C Major And G Major Scales Lesson Plan for 7th Grade Students

Topic: C Major and G Major Scales

Objectives & Outcomes

• By the end of this lesson, students will be able to play C major and G major scales on the keyboard.

Materials

• keyboards or piano
• C major scale sheet music
• G major scale sheet music
• pencils

Warm-up

• Have students stretch their fingers by doing a hand stretch (lay their hand flat on the desk and flex their fingers forward and backward).
• Have students play a tune that they are familiar with, but play only the white keys.
• After a few minutes, have them play the same tune, but this time play only the black keys.
• Ask them to notice the differences in the sounds produced by the white keys vs. the black keys.

Direct Instruction

• Show students the C major scale on the keyboard.
• Play the scale up and down once for illustration, and then have students repeat the scale after you.
• Have students play the scale several times in succession, making sure that they are hitting the notes correctly and in the proper order.
• Move on to the G major scale.
• Again, show the scale on the keyboard and play it up and down once for illustration.
• Have students repeat the scale after you, making sure that they are hitting the notes correctly and in the proper order.
• Have students play the scale several times in succession, making sure that they are hitting the notes correctly and in the proper order.

Guided Practice

• Provide students with a handout with the C major and G major scales written out.
• Have students work in pairs or small groups to practice playing the scales on the keyboard, making sure that they are hitting the notes correctly and in the proper order.
• Assist students as needed and provide feedback on their playing.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one of the scales (C major or G major) to work on for the independent practice portion of the activity.
• Have students use the keyboard to practice playing the scale, paying attention to both their finger placement and their note accuracy.
• Encourage students to play the scale multiple times as needed in order to become comfortable with it.

Closure

• Have students share one thing they learned about C major and G major scales during the lesson.
• Discuss as a class any challenges or successes students had while practicing the scales.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice and give feedback on their scales.
• Have students complete a short quiz on the C major and G major scales, covering the key signatures, scales, and chords.