Unit Plan
Name: Diana Chan, Grace Lee,
Jamie Turner, and Tiffany Chen
Unit Topic: Fundamentals of Choral Singing
Grade(s):8-12
I.R.P:
- Apply an increasing range of timbres in classroom repertoire
- Analyse how the elements of expression are combined to achieve specific effects
- Demonstrate an ability to critique the work of self and others
- Demonstrate an ability to contribute to the physical wellbeing of self and others while experiencing music
Technical Competencies: developing diction, tone quality and intonation, development of breath control; blend and balance (Supplemental Package)
Lesson
Topic
1 Posture and
Alignment
Objectives
(no more than 3)
Materials
Activities to meet objectives
(active learning, variety of rates of
development, individual and social process)
Formative Assessment
what methods will you
use?
The student will
• Comfortable Clothes
- Media: Watch a youtube video about correct singing posture - Informal Verbal Feedback:
demonstrate advanced
• Large Spacious Room
and follow demonstration as shown on video.
understanding of proper
• Computer/Projector
body alignment for
• Youtube Video:
- Physical / Tactile: Have Ss lie down on floor with knees
singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
bent to feel optimal posture of straight back and spine in line
=mpIcPOoR1Oo
(physical/tactile).
verbal instruction given to guide Ss
and help struggling Ss find correct
posture.
- Peer Assessment: Partners give
each other feedback to ensure
- Visual: Have Ss stand up and recreate the same feeling with proper alignment is achieved.
partners as "spotters" (visual).
- Class discussion: how members
- Class Discussion: what they saw and how they felt
of the class felt during the activity.
(visual/physical/tactile descriptors).
2 Breathing
The student will
• Comfortable Clothes
- Teacher led exercises: Have Ss follow series of breathing - Informal: T constantly checks for
demonstrate advanced
• Large Spacious Room
exercises/warm-ups led by the teacher.
participation while doing breathing
understanding of the
• Computer/Projector
exercises/ warm-up.
breathing process and will • Powerpoint Slides
- Class discussion: how they felt during certain exercises,
identify the different parts • Worksheet consisting of:
and how certain gestures correlated to physical experiences. - Formal: Worksheet to be studied
of the breathing
-Diagram of breathing mechanism
and parts of breathing mechanism
mechanism as shown on a -Terminology/Word Box
- Lecture / Diagram worksheet: T shows powerpoint
to be memorized for in-class written
diagram.
explaining the breathing mechanism while Ss are given
quiz on following class.
-Fill in the Blank Labels
worksheets so they may follow along and label the parts on
their own or with partners.
3 Resonance
The student will
• Resonator Diagrams
- Demonstration / modeling: T will introduce Ss to the main - Informal: T gives
demonstrate advanced
• Piano
concept of resonators and demonstrate different resonators to feedback thoughout the lesson to
understanding of vocal
• Bottle, cone, etc to demonstrate
help Ss understand the terminology - ie. speaking into a
resonance, the body’s
resonation
bottle, through a cone, etc.
resonators, tonal focus,
Ss.
- Individual performance:
and the space required for
- Demonstration / modeling:T will introduce the three main Individual Ss asked to demonstrate
healthy vocal production
resonators for vocal sound production: chest, mouth
singing for class, providing
(including the throat), and nasal cavities. T to show visual
opportunities
diagrams to reinforce understanding.
for peer/self-assessment.
- Modeling: Ss will be led through a series of exersizes to play - Self-assessment: Ss asked to
around with these three separate resonating areas.
provide aural diagnosis throughout
the lesson on their own sound and
(1) Chest - Ss will be asked to make a low "hmmm" sound
located low in their chest to feel the vibration (deep "chesty"
sound with lots of chest vibration). T to model. Once
successful, T will lead the Ss to transition that growl sound into
a sung vowel (ie. growl to ee, growl to ah).
the sound of other Ss.
(2) Mouth - Still humming, Ss will be asked to play around with
the size of their mouth cavity. Making the mouth as small as
possible and then as caverness as possible, and listening to
the sound and resonation. Further, Ss will be asked to yawn to
feel the amount of space created inside the mouth.
