Teach Maverick

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 15 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Improvising Rhythms & Pitches

Grade 5 orchestra unit where students improvise steady-beat rhythms and simple melodies on open strings and first-finger notes to match moods.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 14 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Comparing Performances

Grade 5 orchestra unit where students compare two performances to analyze tempo, tone, and dynamics using clear music vocabulary.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 13 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Instrument Families & Sound

Grade 5 orchestra listening unit where students identify violin, viola, cello, and bass and describe how size, strings, and bowing shape tone color.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 12 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Ensemble Balance

Grade 5 orchestra unit teaching students to listen across the ensemble and adjust bow speed and volume to balance melody and accompaniment.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 11 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Bowing Styles—Smooth & Detached

Grade 5 orchestra unit teaching legato and detached bowing so students shape tone, expression, and musical character with confident technique.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 10 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Reading Simple Notation

Grade 5 orchestra unit building notation skills as students read and perform basic notes, rhythms, and rests with steady tempo and confident musicianship.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 9 (Grade 5 Orchestra): First Orchestra Performance

Grade 5 orchestra performance unit where students rehearse and perform a short piece with steady beat, clear tone, unified bowing, and strong ensemble focus.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 8 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Practice Strategies

Grade 5 orchestra unit teaching smart practice—slow bowing, repetition, counting, and isolating measures—to improve accuracy and confidence.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 7 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Playing Together

Grade 5 orchestra unit building ensemble skills through conductor cues, steady beat, rest counting, and listening to start, stop, and play together.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 6 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Loud & Soft—Bow Speed

Grade 5 orchestra unit exploring dynamics through bow speed and pressure, helping students control loud/soft tone and describe expressive musical character.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 5 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Rhythm & Steady Beat

Grade 5 orchestra rhythm unit teaching steady beat, simple notation reading, and ensemble timing through counting, movement, and open-string patterns.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 4 (Grade 5 Orchestra): First Finger Patterns

Grade 5 orchestra unit teaching first-finger placement, reading basics, and simple melodies to build pitch accuracy, tone, and confident string playing.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 3 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Posture, Bow Hold & Tone

Grade 5 orchestra unit building posture, bow hold, and open-string tone while students compare sounds across strings and instruments.

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Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Instrument Setup & Care

Grade 5 orchestra unit on instrument setup, posture, bow hold, tuning awareness, and care to build clear tone and strong playing habits.

Grade 5 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 1 (Grade 5 Orchestra): Orchestra Routines & Expectations

Grade 5 orchestra unit builds rehearsal routines, instrument care, etiquette, and personal goals to support confident ensemble playing and growth.

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9-12 Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan (Grades 9-12): Cryptography Code Quest

Hands-on cryptography unit where students code Caesar & Vigenère ciphers in Python, analyze patterns, and crack encrypted messages collaboratively.

Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 36 (Grade 6 Orchestra): End-of-Year Performance & Reflection

Grade 6 orchestra unit: perform repertoire, reflect on growth in technique, ensemble unity, musicianship, and set goals for next year.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 35 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Final Performance Prep

Grade 6 orchestra unit builds performance repertoire through focused rehearsal, feedback, and goal tracking to improve tone, rhythm, and ensemble unity.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 34 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Purposeful Music Choices

Grade 6 orchestra unit where students connect bowing, tone color, and roles to audience impact, plan purposeful interpretations, and explain musical meaning.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 33 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Evaluate Our Growth

Grade 6 orchestra unit where students evaluate ensemble growth using recordings and a rubric, cite specific evidence for tone/intonation/rhythm/bow unity/expression, and set clear rehearsal goals with strategies for continued improvement.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 32 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Expressive Performance

Grade 6 orchestra unit performing with accurate pitch and rhythm while shaping dynamics, phrasing, and tone to create expressive, unified ensemble sound.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 31 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Independent Rehearsal Skills

Grade 6 orchestra unit teaching chunking, looping, and bowing isolation to independently fix difficult passages and build confident rehearsal habits.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 30 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Technique & Stamina Boost

Grade 6 orchestra technique unit building bow control, left-hand shape, posture, and endurance through warm-ups, recordings, feedback, and goal-setting across a full rehearsal.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 29 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Sight-Reading Development

Grade 6 orchestra unit building confident sight-reading through rhythm accuracy, steady tempo, and finger pattern awareness using practical rehearsal strategies.

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Grade 6 Orchestra Units

Unit Plan 28 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Expressive Improvisation

Grade 6 orchestra unit on expressive improvisation using limited pitch sets, dynamics, tempo, and bowing to communicate emotion through short melodies.