Sea Soundscape Fun

WALT (We Are Learning To)

• Listen attentively to a musical piece and identify instruments and sounds.
• Describe music and make imaginative connections to the sea.
• Create and perform a sea-inspired sound collage using classroom instruments and everyday objects.

Success Criteria

• I can listen carefully to a piece of music and name some of the instruments I hear.
• I can describe how the music makes me feel and what it reminds me of.
• I can use instruments or objects to mimic sea sounds like waves, seagulls, and boats.
• I can work with my classmates to perform our sea soundscape clearly and expressively.

Australian Curriculum Alignment

Content Descriptor: AC9AMU4D01 (Years 3 and 4)
Develop listening skills and skills for manipulating elements of music when singing and playing instruments. Specifically:

• Listening to diverse examples of music to explore how rhythm and pitch, structure or timbre are used.
• Manipulating elements of music to create intended effects using classroom instruments or found objects.
• Listening to the effects they create and discussing their choices.

This lesson also supports general capabilities in creative thinking and personal and social capability, encouraging collaboration and expression through music.

Lesson Outline (20 minutes)

1. Introduction & Warm-up (3 minutes)

• Gather students and explain today's fun activity: listening to "Sea Sketches" by Grace Williams.
• Briefly explain that this music paints pictures of the sea using sounds and instruments.

2. Active Listening & Discussion (5 minutes)

• Play a carefully selected excerpt (2-3 minutes) from Sea Sketches by Grace Williams.
• Ask engaging questions:
  • What sounds or instruments did you hear?
  • How did the music make you feel?
  • What parts reminded you of the sea, waves, seagulls, or boats?
• Use dyslexia-friendly reading: provide illustrated prompts on a large poster or slideshow with simple words and images (e.g., wave, bird, boat, music notes).

3. Creating the Sea Sound Collage (8 minutes)

• Divide the class into small groups; each group selects classroom instruments (e.g., tambourines, shakers, xylophones) and everyday objects (e.g., tapping pencils, clicking fingers) to mimic the sea sounds heard.
• Encourage experimentation with:
  • Sounds of waves (rolling tambourines or shaking rice in containers)
  • Seagulls (whistling or high-pitched playing on xylophones)
  • Boats (slow, rhythmic tapping or stomping footsteps)
• Facilitate creativity and expressive listening by prompting, "What else could sound like the sea? How can you make your sound loud or soft to show waves crashing or calm water?"

4. Group Performance (4 minutes)

• Each group performs their part together to make a combined sea soundscape.
• Encourage students to listen to each other and play expressively, creating dynamics (loud/soft) and textures (smooth/rough).
• After the performance, lead a quick sharing: What did you like about our sea soundscape? What could we try next time?

Differentiation

• For diverse learners:
  • Provide visual and tactile cues for instruments and sounds.
  • Allow movement-based responses (e.g., waving hands like waves) for students who benefit from kinesthetic learning.
  • Use paired or small group work to support students who thrive with peer assistance.
• Extension for advanced learners:
  • Challenge them to compose a short rhythmic pattern representing sea creatures or weather (e.g., a storm).
  • Invite them to create a graphic score showing when to play certain sounds.
• Dyslexia-friendly strategies:
  • Use clear, simple language and visuals for instructions.
  • Provide printed keywords in large, readable fonts with pictures.
  • Repeat instructions and check comprehension through questions.

Resources

• Audio recording of Sea Sketches by Grace Williams (excerpt suitable for young listeners)
• Variety of classroom percussion instruments and everyday sound-making objects
• Visual aids with keywords and images (waves, birds, boats, music notes)

This lesson plan focuses on engaging Year 3 students' imagination while meeting the Australian Curriculum's music learning objectives through listening, creating, and performing using manipulable musical elements. It promotes social collaboration and encourages expressive listening skills suitable for this age group. The activity connects music learning with creative storytelling about the sea, aiming to delight and captivate young learners within a 20-minute timeframe.