Unit Plan 24 (Grade 3 Music): Cultural Movement & Music

Focus: Respond to world music using culturally informed, respectful movement, and explain how context and daily life influence performance choices.

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Music (Performance • Connections • Movement)

Total Unit Duration: 1–3 sessions (3+ weeks), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students experience music from around the world and respond with simple movements that fit each piece’s style, mood, and context. They watch or hear how people in different cultures use music for dance, storytelling, celebrations, and daily life, then try age-appropriate movement ideas that honor those traditions rather than pretend to “be” them. Students learn that context—who is performing, where, and why—affects how we move and perform. They reflect on how to be respectful listeners and movers when engaging with music from cultures that may be different from their own.

Essential Questions

• How can we use movement to respond to world music in ways that are respectful and fit the culture and context?
• How does where, when, and why music is performed (context) shape the way people move and perform it?
• In what ways are music, dance, stories, and daily life connected around the world?
• How can learning about movement in other musical traditions help us think about how we move and perform in our own community?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Listen to world music examples and describe how context (celebration, ceremony, game, daily activity) influences the way people move and perform.
2. Demonstrate simple, teacher-guided, culturally informed movement responses (shapes, pathways, gestures) that match the music’s steady beat, tempo, and mood.
3. Explain why certain choices (e.g., smaller, calmer movements vs. bigger, energetic movements) fit a given performance setting or purpose.
4. Identify at least one way music in another culture connects to dance, storytelling, or daily life activities.
5. Create a brief movement phrase or sequence inspired by a world music example and describe how it shows an understanding of context and respect for the tradition.

Standards Alignment — Grade 3 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Pr4.2.3c — Describe how context (such as personal or social) can inform a performance.
  • Example: Explaining why softer dynamics and gentle movement fit a memorial performance.
• MU:Cn11.0.3a — Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts, other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
  • Example: Connecting music to dance, storytelling, or history.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell where, when, and why a piece of world music might be performed.
• I can use simple movements that match the music’s beat, tempo, and mood and are respectful of the culture.
• I can explain why a certain kind of movement fits the context (big/small, calm/energetic).
• I can describe how music in another culture connects to dance, stories, or daily life.
• I can create a short movement idea and tell how it shows respect and fits the purpose of the music.