Grandfather and Wolf

Unit Context

This is Lesson 5 of 9 in the Year 2 music unit "Exploring Peter and the Wolf". In this lesson, students explore two contrasting characters through their instrumental themes: the gentle, wise Grandfather represented by the bassoon melody, and the dramatic, dangerous Wolf represented by horn music.

Lesson Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

18 students

NSW Curriculum Outcomes Addressed

Music Years 1 and 2 Achievement Standard:

Students demonstrate listening skills. They use the elements of music to improvise and/or compose music. They sing and play music in informal settings.
By the end of Year 2, students identify where they experience music and describe how people use music across cultures, communities, and contexts. (Linked to: AC9M2MU01, AC9M2MU02)

Content Descriptions Relevant to Year 2:

Explore and express ideas about character and story in music experienced, composed and performed.
Identify and create sound effects using voices or instruments to represent ideas, events, and characters.
Explore musical elements, including dynamics, pitch, tempo and timbre, to create descriptive sounds.

Learning Objectives

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

Identify and describe the musical themes associated with the Grandfather (bassoon) and the Wolf (horn) in Peter and the Wolf.
Use body percussion and classroom instruments to represent the contrasting characters of the Grandfather and the Wolf.
Collaborate effectively in small groups to perform and compose simple musical representations of these characters.
Respond expressively to music reflecting wisdom and danger using musical elements (dynamics, timbre, tempo).

Success Criteria

Students can demonstrate the bassoon melody’s gentleness through soft, slow body percussion.
Students can represent the Wolf’s danger with strong, loud horn-inspired sounds using instruments.
Students participate collaboratively in small groups to create contrasting character sounds.
Students use musical vocabulary to explain their choices about how to represent characters.

Resources Needed

Audio recordings of Peter and the Wolf segments featuring the Grandfather’s bassoon theme and the Wolf’s horn theme.
Classroom percussion instruments: hand drums, claves, tambourines, triangles, woodblocks, or similar.
Space for students to move and use body percussion.
Whiteboard or chart paper to list musical characteristics and student ideas.

Lesson Breakdown

1. Warm-up and Introduction (10 minutes)

Activity: Brief discussion connecting students to the story of Peter and the Wolf. Recall previous lessons' knowledge about some characters.
Listening: Play the bassoon theme associated with the Grandfather. Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the character. Discuss how the music sounds (e.g., gentle, slow, calm, wise).
Repeat with the horn music for the Wolf: students describe the music as strong, loud, scary, dangerous.
Objective: Engage students in focused listening and descriptive language about the music’s mood and character.

2. Exploring Body Percussion for Characters (15 minutes)

Task: In small groups of three, students create body percussion patterns that represent either the Grandfather or the Wolf.
Grandfather groups focus on slow, soft, steady rhythms (e.g., gentle claps, finger snaps, soft pats).
Wolf groups focus on loud, fast, sharp patterns (e.g., stomps, chest pats, snaps).
Teacher role: Model examples, showing dynamic contrast (piano for Grandfather, forte for Wolf).
Groups practice and perform their character’s rhythms to the class.

3. Instrumental Group Work (20 minutes)

Task: Assign each group the role of Grandfather or Wolf.
Grandfather groups use instruments with mellow sounds (e.g., soft drums, shakers).
Wolf groups use brighter, sharper percussion (woodblocks, tambourines).
Groups listen again to their character’s theme once more.
Guides students to explore dynamics, tempo, and timbre to create a short group performance representing their character.
Encourage use of starting cues, stops, and tempo changes to add interest.
After rehearsing, groups perform for the class.

4. Reflection and Discussion (10 minutes)

Discuss as a class:
What made the Grandfather’s music sound gentle and wise?
What musical choices helped represent the Wolf’s danger?
How did working in groups help with your music-making and understanding of the characters?
Ask students to describe in musical words the differences they noticed (e.g., volume, speed, instrument sounds).

5. Mini Assessment and Closure (5 minutes)

Assessment: Students individually share one way they used music or body percussion to show either wisdom or danger.
Teacher notes observations about student understanding of musical elements and character representation.
Summarise the importance of musical contrast in storytelling.

Differentiation

Support: Provide instrument stations with visual cues and simplified patterns for students needing guidance.
Extension: Challenge advanced learners to add dynamics changes or short solo moments within their group pattern.

Integration with PBL and Thematic Unit

This music lesson connects deeply with the overarching Peter and the Wolf theme by using storytelling through music and expressive performance. The group collaboration fosters project-based learning values with shared creation and presentation.

Notes for Teacher

Emphasise clear listening experiences and descriptive language to build music literacy.
Maintain a calm but energetic classroom environment to encourage creativity and focus.
Use prompts such as "How would Grandfather tap? How would Wolf stomp?" to elicit ideas.
Capture group performances via audio or video for later reflection and unit portfolio.

This lesson offers a balanced combination of listening, performing, improvising, and group work aligned with the NSW Music K-6 curriculum for Year 2 students, focusing on character and storytelling through music with clear links to curriculum outcomes.

Teaching Instructions