5th Grade Ukulele Lesson: Day 9

Unit Objectives
1. Students able to play 3 chords on soprano ukulele
2. Students able to strum different patterns on the ukulele
3. Students able to identify chord changes in a song

Lesson 2 Standards:
MU:Pr4.3.6a Perform a selected piece of music demonstrating how their
interpretations of the elements of music and the expressive qualities (such as dynamics,
tempo, timbre, articulation/style, and phrasing) convey intent.

Process:
Introduce Baritone Ukulele: Bring instrument from home (students have not seen a baritone
Ukulele in the classroom before)
Is this a ukulele?
Students will most likely suspect it is a guitar
Have students look close and figure out how it is a
ukulele and not a guitar (number of strings)
What is different?
What is the same?
Do the sound the same?
Same strings?
Wood?
Number of strings?
Compare to Soprano Ukulele that the students are playing on

Review
Greeting/grab instrument
Review C and G7 chords
How do we play a C Chord?
What finger(s) are we using? Which frets? What
strings?
Same for G7
Exercises holding/release, strumming practice
Finger and dont strum
Show me the C chord, but do not strum
When all students are ready move to strumming
Strum for 4 beats, rest for 4. Decrease amount of rest

Introduce F chord (explain how to read chord symbols and applying to

instrument)
Reveal F chord on poster
Visually show students fingering for F chord as a class
Let students practice holding fingering and releasing
Let students practice strumming the F chord with different
strumming patterns
 Go back and forth from F to C chords put them back
into the groups and have them create a pattern that uses both chords
(switch back and forth between the 2 chords at least 2 times)
Add G7 (switch from C to F back to C to G7 repeat)

Teacher will play Lion sleeps tonight with chord changes between
C F and G7
Have students close eyes and raise hands when
they hear the chord changes and be able to identify those changes with
the text
Play once (or twice) depending on if
students identify chord changes
Ask what word we changed on
We will play again with all eyes open, tell students
to join as they are ready
Play one more time, as a class
Squad Activity: Recognizing and hearing chord changes
Students will be in 4 groups
Give each group a hand out with the song The Lion Sleeps tonight
There will be blanks for where the chord changes are, but students must figure
out (in groups) what the chords are for each blank
It can be a competition and have the winning group perform for the class and
explain the chord changes
Everyone performs

Differentiation:

Students who are unable to perform quick chord changes should try to get the first chord of
every measure rather than strumming every beat. This allows them time to finger and prepare
for the first chord of the next measure

Students who may not be able to play due to an arm injury or physical limitation: Students
should keep steady beat or play with another instrument that may only require one hand- mallet
instrument- play tonic of each chord on glock, metallophone, or xylophone