Unit Plan 7 (Grade K Music): Music & Movement
Kindergarten music unit where students move fast and slow to tempo changes, clap a steady beat, and use movement to show how music speed affects how we move.
Focus: Respond to tempo changes (fast/slow) with body movement and simple beat awareness.
Grade Level: K
Subject Area: Music (Tempo • Beat • Expressive Movement)
Total Unit Duration: 2–4 sessions (2+ weeks), 20–30 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students explore how music makes our bodies want to move, especially when the tempo (speed of the music) changes. With guidance, they practice moving fast and slow, starting and stopping, and noticing when the beat feels steady. Through echo-movement games and “freeze” activities, students learn to listen closely and show what they hear with their bodies. They discover that music concepts like tempo and beat help them know how to move.
Essential Questions
- How does tempo (fast or slow) change the way our bodies want to move?
- How can we use our bodies to show what we hear in the music?
- What is a steady beat, and how can we move to it?
- How does listening carefully help us move with the music instead of just any way?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- With guidance, move their bodies to show fast and slow tempos.
- Demonstrate simple movements that match a steady beat (clapping, marching, patting).
- Show when the music changes speed by changing their movement (e.g., slow walking to fast tiptoes).
- Use simple words (fast, slow, steady) to describe how music makes them want to move.
- Participate in a short “music and movement” sharing activity where they respond to tempo changes as a class.
Standards Alignment — Kindergarten Music (NAfME-Aligned)
- MU:Pr4.3.Ka — With guidance, demonstrate awareness of expressive qualities such as voice quality, dynamics, and tempo.
- Example: Singing softly or loudly to match a song’s mood.
- MU:Re7.2.Ka — With guidance, demonstrate how a specific music concept such as beat or melodic direction is used in music.
- Example: Clapping along to a steady beat in a song.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can move fast when the music is fast and slow when the music is slow.
- I can clap, tap, or march to a steady beat.
- I can change my movement when the tempo changes.
- I can use words like fast, slow, and beat to tell how the music sounds.