat.
• Ask the students to describe how they are clapping to the beat.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the concept of a steady beat, explaining that it is a repeated pattern of sound or movement that helps to keep the music or dance together.
• Play a short piece of music and have the students listen for the steady beat.
• Ask the students to point to the steady beat when they hear it.
• Play another piece of music and have the students listen for the steady beat.
• Ask the students to point to the steady beat when they hear it.

Guided Practice

• Play a short piece of music and have the students listen for the steady beat.
• Have the students take turns calling out the steady beat.
• Play another piece of music and have the students listen for the steady beat.
• Have the students take turns calling out the steady beat.

Independent Practice

• Play a short piece of music and have the students walk, move, or clap to the steady beat.
• Have the students take turns calling out the steady beat.
• Play another piece of music and have the students walk, move, or clap to the steady beat.
• Have the students take turns calling out the steady beat.

Closure

• Review what the students have learned about walking, moving, or clapping to a steady beat with a partner or small group.
• Ask the students to share something they enjoyed about the lesson.

Assessment

• Observation: Observe and assess the students during the guided and independent practice activities to see if they are able to walk, move, or clap to a steady beat.
• Classroom-based assessment: Providing the students with written prompts to create a poem or story about a steady beat and evaluating their work against the standard for understanding of the concept.
• Self-evaluation: The students can also evaluate their own understanding of walking, moving, or clapping to a steady beat by completing a short quiz or writing a paragraph about the topic.