Unit Plan 17 (Grade 1 Music): Improving Our Music

Focus: Apply teacher and peer feedback to improve performances using simple rehearsal strategies.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Music (Creating • Rehearsing • Performing)

Total Unit Duration: 2–4 sessions (2+ weeks), 20–30 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, first graders learn that music can get better over time when we listen to feedback and try specific rehearsal strategies. Students practice giving kind, simple comments about each other’s music and then using those ideas to change how they sing, play, or move. They discover that “fixing” music doesn’t mean starting over; it means choosing one small thing (like clarity, steady beat, or expression) and working on it together. By the end, students can name at least one change they made in their music because of feedback.

Essential Questions

• What is feedback, and how can it help our music improve?
• How can I listen to teacher and classmates and choose one thing to work on in my music?
• What rehearsal strategies can I use to fix tricky spots or make my music clearer?
• How can I tell what changed in my music before and after I improved it?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. With limited guidance, listen to feedback from teacher and peers and identify one thing to improve in a short performance.
2. Use at least one rehearsal strategy (e.g., slow it down, clap the rhythm, practice one line) to refine a song or pattern.
3. Change a small part of their singing or playing (e.g., steadier beat, clearer words, better dynamics) based on feedback.
4. Share in simple language what feedback they used and how it changed their music.
5. Offer kind, specific feedback to classmates using a simple frame (e.g., one thing you liked, one idea to try).

Standards Alignment — Grade 1 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Cr3.1.1a — With limited guidance, discuss and apply personal, peer, and teacher feedback to refine personal musical ideas.
  • Example: Revising a rhythm after classmates suggest a clearer ending.
• MU:Pr5.1.1b — With limited guidance, use suggested strategies in rehearsal to address interpretive challenges of music.
  • Example: Slowing down a tricky section to improve accuracy.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can listen to feedback and choose one thing to work on in my music.
• I can use at least one rehearsal strategy (slow down, clap, repeat a line) to fix a tricky part.
• I can show a “before and after” change in how I sing or play.
• I can give kind, helpful feedback to a classmate about their music.
• I can tell what I changed in my music and why it helped.