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.
Focus: Demonstrate steady beat using body percussion and movement, and explore how meter and beat support different musical purposes (marching, dancing, calming).
Grade Level: 2
Subject Area: Music (Performing • Responding • Beat & Meter)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 sessions (3+ weeks), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students review and strengthen their understanding of steady beat by using body percussion (clapping, patting, snapping, stomping) and simple movement. They experience songs and recordings from a variety of cultures and notice how the beat and meter (duple/triple feel) help support dancing, marching, and other movement. Students describe how the steady beat and meter help music do its “job” (for dancing, walking, calming, etc.), making connections between what they hear and how they move.
Essential Questions
- What is a steady beat, and how can I show it with my body?
- How does meter (the way beats are grouped) help us feel and move to music?
- How does steady beat support different purposes in music, like dancing, marching, or resting?
- How can I listen carefully to hear and show the beat in music from different cultures?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a steady beat with body percussion (clap, pat, snap, stomp) while listening to or performing familiar songs.
- Show steady beat through locomotor and non-locomotor movement (walking, swaying, nodding) that matches the music.
- Identify and demonstrate simple meter patterns (duple “walk-walk,” triple “walk-walk-walk”) in selected music from varied cultures.
- Describe how steady beat and meter help music support specific purposes (e.g., dancing, marching, calming).
- Use simple language to explain what they did to keep or feel the beat in a piece of music.
Standards Alignment — Grade 2 Music (NAfME-Aligned)
- MU:Pr4.2.2a — Demonstrate knowledge of music concepts (such as tonality and meter) in music from a variety of cultures selected for performance.
- Example: Identifying duple meter in a folk song from another culture.
- MU:Re7.2.2a — Describe how specific music concepts are used to support a specific purpose in music.
- Example: Explaining how steady beat supports dancing.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can keep a steady beat with my hands, feet, or whole body.
- I can feel and show if a song is in a “walk-walk” (duple) or “walk-walk-walk” (triple) meter.
- I can move in a way that matches the beat of music from different places.
- I can explain how steady beat helps music be good for marching, dancing, or resting.
- I can tell what helped me keep the beat (watching, listening, feeling it in my body).