Unit Plan 20 (Grade 5 Music): Music Preferences & Evaluation

Focus: Evaluate music using evidence-based criteria, connecting personal preferences to musical elements, expressive qualities, and context.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Music (General Music)

Total Unit Duration: 1 core session (required) + up to 2 optional extension sessions, 50–60 minutes each

I. Introduction

In this unit, students learn to move beyond “I like it” or “I don’t like it” and become thoughtful music listeners and critics. They explore how their interests, experiences, and the purpose or context of a piece influence their responses. Using a simple, shared set of criteria, students evaluate music excerpts and create short, evidence-based “mini reviews,” connecting what they hear in melody, rhythm, dynamics, lyrics, and tone color to how a piece makes them feel and where it “fits” best.

Essential Questions

• How do my interests, experiences, and identity shape the music I enjoy?
• How can we use criteria and evidence to evaluate music fairly, even if it’s not our favorite style?
• How does the context or purpose of music (party, ceremony, background, performance) affect how we judge whether it “works”?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Explain how their preferences for certain pieces are influenced by personal experiences, interests, and contexts.
2. Use a shared set of evaluation criteria (e.g., rhythm/groove, melody, expression, lyrics, audience fit) to rate music excerpts.
3. Support their opinions about a piece with specific musical evidence (e.g., tempo, dynamics, instruments, text).
4. Compare two pieces or performances and explain which fits a given purpose or audience better, using criteria.
5. Create a short music mini-review (written or recorded) that clearly states a preference, uses criteria, and explains the reasoning.

Standards Alignment — Grade 5 Music (NAfME-Aligned)

• MU:Re7.1.5a — Explain, citing evidence, how selected music connects to and is influenced by interests, experiences, purposes, or contexts.
  • Example: Explaining how instrumentation and tempo signal celebratory vs. calm music.
• MU:Re9.1.5a — Evaluate musical works and performances using established criteria and explain appropriateness to the context.
  • Example: Using a rubric to evaluate whether music fits a formal or informal setting.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain why I like or dislike a piece of music using musical reasons, not just “because it’s good.”
• I can use clear criteria (like rhythm, melody, expression, lyrics, audience fit) to rate music.
• I can connect a piece of music to a purpose or context (e.g., celebration, background, ceremony).
• I can create a short music review that includes my opinion, evidence from the music, and a note about where it might work best.