This document outlines a music curriculum unit for 3rd grade that connects music to other core subjects like science, art, math, and social studies. Each lesson uses music activities and concepts to teach principles from another discipline. For example, one lesson has students make homemade drums and horns to learn about science, while another uses paintings to demonstrate how music can convey different emotions. The unit aims to show students the relationships between music and other subjects to help them better understand core classes.

1. Music and Interdisciplinary Connections
for 3rd Grade
Unit and Lesson plans by:
Roger Marks

2. Reasons for Unit
• To show students that it’s easier to
understand core classes when you have music
to guide you.
• Helps them better understand in a stress-free
and welcoming environment.

3. Knowledge and Skills
Each student at the end of this unit will be able to:
• Know the basics of singing in rounds.
• Know how to easily make instruments from things
around the house
• Know how to improvise and create with others
• Get a full grasp on the correlation of Music and their
Liberal Arts classes.

4. National Standards
• Singing
• Performing on Instruments
• Improvising
• Composing and Arranging
• Listening to, analyzing and describing
• Understanding relationships between music, the arts
and disciplines
• Understanding Music in relation to History and Culture

5. Materials Used
• - Flash cards with rhythms - Giant paper
• - More than one previously sung song - 25 copies of lyrics
• - Recording of 50 Nifty United States - 11 Pencils (used as drum sticks)
• - Box of multi-colored markers - Various classical pieces on CD
• - Multi-colored construction paper - Various paintings ranging in style
• - CD player - Farmer in the Dell music
• - 11 Oatmeal cylinders - 11 Straws
• - 22 Rubber bands - Pair of scissors
• - 22 Deflated balloons - Flash cards with rhythms
• - Collection of popular Native American songs
• - Collection of popular American Country music

6. Science in Music
• This class starts with getting a feel for rhythms through exercises and repetition. Most of these rhythms will
be seen in the next part…
• After working through potential hard rhythmic areas with the opening exercises, begin to teach "The Farmer
in the Dell" by rote.
• To start this lesson off with the science theme, we show how to make a drum and ask the students questions
about it to keep them interested and a part of the lesson.
• After making the drum, immediately after show how to make a homemade horn. Once again while asking
questions about it to keep them focused.
• To tie the first part of the lesson with what was just taught, bring back a few of those rhythms for the
students to play on their newly created instruments.
• End the lesson by foreshadowing into next class's lesson which is about the emotional correlation of music to
forms of art/colors.
• * For the take home assignment, get the students to try to create their own instruments with items around
the house. Make sure to tell them that breaking their parent’s items as the cause of this assignment is not a
good idea, and that they should also try to seek their parents help with this if they're having trouble
• ** For students with ADD, ADHD, or focus problems, this lesson will be much more difficult if, when you start
the lesson, you already have out the homemade drums and horns. They will have difficulty preparing and
focusing for the lesson if those are in their line of sight.

7. Art in Music
• As this class starts, the students will be doing some light pitch matching exercises individually so you can
hear where they're all at singing-wise.
• To start this art lesson off, bring up images of 3 paintings and have the class describe how each makes them
feel (one happy, one sad, one angry). Once they have a general idea of what each painting represents
emotionally, play them 3 songs and ask them to point to which painting the song responds to.
• Giving the students a break from matching emotions from music to paintings, review Farmer in the Dell from
the last class. If all goes well, start to show them the game for it to get them moving and their brains moving.
• Coming back to the theme of the lesson, hand out construction paper and markers to the class and tell them
to draw whatever they hear. Proceed to play 3 songs or 5 excerpts from songs and have them draw what it
sounds like, how it makes them feel, the contour of the song, etc.
• If there is time after all of this, start to show the class the 50 Nifty United States song that they will be
learning in the next class.
• In closing the lesson, let them know that next class they will make math more exciting and show them uses
of math that they never would have never even thought of.
• * Have the students, when they’re listening to music at home, to describe how it makes them feel and to
draw out what they hear. Have them bring their drawings in next class.
• ** For the possible chance that one of the students is color blind, to keep them from losing interest in this
lesson, have them instead describe how the music makes them feel.

8. Painting Examples

9. Math in Music
• As the class is starting, have the students go through more of the rhythmic exercises, but this time have them
interact a bit more. They could be holding up a few flash cards and have the other students pick the one that
you are singing.
• Have them start to work with time signatures and counting with a song they've learned in the past. Get them
to work with how many beats in a measure, which type of note gets the pulse, and how the subdivisions (if
there are any) relate to the pulse.
• In addition to the time signatures, teach them to sing a song in round form. Since this may be difficult for 3rd
grade, use a song they all know and that they can all sing without over-thinking like Row, Row, Row Your Boat.
• If not started in the last class, then start to show the 50 Nifty United States song. Give the students lyrics
sheets to follow along with while you sing, then have them sing.
• If there is time at the end of the lesson, have them choose an exercise that they've done in the past to work on
for a few minutes. Try to make a game out of it.
• For the next class, let them know that they will be learning American History through music. Also, inform them
of a dance contest and a competition of who can sing/recite 50 Nifty United States the quickest.
• * Have them bring home the sheets of 50 Nifty United States to memorize for the next lesson.
• ** There shouldn't be any special needs accommodations for this lesson.

10. Social Studies in Music
• For this last lesson, start it out by doing very little warm-up exercises in rhythm and in pitch.
• Get back into the 50 Nifty United States song to see if the student have practiced memorizing the lyrics at home.
Hold a light, friendly competition to see who can see if they can sing the states part the fastest.
• Start the next section by playing a popular, energetic American country song. Using this song, teach them how to
square dance.
• Once the have settled down, go over a little background information on Native American life and culture and play
for the students a popular Native American piece. Ask them questions about pulse, and have them play along to
the song with the drums they have made in the previous lesson. Make sure every kid gets a chance.
• After they have put the drums down, start reading them a story about cowboys and Indians, or just about any
old American themed story. Have the students choose which side they want to be on and have them incorporate
the drums into the play.
• Since everything in this unit has been taught, question the students how they feel about their core classes after
what they've learned.
• * No more lessons so no more assignments
• ** Always when there is an instrument out, there is a chance that a student with ADD or ADHD might get out of
control. If this happens, have them calm down with a “cowboy” role in the play, or just let them have a drum to
play on during both Native American themed activities.