(3) Nasal Cavities - T to lead Ss through a series of vocal
exercises to find their nasal resonance - using "sing", students
will hold the "ng" on a pitch - Once Ss have successfully found
their nasal resonance, Ss will be asked to sing through the
"ng" and into vowels as indicated by the T.
- T reviews the three main resonators and applies the
concepts of changing the size/shape of resonators to
repertoire throughout the rehearsal.
4 Vowels
The student will
• Vowels Chart handouts
- Modeling: T starts off with vowel warm ups that focus on
demonstrate an
• Whiteboard / markers
opening up students' sound
understanding of different • Piano
- Informal verbal feedback
- Peer and self assessment
vowel sounds, including
- Explanation: T explains the importance of vowels as central
diphthongs, and produce
to good tone, blend, and intonation; demonstrate how space
healthy & pure vowels
inside the mouth and resonance is key to good vowel
through related warmups.
production.
- Board work: T hands out vowel charts, and also writes on
the board to show the different vowels and where they lie on
the spectrum of being "brighter" or "darker" (discuss where
the vowel is formed in the mouth). Class comes up with
examples of words for each vowel sound to write on their
vowel chart. Also explain & come up with examples of
diphthongs.
- Rehearse: T leads class through another warm up with hand
gestures corresponding to diff. vowels, & practice moving
smoothly through them
5 Tone
The student will
- Acting/Role playing: Ss will pretend to speak like:
• A/V Equipment
- Informal assessment: through
Placement /
demonstrate an
1) A wicked witch / gnarly cat (placing their voice as forward observation and aural diagnosis -
Colour
understanding of tone
as possible)
placement and be able to
2) A royal princess / Count Dracula (placing their voice as far feedback for students
sing with a variety of
back as possible)
different timbres
information is used to provide
- Question / Answer: T will gauge
- Using examples above, rank (1) as 1 and (2) as 10 on a scale student understanding through the
of 1-10, S experiment with the different ways they can use
lesson through question and
their voice and the different sounds they can pronounce by
answers, and through answers
changing the placement
students generate through the
discussion portion
- Media: Watch video on different singers (short excerpts)
T works through one excerpt with class (discussing colour and
generating descriptive words with students)
- Small group discussion: Ss then split into small groups for
discussion on a few other excerpts [coming up with some
words / characteristics on the different timbres] - class returns
for group discussion based on small group findings.
6 Intonation
The student will
- Activity: Ss experiment with both singing in cacophony
- Informal assessment: through
demonstrate an
(sing random pitches) and harmony (unison and chords)
observation and aural diagnosis -
understanding of
• Piano
information is used to provide
intonation and be able to
- Class Discussion: about intonation and the idea of being
make adjustments to
"flat" or "sharp" with singing activity to purposely bend either
improve their pitch
way
feedback for Ss.
- Presentation: Ss' performance
ability is assessed through the small
- Rehearse: Big group sings in unision; small groups
group presentations and their
purposely bends pitch out of tune (agreement on flat or
understanding is assessed through
sharp), then returns to unison pitch (do this multiple times
the larger group answers.
with different groups, give everyone an opportunity to try) larger group tries to identify if the small group is singing flat /
sharp [using groups so Ss can help each other scaffold
through the activity]
7 Blend/Balance The student will
• Large, spacious room
- Circles: Ss get in circles with their section and sing on a
- Peer and self assessment
demonstrate an
single vowel together. Ss self-diagnose how cohesive their
(group discussion)
understanding of the
sound is & discuss what creates a unified sound (matching
principles of blend and
vowels), and try exercise again.
balance in a choral setting,
improve intonation and
- Small group demonstration: Demo with small group
blend, experiment with
volunteers to sing 1) with unmatched vowels, and 2) with
combinations of vocal
matching vowel shapes. Have class diagnose the resulting
timbres in relation to their
sound, blend, intonation.
peers, and experimenting
with balance between
- Modeling: T experiments with combining different vocal
sections and formations.
timbres within sections (Singer placement). Class watches
and discusses how different combinations sound.
- Informal: Teacher feedback