Unit Plan 7 (Grade 1 Music): Fast & Slow
First graders explore tempo by moving, singing, and playing at fast and slow speeds while keeping a steady beat, then describe how tempo changes the feeling and purpose of music in listening and performance.
Focus: Explore tempo (fast and slow) using movement, voice, and instruments, and describe how tempo changes the feeling and purpose of music.
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Music (Performing • Responding • Expressive Skills)
Total Unit Duration: 2–4 sessions (2+ weeks), 20–30 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, first graders discover how music can be fast or slow, and how this speed is called tempo. Students use their bodies, voices, and simple instruments to move and play with different tempos while keeping a steady beat. They listen to short music examples and notice how tempo can make music feel like running, walking, tiptoeing, or resting. Students also learn that performers and composers choose tempo on purpose to match what the music is for—such as a march, a dance, or a lullaby—and they begin to make their own tempo choices.
Essential Questions
- What is tempo, and how can I tell when music is fast or slow?
- How can I show fast and slow with my body, voice, and instruments while keeping a steady beat?
- How do different musical styles use tempo for a purpose (marching, dancing, resting)?
- How can I change tempo in my own music to fit a story, picture, or feeling?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate fast and slow tempo using movement, voice, and instruments while keeping a steady beat.
- Describe how tempo changes the feeling of a song or pattern (e.g., running vs. walking, excited vs. calm).
- With limited guidance, perform a simple pattern or song at different tempos to match a purpose (march, lullaby, chase, etc.).
- Identify fast, slow, and changing tempos in short listening examples and connect them to what the music might be used for.
- Use simple tempo words (fast, slow, tempo) to talk about how music concepts are used in different styles for a purpose.
Standards Alignment — Grade 1 Music (NAfME-Aligned)
- MU:Pr4.3.1a — Demonstrate and describe music’s expressive qualities (such as dynamics and tempo).
- Example: Performing the same song loudly and softly and describing how it feels different.
- MU:Re7.2.1a — With limited guidance, demonstrate and identify how specific music concepts (such as beat or pitch) are used in various styles of music for a purpose.
- Example: Explaining why marches have a strong beat.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can show fast and slow tempo with my body, voice, and instruments.
- I can hear and show when the music changes from fast to slow or slow to fast.
- I can pick a tempo that matches a picture, story, or job of the music (like marching or resting).
- I can use words like fast, slow, and tempo to explain how music is being used.