Unit Plan 6 (PreK Music): Beat with Songs

Focus: Keep a steady beat while singing familiar songs and chants, using simple movement and instruments to feel music together.

Grade Level: PreK

Subject Area: Music (Exploring • Singing • Moving • Listening)

Total Unit Duration: 3–4 sessions (about 2 weeks), 15–25 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Children practice keeping a steady beat while singing simple, familiar songs. Through clapping, patting, and using basic instruments, they learn that beat is the “music heartbeat” that stays the same even when words or actions change. Children experience taking turns keeping the beat, following the teacher, and playing together so the group stays coordinated.

Essential Questions

• What is a steady beat, and how can we feel it while we sing?
• How can our hands, feet, and instruments help us keep the beat together?
• Why is it important to listen carefully when we sing and play with others?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Children will:

1. Move, clap, pat, or tap a steady beat while singing or chanting familiar songs.
2. Use simple classroom instruments (e.g., hand drums, rhythm sticks, shakers) to keep the beat with teacher support.
3. Take turns starting and stopping beat patterns with the group.
4. Help keep the class together by listening and watching for cues while singing and playing.
5. Create simple beat patterns (e.g., clap–clap–pat–pat) that the class can copy.

Standards Alignment — PreK Music

• MU:Pr5.1.PK — Perform music with expression and enjoyment.
  • Children sing, chant, and move with engagement and confidence.
  • Example: Singing familiar songs with gestures and steady beat movements.
• MU:Cr2.1.PK — Organize sounds into simple patterns.
  • Children repeat, echo, and vary short musical ideas.
  • Example: Copying and slightly changing the teacher’s clapped beat pattern.

Success Criteria — Child-Friendly Language

• “I can keep the beat with my hands, feet, or an instrument while we sing.”
• “I can listen and watch so I know when to start and stop.”
• “I can make a short beat pattern and my friends can copy it.”
• “I can sing and play with my class and help us stay together.”