Dr. Michael Kester-Haynes

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 14 (Grade 2 Music): Melody in Major & Minor

Grade 2 music unit where students create short melodies in major and minor, explore mood, and explain how musical choices express feelings and intent.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 13 (Grade 2 Music): Organizing Music Ideas

Grade 2 music unit where students combine and sequence ideas using notation or recordings to document, rehearse, and share organized musical pieces.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 12 (Grade 2 Music): Creating Rhythm Patterns

Grade 2 creating unit where students compose short rhythmic patterns for a purpose, perform them steadily, and explain how choices show expressive intent.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 11 (Grade 2 Music): Reading Rhythm Patterns

Grade 2 music unit where students read, perform, and write rhythmic patterns using icons and standard notation to create, sequence, and share ideas.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 10 (Grade 2 Music): Rhythm Echoes

Grade 2 rhythm unit where students echo patterns with voice and instruments, use rehearsal strategies to improve accuracy, and improvise simple rhythms for a purpose.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 9 (Grade 2 Music): Sharing Music

Grade 2 performance unit where students sing and play for classmates with expression, accuracy, and proper decorum while practicing respectful audience behavior.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 8 (Grade 2 Music): Exploring Classroom Instruments

Grade 2 percussion unit where students safely play classroom instruments, explore timbre, keep beat in cultural songs, and improvise short rhythms for a purpose.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 7 (Grade 2 Music): Fast & Slow Tempo

Grade 2 tempo unit where students identify and perform fast/slow changes, follow tempo shifts, and explain how tempo supports purpose and feelings in music.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 6 (Grade 2 Music): Loud & Soft Expression

Grade 2 music unit exploring dynamics (loud/soft) as students sing, play, and listen for changes, explaining how choices shape expression and intent.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 5 (Grade 2 Music): High, Low, and Melodic Direction

Grade 2 music unit exploring high and low sounds, melodic direction, and hand signs as students sing, move, and explain how pitch shape creates musical expression.

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K-2 Lesson Plans

Lesson Plan (Grades K-2): Color-By-Number Story Art - An Engaging K–2 Math & Art Unit

K–2 Color-by-Number Story Art blends read-aloud math, counting, and simple addition to decode colors, build number sense, and reveal a hidden picture.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 4 (Grade 2 Music): Beat vs. Rhythm

Grade 2 music unit helping students tell beat from rhythm through chants and songs, read simple rhythms, and explain how beat and rhythm support marching, dancing, and chanting.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 3 (Grade 2 Music): Steady Beat Review

Grade 2 music unit where students use body percussion and movement to show steady beat, explore duple and triple meter, and explain how beat supports marching, dancing, and calming music purposes.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 2 (Grade 2 Music): Singing with Accuracy

Grade 2 singing unit building accurate head voice and pitch matching through games, exploring dynamics and tempo, and using simple criteria to judge expressive singing.

Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 1 (Grade 2 Music): Music Routines & Listening

Grade 2 music unit building routines and listening skills as students discuss music choices, connecting personal interests to purposes movement calm.

The Admin Angle

The Admin Angle: Why Administrators Should Eliminate “Gotcha” Walkthroughs

Ditch “gotcha” walkthroughs that erode trust and spark performative teaching. Learn a transparent instructional walk model with shared look-fors, quick pre-briefs, fast actionable feedback, and supportive data cycles that improve instruction without punitive compliance.

Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 36 (Grade 3 Music): Music Sharing Day

Grade 3 music unit where students perform for peers with expression, accuracy, and proper performance decorum while practicing respectful audience etiquette.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 35 (Grade 3 Music): Preparing to Perform

Grade 3 music rehearsal unit: practice strategies to fix tricky spots, sharpen accuracy and expression, and deliver confident, polished performances.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 34 (Grade 3 Music): Independent Music Centers

Grade 3 music unit using independent centers to improvise for purpose and explore musical structure through creative, hands-on rhythm and melody tasks.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 33 (Grade 3 Music): Evaluating Performances

Grade 3 music unit where students evaluate performances using clear criteria, reflect on context, and apply feedback to improve their own musical work.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 32 (Grade 3 Music): Performing Favorite Music

Grade 3 music unit where students rehearse and perform favorite pieces with technical accuracy and expression, building confidence, focus, and thoughtful performance skills.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 31 (Grade 3 Music): Music & Imagination

Grade 3 music unit where students use imagination to create rhythms/melodies for scenes, movement, and play, connecting musical choices to personal interests and purpose.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 30 (Grade 3 Music): Organizing Musical Ideas

Grade 3 unit where students capture rhythmic and melodic ideas with iconic/standard notation or simple recordings, organize patterns into short pieces, rehearse, revise, and share compositions.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 29 (Grade 3 Music): Rhythm & Melody Games

Grade 3 unit using rhythm and melody games to read iconic/standard notation, rehearse with feedback, and improve accuracy, steady beat, and confident performance.

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Grade 3 Music Units

Unit Plan 28 (Grade 3 Music): Sound & Scene Creation

Grade 3 music unit: students improvise and shape scene-inspired rhythms/melodies into a final performance, explaining how tempo, dynamics, and sound choices express clear intent.