Lesson Overview and Comparison

2

Kathy Mulder

L551 Project 2

Lesson Overview and Comparison

3/12/2007

Associated Files

* 3rd Grade Lesson Plan: Classical Music: Same & Different

* Classical Music Worksheet

* Classical Music Rubric

* 8th Grade Lesson Plan: Rock Music Biographies: How do they compare?

* Rock Music Biographies Worksheet

* How Rock Music Effects Culture - Checklist

Lesson and Unit Overviews

Students in the third grade are participating in a unit called Composers of the Classical Period. They are studying the composers and music of the Classical Period of western (European) music, which is roughly 1720-1800. The most well-known composers of this period are Franz Joseph Hayden, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. In addition to studying the composers and music, the students are making connection to the other arts and history of the time and how the music was affected by those aspects. The students are in the process of gaining knowledge of the composers’ different musical styles and musical terms. Their final product for this unit will be attending a live symphony orchestra performance and writing a concert review. In this specific lesson, by comparing and contrasting the music of two different composers, students are gaining a deeper understanding of the composers’ styles, as well as the overall musical style of the period. They are improving their skills in information analysis and critical literacy.

In eighth grade, students are working on a unit called How Rock Music Affects Our Culture. They are putting together a Rock Music Fair on how rock music and musicians have affected our culture, using examples from the different decades 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s 2000’s. Students take on a certain musician of their choosing and show how they have influenced aspects of our culture such as history, social change, politics, and styles. They are using Annette Lamb’s 8 W’s Model of inquiry to guide them through their research process. In this lesson, by comparing and contrasting two different biographical sources on their rock musician of choice, they are improving their understanding of how different nonfiction resources can provide different perspectives and quality of information. After their lesson, they will be able to better evaluate and choose information sources for their projects. They too are improving their skills in information analysis and critical literacy.

Information Skills and Standards Addressed

In these two lessons, the students will engaged in comparison/contrast exercises that will help build their understanding of different forms of information: the written word and music. They will also increase their critical/creative thinking skills in drawing inferences which will contribute to the larger project of each unit. The skills of comparing/contrasting information is part of a larger skill set that is addressed in the information inquiry process. This skill could be incorporated during the Analyzing stage of the REACTS inquiry model, Information Seeking and Information Use steps of Eisenberg & Berkowitz’s Big 6 model, or the Wiggling/Weaving stages of the Annette Lamb’s 8 W’s inquiry model.

In analyzing information, the student information scientist has to learn to utilize critical/creative thinking skills to make sense of the information they consume, whether it be visual, textual, auditory, or a combination. Students will need much practice in comparison/contrast and questioning over the years. As they begin analyzing information, they may not know what questions to ask, whereas when they get older, they will be able to come up with their own questions because they have seen teachers model questioning and provide prompting over the years.

The skill of information analysis is actually embedded in these two lesson plans and their standards: 3rd Grade: Standard 9 - Evaluating and critiquing music and music performances and 8th Grade: Standard 2 - READING: Comprehension and Analysis of Nonfiction and Informational Text. These standards are almost synonymous with Information Literacy Standards 3 and 5, where students must “uses information effectively and creatively” and “appreciates literature and other creative expressions of information.”

Lesson Comparison

While the third graders are learning to take two similar forms of music (movements of a symphony) and discuss how they are similar and different, the eighth graders are taking two similar forms of nonfiction literature and showing how those are similar and different. Even though the mediums, music and the written word, are different, the concept is the same: students need to listen/read/watch through a critical lens to be information literate. It is not enough to say “I like that music” or “That is a good article.” Students need to be able to back up their conclusions with examples and evidence.

The lessons and accompanying materials in these units demonstrate how the student information scientist matures over the years. The command of Information Literacy Standards 3 and 5 differs in the ease of information access and the ability to express thoughts. Third graders will have less of a range of information sources at their disposal because of their reading level. Eighth graders will be better able to express their thoughts about information because of their much larger vocabulary and advanced writing/speaking skills. Additional maturation differences between the grades include decision-making skills, real world experience, self-regulation, and higher-order thinking.

