Dr. Michael Kester-Haynes

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 24 (Grade 2 Music): Cultural Movement

Move to world music in this Grade 2 unit as students explore different cultures and styles, demonstrate understanding of meter (duple/triple) and tempo, and connect music to movement, celebrations, contexts, and daily life through respectful, school-safe dance patterns.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 23 (Grade 2 Music): Music Around the World

Explore music from different cultures in this Grade 2 unit as students listen, move, draw, and discuss how world music connects to stories, dance, visual art, daily life, and special events, building respect and cultural awareness.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 22 (Grade 2 Music): Music in Our Lives

Grade 2 unit connecting music to home, school, and community as students share a “Music in My Life” map, explaining how interests, knowledge, and skills shape choices.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 21 (Grade 2 Music): Music & Movement Stories

Grade 2 unit where students respond to music with movement and simple storytelling, using tempo, dynamics, pitch, and mood to show expressive intent, then perform a short movement-story “final version” for peers with brief explanations of their choices.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 20 (Grade 2 Music): Music Preferences

Grade 2 unit where students choose and compare music for classroom purposes, using personal experiences and details like tempo, dynamics, beat, and mood to justify preferences.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 19 (Grade 2 Music): Listening for Music Details

Grade 2 listening unit where students identify rhythm, melody, tempo, dynamics, and timbre, then explain how these details support music’s purpose (dance, march, lullaby).

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 18 (Grade 2 Music): Performing with Expression

Grade 2 music performance unit where students rehearse and present a short song with steady beat, clear words, and purposeful dynamics/tempo, practicing performer and audience decorum for a specific audience and purpose.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 17 (Grade 2 Music): Improving Our Music

Grade 2 music unit where students use teacher and peer feedback to revise patterns, applying rehearsal strategies like slowing down and isolating tricky spots.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 16 (Grade 2 Music): Choosing Music for a Purpose

Grade 2 unit where students choose rhythms, melodies, tempo, dynamics, and instruments to match a purpose or feeling, then justify their choices and evaluate which music best fits classroom situations.

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Grade 2 Music Units

Unit Plan 15 (Grade 2 Music): Expressive Singing

Grade 2 singing unit where students use dynamics and tempo to show expressive intent, then apply a simple checklist to judge accuracy and expression.

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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.