Overview

Grade: Maternelle (Pre-Kindergarten / Kindergarten, ages 4-5)
Duration: 3 periods of 30 minutes each (90 minutes total)
Class Size: 25 students
Subject Integration: Music & Formation Personnelle et Sociale (FPS)
Theme: Exploring the connection between musical sounds and emotions (joy, sadness, anger, fear)

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Curriculum Alignment (British Columbia)

Curriculum Areas & Competencies

• Arts Education (Music):
  • Big Idea: Music helps us express and understand feelings.
  • Content: Listen to, explore, and respond to musical sounds.
  • Competency: Explore sound sources and create simple musical patterns individually and collaboratively.
• Personal and Social Competencies (FPS):
  • Big Idea: Emotions are important to recognize, express, and manage in ourselves and others.
  • Content: Identifying and expressing feelings, practising self-regulation, cooperating with peers.
  • Competency: Show awareness and respect for different emotions in self and others; engage in positive, supportive interactions.

Learning Standards

• Recognize and name basic emotions through personal experiences and media (joy, sadness, anger, fear).
• Use body language, vocal sounds, and musical instruments to express emotions.
• Participate collaboratively in group music making, respecting peers and taking turns.
• Demonstrate increased emotional self-awareness and social empathy.

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of this 3-period unit, students will be able to:

1. Identify and label at least four basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, and fear.
2. Recognize corresponding musical characteristics (tempo, volume, pitch) linked to these emotions.
3. Express emotions through body movement, facial expression, and sound creation using percussion instruments.
4. Collaborate in small groups to create a simple musical piece that represents an emotion.
5. Listen attentively and respond empathetically to their peers’ emotional expressions.
6. Reflect verbally and non-verbally on their own emotional experiences and group work.

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Materials & Preparation

• Audio excerpts from Le Carnaval des Animaux (e.g., “Aquarium,” “The Elephant,” “The Swan”) carefully chosen to represent different emotions
• Small percussion instruments for each student (e.g., tambourines, shakers, small drums, wooden blocks)
• Emotion cards depicting facial expressions and an associated simple word (joy, sadness, anger, fear)
• A large emotion chart displayed at front of room
• Recording device (tablet or digital recorder) for capturing group performances and reflections
• Comfortable open space for movement and expression
• Visual timers for activity transitions

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Organization & Grouping

• Whole class for listening and large group discussions
• Small groups of 5 students (5 groups total) for creation and collaboration activities, balanced by social/emotional profile where possible
• Teacher and assistant circulate to provide individual support and encourage participation
• Quiet listening and movement areas arranged to foster focus and comfort

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Detailed Activity Breakdown

Period 1 (30 minutes) – Discovering Emotional Sounds

Objectives

• Recognize basic emotions through musical excerpts
• Connect sound qualities to emotion vocabulary

Steps

1. Circle Time Introduction (5 min):
   • Teacher welcomes students and introduces “L’Orchestre des Émotions”; explains that music can tell stories about feelings.
   • Show emotion cards (joy, sadness, anger, fear) and review facial expressions with students.
2. Listening Experience (15 min):
   • Play short music excerpts one by one (approx. 2 minutes each). After each, ask, “How does this music make you feel?”
   • Use emotion cards and the large emotion chart to link responses to emotion words. Teacher models pointing to cards and naming the emotions.
3. Sound Exploration (10 min):
   • Students explore percussion instruments, mimicking the music’s mood (e.g., soft shaking for sadness, loud drumming for anger).
   • Encourage awareness of tempo (fast/slow), volume (loud/quiet), and pitch (high/low).

Assessment for Learning

• Teacher observes students naming emotions correctly and engaging with instruments to represent the sound moods.

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Period 2 (30 minutes) – Body and Sound Expression of Emotions

Objectives

• Express emotions through body movement and instrument sounds
• Develop vocabulary for describing feelings in self and peers

Steps

1. Emotion Warm-Up (5 min):
   • Use mirror games: “Show me your happy face! Now your sad face!”
   • Incorporate body postures (e.g., big open arms for joy, hunched shoulders for fear).
2. Guided Movement and Sound Activity (15 min):
   • Play an emotion card, e.g., “anger.”
   • Students first express the emotion with their bodies (fast stamping, strong gestures), then create sounds with their percussion instruments representing that feeling.
   • Rotate through all four emotions, encouraging creativity and asking volunteers to share how their body and sound match the emotion.
3. Sharing Circle (10 min):
   • Students use simple sentences prompted by the teacher: “When I play loud drums, I feel... angry.”
   • Reinforce emotion vocabulary and encourage students to listen and respect peers’ feelings.

Assessment for Learning

• Teacher notes participation in body-sound activities, vocabulary usage, and peer respect.

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Period 3 (30 minutes) – Collaborative Emotion Orchestra

Objectives

• Collaborate to create simple musical stories expressing emotions
• Demonstrate social cooperation and empathy

Steps

1. Group Formation & Planning (10 min):
   • Divide students into 5 groups of 5. Each group randomly draws an emotion card (ensure all emotions are represented).
   • Each group discusses and plans how to create a musical and movement “story” about their emotion using instruments and bodies. Adults support verbal ideas and help structure.
2. Rehearsal and Recording (15 min):
   • Groups rehearse their emotion orchestra piece (approx. 2 minutes).
   • Teacher records each group’s performance using the recording device.
3. Gallery Sharing & Reflection (5 min):
   • Groups perform in front of peers.
   • After each, the class says the emotion they felt was represented and shares one word describing the music or movement.
   • Teacher highlights positive behaviours: listening, taking turns, encouraging friends.

Summative Evaluation Criteria

Criteria	Exceeds Expectations	Meets Expectations	Emerging
Music Understanding	Consistently uses instruments & body to express mood with creativity and control	Uses instruments/body to express basic emotion ideas	Limited expression or hesitant engagement with instruments/body
Emotional Recognition and Expression	Clearly identifies and names emotions; verbalises feelings confidently	Identifies emotions with some prompting; attempts verbal expression	Difficulty naming or understanding emotions
Social Skills and Collaboration	Actively listens, shares ideas and encourages peers; participates fully	Cooperates and takes turns with minimal prompting	Needs support to engage or follow group norms

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Extensions & Adaptations

• For Diverse Learners:
  • Use simplified language and encourage non-verbal expression for ELL or students with communication challenges.
  • Provide additional adult support during group collaboration.
• Home Connection:
  • Suggest families listen to music together and talk about what feelings it makes them experience.
• Cross-Curricular Tie-In:
  • Visual arts follow-up: create emotion masks inspired by musical feelings.

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Reflection & Teacher Notes

• Use recorded performances to revisit learning outcomes and discuss with students in following sessions.
• Sensitively monitor emotional responses and ensure a safe space for emotional exploration.
• Celebrate all efforts to express feelings and collaborate, reinforcing the value of empathy in the classroom.

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This lesson plan is designed to fully engage young learners in emotionally rich musical experiences while supporting their personal and social growth—honouring British Columbia’s holistic and competency-based curriculum approach.