ARTSEDGE: Chinese Instruments

This Lesson at a Glance:

Grade Band:

Integrated Subjects:
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Materials:

For the teacher:

Assessment Rubric

For the student:

Chinese Instrument and Classification

Related WebLinks:

Targeted Standards:

The National Standards For Arts Education:

Music (K-4)
Standard 6: Listening to, analyzing, and describing music

Music (K-4)
Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts

Visual Arts (K-4)
Standard 1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes

Visual Arts (K-4)
Standard 2: Using knowledge of structures and functions

Other National Standards:

Language Arts I (K-2) Standard 1: Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process

Language Arts I (K-2) Standard 5: Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process

Language Arts I (K-2) Standard 7: Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

Language Arts I (K-2) Standard 8: Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes

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Chinese Instruments

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students identify and classify Western instruments and traditional Chinese instruments. Each student researches and writes about a specific instrument, and then creates a version of the Chinese music instrument using recycled materials.

Length of Lesson:

Two 45-minute class periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for grade 3 and 4.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

conduct Internet research about Chinese instruments.
identify the following terms: string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments.
classify Western and Chinese instruments as string, wind, or percussion instruments.
write an informative paragraph about a traditional Chinese instrument.
create a version of a Chinese instrument using recycled materials.

Instructional Plan:

Warm Up

Post pictures of Western instruments in a random arrangement. Ask students to organize the instruments into groups. As a class, sort the pictures into groups. (Try to reach a general consensus.) Once the instruments have been placed in groups, ask students why they made the choices to group them the way they did? Are there any instruments that could be moved to another place? Why?

Play a recording that features some instruments of a Western orchestra. Help students identify which instruments made the sounds heard on the recording.

Introductory Activity

Define the following terms:

percussion instruments: instruments that are hit and are used to give rhythm to music

string instruments: instruments that have strings and can be played by plucking with fingers or played with a bow

wind instruments: a hollow instrument that makes a sound when air is blown into it

With the students, classify the Western instruments as string, wind, or percussion instruments.

Play a recording that features traditional Chinese instruments. (See Teacher References section for resources.) As you listen to the instruments, ask students how they think the sound is produced—with strings, wind, or by percussion?

Guided Activity

Pair students up and put them at computers with Internet access. Tell the students to visit the Chinese Historical and Cultural Project's Web site, which contains photographs of Chinese musical instruments.

Distribute copies of the Chinese Instrument and Classification handout. Have the student pairs search for each instrument on the list and classify them on the sheet.

Each student should then select an instrument to research, write about, and recreate. Have students print out an image of the instrument they have chosen.

Students should continue researching their chosen instruments. Their final product will be a short, informative report (two to three paragraphs) about the instrument. Questions that should be answered in this report include:

Out of what materials is the instrument made?
How is it played?
What kind of sound does it produce?
What instrument family does it belong to and why?

Independent Activity

Bring out the collection of recycled materials—tubes, boxes, cardboard, etc. Tell students that they will be creating a version of the Chinese instuments that they have researched. (Note: For some ideas on how to make instruments, read Kindeart.com's Easy-to-Make Musical Instruments for Kids.)

Students should select the recycled items that they feel will work best to recreate the instrument they have selected. Students should construct the instrument and color with paint or marker to complete it.

Closure

Have students present their finished instruments to the class. They should identify the instrument by name, type, and share a little background information about it. If their version of the instrument can be played, have the students demonstrate playing music on their instruments. (Note: Remind the students that their creations will not make the same sounds as authentic instruments.)

Photograph and/or display the instruments in the classroom. If possible, scan the photos and add them to a class Web page. The Web page could also include information about each instrument.

Assessment:

Use the Assessment Rubric to evaluate students' work.

Sources:

Print:

Drew, Helen. My First Music Book. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1993.
Dunleavy, Deborah. Jumbo Book of Music. Toronto, ON: The Kids Can Press, 2001.
Hart, Avery and Mantell. Kids Make Music. Charlotte, VT: Williamson Publishing, 1993.
Purton, Michael. I Can Make Music. New York: Smithmark, 1996.

Authors:

Mary Beth Bauernschub, Teacher
Kingsford Elementary School
Mitchellville, MD