Kindergarten and 1st, Week 19

Curriculum, General, K-1, Lesson Plans

Moving to the Music: Beat, Flow, and Feeling

Danielson Framework Domain Alignment

Lesson Overview

This lesson guides students to differentiate between moving on the beat in a structured way and moving in flow without a specific beat, using music and storytelling. Students will first sing a silly song with focused effort, then explore steady beat through rhythmic movement (“ice skating” and “shaking”), and finally apply expressive, non-rhythmic movement by miming actions from a story, culminating in a reflection on body control.

Standards Alignment

Materials Needed

• Guitar
• Audio system/Speaker
• Recording of “Something in my Shoe” by Al Simmons
• Recording of “Skating” and “The Sweater Song” by Stephanie Leavell
• Paper plates (two per student)
• Egg shakers (one per student)
• Book: A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Recording of “I Live in a Snow Globe” by Laurie Berkner

Preparation Required

1. Pre-arrange the audio playlist in the correct order for smooth transitions.
2. Clear a designated space for movement activities.
3. Place paper plates and egg shakers in easily accessible, pre-counted groups for quick distribution.
4. Familiarize yourself with the songs and the actions of Peter in A Snowy Day.

Common Misconceptions

• Misconception: Singing “silly” means the effort and focus can be silly too.
  • Response Strategies: Acknowledge the fun, then ask, “Can we try to sing the words clearly even though they are funny? What happens to the song if we don’t try our best?”
• Misconception: All movement in music needs to match a steady beat; expressive, flowing movement is “messy” or “wrong.”
  • Response Strategies: Use contrast: have them march to a steady beat, then smoothly mime walking, prompting them to feel the difference. Ask, “Is Peter walking to a drum beat or just walking the way he walks? Does quiet have a loud beat?”

Activity 1 (10 minutes): Silly Singing, Serious Effort

• Learning Objective Focus: Focused vocal effort and listening.
• Description:
  1. Introduction (2 min): Introduce “Something in my Shoe.” Explain the expectation: fun, silly actions, but controlled, focused, clear singing effort. “We have fun, but we are not singing silly.”
  2. Instruction & Practice (5 min): Teach the main phrase/chorus, emphasizing clear articulation and staying with the class’s collective vocal rhythm. Key Question: “Even though this song makes us giggle, how can we show that we are trying our very best to sing it well?”
  3. Metacognitive Check (3 min): “Point to your brain. What did you have to do to make your voice work with everyone else’s? That focusing skill is what we’ll use for our bodies next.” If students ask for the video, defer and remind them of the focus task.
• Potential Misconception: Students may sing loudly or scream.
  • In-the-moment Response: Pause. “Focused effort means controlling our voices. Let’s try to sing with the clarity of the words, not the volume.”
• Differentiation (UDL – Engagement): Offer a choice in the level of “silly” actions (e.g., “You can show a little silly action with one hand, or a big silly action with your whole body.”)

Activity 2 (15 minutes): Finding the Beat with Plates and Shakers

• Learning Objective Focus: Students will be able to move their bodies on the beat while listening to music.
• Description:
  1. Ice Skating (5 min): Distribute paper plates. Instruct students to listen for the steady beat in “Skating” and match it by sliding their plates like skates. Key Question: “When you ‘skate’ to the beat, how does your body know when to lift and when to slide?” Students move around the room, ending in sitting.
  2. Shakers on the Beat (5 min): Collect plates, trade for egg shakers. Instruct students to listen to “I Live in a Snow Globe” and play exactly on the steady beat. Remind them to keep the beat consistent.
  3. Think-Pair-Share (5 min): “Turn to a neighbor. How was shaking the shaker on the beat different from skating to the beat? Which one made you listen harder to the heartbeat of the music?”
• Potential Misconception: Students may shake or move to the flow of the music (fast parts = shake fast) instead of consistently maintaining the steady beat.
  • In-the-moment Response: Stop the music. Model the difference: “The music is fast, but the beat is steady. We are finding the heartbeat of the music.”
• Differentiation (UDL – Action/Expression): For students needing more structure, offer the option of shaking the instrument on a stable part of their body (e.g., knee or shoulder) to provide a tactile anchor for the beat.

Activity 3 (15 minutes): Flowing with the Story

• Learning Objective Focus: Students will be able to use their bodies to show an action from a story, moving in flow rather than on the beat.
• Description:
  1. Read and Analyze (5 min): Students sit quietly. Read A Snowy Day. Emphasize the quality of Peter’s actions (e.g., stepped, dragged, made a big, round snowball).
  2. Miming the Flow (5 min): Invite students to stand. Explain they will mime Peter’s actions without music, focusing on making the movement match the feeling of the action. Guide them through the key actions. Key Question: “How does Peter move when he is dragging his feet through the deep, quiet snow? Does that movement have a beat?”
  3. Control Practice (5 min): Play “The Sweater Song.” Encourage a variety of silly movements (stretching, wiggling, etc.) but emphasize remaining in control of their body and their space. Final Synthesis: “When did we use the music’s beat to move? When did we use our own ideas/feelings to move?”
• Potential Misconception: Students may lose control during the “Sweater Song” and start running or bumping.
  • In-the-moment Response: Use a non-verbal cue (e.g., freeze). “Silly movements need big control. Let’s try to fit all our funny moves into our own tiny bubble of space.”
• Differentiation (UDL – Representation): Before miming, project or show key illustrations from A Snowy Day that depict Peter’s movement to provide a visual scaffold.

Assessment/Exit Ticket (5 minutes)

• Prompt: “Show me the difference between moving to a steady beat and moving in flow. First, make a small movement that shows you are shaking on the steady beat. Then, freeze. Next, make a small movement that shows you are moving in flow, like Peter dragging his feet.” (Teacher observes each student’s two distinct movements.)
• Exemplar Response: The student’s first movement will be repetitive and consistent (e.g., tapping a foot or nodding their head consistently at an even tempo). The student’s second movement will be expressive, smooth, or asymmetrical, showing the quality of the action rather than adherence to a predictable tempo (e.g., a slow, drawn-out mime of stepping into deep snow).