This lesson is for : Grade 5:
Summary
Fifth graders love listening to music and are always ready to talk about their favorite singers and bands. However, they usually aren’t as knowledgeable about the history of different music genres. Our goal with this project was to turn our fifth graders into musical historians who could share their findings with others in an interesting way. First we introduced the project and discussed the essential questions. The students developed some of their own questions as well. Next they chose their groups and the music genre they wanted to study. We spent a day researching in the library with the librarian’s help. Students used a variety of online and print resources. Then we started working on the presentations using Google slides. Students had to create slides with the following information: (1) a description of the genre, (2) examples of famous artists who sing the genre, (3) links to sound samples, (4) the time and place of the genre’s origin, and (5) a reflection on why they chose the genre and what they learned. Students published their slideshows on Google classroom, and they also did a live presentation for their classmates.
See song samples students chose from: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_vHra8QfVkhSkd6YVpEeDVJdEk&usp=sharing#list
See presentation photos and an example of a student slideshow: https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B_vHra8QfVkhRWZQNS0zbWNobUk&usp=sharing
TIPC Ratings
Research & Information Fluency
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Students used a teacher created guide to facilitate their research. They also developed their own questions. Students selected the most reliable resources using OneSearch. They organized their findings in a Google presentation. To rate higher, students could have developed their own guidelines for research and they could have used a rubric to evaluate the accuracy of their sources.
Communication & Collaboration
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Students chose their own groups and their favorite genre for the project. They shared their presentations online, extending their audience beyond the classroom. Since they used Google slides, they could collaborate on the project in other locations outside the classroom. They also gave an oral presentation to their peers. To rate higher, students could have collaborated with experts on music genres, made their own sound samples, and they could have reflected on their group roles after the project was over.
Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
Rating: Approaching – Explanation: Students had to take their research and present it in a new way for their classmates. They had to select the most important and accurate information. They chose a couple of representative sound samples to include in their presentation. Students reflected on what they learned and justified their decision making process. To rate higher, students could have selected their own presentation tool instead of everyone using Google slides.
Creativity & Innovation
Rating: Developing – Explanation: Students chose the images, information, and music for their presentation. They planned ways to make their oral presentation interesting. To rate higher, students could have taken risks and gone beyond the assignment in creative new ways. They could have reflected on the creative process with a rubric.
Student Artifact
Lesson Materials
