This document provides an overview of a lesson plan for a recorder unit for 5th grade students called Recorder Taekwondo. The unit uses a belt ranking system where students progress through different belt levels as they learn increasingly difficult songs. Previously, the unit was taught using direct whole-class instruction, but changes are being made to incorporate additional resources and learning theories. The revised unit will include instructional videos to allow for more independent practice, as well as peer teaching between higher and lower belt students. This is intended to maximize instructional time while still achieving curricular goals.

1. EDTECH 504‐4173 (FA09)
Susan Ferdon
Lesson Plan Activity
Overview
As part of the General Music Curriculum in Deerfield District 109, students in grades 3-5
use recorder as a medium for developing music literacy skills, individual performance
skills, and ensemble skills. Students are also able to personally experience musical
concepts (i.e. rhythm, pitch, tempo, balance) in an authentic manner. The approach to
learning has been primarily cognitivist in that information went in and led to outcomes
that can be observed.
While a sequential curriculum, tied to national and state standards, has been in place
for a number of years, the district’s six schools have had limited common curriculum
materials. Curricular objectives were quite specific, but the manner in which teachers
chose to address objectives was determined individually. For recorder, most teachers
chose the standard approach of direct instruction using a method book. The book used
by many, including myself, has been Recorder Karate. As students learn songs of
progressing difficulty levels, they earn colored “belts” for their recorders. This
combination of cognitivist-style direct instruction, familiar melodies, and a behaviorist-
style reward system has resulted in instructional activities that have been effective,
motivating, and fun for students.
The success of Recorder Karate with my 4th graders, led me to develop a similar
program for my 5th graders. In Recorder Taekwondo, students again learned
progressively more difficult songs, but with greater independence and no “ceiling” to
their learning. Students were able to continue with Recorder Taekwondo songs, on their
own, even when class time was no longer used. When students learned the most
difficult song, a newer, more challenging song was added. The first year of Recorder
Taekwondo, the highest belt achieved was 1st degree black. The next year, students
exceeded the level achieved the previous year and I added songs for 2nd and 3rd degree
black belts. The next year, I eliminated the white belt song and “re-colored” the
remaining songs, which raised the bar for all. 4th degree black belt was also added, and
though a few students began work, none finished. Last year, three students earned 4th
degree black belt and one made it all the way up to 5th degree: play the melody of
Greensleeves on soprano recorder, learn to play alto recorder, play the harmony of
Greensleeves on alto recorder, compose a Renaissance style accompaniment for two
contrasting unpitched percussion instruments and record all four parts using
GarageBand.
The goal has been for students to advance at least to Purple Belt, the level at which
basic curricular goals have been met. In order to go beyond that, students frequently

2. needed more time for practice and testing than was available during class time alone.
They were provided with supports - fingering charts, pitch notation information,
demonstration audio on the music website – and many worked before school, during
lunch recess, after school, and practiced at home. The behaviorist reward system of
yarn for their recorders was further enhanced by recognition of black belt students at the
end-of-the-year Awards Assembly. In the four years that I have used Recorder
Taekwondo with my students, 98% have made it to purple belt and many have gone
well beyond.
Though successful, changes need to be made to 5th grade recorder instruction due to
changes in the music schedule and increased availability of common curriculum
materials and computing devices.
• Spotlight on Music™ materials have been purchased so there are now teacher
and student resources available district-wide, including textbooks and
supplementary recorder materials.
• Three carts of Netbooks have been purchased and will soon be available for
classroom use.
• The school day has been lengthened - 10 class periods/120 students have been
added to my teaching load (44 classes a week, 450+ students total) – and the
amount of planning time has been reduced. The combination of more classes
and less planning time has resulted in a sharp reduction in the amount of
planning time per class/student.
• Available planning time (and more) is needed to adequately plan and prepare for
daily teaching so Recorder Taekwondo must be limited to class time and home
practice.
Though the impetus for change has been largely external, the extent to which
instruction will be impacted is within my control. The benefit of added materials and
resources can offset the reduction in time available to work with students. Maximizing of
instructional time, practice time, feedback, and testing opportunities will be possible
when students teach themselves and each other. Expanding upon the Humanist
practice of providing independent learning opportunities for students will allow me to act
as facilitator and, thus, provide more individualized support during class time. Creation
of instructional videos will enable the benefits of face-to-face music instruction (auditory
and visual) to transfer to self-directed learning activities. Further, characteristics of
Communities of Learning, long a tradition in the world of music, can maximize the time
available for achieving curricular goals. The proposed changes will take advantage of a
wider variety of learning theories, as well as additional resources, and will result in the
greatest possible student achievement.

