Lesson planning can be a daunting task, especially when you have to share your plans with Admin, and they are looking for certain things. Some schools want you to list the state standards in the lesson plans. Some schools use programs like the IB program (a program that encourages students to be active learners and develop critical thinking skills) and would like those standards included somewhere in the lesson. A good practice would be to also list the time for each activity, so you don’t run out of time or end too quickly. Here are three tips to start planning.
Break the Year Up By Month
Start with the school calendar to mark out all the performances for the year and any important events and then choose a theme for every month along with a music concept. Hint: Center the theme around whatever is happening in your performance so things will flow easily when you get busy. Examples of themes are space, scary stuff (for October), animals, rainy days, or the seasons. Examples of musical concepts are rhythm, performance, dynamics, or intervals.
Break Up the Month By Week
Use the school calendar to mark off any days off and then create activities for each week. I break my class planning by age. Preschool, K-2, 3-5, Middle School, and High School. Let your fun theme help you find activities. You can create folders or notes to help you brainstorm and find the most engaging activities.
Use the State Standards
Use your music state standards to help complete your lesson planning and give you ideas. Notice I didn’t say to start with this? I find it much easier to plug the standards in and polish up anything I may be missing than to start with these. I’m sending you a free example of my Music State Standard Checklist for Florida to use as a template and a starting point for your own. Just plug in your state standards and begin!