The activities for the unit intend to incorporate the following essential questions:
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How is identity formed?
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What contributes to Andrew's identity in
Yolonda's Genius,
and how do you know?
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Possible follow up: What is a child prodigy?
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What do you believe contributes to your identity?
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How is identity expressed through music?
Activity 1: What makes Andrew, Andrew?
Objectives:
Students will be able to describe Andrew's identity, determine how his identity is constructed, and be able to identify and describe a child prodigy.
Materials:
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Whiteboard or large chart paper with markers for brainstorming.
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Notebook paper and writing utensils for students.
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Yolonda's Genius
by Carol Fenner.
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Yolonda's Genius
by Carol Fenner. Text Connections. Dr. Janet Allen's Plugged in to Reading.
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Audio/visual equipment to play videos and musical excerpts.
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Recordings of Stevie Wonder and Jay Greenberg, available via iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, etc. Be sure to select at least one example of Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica, e.g., “For Once In My Life.”
Review the concept of identity as a social construct with the class. View the American Girl Doll Petition video from The Critical Media Project. In the video, a 10-year-old girl with muscular dystrophy asks the maker of American Girl dolls to create a doll and story about a girl with a disability. Discuss with students why the girl in the video feels so passionately about creating a petition, and what that has to do with her identity.
Begin by asking the class to list things that are essential to Andrew's identity. Give students three to five minutes to talk with a partner and write down their thoughts. Share with the class and create a master list. Ask students how many wrote “music” or “harmonica” on their list. Discuss as a class. Discuss what parts of Andrew's identity are determined by others around him, and what parts Andrew identifies on his own.
In Language Arts classes, students should have already read
Stevie Wonder: Child Prodigy
and
The Amazing Bluejay
from the Text Connections materials. They have also completed a venn diagram of Andrew and Stevie Wonder. If needed, take time to review the information about each musician. Listen to musical examples. Discuss the musical similarities between Stevie Wonder, Jay Greenberg, and Andrew.
Activity 2: Musical Elements
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify and describe the follow musical elements in various genres and styles: rhythm, tempo, dynamics, melody, harmony, timbre/tone color, form, and texture. Students will use this information to prepare them to compose independently using multiple elements.
Materials:
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Whiteboard or large chart paper with markers for brainstorming.
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Notebook paper and writing utensils for students.
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Audio/visual equipment to play musical excerpts.
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Musical excerpts of choice. Choose at least three different genres/styles. For example, choose a jazz piece, a pop song, and a selection from a marching band/drum corps.
Review/introduce each of the musical elements and their definitions. Allow students to demonstrate the concept, if they are able, before providing the correct answer. After reviewing the definitions, provide students paper and pencils and have them divide it into three sections. For each listening example, have students identify parts of the performance, and what musical element is it. For example, students would list the instruments they see or hear, and know to identify that element as the texture. Review answers together as a class.
Activity 3: What does Andrew's world sound like?
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify “sound words” in
Yolonda's Genius,
and use what they know about the musical elements to recreate the imitative or expressive sounds and descriptions in the book.
Materials:
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Plain paper or staff paper and pencils
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List of “sound words” created during Language Arts class/for homework.
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Various classroom instruments especially percussion.
Create a master list of “sound words” from
Yolonda's Genius.
Pick a few examples to work through as a class. When students demonstrate that they are able to work on their own, divide the class into small groups. Assign each group several words or phrases from the master list. Allow at least one full class period to create the compositions, and additional time to rehearse them. Students can write the compositions on staff paper using standard notation, or they can write down ideas and phrases that will help them remember how to perform the compositions. Students should also neatly write at least two to three sentences describing how they developed each composition. Each group will present at least one composition. The teacher can provide the list that the group worked from, and the rest of the class and try and guess which one the students are playing. Discuss why the compositions work with each word or phrase from the list.
Activity 4: What does your world sound like?
Objectives:
Students will be able to list aspects of their own identity and create an original composition to imitate or express key aspects of their identity. Students will be able to use multiple musical elements in their composition.
Materials:
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Blank bubble letter “I” on plain white paper.
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Plain paper or staff paper and pencils
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Various classroom instruments, especially percussion.
In the blank letter “I,” students should fill it with words or phrases that they feel identify them. Spend some time discussing why the student chose the words they did. Using some of the most common words or phrases, work together as a class to develop what they would sound like, based on what they know about the musical elements. Instruct students to create an original composition based on their identity. The requirements are at the teacher's discretion. Here are some sample requirements:
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The composition must be at least eight measures long.
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You must use at least five words or phrases from the “I” activity when creating your composition.
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You must use at least five musical elements, either simultaneously or independent of each other, in your composition.
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Include a one-paragraph response with your final draft explaining what aspects of your identity are included in your composition, and how the musical elements reflect that. There is no right or wrong answer, but you must explain your thinking.
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Perform your final composition.