Unit Plan 2 (Grade 4 Music): Steady Beat & Meter Review
Explore steady beat and duple vs. triple meter through movement, instruments, and listening in this Grade 4 music unit focused on rhythm, structure, and musical response.
Focus: Reinforce steady beat and compare duple and triple meter through movement, instruments, and listening.
Grade Level: 4
Subject Area: Music (General Music • Performing • Responding)
Total Unit Duration: 1 required session + up to 2 optional sessions; 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students review the idea of a steady beat as the musical “heartbeat” and explore how beats are grouped into meters such as duple (groups of 2 or 4) and triple (groups of 3). Through body percussion, instruments, and listening examples, they practice feeling and performing the beat while noticing how meter affects the feel of the music. Students connect their own responses (marching, swaying, dancing) to how structure and musical elements shape what they hear.
Essential Questions
- What is a steady beat, and how is it different from a rhythm pattern?
- How do duple and triple meter feel different in our bodies and in our listening?
- How do beat and meter help organize music for performers and listeners?
- How does understanding meter change the way we respond to and perform music?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Maintain a steady beat using body percussion and instruments while listening to and performing short patterns.
- Identify duple vs. triple meter in selected pieces by moving, clapping, or conducting along.
- Demonstrate understanding of beat groupings (2s, 3s, 4s) in music selected for performance.
- Explain, in simple language, how beat and meter affect their movement, mood, and response to music.
- Perform a short beat-and-meter pattern (clap/tap + movement) and describe whether it is in duple or triple meter.
Standards Alignment — Grade 4 Music (NAfME-Aligned)
- MU:Pr4.2.4a — Demonstrate understanding of the structure and elements of music (such as rhythm, pitch, and form) in music selected for performance.
- Example: Identifying verse–chorus form and repeated rhythmic patterns.
- MU:Re7.2.4a — Demonstrate and explain how responses to music are informed by structure, musical elements, and context (such as social or cultural).
- Example: Explaining how repeated rhythms support dance music.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can keep a steady beat with my hands, feet, or an instrument.
- I can tell whether a song feels like it is in duple (2s/4s) or triple (3s) meter and show it with movement.
- I can explain how the beat and meter make me want to move or feel a certain way.
- I can perform a simple pattern that shows beat groups and name the meter (duple or triple).