Singing Through Stories

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Curriculum Context

Learning Area: The Arts — Music
Year Level: Foundation (Prep)
Curriculum Links:
As per the Australian Curriculum: The Arts — Music Foundation Level, students:

• Explore and respond to sound, music and silence using their voices, movement and instruments
• Learn to listen actively to music and show awareness of dynamics, pitch and tempo
• Develop confidence to perform music and music-related actions in front of others
• Use imagination, language and movement to interpret stories through musical play

General Capabilities Addressed:

• Literacy
• Personal and Social Capability
• Critical and Creative Thinking

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Lesson Overview

Duration: 25 minutes
Class Size Consideration: While listed as 309 students, this plan assumes students are divided into smaller, manageable groups led by multiple teachers or support staff. The lesson is designed for one group of approximately 25 students at a time.

Lesson Title: "Singing the Rainbow: A Musical Story Adventure!"

Focus: Using music to retell and explore the story The Rainbow Serpent (an Indigenous Australian Dreamtime story), incorporating singing, body percussion, and movement to foster engagement and cultural awareness.

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WALT (We Are Learning To)

• WALT use our voices, bodies and instruments to retell a story through music.
• WALT explore high and low sounds, loud and soft sounds, and slow and fast rhythms.
• WALT participate in group music-making by singing and responding to musical signals.

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Success Criteria

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

✅ Sing and respond to key phrases from the story
✅ Identify changes in sound and tempo using voice and body percussion
✅ Use movement or instruments to reflect character and event changes in the story
✅ Show confidence and collaboration through group performance

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Resources Needed

• Storybook: The Rainbow Serpent (or teacher-led oral storytelling version)
• Scarves or colourful ribbons (rainbow colours if possible)
• Simple instruments: tambourines, hand drums, rhythm sticks, shakers — each student has one OR take turns in small groups
• Visual prompts (sun, storm cloud, snake, rainbow) on cards
• Open floor space for movement activities

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Lesson Sequence

1. Welcome and Warm-Up (3 mins)

• Begin with the class echoing rhythmic claps and vocal sounds (e.g., “Clap–clap–stomp!” or “La–la–loo!”).
• Introduce whole-body warm-ups: pretend to “wake up” our voices and bodies with stretching, yawning, and singing “Wakey-Wakey” (simple melody the teacher improvises).

Differentiation Tip: For students needing additional support, use visual cue cards to model each action; for non-verbal learners, allow them to use percussion instruments to 'speak' in the warm-up.

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2. Story Introduction (5 mins)

• Briefly introduce The Rainbow Serpent story. Use animated voice and movement. Show visual aids or picture book.
• Emphasise moments where music can enhance story (e.g., sound of the serpent slithering, the rain falling, ground shaking).
• Invite students to choose one sound/gesture they might use for a character or event.

WALT Focus: Explore sound and movement to reflect story details.

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3. Musical Storytelling (10 mins)

Narrate the story in segments. After each part, pause and lead a musical response using instruments or body percussion to describe what happened.

Story Part	Musical Sound Suggestion
Serpent wakes and slithers	Swishing scarves, snake-like shakers, sssss-sing
Serpent creates rivers and mountains	Stamping feet (ground-shaking), deep drum beats
Rain comes and colours form	Rainbow scarves swirl to gentle xylophone tones
Rainbow arches over land	High-pitched singing (“Raaaaain–bow!”)

Students repeat musical phrases and movements, learning to associate sound with meaning.

Differentiation Tip: Students with limited mobility can use props/instruments while seated. Provide partner roles for peer modelling and support.

Extension Activity: Challenge advanced students to create a short solo soundscape for one part of the story and lead their peers in performing it.

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4. Group Performance (5 mins)

• Recap and retell the story as a group performance.
• Divide students into “sound teams” (e.g., Snake Sounds, Rain Sounds, Mountain Sounds). Each group cues their sound/movement when their part arrives in the story.
• Final chorus: everyone sings a simple, repetitive, teacher-led tune like “The Rainbow Serpent shines so bright…” accompanied by flowing scarves and instruments.

Success Criteria Check-In: Ask students, “What was your sound in the story? How did it help tell what happened?”

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5. Cool Down and Reflection (2 mins)

• Students put props away to soft, calming music.
• Sit in a circle. Teacher asks:
  • “What was your favourite sound in the story?”
  • “How did your music help tell the story?”
• End with “Goodbye Song” (simple sing-along with names included).

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Differentiation Strategies

• Visual learners: Story sequenced on board with picture icons; gesture-based teaching
• Auditory learners: Use of call-and-response songs and clapping patterns
• Kinesthetic learners: Emphasis on movement with scarves, body percussion
• EAL/D students: Pre-teach key vocabulary through visuals and movement; use buddy system
• Neurodiverse learners: Routine structure with visual schedule; ear defenders available; optional participation in loud sections

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Extension Activities (Optional/For Early Finishers)

• Students create their own short musical story using three instruments or props
• Introduce another Dreamtime story and brainstorm sounds to represent it
• Simple composition: students draw three pictures and match them to sounds for a class story-song

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Assessment Opportunities

• Observation checklist during group activity:
  • Participates in musical response
  • Uses voice/instrument to reflect story
  • Demonstrates understanding of loud/soft, fast/slow
• Student feedback (verbal or visual): using thumbs up/down/middle or drawing about the lesson experience

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Teacher Reflection Prompt

After the session, consider:

• Were all students engaged in the storytelling and music-making?
• Which students demonstrated leadership in their musical expression?
• How could the musical response activities be expanded in future lessons?

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This lesson integrates cultural storytelling with core musical elements tailored to the developmental needs of Australian Foundation students. It encourages creativity, cultural awareness and teamwork — bringing learning to life through the universal language of music.