3. Recorder Taekwondo Unit
5th Grade
Content Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of
National Standards for
Standard 2 music.
Music Education
Achievement a. Students perform on at least one instrument1 accurately and
Standards independently, alone and in small and large ensembles, with good
posture, good playing position, and good breath, bow, or stick control.
b. Students perform with expression and technical accuracy on at least
one string, wind, percussion, or *classroom instrument a repertoire of
instrumental literature with a level of difficulty of 2, on a scale of 1 to 6.
c. Students perform music representing diverse genres and cultures, with
expression appropriate for the work being performed.
State Goal for Through creating and performing understand how works of art are
Standards
Learning
Illinois
Learning 26 produced.
Learning Apply skills and knowledge necessary to create and perform in one of
Standard B more of the arts.
Recorder 5 Play songs using low D, E, F#, G, A, B, C and high D.
Curriculum
Deerfield
General
Recorder 6 Read notation to learn and play songs on the recorder.
Music
Recorder 8 Play scales: C major, D major.
Recorder 10 Develop repertoire of songs with varied meters, tempo, tonality, and
difficulty levels.
OLD FORMAT REVISION
Whole class instruction at beginning of unit: Addition:
Review of previous notation strategies Material from the Spotlight on Music
and activities: Rhythm Rhyme, Music Reading section of the book, and SOM
Music Notation
Alphabet Song, hand staff, mnemonics. recorder materials, will supplement
music notation and reading activities in
Remediation:
Note cards (job aides); students find core lessons. Recorder will be woven
matching notation and write letter into instruction throughout the year.
names above notes. Remediation:
Music literacy activities will be
distributed through the year. Selected
students will use drill and practice
software (Music Ace, Music Ace 2).
Learning Theory:
• Behaviorism

4. Whole class instruction: Addition:
Recorder was used on a more limited Material from the Spotlight on Music
basis in 5th grade than in 4th. A review Reading recorder materials will
of 4th grade skills and songs takes place supplement activities in core lessons.
in the last few weeks prior to beginning Recorder will be woven into
Recorder Skills
Recorder Taekwondo. instruction throughout the year.
Remediation:
Modified notation (letters, finger
numbers, color coding, or icons) was
available for students not able to play
from traditional notation. Those
students also had the option of
watching my fingers instead. Students
who are new to recorder, or have
significant learning or motor issues,
play alternate songs. Each song is still
progressively more challenging, but the
difficulty level is suited to the
individual.
Whole class instruction: Addition:
Teacher modeling to develop fingering Higher belt students will be paired with
techniques needed to play more lower belts for peer teaching of new
challenging portions of the song. songs.
Learning Theory:
Remediation:
Individual practice time provided • Communities of Practice
during most music classes; teacher
works with individuals as needed. Addition:
Instructional videos will be created for
New Songs
each song. Teacher modeling of
accurate song performance will be
included, along with warm‐ups and
technique‐building exercises. All
information that was previously
presented, via direct instruction to the
whole class, will now be available for
individuals to access independently.
Videos may be accessed in class or at
home.
Learning Theories:
• Humanism – Teacher as facilitator
of learning
• Cognitive Theory of Multimedia
Learning

5. Whole class: With less class time used for direct
Individuals practice independently. At instruction, more time will be available
times, students at the same belt level for individual and peer‐supervised
In‐class Practice
practice together and offer one another practice.
help.
In‐class use of peer teaching and
Remediation: instructional videos (Netbooks with
Students may come to music room for earphones) will allow teacher to
teacher‐supervised practice. provide a greater amount of
individualized feedback during class
time.
Learning Theories:
• Humanism – Teacher as facilitator
of learning
• Communities of Practice
• Cognitive Theory of Multimedia
Learning
Shared packets are used during class Song sheets, audio files, and videos will
Home Practice
and individual song sheets are available on the music website four
available for students to take home. weeks before the Recorder Taekwondo
Song sheet PDFs (public domain Unit begins. Students will be urged to
melodies) and MP3 recordings of each get a head‐start on the easier songs, so
scale and song are linked on the that there is more time during class to
webpage. Students have access to all work on more advanced techniques
materials both at home and at school. needed for higher belt songs.
Students could continue advancing Learning Theory:
through the belts, even when class time • Humanism – Teacher as facilitator
was no longer being used. of learning
Beginning the second week of the unit, Less class time will be used for direct
most of one class period per week (30 instruction, so more teacher time will
minutes of a 40 minute period) was used for be available for testing. Beginning the
belt testing. Students could test for one second week of the unit, approximately
Belt Testing
belt per week, in class. This got 25 minutes per class period will used
students up to the goal, Purple Belt for testing. As before, if students earn
(grade is B), by the end of the unit. one belt per week they will make it to
Some students were ready to test twice Purple Belt by the end of the unit.
in one class period. Students who test at each available
Students were able to test outside of opportunity will be able to make it as
class time as many times per week as high as 2nd degree Black Belt before the
they wanted to. The unit was scheduled end of our six‐week unit.
for early spring to allow additional time
for out‐of‐class testing once the
Recorder Taekwondo Unit was over.