I feel the strongest tools to move students from one level of maturation to the next are modeling, scaffolding, and practicing meta-cognition. Modeling is especially important for younger students. Showing them how can be the difference between understanding and confusion. Scaffolding provides examples to students when they are unable to draw conclusions on their own. I provide several examples of scaffolding in the following section. The meta-cognitive act of journaling can be the most helpful in making students understand their strengths and weaknesses, and help them strive for a higher skill level in inquiry. In my lesson plans, I provided opportunities for meta-cognitive reflection with the eighth grade Reflection Journal and the third grade “Your Thoughts” column in the Classical Music: Same & Different Worksheet. While third grade students need specific questions to prompt their journaling, eighth grade students are able to free-write after their experiences. The repetition of meta-cognition, as suggested in the repeated reflection journaling of the eighth grade project, will take students to the level of automatic meta-cognition.

Scaffolding

Student maturation is reflected in the design of the lessons and the scaffolding provided. Following are examples and explanations of scaffolding in both the third and eighth grade lessons:

Level of Inquiry or Student Choice

The third grade project could be considered controlled inquiry because the materials have been selected, there is a high level of instruction and guidance from the teacher and the final product is pre-selected. At the third grade level, students are still trying to master reading and writing and inquiry concepts may be new to them. They need assistance with filling out graphic organizers, reflecting and asking questions, and putting together meaningful sentences. The eighth graders, however, have had many more years of practice in writing, asking questions, and following research and inquiry models. They also have more experience in decision-making, and may have very specific preferences when it comes to music. In their lesson/unit, they are operating at more of a guided inquiry level, where they get to choose the rock musician they will study, choose their own information sources, and choose their own final project from a list of suggestions.

Technology

In the third grade, students abilities with technology and the web may vary greatly, depending on if they have a computer in their home. During the Listening Activity of the third grade lesson, some students may need a mini-lesson on how to navigate the Classical Kids web site; specifically, how to click back and forth between the sound clips and instrument/music dictionary. In the eighth grade, students have probably had significant experience in utilizing the internet for assignments, so little to no scaffolding is needed for them to look up basic information and use web sites. An area where eighth graders might need more scaffolding, which is not covered in this lesson, is access to electronic databases.

Vocabulary Aids

The third grade project requires students to use musical terms and musical instrument names. Although the students have already learned the meanings of the terms and names of instruments, they may have trouble recalling these when concentrating on listening and filling out their graphic organizers. I have provided two sets of scaffolding: (1) the musical dictionary within the Classical Kids web site and (2) an electronic overhead with an alphabetical list of terms and instrument names. That way, if students are less familiar with clicking back and forth in web sites, they could constantly refer to the overhead.

Graphic Organizers

Graphic organizers provide scaffolding because they help students chunk information together, where traditional note-taking on blank paper may lead to randomly scattered thoughts on the page. Each lesson’s graphic organizer is an example of a compare/contrast chart. The third grade worksheet features cartoon graphics of Beethoven and Haydn, specific questions for each compare/contrast point, and a “Your Thoughts” column for making conclusions. The scaffolding provided in this graphic organizer is the specific example of appropriate and inappropriate terms to use in comparing the music. Also provided are very specific questions to shape the students’ interpretation of the music. If eighth graders were doing this same exercise, I would probably allow them to come up with their own analysis questions and simply provide two blank columns.

The eighth grade worksheet provides scaffolding through the definition of criteria such as Treatment, Organization, and Authority, but the students must come up with their own questions for analysis. Another difference from the third grade worksheet is that the eighth grade students design their own compare/contrast chart with their own criteria. Additional scaffolding that is built in is their work with peers in brainstorming these criteria questions. Some peers may be more experienced than others and be able to provide ideas or feedback to those having trouble.

Expectations and Roles

The expectations for student achievement are suggested by the third grade Classical Music: Same and Different Rubric and the eighth grade How Rock Music Affects Our Culture Project Checklist. The third grade expectations are specifically laid out in their rubric, which they view before participating in the listening activity. Because third grade students may have not done this type of assignment before, they need clear instructions and examples. Since the eighth graders have most likely used the compare/contrast method before, they are expected to design their own compare/contrast chart.

Expectation also differs for the final products of these two units. The third grade final product, a music review, requires considerably less time than the eighth grade products. However, the third grade students may exert just as much thought and effort on their final product. The eighth graders are building on their project throughout the 8 W’s process. They are expected to monitor their own progress through their journaling and project checklist, and therefore have more personal responsibility.

At the third grade level, students are information apprentices. They need guidance and prompting during all tasks so that they may learn the correct procedures for inquiry. Instructional specialists for this level are mentors and models to students. At the eighth grade level, students are probably considered information intermediates. They have a better command of language arts than third graders and are able to make decisions and guide their own projects. Eighth graders look to their instructional specialists as their information consultants and partners.