Vocal Music Grade 2

Curriculum Map
Teacher: Erin Egan Grade: 2 Subject: General Music
This curriculum is based on the National Standards for Music Education.
Lessons based on the materials provided by Silver Burdett: Making Music (music textbook series).
Month Content Skills Assessment Standards
August UNIT 1
Lesson 1: Loud and Soft Sounds
“Heigh-Ho” p. 7
NS: 1B, 2A, 5C,
6E, 8B
-Identify and describe loud
and soft dynamics
-Sing louder and softer
dynamics
-Describe how dynamics
can make a song more
interesting
-Students will perform the
song; observe their ability to
sing with the correct
dynamics practiced
-When asked to show
dynamics with movement,
observe the accuracy of their
movements
Lesson 2: The Beat Goes On
“Time To Sing” p. 8
Interview with Liam Burke (recording)
-Perform steady beat and
melodic rhythm using
movement and body
percussion
-Discuss rhythm in tap
dancing
-As students perform “Time
To Sing,” assess whether
they can shift accurately
from beat to rhythm
-Observe whether they can
distinguish between beat &
rhythm in performances
NS: 1A, 6B, 6C,
6D, 6E, 8A
September
Lesson 3: Get the Rhythm
“Go Around the Corn, Sally” p. 12
-Perform rhythms from
notation that include quarter
and eighth notes
-Discuss the role of work
songs in African American
culture
-Music Reading Worksheet
(Resource book p. D-2):
Have children create original
16-beat rhythm phrases with
the rhythms we have learned
-Choose students to play
their compositions; have
others play along/assess their
accuracy
NS: 1A, 2B, 5A,
5D, 9C

September
cont.
Lesson 4: Rhythms at Rest
“Silver Moon Boat” p. 14
“Xiao yin chuan” p. 14
-Read and perform quarter
note, eighth notes, and
quarter rests in a song
-Discuss the Chinese Moon
Festival and songs that are
sung as a part of it
--Music Reading
Worksheet (Resource book
p. D-3): Have children
create their own phrases
with rhythms learned
-Observe their rhythmic
accuracy as students perform
the song “Silver Moon Boat”
NS: 1C, 2B, 5A,
5D, 6E
Music Theory, Grade 2:
Lesson 1 – Low & High
Lesson 3 – Up & Down
-Identify pictures that best
match the pitch that sounds
-Identify the contour of a
melody by circling the most
accurate picture
-Students will submit these
worksheets for a graded
assessment
NS: 5, 6
Lesson 6: Let the Spirit Move You
“Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” p. 18
-Move to show the different
sections in a call-andresponse
song
-Discuss African-American
spirituals as they relate to
history and culture
-Have children sing the
song; encourage them to
move, and observe that they
use one movement for the
call and another for the
response
NS: 1A, 1B, 6A,
6E, 9B
Lesson 7: Up and Down the Music Trail
“Lone Star Trail” p. 20
Buckaroo Holiday (recording), listening
map p. 23
-Listen to a melody with
high and low pitches
-Identify high and low
pitches in music notation
-Observe whether students
can identify high and low
pitches in notation and on a
listening map
NS: 1B, 2B, 2F,
5B, 6B, 6E, 8B,
9D

October
Lesson 8: Follow the Direction
“My Father’s House” p. 25
(listening map, p. 24)
-Sing a melody while
moving to indicate changes
in direction
-Explore and discuss gospel
music
-Observe accuracy of student
movements to show the
pitches of the melody
moving downward, upward,
and repeating
NS: 1B, 6B, 9A
Lesson 9: Three Pitches
“Lucy Locket” p. 27
-Read and sing the pitches
sol, mi, and la from notation
-Have children read text at
bottom of p. 27 and answer
the question
-Ask them to read and sing
melodic excerpt using pitch
syllables and hand signs;
assess accuracy of the
performance
NS: 1A, 1E, 5B,
6C, 8B, 9C
Lesson 10: Read Pizza, Play Pizza
“Pizza, Pizza, Daddy-O” pp. 28-29
-Identify sol, mi, and la in
different staff locations
-Discuss a fine art painting
that represents children
playing a singing game
-Have children sing patterns
1 & 2 in “Show What You
Know!” (on p. 31)
-Ask them to show where
the pitches are on the staff,
observe their accuracy
NS: 2D, 5B, 5D,
8B
Lesson 11: You Are the Music
“Down, Down, Baby” pp. 32-33
-Listen for and identify vocal
and body percussion sounds
in the accompaniment of a
song
-Discuss and describe
hambone style
-Journal Writing: while
children listen to “Down,
Down, Baby,” they should
write down the vocal sounds
and body percussion they
can hear
-Collect these answers to
assess their listening skills
NS: 1C, 3D, 6B,
6D, 7B, 9D
Lesson 12: Thin to Thick
“Riddle Ree” p. 34
-Identify thin and thick
texture through performing
a speech piece with multiple
ostinatos
-Describe what an ostinato
-Have children perform in
groups using all three parts
(song plus two ostinatos)
-Ask other children to
describe the texture
NS: 1A, 1D, 4B,
6B

