Unit Plan 19 (Grade 3 Music): Listening for Musical Form

Focus: Listen for and identify musical form, including sections such as verse, chorus, and repeated parts (A, B, ABA), and describe how structure shapes our responses to music.

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: Music (Listening • Analysis • Structure)

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

I. Introduction

In this unit, students become “music detectives” who listen for how songs are organized. They explore musical form by identifying repeated and contrasting sections—such as verse and chorus, or A and B parts—in familiar songs and listening examples. Using movement, pictures, and simple letters, they map out forms like AB, ABA, and verse–chorus. Students then connect what they hear to how the music makes them feel or respond, noticing how repeated and new sections help them recognize, remember, and enjoy music.

Essential Questions

• How are many songs and pieces organized into sections like verse, chorus, and repeats?
• How can I tell when a section of music is the same (A) or different (B)?
• How does knowing the form of a song change the way I listen, move, or perform it?
• How do repeated patterns and sections help define the style and feeling of a piece of music?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Listen to short songs/pieces and identify same and different sections using labels like A, B, verse, and chorus.
2. Demonstrate understanding of musical structure by following or creating simple listening maps or form charts (AB, ABA, verse–chorus).
3. Move, clap, or play instruments in ways that match different sections of a piece (e.g., one movement for A, another for B).
4. Describe how their responses (movement, feelings, attention) are informed by structure and repeated musical ideas.
5. Apply their knowledge of form to a class performance song, identifying its sections before or during performance.

Standards Alignment — Grade 3 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Pr4.2.3a — Demonstrate understanding of the structure of music selected for performance.
  • Example: Identifying verses and choruses in a song.
• MU:Re7.2.3a — Demonstrate and describe how responses to music are informed by structure, musical elements, and context.
  • Example: Noticing how a repeated rhythm helps define a style.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can hear when a section of music is the same or different and label it A or B (or verse/chorus).
• I can follow or help create a simple map of a song (AB, ABA, verse–chorus).
• I can move or play differently when the music switches to a new section.
• I can explain how repeated sections help me remember and enjoy the music.
• I can tell where the verses and chorus are in at least one song we perform in class.