Music Education — Grade 5

Women in flight: Using music to study American women pioneers in flight

As North Carolina's 97-98 Christa McAuliffe Teaching Fellow, I designed this plan to musically enhance the 5th grade social studies of American heroes, focusing on women pioneers in flight. It is intended to utilize singing and rhythmic activities to compare and contrast the lives of Amelia Earhart and Christa McAuliffe. Amelia Earhart was the first woman to successfully complete a solo trans-Atlantic flight and tragically disappeared while attempting to fly around the world in 1937. Christa McAuliffe was selected for NASA's Teacher-in-Space program and tragically died in the 1986 Challenger space shuttle disaster. I traditionally use this plan close to the January 28 anniversary of the shuttle disaster.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Music Education and Social Studies)

By Robin Smathers.

Native American music: Two North Carolina tribes

In this lesson plan, students will listen to songs from two North Carolina tribes. Students will learn about the music through listening, analyzing, singing, moving, and playing instruments.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Music Education and Social Studies)

By Merritt Raum Flexman.

How sound is like a wave: Investigating animal echolocation

In BioMusic, page 2.5

In this lesson, students will use two models to demonstrate how sound waves occur. They will infer how sound waves travel from a source and weaken as they spread. By demonstrating how sound echoes off objects, students will learn about animal echolocation.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–6 Music Education and Science)

By Debra Hall and Crystal Patillo.

Freedom songs of the civil rights movement

Students will listen to freedom songs recorded during the civil rights movement, 1960–1965. Students will write about personal reactions to the music and lyrics. Through reading and pictures, students will briefly explore historical events where these songs were sung. Listening again, students will analyze and describe — musically — particular song(s).

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Music Education and Social Studies)

By Merritt Raum Flexman.

Resources on the web

Musical Harlem

Students will learn to identify musical styles and musicians associated with Harlem, focusing on jazz. They will learn about the special role of music in Harlem as a unifier of a community and of a culture. Students can listen to audio samples and analyze... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Music Education and Social Studies)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Music from across America

To develop their listening skills, students use worksheets to record their impressions about the music they hear from across America. In addition to learning about musical instruments and the geographic and cultural context of music, children are encouraged... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade K–5 Music Education)

Provided by: National Endowment for the Humanities