Lesson Six: Biodiversity
How do bird songs influence human music?
National Science Education Standards
Content Standard A: Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry
- Understanding about scientific inquiry.
- Employ simple equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses.
Content Standard B: Physical Science
- Position and motion of objects
- Sound is produced by vibrating objects. The pitch of the sound can be varied by changing the rate of vibration.
Content Standard C: Life Science
- The characteristics of organisms
- Organisms and their environments
Content Standard E: Science and Technology
- Abilities of technological design
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
- Characteristics and changes in populations
- Changes in environments
Objectives: NCSCOS Science
Competency Goal One: The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of animal life cycle.
Competency Goal Four: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of the concepts of sound.
NCSCOS Music Objectives
GOAL 6: The learner will listen to, analyze, and describe music. (National Standard 6)
- 6.03 Use appropriate terminology in explaining music, music notation, music instruments and voices, and music performances.
- 6.07 Show respect while listening to and analyzing music.
GOAL 8: The learner will understand relationships between music, the other arts, and content areas outside the arts. (National Standard 8)
- 8.02 Identify ways in which the principles and subject matter of other content areas taught in the school are related to those of music.
Concepts:
The songs birds use influence music styles and choices by humans.
Background information for teacher:
Biodiversity is the variety of all life on Earth. Birds are a group of animals that are quite diverse. They have adapted to almost every habitat including forests, grasslands, oceans, arctic regions and deserts. This diversity has impacted human culture in a significant way.
Vocabulary:
- Call and response — a song style that follows a simple question-and-answer pattern in which a soloist leads and a group responds
Materials:
- Eric Carle book: The Very Quiet Cricket
- Straws
- Ruler
- Tape
Time:
45 minute
Process Skills:
- Observe
- Communicate
- Measure
- Predict
Procedure: (Engage, Explore)
- Use Eric Carle’s book The Very Quiet Cricket to imitate and create some of the sounds used by each animal.
- Cricket: use a plastic comb and run fingers through it
- Locust: shake seeds rapidly in a container
- Praying mantis: rub hands together quickly
- Worm: Bite an apple or crush an empty water bottle
- Spittle bug: blow bubbles in a cup of water with a straw
- Cicada: blow up a balloon and squeak the air out
- Bumblebee: Kazoo
- Dragonfly: wave tissue paper in the air
- Mosquito : quiet buzzing
- Luna Moth: make a construction paper fan and wave gently in the air
(substitute any items you would like)
Discuss whether any of these sounds remind you of music or instruments.
- Review and discuss some of the bird songs we have heard so far, be sure to point out that they do not all sound the same.
- Discuss how the sounds influence the behavior of animals.
- Show students how to make pan flutes with straws and tape. They will be using them to demonstrate different pitches and songs.
- (To make the pan flute secure approximately 8 straws together by gluing or taping them to an index card. Cut the straws on an angle so each one is a little shorter than the one beside it. This does not have to be measured exactly but can be to incorporate measuring skills for your class.)
- Measure out lengths of straws and glue together.
- Allow students time to experiment and practice with the flute to make various pitches and songs.
- Present pan flute pitches to the group.
Class Reflection: (Explain)
- What types of sounds do animals use to communicate?
- Why do birds use songs and calls?
- How did you use the pan flute to communicate? What were you trying to communicate?
Elaborate: (Extend)
http://www.wildmusic.org
Authentic Assessment: (Evaluate)
- Group participation
- Pan flute assembly