3rd Grade Melody Lessons

Lesson ideas-222

Each lesson is 30 minutes long.

Lesson 1

  • Opening Song
  • Introduce the word “melody” as the same as “tune.”
  • Early to Bed – adapted version in C
    • Review the tones mi, so and la (learned last year). The first 4 measures of the song use these tones. Sing them and move hands up and down to reflect the melodic contour. Then use Curwen hand signs.
    • Sing the (adapted version) of the last 4 measures. Tell students the melody goes up, then back down the pentatonic scale. Point to the tones of the major scale and see how the pentatonic scale only uses 5 of them. Show how the pentatonic scale uses steps and skips (over fa and ti). Move hands up and down (and then use Curwen hand signs) for the last 4 measures of the song.
    • Add a simple bordun on the song on the strong beats (C/G) (beats 1 of each measure). If students have already learned about meter in 3, have them guess which meter the songs is in. (3)
  • Git On Board – Refrain only
    • Teach the song (figure out the meter = 4). Students pat the beat.
    • Listen for the pattern “mi mi re re do.”
    • If time, add drums on the strong beats (beat 1 of each measure) and maracas on each beat (see Orff arrangement 1 in the PDF).

Lesson 2

  • Opening Song
  • Ask students if they remember the word we are learning about (it means the same as tune) = Melody.
  • Early to Bed
    • Review the melodic contour of the song by pointing to the melody and adding Curwen hand signs.
    • Give more students a chance to play the bordun on xylophones while students sing with Curwen hand signs.
  • Git on Board – Refrain only
    • Pat the beat and sing.
    • Review where they hear “mi mi re re do.” Point to where that would be on the xylophone. (This is in a different key than Early to Bed. Help students understand that they can sing the pentatonic scale starting on any pitch.)
    • (You can also review dotted half note since it occurs a few times in this song.)
    • Teach the xylophone part of Orff arrangement 1. Students sing along.
  • Bought Me a Cat
    • Teach the song briefly.

More lessons available below.

  • 3rd grade melody lessons (#1-9) below

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2 thoughts on “3rd Grade Melody Lessons”

  1. The link for Early to Bed is not for the adapted version in C, and I am unable to locate that version within the site.

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