Topic to be developed: Knowledge of music
Experiential Goal: Students will share and critique a favourite song.
The students will:
Since there will be various opinions regarding the different songs, the students should be tolerant of the preferences of their classmates. (PSVS) Although the students will probably choose English songs for their critique, include the music of various French artists whenever possible.(PSVS) Students should also reflect on the importance of music in their lives.
Students may be challenged to research background information on their favourite groups or singers and to write detailed descriptions of the artists. Students may also wish to critique a French song and describe the singer and song to the class.
The following vocabulary and linguistic content is included throughout the unit. The teacher and the students should decide what elements will be included in the experiential goal.
A sample tool for evaluating the presentation has been included as Annex 13. Ideally, the criteria for evaluation should be developed in consultation with the students. If this is not possible, they should be told what the criteria and the weighting are before they begin preparing their presentations.
Topic to be developed: Knowledge of music
Experiential Goal: Students will share and critique a favourite song.
It would be ideal to have students research and critique a French song. In reality, this may not be possible although they could be encouraged to choose a singer who sings in both French and English. To motivate the students, allow them to choose the song for their critique after a discussion on appropriate choices.
Topic to be developed: Knowledge of music
Experiential Goal: Students will share and critique a favourite song.
1. Become familiar with different songs.
Activities
| 1.1 | Listen to a number of different songs and survey the class to determine their first, second and third choices. |
2. Determine the role that music plays in the lives of the students.
Activities
| 2.1 | 8.1 Annex 1 Have students look at Annex 1 to determine whether or not music plays an important role in their lives. Students rate the importance of each of the elements on a scale of 1 to 4. The students then add their scores to determine the role that music plays in their lives. In pairs, students share their answers. (Students may also predict what they think their partner will answer.) |
| 2.2 | Ask the students to determine how much time per day they listen to music. Have them share the information with a partner and then have the partner report back to the main group. |
| 2.3 | Have the students list the different places where they may listen to music during the day. Name the places where music may be played as background such as the department store, doctor's office, and the places where the students choose to listen to their music such as walking to school, on the bus, while doing homework, etc. |
3. Discuss the experiential goal and the possible steps to achieve the goal.
Activities
| 3.1 | Identify the elements that could be included in a critique of a song. e.g. genres of song, singer(s), mood, theme of song, instruments, etc. |
| 3.2 | Discuss the types of songs that would be appropriate and possibly inappropriate for the critique. |
4. Categorize music according to different genre.
Activities
| 4.1 | 8.1 Annex 2 In pairs, have the students look at the list of the different types of music and match the music with the artist or group. Have them share their opinions with the rest of the class. Note that many of the artists overlap from one genre to another. |
| 4.2 | 8.1 Annex 3 Have the students look at the list of different genres or categories of songs from Annex 3. Add to the list if possible. Look at album, cassette or CD covers and have them predict what type of music is played. Try to match the music covers with the different genres of music. Give reasons for the choice if possible. |
| 4.3 | 8.1 Annex 3 Now have the students listen to a number of different excerpts of songs from the albums and decide to what genres they belong. Have the students make note of the name of the song, the name of the artist or group and the genre of the song. Decide if any of the songs could belong to more than one genre. |
5. Determine music preferences.
Activities
| 5.1 | 8.1 Annex 4 Have the students survey one another to determine their preferences about different music. Share this information with the class. |
| 5.2 | 8.1 Annex 5 Have the students survey parents and other adults about their favourite music. Compile the information from the class and summarize the types of music that parents or other adults listen to. |
6. Be familiar with different instruments used in the music.
Activities
| 6.1 | 8.1 Annex 6 Look at the list of instruments. Add to the list if possible. Survey the class to determine who has played or still plays any of the instruments. If possible, have students bring their own musical instruments to school. |
| 6.2 | Listen to a number of songs and try to determine the instruments that are used. Look at the music covers for possible verification. |
7. Describe popular singers or groups.
Activities
| 7.1 | 8.1 Annex 7 Using a number of the adjectives in the annex, have the students describe a group or singer and have the rest of the class try to guess the identity. As the students give their descriptions, they may wish to take on the personality of the artist and describe themselves in first person. |
| 7.2 | 8.1 Annex 7 From a list of adjectives, compare and contrast two different musical artists. Have students describe each artist with three or four adjectives and then compare the two artists using comparative forms of adjectives. |
8. Discuss music concerts.
Activities
| 8.1 | Survey the students to determine what concerts they have attended. |
| 8.2 | 8.1 Annex 8 Discuss some of the reasons for going to a concert and and have the students give their opinions regarding the reasons. |
9. Research the artist or group who performs the chosen song to find out some personal information.
Activities
| 9.1 | 8.1 Annex 9 Look for information regarding the artist or group who performs the song chosen for the critique. Add other information if possible. |
10. Discuss the elements of various songs.
Activities
| 10.1 | 8.1 Annex 10 Identify a number of prevalent themes in popular music. Add to the list if possible. Match a list of main themes with the titles of songs that the students have heard in class. |
| 10.2 |
|
11. Describe and critique the song.
Activities
| 11.1 | 8.1 Annex 12 If necessary, use the questions in the annex as a guideline to give background information and to describe the song. Add any other pertinent information. |
12. Present the song and the critique to the class.
Activities
| 12.1 | As the students listen to the critiques and the songs, they may be encouraged to fill out a form outlining the name of the performer and the title of the song as well as their personal opinions regarding the song. |
13. Reflect on the unit. Is there other music that students will now listen to? Is there a variety of music interests in the class? What French did the students learn regarding music and performers? Are they interested in listening to French or Québecois artists?