Unit Title (Topic/Theme): Pentatonic Scales Class / Yr Group: 3 Length of unit: 6 Start Date:

So what do you want pupils to learn in this unit?Objectives for the unit – what will you see and hear by the end?

Core Activities / Pupils’ Challenge

Overall Objectives unit:

Play and sing a pentatonic scale.Learn of the different cultures that use pentatonic scales eg Chinese, Scottish. Compose and notate melodies using the pentatonic scale.

Key Words:

PentatonicScalesMelodyCompositionOctaveStepLeapIntervalAccompanimentDroneOstinato

Skills:

Developing aural skillsCoordination in developing skills in playing a tuned instrument.Simple notation readingPlay simple melodic patternsCompose simple melodic patternsSimple notation writingPlay confidentlyLearn to work in small groups

Key Questions:

What do the words penta and tonic mean?What is a scale?Which notes are used in a pentatonic scale?How many notes are in a pentatonic scale?What would happen if we added another layer to our performance?How could we make our performance even more interesting?

Resources for unit:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Irii5pt2qE)

Recordings of music from a range of cultures featuring the pentatonic scale.

A range of songs/melodies in the pentatonic scale.

Tuned instruments

Outline of Core Lesson Activities:

In this unit children will develop the ability to recognise and use pentatonic scales to create short melodies and accompaniments. They should be able to recognise a pentatonic scale, sing it back and play it on an instrument. They will be able to compose their own melodies using these 5 notes, and write them down using notation. They will also be able to recognise these scales when played in a wider context e.g. Scottish or Chinese music.

By the end of the unit children will participate in a group performance demonstrating melodies created from the pentatonic scale.

What will they will achieve / present at the end of the unit?

All Children will: Be able to recognize a pentatonic scale; perform a simple given melody.

Most children will: Be able to sing this scale and play it on an instrument; compose and perform a simple pentatonic melody with confidence to a steady beat.

Some children will have progressed further and will: Be able to create a longer melody/simple accompaniment using the scale; lead a small group of players.

Lesson Learning Outcomes

About pentatonic scales and how they are used in music

Listen to excerpts of pentatonic music.

Sing songs based on pentatonic scale. Understand what a pentatonic scale is.

How simple tunes can be based on a pentatonic scale • Explore the pentatonic scale on a tuned instrument

• Play a pentatonic scale

Play a short pentatonic melody

How to create different textures using the scale • Explore adding a second melodic layer to given melody

Add a simple drone accompaniment under given melody

Exploring composition • Improvise on pentatonic scale

Work in pairs/small groups to compose a short pentatonic melody based on an agreed theme (eg Chinese Dragons)

Ideas notated

How to create a class performance Using knowledge from Lesson 3 create accompaniments Learning and revising own melodies/accompaniments Deciding an order for the composition• Practicing together as a class or groups

Performing a class/group composition • Gain performance based skills• Applied classroom knowledge (tempo, dynamics etc) to a practical performance..