KS3 Music

a professional development programme

Activity Resource 3b: structuring a lesson

Summary case study

This describes the sequence of 'engage – learn – review' within a lesson that is part of a Year 7 unit exploring the conventions of African songs for dance. The learning objective for this lesson is for pupils to learn how to create a new rhythmic ostinato in triple metre. Prior to the lesson, pupils have learned an African song with simple dance actions, revised their understanding of pulse and metre and learned how to perform a rhythm pattern in 4 metre.

Engage

Pupils are immediately involved in musical activity, and are building on prior learning

 

Musical engagement

Pupils are immediately invited to join in with the actions of the song as the teacher sings it, and then with the song itself. Once pupils are secure with the song, the teacher demonstrates a new dance action in 3 metre to be used in a particular part of the song.

The learning for the individual lesson is located in the wider context of the whole unit, so that pupils understand why they need to undertake specific activities

 

Starter activity and introduction

The teacher asks a group of pupils to accompany the singing with the 4 metre rhythm pattern learned previously. This helps to remind pupils that the whole unit explores how rhythmic phrases are needed to highlight the structure of the music for dancers to respond to.

The challenge for this lesson is then set: for pupils to create a similar 3 metre rhythm pattern of their own to go with the new dance movements.

 

Learn

Pupils are clear not only about what they have to do, but also how they can achieve it

More-able pupils are challenged to think, not just play more technically challenging parts

They also understand how the practical activity relates to the context of dance music in different metres

 

After revising how the 4 metre pattern works, the teacher models various ways by which pupils can adapt the pattern to turn it into a 3 metre pattern. A sophisticated challenge is set for more-able pupils (how to keep the same 4 metre pattern but turn it into a 3 metre pattern by repeating it three times to produce 12 beats, and then changing the accents).

 

 

 

 

Pupils understand that the process is as important as the outcome

 

As pupils work on the composing challenge, the teacher visits groups and asks them to demonstrate how they are tackling the challenge

 

 

Pupils are engaged in active musical listening and use a musical vocabulary to describe their learning

 

After a short while, some groups are asked to share their work in progress. Other pupils in the class are challenged to identify how the new 3 metre patterns have been created.

 

 

The teacher has identified points of learning for the whole class, not just individuals

 

For those who are ready, a new challenge is set: how can the performers change from the 4 metre pattern to the 3 metre pattern?

 

 

The new learning has been modelled so that pupils know how to progress

 

The teacher reminds pupils about previous learning on the use of ensemble skills, using demonstration and careful questioning.

 

Review

Pupils internalise their learning by being part of a worthwhile musical activity

 

Groups of pupils perform their patterns while the rest of the class sings the songs with relevant dance actions.

   

    

Although there has been a musical conclusion to the lesson, pupils are made to think about how they might more effectively meet the challenges next week in order that they can better reflect the key conventions of the music

 

The teacher makes a judgement that while some groups have been fairly successful, the final musical impact has not been spectacular. He therefore uses careful questioning to establish whether pupils agree, what they have found difficult in the learning challenges, and what they can do to address them in the next lesson

 
 
Department for children, schools and families Structuring learning for musical engagement