Today, I wanted the students to focus on how certain characters can be represented in music. I used the short story of "Peter and the Wolf" to carry out this lesson. I used this lesson from Kiersten Hopkins, which the student's absolutely loved. At the beginning of the lesson we talked about what emotions certain colors and line portray in each of us. Although there were slight variances, for the most part, students could collectively come up with a decision that they all agreed on. For example, they knew that the color red, along with a squiggly line evoked feelings of anger or being mad. We discussed different emotions for various lines and colors. Each character in the story was then represented by a certain instrument. As the students were watching the short clip and seeing a new character being introduced, they filled in a chart that asked them what color, line, and descriptive word best described each character. It was important to let the students know that there will inevitably be multiple correct answers. One student's interpretation of a character could be completely different than other student's. After the clip was over, the class filled in the chart together, often times showing different colors and lines for one character. After the chart was filled in, I instructed the students that they used supporting details in the music to make guesses about what each character is like. We talked about how it is important, in reading a story, to be a detective looking for those supporting clues to help make appropriate guesses and assumptions about how characters act or feel. The students loved this lesson; they were engaged in the clip and loved having a say in how they represented each character. The awesome thing about Peter and the Wolf is that you can create many lessons highlighting many different things using this fun story.
I've attached the link to the YouTube clip down below. I've also attached the lesson plan with the chart included for future use in your own classroom!
