Sustainable Song Fun

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Overview

Year Level: Foundation (Prep)
Learning Area: The Arts – Music
Lesson Duration: 60 minutes
Unit Title: Sustainable Sounds Exploration
Lesson Number: 4 of 5
Lesson Title: Creating Our Own Sustainable Songs
Class Size: 20 students
Group Structure: Small groups of 4 students

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Australian Curriculum Links

Music – Foundation Level (The Arts: Music, F–2)
Content Descriptions (ACAMUM081 & ACAMUM080):

• ACAMUM081: Create and perform their own and others’ music using voice, movement and instruments to express ideas.
• ACAMUM080: Explore and respond to sound, music and movement, and describe how these are used to express stories and experiences.

Sustainability Cross-curriculum Priority:
Students develop an appreciation of environmental and sustainability issues through creative expression.

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Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Collaboratively create simple lyrics about sustainability themes (saving water, recycling, protecting animals, etc.)
• Explore ways to turn words into melodies using voice and simple rhythms
• Perform their song-in-progress using classroom instruments and/or voice
• Reflect on how music can communicate messages about caring for the Earth

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Success Criteria

Students will:

✔ Work together respectfully in small groups
✔ Contribute ideas for original sustainability-themed lyrics
✔ Use their voice, percussion, and body movements to express musical ideas
✔ Begin performing a group song that includes both lyrics and melody

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Resources and Preparation

Resource	Quantity	Notes
Whiteboard & markers	1 set	For brainstorming and group lyric writing
A4 lyric sheets	5	One per group
Classroom instruments	Enough for 20 students	Tambourines, egg shakers, rhythm sticks, mini drums, etc.
“Soundscapes of Nature” cards	5 sets	Visual prompts with images e.g. trees, oceans, animals
Mini microphones (toy or prop)	5	For group sharing and presentation fun
Group collaboration mats	5	Laminated mats with group roles and prompt questions
Bluetooth speaker & calm nature background track	1	Used during brainstorming and performances

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Lesson Sequence

1. Welcome & Warm-Up (10 minutes)

Objective: Engage students in a musical starter that reintroduces environmental themes.

• Start with a "Call and Response" nature-themed musical warm-up:
  Teacher sings lines such as “Let’s save the trees” and students echo.
• Incorporate movement: Students create a hand motion to represent each line (e.g. hands grow tall for trees).
• Brief discussion: “What do you remember from last week’s sound scavenger hunt? What sounds did nature give us?”

2. Group Formation & Lyric Brainstorming (15 minutes)

Objective: Students begin composing sustainability-themed lyrics in groups.

• Divide students into mixed-ability groups of 4.
• Distribute “Soundscapes of Nature” cards (each group chooses one as their inspiration).
• Use group collaboration mats with prompt questions:
  • “What does our picture tell us?”
  • “What does this place need to stay healthy?”
  • “How could we help protect it?”
• Each group uses these prompts to write 2–3 simple lines of their song on the lyric sheet with teacher/assistant scribes writing for them if needed.

💡 Encourage rhyming pairs and onomatopoeia (e.g. “Splash, splash, save the sea!”)

3. Melody Creation & Instrument Choice (15 minutes)

Objective: Set lyrics to music and explore sound choices.

• Model how to “sing-talk” one line and encourage students to echo.
• Each group experiments with singing lyrics to different simple melodies (e.g. known tunes like Twinkle, Twinkle, or original melodies).
• Let students select 2–3 classroom instruments to support their song.
• Encourage each group to pick a rhythm for their chorus line (clapping or tapping).

🧠 Teacher circulates and facilitates, prompting students to make choices (e.g. “What beat do you want here?”, “Can we make the last word the highest note?”)

4. Performance and Encouragement (15 minutes)

Objective: Share music creations and practise performance as a group.

• Each group presents their song so far using voices and selected instruments.
• Encourage growth mindset: “We are showing our ideas, not finished songs!”
• Use handheld mic props to boost confidence.
• After each performance, the audience gives one “clap” and one “kind comment”.

🎙️ Model how to comment: “I liked how they made the ocean sound with shakers!”

5. Reflect and Connect (5 minutes)

Objective: Reinforce learning and celebrate the creative process.

• Whole-class circle time reflection:
  • “What did your group create?”
  • “How did your song help teach others about caring for the planet?”
• Clear instruments and thank them as “Nature Friends”.

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Differentiation

• Support:
  • Adult scribes assist with lyric transcription.
  • Sentence starters on lyric sheet: “We can help by…” or “Animals need…”
• Extension:
  • Invite confident students to add a musical introduction or repeat line.
  • Offer mini-challenge: “Can anyone whisper-sing a secret line to surprise us?”

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Assessment

Formative Observation Checklist:

Skill	Look For	Notes
Group collaboration	Shares ideas respectfully, takes turns	✅
Lyric content	Includes sustainability theme	✅
Melody creation	Attempts to match words with pitch/rhythm	✅
Expression	Uses voice/instrument appropriately	✅

Teacher takes photos (with permission) or audio clips of each group’s process for reflection in the final lesson.

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Teacher Reflection Prompts (Post-Lesson)

• Which students showed increased confidence in creative choices?
• Did students grasp the links between sustainability concepts and musical expression?
• What adjustments would enhance support in the lyric-writing phase?

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Final Notes

✨ This lesson empowers students to find their own musical voice while nurturing a love for the planet. In bringing sound and sustainability together, students are not only learning about eco-conscious choices—they’re performing them! This creative, collaborative session sets the stage for their final performance in Lesson 5.

Let the Earth sing through their voices! 🎶🌱