https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGp3EHmGLH8

Body Percussion Pulse

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ST Name:

Kym Fox
ST Number:
40036679

Class Level:

2nd & 3rd Class

Date:

12/05/25

Subject:

Music

Time:

12:40

Duration of Lesson:

30 Minutes

No of Pupils:

27 pupils

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Strand(s)

Composing

Strand Unit(s)/ Element(s)

• Improvising and Creating
• Talking about and Recording Compositions

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Learning Outcome(s) / Content Objectives:

• Pupils will recall and respond using their voice and body percussion to replicate rhythms, specifically synchronising with a pulse of 4 beats.
• Pupils will devise and use graphic symbols to record simple musical patterns, creating a key for body percussion sounds.
• Pupils will work collaboratively to compose body percussion accompaniments to a popular music chorus.

Aligned with the IE Curriculum Framework, Music Strand “Composing”:

• Pupils should be enabled to confidently explore, improvise and create rhythmic patterns reflecting steady pulse (ML 3rd class)
• Pupils should be enabled to represent rhythmical patterns graphically and symbolically (core competence: communication and creative thinking)
• Pupils engage in collaborative music-making fostering social competences (Strand Unit: Working with Others)

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Learning Objectives

1. The child should be enabled to identify and maintain a steady beat (pulse) of 4 beats in body percussion patterns by watching and copying an example.
2. The child should be enabled to create simple rhythmic compositions using pictorial graphic symbols with a key to record their body percussion patterns for others to interpret.

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Assessment

1. Method: Teacher observation during group activities and questioning; review of group-created graphic symbol compositions.
2. Assessment of: Pupils’ ability to keep a steady pulse, replicate body percussion, and communicate their rhythm through graphic notation.
3. To be recorded: Engagement, accuracy in body percussion pulse, creativity in composing, understanding of symbols and keys.

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Teacher Questioning

Lower order questions (Closed)

1. How many beats are in one pulse cycle?
2. What are the body parts we are using to make the sounds?
3. Can you copy the clap and stomp we just watched?

Higher order questions (Open)

1. How does keeping a steady pulse help our music sound good together?
2. Why do you think we use symbols to record music?
3. Can you think of another body percussion sound to add to our pattern?

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Language Development Opportunities

• Pulse
• Genre (Rock music)
• Structure (Verse, Chorus)

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Literacy Development Opportunities

• Use of pictorial symbols (visual literacy)
• Creating keys (coding and decoding information)

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Teaching Methodologies

• Collaborative/Co-operative Learning
• Active Learning
• Talk and Discussion
• Skills Through Content
• Problem Solving

(Primary methodologies underlined above)

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Introduction (5 minutes)

Stimulus:

• Play the chorus of "We Will Rock You" as a listening stimulus.
• Briefly explain: “Today, we will explore a kind of music where we use our bodies to make sounds instead of instruments. This is called body percussion.”

Elicit Prior Knowledge:

• “What music genres do you know?”
• “What genre is this song? (Rock)”
• “What music genres have we already looked at? (E.g., Mexican folk music from previous lessons)”

Share Learning Intention (WALT):

• We are learning to keep a steady beat using our bodies and create symbols to write rhythms.

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Development (20 minutes)

Step 1: Body Percussion Exploration (10 minutes)

• Show the YouTube video of body percussion to "We Will Rock You" (without sound or with original, depending on preference), asking pupils to watch carefully.
• Lead pupils in copying the pattern: hand claps, foot stomps, and thigh pats based on the video.
• Emphasise counting a pulse of 4 beats: “1, 2, 3, 4” for each cycle.

Step 2: Group Composition and Graphic Notation (10 minutes)

• Divide pupils into small groups (4-5 pupils each).
• Each group creates their own body percussion pattern for the chorus, sticking to the 4-beat pulse.
• Provide large sheets and markers/stickers to design pictorial symbols for each sound they use (e.g., hand = clap, foot = stomp).
• Groups create a "key" explaining what each symbol means.
• Encourage children to think about sequence and repetition to match the chorus rhythm.

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Conclusion (5 minutes)

Cognitive:

• Each group briefly presents their body percussion sequence and explains their symbols to the class.
• Recap the importance of pulse in music and how the symbols help others understand their composition.

Social:

• Praise teamwork and creativity. Stress how collaborating helped them create music together.

Transition:

• Prepare pupils for the next subject by collectively clapping a steady pulse as they line up or leave.

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Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Considerations

Pupil(s)	Reason(s)	Method(s)	Additional Comments/
Pupils with hearing difficulties	Benefit from visual symbols and hands-on activities	Use clear pictorial notation and hand signals	Ensure good seating so all can see teacher and video clearly
Pupils with kinaesthetic learning style	Engage better with body movement and rhythm	Active participation in body percussion	Allow movement breaks and incorporate physical activity
Pupils needing language support	Visual aids support vocabulary acquisition	Use of a key and repeated verbal modelling	Reinforce new words: pulse, beat, composition, graphic symbol

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The Learning Environment & Resources

• Spacious classroom/ hall area for safe movement and body percussion
• Large paper, markers for graphic symbols and keys
• Audio equipment for playing music
• Projector or big screen to play YouTube video
• Link to: YouTube Video of body percussion to "We Will Rock You" (URL given to teacher separately; do not display link here)

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End of Plan