October
cont.
is and why it is useful in
music
accurately
Lesson 1: Speed Up, Slow Down
“Miss Mary Mack” p. 42
-Move to a song that gets
faster and slower
-Hand Game: Students will
play with partners,
maintaining steady beat even
when the tempo changes
occur
-Observe that the children
recognize the tempo changes
move faster/slower when
necessary to match the song
NS: 1B, 6E, 8A
UNIT 12
Lesson 2: Ooh, It’s Halloween!
“Skin and Bones” p. 376
“The Owl and the Pumpkin” p. 377
Pumpkin Picking, p. 376
November Music Theory, Grade 2:
Lesson 4 – Lines & Spaces
Lesson 5 – Line/Space Numbers of Notes
Lesson 6 – Fun Sheet: Musical Alphabet
Lesson 7 – Steps, Skips, Repeated Notes
-Sing two Halloween songs
with appropriate dynamic
mood changes and contrast
-Perform a Halloween poem
with dynamic expression
-Read and notate symbols
on the lines & spaces of the
staff
-Identify letter names in the
musical alphabet
-Notate steps, skips, and
repeated pitches
-Observe that students use
dynamic expression in their
singing (while performing
both songs)
-Students will submit these
worksheets as a graded
assessment
NS: 1A, 1B, 1E
NS: 4, 5, 6
UNIT 2
Lesson 3: Pick a Pattern
“Four in a Boat” p. 46
Allegro non troppo, No. 33 (recording)
-Play rhythm patterns that
include quarter notes, eighth
notes, and quarter rests
-Observe and discuss
rhythm in visual arts
-Class should clap rhythms
on p. 49 to show their
knowledge, then play on
percussion instruments
-Observe performances to
determine their
understanding of the
rhythms
NS: 2A, 4C, 5A,
6A, 6E, 8B

November
cont.
Lesson 4: Get on the Beat
“Way Down in the Schoolyard” p. 50
“Way Down Yonder in the Brickyard” p.
51
-Move on the strong beats
while listening and singing
-Discuss the importance of
preserving cultural heritage
in music
-Compare and contrast two
versions of the same song
-Observe that students know
where the strong beats occur
in the song; have students
move on those strong beats
while singing
NS: 1B, 6B, 7A
UNIT 12
Lesson 4: Celebrate Thanksgiving
“Thanksgiving is Near” p. 380
Setting the Thanksgiving Table, p. 381
-Create a verse that fits the
rhythm patterns of a song
-Read and explore rhythm in
a Thanksgiving poem
-Play an ostinato pattern
throughout the song
-Have student groups present
and perform their new verse
of the song; the whole class
can assess the success of
these performances
NS: 1A, 2B, 3B
UNIT 2
Lesson 9: Melodic Pathways
“Down the Ohio” pp. 60-61
Shenandoah (recording), listening map on
pp. 62-63
-Identify the skips, steps,
and repeated pitches in a
song and a listening
selection
-Ask children to point to
words in the song “Down the
Ohio” that are (a) sung on
repeated pitches, (b) sung
when three pitches move up
or down by a step, or (c)
sung when the pitches move
by skips
-Observe that students
perform this activity
correctly
NS: 1A, 5B, 6B,
9C
Lesson 5: Singin’ the Blues
“Good Mornin’, Blues” p. 52
When a Man’s a Long Way from Home
(recording), p. 53
-Sing a blues song in AAB
form
-Listen to blues songs and
identify characteristics of
this music
-Ask students to sing “doo”
during the A section, use
“la” for B section
-Assess that they switch
syllables at the correct time
NS: 1B, 3D, 6A,
9A

December UNIT 12
Lesson 6: Celebrate Christmas
“Come Running, You Shepards” p. 384
“It’s Santa-Again!” p. 385
-Describe melodic direction
after listening to a song
-Discuss historical origin of
Santa Claus
-Play instruments to match
certain lyrics in the songs
-Written Assessment:
Students can answer
questions about “It’s Santa-
Again!” (located on p. 385)
-Collect their answers; can
be drawn or written
NS: 2A, 6B, 9A
Lesson 7: A Christmas Waltz
“Christmas, Don’t Be Late” pp. 386-387
Les patineurs (recording), p. 387
-Move to the strong beat in
sets of three
-Relate qualities in a
painting to a piece of music
-Note which children are
able to show the downbeat in
sets of three through
tapping/whole body
movement
-Observe if children can
accompany music in meter
in 3 and keep their pattern
going accurately
NS: IB, 2B, 6E,
8B
Lesson 5: Chanukah, The Festival of
Lights
“Chanukah is Here” p. 382
“Ner li (The Light)” p. 383
January UNIT 3
Lesson 1: Accents!
“Boogie Chant and Dance” p. 78
“Two Little Sausages” p. 79
UNIT 12
Lesson 10: Living the Dream
“A Kid Like Me” pp. 394-395
“Free At Last” p. 396
The Dream Keeper, p. 397
-Sing two Chanukah songs
and identify phrases and
sections
-Sing with a full, relaxed
sound and accurate
intonation
-Move to show accented and
unaccented beats
-Discuss accents in a
painting
-Create a call-and-response
composition about dreams
for the future
-Discuss the life of Martin
-Observe that students
breathe at phrase endings
and vocally shape phrases
while singing
-Have each child perform
during these two speech
pieces; observe that they are
using movements to
accurately represent
accented and unaccented
words
-Have groups practice their
compositions; allow each
group to perform for class
-Review the compositions
NS: 1B, 6A, 9A
NS: 4A, 6B, 8B
NS: 1C, 2A, 4B,
6A, 9A

