Unit Plan 20 (Grade 3 Music): Music Preferences & Purpose
Grade 3 unit: students connect music choices to personal experiences and use simple criteria to evaluate whether songs fit a purpose or context.
Focus: Explain how personal interests and experiences influence music choices, and use simple criteria to evaluate whether music fits a particular purpose or context.
Grade Level: 3
Subject Area: Music (Responding • Evaluating • Expression)
Total Unit Duration: 1–3 sessions (3+ weeks), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students explore why they like certain music and when they think it should be used. They listen to short musical examples, think about their own experiences (family, celebrations, games, calm time), and talk about how those experiences shape their music preferences. Together, they create simple criteria (like tempo, volume, mood, and lyrics) to decide if a piece of music fits a specific purpose—such as a classroom activity, a celebration, or a quiet moment. By the end, students can explain how their background and interests influence their choices and how to judge if music is appropriate for different situations.
Essential Questions
- How do my interests, memories, and experiences influence the music I like and choose?
- What does it mean for music to fit a purpose or context, like a celebration, calm time, or school event?
- How can we use criteria (simple rules or checklists) to evaluate whether music is appropriate for a situation?
- Why might different people choose different music for the same purpose—and how can we respect those choices?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Describe how selected music connects to their own interests, experiences, or purposes (e.g., celebrations, relaxing, games).
- Identify and explain common purposes for music (celebrate, focus, calm, energize) at school and in everyday life.
- Help develop and use simple criteria (tempo, volume, mood, lyrics, appropriateness) to evaluate whether music fits a particular context.
- Evaluate musical examples or performances using those criteria and say if they are appropriate or not the best fit for a given purpose.
- Share a personal music preference (or a school-appropriate example) and explain how it connects to their experience and whether it fits a chosen context.
Standards Alignment — Grade 3 Music (NAfME-Aligned)
- MU:Re7.1.3a — Demonstrate and describe how selected music connects to and is influenced by specific interests, experiences, or purposes.
- Example: Explaining why a song reminds them of a celebration.
- MU:Re9.1.3a — Evaluate musical works and performances using established criteria and describe appropriateness to the context.
- Example: Explaining whether music fits a classroom or concert setting.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can talk about how a piece of music connects to my life (memories, activities, feelings).
- I can explain what purpose music might have (celebrate, calm, focus, energize, show respect).
- I can help make a simple checklist for deciding if music fits a situation.
- I can say whether a song is a good fit for a context and explain why using our criteria.
- I can respect that other people may have different music preferences and purposes than I do.