ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 2 :

2) Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within a given tonality and/or meter.

Example: Perform rhythmic accompaniments using pitched instruments or body percussion.

[ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 2 :

2) Generate musical ideas within related tonalities and meters.

Example: Notate simple rhythms and melodies within a specified meter and tonality.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 2 :

2) Generate musical ideas within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.

Example: Create music combining rhythms and melodies, as well as various tonalities and meters.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

Students will listen to and analyze Antonín Dvořák's music.  They will discuss spirituals and Native American music.  They will discuss inspiration and influence on different types of music. They will compose melodic music about something that inspires them.    

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

Students will review the Underground Railroad and how enslaved people used secret codes to try to escape.  They will listen to a variety of spirituals and discuss their meaning.  In groups, students will listen to and analyze the lyrics of Follow the Drinking Gourd.   

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

Students will read about Mariachi.  The article includes information about history, instruments, and suits.  Students will listen to Mariachi music.  

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 2 :

2) Demonstrate skills using available resources, tools, and technologies to investigate personal ideas through the art-making process.

Examples: Choose from a variety of resources and materials to create a work of art.
Use books Imagine That by Joyce Raymond or Dinner at Magritte's by Michael Garland.

[ARTS] VISA (4) 3 :

3) Generate ideas and employ a variety of strategies and techniques to create a work of art/design.

[ARTS] VISA (5) 3 :

3) Communicate personal ideas, images, and themes through artistic choices of media, technique, and subject matter.

[ELA2021] (3) 33 :

33. Write personal or fictional narratives with a logical plot (sequence of events), characters, transitions, and a sense of closure.

[ELA2021] (4) 35 :

35. Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical plot, transitional words and phrases, sensory details, and dialogue, and providing a sense of closure.

[ELA2021] (5) 34 :

34. Write personal or fictional narratives incorporating literary elements (characters, plot, setting, conflict), dialogue, strong voice, and clear event sequences.

Students will listen to Ludwig van Beethoven's 5th Symphony and write a descriptive essay about how the music influenced them. They will create watercolor artwork while listening to the music. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

Students will listen to the story Something from Nothing by Phoebe Gilman and discuss recycling.  They will sing the Shaker song Simple Gifts.  They will listen to an arrangement of Simple Gifts by Aaron Copland and compare/contrast the original to the arrangement.   

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 2 :

2) Generate musical ideas (such as rhythms and melodies) within a given tonality and/or meter.

Example: Perform rhythmic accompaniments using pitched instruments or body percussion.

[ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 3 :

3) Demonstrate selected and organized musical ideas for an improvisation, arrangement, or composition to express intent and explain the connection to purpose and context.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 2 :

2) Generate musical ideas within specific related tonalities, meters, and simple chord changes.

Example: Create music combining rhythms and melodies, as well as various tonalities and meters.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

Students will listen to and analyze spirituals. They will identify the secret language used in spirituals to share information. Students will compose an original spiritual. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

[ARTS] MUS (4) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ARTS] MUS (5) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.

[ELA2021] (3) 42 :

42. Write poetry or prose in response to visual images to interpret their meanings.

[ELA2021] (4) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, both independently and with support, demonstrating grade-level proficiency.

[ELA2021] (5) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, independently and with grade-level proficiency.

In this 3-5 lesson, students will explore jazz music and dance, then write a jazz-inspired cinquain poem. They will build their background on the history of jazz and its use of improvisation to demonstrate jazz dance movements. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ARTS] MUS (2) 6 :

6) Convey expressive intent for a specific purpose by presenting a final version of personal musical ideas to peers or informal audience.

[ARTS] MUS (2) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how a response to music can be informed by its structure, the use of the elements of music, and context (such as personal and social).

Example: Compare and contrast typical responses to a lullaby and a march.

[ARTS] MUS (3) 6 :

6) Present the final version of personally created music to others and describe its expressive intent.

[ARTS] MUS (3) 16 :

16) Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.

In this resource, students will be introduced to the concept of call and response. Call and response is a form of communication that is used every day and can also be heard in music. It is a type of communication that uses rhythms and patterns. In this activity, students will create a new call and response.