January
cont.
When I Grow Up, p. 397
Luther King, Jr.
-Perform speech pieces
about MLK
and evaluate together with
the following questions:
(a)Was it in call-andresponse
form?
(b) Did the composition
develop the topic?
UNIT 3
Lesson 2: Hear a New Rhythm
“Tideo” p. 80
February Music Theory, Grade 2:
Lesson 15 – Spaces
Lesson 16 – Lines & Spaces
Lesson 17 – Combination “Fun Sheet”
-Read and perform sixteenth
notes in a song
-Describe the cultural
background of play-party
games
-Move and dance to portray
the beat
-Read and notate the lines &
spaces of the treble clef
-Have children point to the
sixteenth note pattern while
singing “Tideo”
-Observe that they are
pointing and also singing
accurately
-Students will submit these
worksheets as a graded
assessment
NS: IA, 5A, 9C
NS: 4, 5, 6
UNIT 12
Lesson 11: Valentine’s Day
“Valentines” p. 398-399
-Sing a Valentine’s day song
in verse-and-refrain form
-Identify the difference
between verse & refrain
-Split class into two groups
to sing the refrain and
verses, then switch
-Observe that students know
when each of these sections
begins and ends
NS: 1A, 2A, 5D
UNIT 3
Lesson 3: That Rhythm Again
“Amarillo Armadillo” p. 82
“Jelly in a Dish” p. 83
-Perform sixteenth note
patterns from notation
-Perform rhythms on p. 85
with the class; then ask
students to identify which
line is from which song
(use Resource Book p. B-10
for further assessment)
NS: 1A, 5A, 5D,
6E, 9A

March
Lesson 4: Takes Two to Crawfish
“Crawfish!” p. 86-87
Mud Bug Boogie Dance ( the instructions
on p. 88)
-Move to show meter in 2
-Discuss Cajun culture in
Louisiana
-While performing their
dance, observe that children
move accurately to the beat,
demonstrating their
understanding of meter in 2
NS: 1A, 1C, 4B,
6B, 9A
April
Preparation for Spring Concert
-various songs for performance
Preparation for Spring Concert
-various songs for performance
-Sing accurately with good
pitch and tone
-Describe appropriate
concert etiquette
-Sing accurately with good
pitch and tone
-Describe appropriate
concert etiquette
-Observe and listen in order
to edit/finesse the
performances
-Observe and listen in order
to edit/finesse the
performances
NS: 1A, 1B, 1D,
6A, 6E
NS: 1A, 1B, 1D,
6A, 6E
May
Lesson 8: Read a New Pitch
“Rocky Mountain” p. 98
-Read and learn the pitch
named Re
-Identify the pitch Re within
a song
-Observe that students are
singing “Rocky Mountain”
accurately with pitch
syllables and hand signs
NS: 1A, 4C, 5B
Lesson 10: Colorful Sounds
“Ise oluwa” p. 102
Nangape (recording)
Gamelan Instruments Montage (recording)
Ujan mas (recording), listening map p. 105
-Listen to and compare the
timbres of a marimba piece
and a gamelan piece
-Discuss and read about the
role of percussion
instruments in various
cultures
-Venn diagram, Resource
Book p. C-6: Instruct
children to work in groups
and discuss the similarities
and differences between
instrument timbres
-Students should fill in the
Venn diagrams using
material descriptors
NS: 1C, 2F, 6B,
6D, 9A
Lesson 11: Creating Textures
“Waiting for the Traffic Light” p. 107
-Play two-part ostinatos
accurately and recognize
how they create thicker
textures
-Split group into xylophone
players and singers; assess
the accuracy of both group
performances
-Have students switch roles
to experience both
assessments
NS: 1A, 2B, 4A

May cont.
Lesson 12: Playing Lullaby Layers
“Abiyoyo” p. 108
-Play an African-style
accompaniment to a lullaby
-Discuss a folk tale
character from Africa
-Have children perform song
and accompaniment; ask for
texture descriptor words to
show their understanding
(for example: layers, thick,
thin, etc.)
NS: 1B, 2B, 3B
UNIT 4
Lesson 3: Cooking with Rhythm
“Old Bras Wagon” p. 122
-Create and perform rhythm
patterns that include quarter
notes, eighth notes, and
sixteenth notes
-Discuss how pioneers
traveled west
-Have children perform their
body percussion rhythms
-Observe their ability to
accurate perform the
rhythms they write
-Use resource book p. B-14
for formal written
assessment
NS: 2F, 4D, 5A