Elk Grove Unified School District
Visual and Performing Arts Resources
Music
Grade Two: Lesson 3
Title: Voices of the World—Comparing Music from China and Argentina
Standards Addressed
Creative Expression
Creating, Performing, and Participating in Music
2.1
Sing with accuracy in a developmentally appropriate range.
2.2
Sing age-appropriate songs from memory.
Historical and Cultural Context
Understanding the Historical Contributions and Cultural Dimensions of Music
3.1
Identify the uses of specific music in daily or special events.
3.2
Sing and play simple songs and singing games from various cultures.
3.3
Describe music from different cultures.
Time: 30-40 minutes
Floor Plan: Regular classroom setting.
Materials Needed:
• Silver Burdett Ginn, The Music Connection—Second Grade, Teacher’s Manual or
attachments
• Silver Burdett Ginn, The Music Connection—Second Grade
• CD player
• CD 5 #1 and #3 or VAPA CD #16 (vocal) and #17 (stereo performance)
• Map of the world or globe
Purpose:
To sing and compare two different songs from two different countries.
Background:
People from every culture sing and use music to express themselves. Locate China and
Argentina on a map and compare geographical locations.
Key Questions:
What is the purpose of each song?
How does the geographical region affect what is expressed in the song?
Vocabulary:
∗ Serene—calm, peaceful, not disturbed or troubled.
∗ Reflection—throwing back by a surface of sound, light, heat, etc.
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Moon phases—the moon as it appears at a particular time of the month (i.e., new
moon, crescent, half-moon, full moon, old moon, first quarter moon, last quarter
moon).
El burrito—Spanish for a little burro or donkey.
El pollito—Spanish for a little chick.
El perrito—Spanish for a little puppy.
El gatito—Spanish for a little kitten.
El chanchito—Spanish for a little pig.
Steps of the Lesson
1 Set up purpose/goals
ƒ Look at the picture on page 143 (or see
attachments), The Pleasures of Fishing.
ƒ Discuss the serene scene and what it might
feel like to float under the shimmer of the
silver moonlight. (Cultural Connection,
Teacher’s Manual, page 143 or see
attachments)
2 Engage students
ƒ Play the song, Silver Moon Boat (CD 5 #1
or VAPA CD #16). Listen to the rhythm of
the song and the pronunciation of the
Chinese words.
ƒ Play the song again and sing together. The
students can clap and snap the beat.
3 Learning Sequence
ƒ Turn to pages 144-145 (or see
attachments). Point to the picture of the
animals and say their Spanish names.
ƒ Play the song My Farm (CD 5 #3 or
VAPA CD #17). Have the students
practice the Spanish words.
ƒ The students may also imitate animal
sounds while listening to the song.
4 Assessment
The students will be able to demonstrate an
understanding of the cultural differences by
participating in the discussion and singing
along with the music in the appropriate style.
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Thoughts for the Teacher
How are you making your purpose clear to
the students?
ƒ Discuss with the students the concept of
“reflection” of the moon on water.
ƒ Discuss the phases of the moon.
How can I effectively get the students
interested in the content of the lesson?
Ask the students to visualize floating on the
water with the silvery sheen of the moon. How
do you think this location affects what the song
is about?
What are the BIG idea(s) of your
presentation? How will students
understand/experience the material that you
present?
ƒ Ask the students to describe what they
think a farm in Argentina may look like.
ƒ Discuss the purpose of this song. Discuss
how this song is different from Silver
Moon Boat in style and function. (Silver
Moon Boat is a folk song, while My Farm
is about animal sounds).
How will you allow your students to deepen
their understanding of content presented?
(Reflect, revise, retell, refine, practice)
Songs may be sung often to reflect an
understanding of a geographical region. The
simple poetry in Silver Moon Boat could be
used in a poetry unit.
Cultural Connection – China and Taiwan
The Chinese of China and Taiwan, in particular, hold in high esteem things of
culture. Taoism (pronounced DOWizm), one of the main philosophies of the
Chinese, stresses people’s communion with nature. Chinese arts often reflect
nature, with their emphasis on landscape painting, image-laden poetry, song texts,
and programmatic titles for much of their instrument music.
Traditional Chinese festivals, many of which are still celebrated today, may relate
to seasons (Spring Festival, Autumn Festival), to water (Dragon Boat Festival), or
to the heavenly constellations (The Double Seventh). Also called Qixi Jie (kee
shee jeh), the Double Seventh Festival occurs on the night of July 7 (the seventh
day of the seventh month) when the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid in the skies
walk across a bridge spanned by magpies to meet again over the Milk Way, or
Heavenly River. The Double Seventh is a nigh for friendship and a time when the
moon and stars are honored.
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